Medieval: Total War - Viking Invasion

"A complete yet disappointing expansion to Medieval: Total War"

Medieval: Total War - Viking Invasion has everything you could ask for in an expansion pack, a new campaign map, over 40 new units, an amazing new artillery weapon and new factions to play as. But when you realize that the new campaign is short and limited, and that the new units received little more than a name change over their M:TW counterparts the expansion really doesn't seem all that worth it. Especially since the new factions could've been programmed into the original anyway, meaning that there is almost nothing to this expansion.

Graphics: 7/10

Graphics are beginning to show their age, but definitely get the job done. My one major complaint is that very few of the new units recieved their own graphics. The new spearmen look like the old spearmen, the new javalinmen look like the old Kerns, new horsemen look like the old early horseriders. Very disappointing, especially since many new units have only changed in name, having the same stats and bonuses as their old counterparts.

Sound: 7/10

Never really a strong point in the original, the sound still sets the mood right. Calm main map music, powerful battle music and joyful victory music...all paired with annoying sound effects, such as generic clanging of metal and one or two looping screams.

Gameplay: 9/10

Not changed much over the original, except for the addition of new units to play around with and a new campaign map of the expanded British Isles, the gameplay remains excellent. New features, such as a prebattle report, which shows each side's army, general and the battlefield, add a little to the overall feel of the game and offer a scouting report to help you fight a more educated battle. The new Viking campaign is rather short, yet there are multiple factions and many provinces to play around with. Vikings have been given special abilities to raid, such as destroying buildings for money or landing or leaving a province without a dock. The main campaign has been expanded to include three new factions, the Sicilians, the Hungarians and the Argonese. While this may impress some, all of those factions can be programmed into the original game. As argued before, new units add a little diversity to the game, especially to Slavic nations, who are now very much seperate from their Western European cousins, but in the end they are nothing more than name changes from their original counterparts.

Replay: 10/10

With new units, a new campaign, new factions and more historical battles, this game will last a hardcore fan a very long time. Casual players will probably find this expansion to be lacking, as playing through the Viking campaign will not take as long as the original.

Overall: 7/10 (not an average)

Overall, this expansion should only be recommended to hardcore fans. If you've exhuasted the main campaign while playing the original you should stay far away from the expansion, as it will not redeem your opinion on the original. Complete but with nothing groundbreaking, this expansion will only please those who still enjoy the original campaign and those who will enjoy playing through a newer, yet smaller and shorter, campaign.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/17/03, Updated 06/17/03