The best strategy game of 2022, according to Metacritic, is coming to the Steam Summer Sale today – Coming soon to 278 factions
In February 2022, the real-time strategy game “Total War: Warhammer 3” was released on Steam. With a score of 86% on Metacritic, it is the top rated strategy game for PC in 2022. In the 4 months since its release, it has only been reduced once by 10% for a short time. That will change with the Steam Summer Sale 2022, which starts tonight. A purchase at a low price could be worthwhile, believes MeinMMO author Schuhmann. In a few months the game will be huge.
What kind of game is it? The “Total War” series has been recreating historical wars for 22 years and has established a genre of its own:
- On a map you move your armies around, recruit troops and expand settlements – like in a classic turn-based strategy game
- In combat, however, you switch to real-time strategy and command your troops yourself in the field, making tactical decisions and actually fighting out the battles you have gotten yourself into
Normally, the Total War games play in warlike times on earth: In the Middle Ages, in ancient Rome, in Japan or at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. However, the series arm Warhammer refers to a fantasy world that was already the inspiration for “World of Warcraft”: Here people suddenly fight against elves, orcs, goblins or the rat-like skaven.
The series has had an excellent reputation since 2000, but had become stale over the years: That changed in 2016, when developer Creative Assembly took more liberties, breaking out of the narrow historical framework and tackling Total War: Warhammer and Total War: Three Kingdoms ventured into the realm of myth and fantasy.
Total War: Warhammer 3 is the third game in this series arm after Part 1 (2016) and Part 2 (2017, has been extended for a long time).
How good is Total War: Warhammer 3? The game is on Metacritic received an excellent 86% rating from the testers. It’s almost as good looking as Total Warhammer II from 2017.
Testers called it the “crown jewel of the trilogy”, praised the “continuous development of the series” and the “exciting innovations to the well-known formula.”
With 86%, it’s the best new strategy game for PC in 2022 according to Metacritic. Even the DLC “Royal Court” for Crusader Kings 3 only came to 83% – Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is 81% (via metacritic).
When it was released, it was also a top seller on Steam.
Total War: Warhammer 3 is missing the showpiece of the game
What’s the problem with the game? The problem with Total Warhammer III is a peculiarity that is only noticeable if you know the predecessor.
Because the actual campaign that Total Warhammer 3 starts with is not the mode that players want to play:
Players want to play the Immortal Empires mega mode, which they already know from part 2 and was popular there. In “Immortal Empires” all factions from all 3 parts of the “Total War: Warhammer” series can be played.
From the last part you know: This mode gives players extreme freedom and packs many different factions and playstyles into the same world. The mode offers variety and variety without end, lets you play with every known race in the Warcraft universe and in umpteen different shades.
This mode isn’t coming until Q3 2022, though. Until then, Warhammer 3 feels like it’s just the appetizer while the main course is still missing.
The acclaimed Total War: Warhammer 3 does exactly what MMOs are always criticized for doing
How huge will this mode be when it comes? The dimensions of “Immortal Empires” are increased compared to the already huge mode from Total Warhammer II:
- Instead of 401 settlements, there should be 554
- Instead of 183 factions at the start, the number should increase to 278
- Instead of 74 Legendary Sords, there are 86
As the developers announce, the number will even continue to increase over time after the release of the mode via DLC and free updates (via totalwar).
Mortal Empires was a feast for all strategy players – Part 3 is set to be much bigger
What makes this mode so special? The variety in the mode is just huge, as you know from Warhammer 2.
Each race has quirks in their mechanics that result in a different playstyle:
- While as an elf you tried to confederate other elven factions and assimilate them via diplomacy
- you could rampage and plunder wildly as an orc – simply subjugate opponents
- While the Skaven infiltrated enemy cities and built their empire under the feet of their adversaries
- a gluttonous ogre, on the other hand, was all about putting together the perfect meal for the next meal
- while a dark elf wrestled with letting a demon take control of his mind
This mode in Warhammer 2 was a fulfillment for many strategy players, also because it was expanded over the years and always brought new variations.
Warhammer 3’s ‘campaign’, on the other hand, feels like it severely limits the player and forces them into a specific playstyle centered around gimmicks (The Realms of the Chaos Gods) that can be found to be rather tiresome in repeat playthroughs feels, especially if you’re used to the extreme freedom of the “Mortal Empires” campaign.
Total War: Warhammer 3 could be “properly” reduced for the first time in the Steam Summer Sale
Why should you get the game today in the Steam sale? Total Warhammer 3 has almost never been on sale on Steam. The game was only available for €53.99 in a single week, at the beginning of June. Otherwise you always paid the full price of €59.99.
We don’t yet know how cheap Total War: Warhammer 3 will be tonight. However, it is known that the price will be reduced and one can hope that the game will be cheaper to buy on Steam than ever before.
The Steam Summer Sale 2022 starts today, June 23, at 7 p.m. German time.
The user reviews are still a disappointing 53% because of the missing “main mode”. But that should change as soon as the new mode is available.
There is a lot to suggest that with the release of the “Immortal Empires” mode in Q3 2022, a really massive game awaits strategy game fans.
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Reference-mein-mmo.de