First look at Rome: Total War vs. Total War: Rome Remastered comparison

This is it. This is the one. The one that started it all off for me, anyway. Rome: Total War [Gaming Nexus score 9.2] is getting a remaster in Total War: Rome Remastered. You may have noticed that "Total War" used to be the subtitle. It was totally backwards back then. Probably has something to do with the developers being a British company, and you know how those folks get the month and day backwards on their dates, and how they drive on the wrong side of the road, etc. Har har.

But Total War: Rome: Total War, any way you want to say it, 17 years later, is updating its architecture, its battlefields, its unit models, and its overhead campaign map. Square 4:3 resolutions are out! Wide 16:9 and ultrawide 21:9 is in! And native 4K UHD resolution will fit all the pixels on the screen you want. No, it doesn't look like a game that could launch in 2021 and have people wowed by the graphics like we were in 2004. I mean, have you seen Total War: Three Kingdoms? It's gorgeous. That's a game that will wow you in 2021.

Here's a laundry list of what the Remastered version brings:

• Improved Visuals: Total War: Rome Remastered ushers the classic strategy title into the modern gaming era with full 4K visuals, native support for ultra-high-definition resolution and overhauled environment, battlefield, and character models.

• New Gameplay Content: Wage war across new fronts with 16 previously unplayable factions to play on top of the original 22, and send the new Merchant agents on missions to establish lucrative trade networks across the map, buy out rival Merchants, and assert your empire's economic power.

• Modernized Features: Players can exercise more control than ever with new features such as a tactical map during battles, plus heat maps and icon overlays in campaign mode. Existing mechanics have also been improved, including an overhauled diplomacy system, wider camera zoom levels throughout the game, and camera rotation on the campaign map.

• Improved Help Systems: A swathe of improved support has been added, including a redesigned tutorial, a new in-game Wiki, expansive advice and tooltips, and improved accessibility for colorblind players.

• Cross-Platform Multiplayer: Players can enjoy cross-platform PvP multiplayer between Windows, macOS and Linux, a first for the Total War franchise.

• Complete Original Content: Total War: Rome Remastered includes the Barbarian Invasion and Alexander expansions in glorious new detail, and players will also gain access to the original Rome: Total War Collection (only playable on Windows).

Total War: Rome Remastered is pretty nice. But it mostly looks like one of those "How I remember a game vs. what it actually looked like" memes. If you just saw Rome Remastered by itself, you'd think it just looks like OG Rome. But with this side-by-side video, oh, okay, now you see the improvements. Either way, it's great to see Rome Remastered. I never fully caught onto Total War: Rome II, and real armchair grognards on both sides could argue for one or the other until they're blue in the face. I'm sure Rome II is great and all. But again, the first Rome was my Rome; the one that introduced me to this whole Total War thing. 2004 me was blown away in every way possible.

All roads lead to Total War: Rome Remastered launching April 29 on PC.