14 DAY TRIAL // 
The Second Punic War was one of the most important conflicts in the Ancient World because it basically decided whether the Mediterranean would be dominated by Rome or by Carthaginians, with implications for the rest of history as we know it.
The all-new Hannibal at the Gates campaign for Total War: Rome II is designed specifically to simulate this engagement in detail, offering players a chance to control both the two superpowers of the moment and three smaller factions that can play a larger role in the conflict.
The map focuses on the Italian peninsula, the North of Africa and the Iberian peninsula, alongside the big expanse of water between them, and that means more cities to develop, larger distances for armies to cover and more attention paid to the influence that geography had on the war.
When starting Hannibal at the Gates, most players will be impressed by how developed the two main factions are, with dozens of cities under their control and some solid armies already present on the map.
This creates an interesting set of problems early on, mostly because of the way regional allies and smaller factions need to be dealt with before Rome and Carthage can face each other directly.
The development team at The Creative Assembly has also carefully crafted the secondary objectives and missions in order to guide players to follow the real-world Second Punic War, with Hannibal in a good position to make his move across the Alps and the Romans compelled to take Sicily and invade North Africa.
As with the previous Caesar in Gaul campaign, the smaller strategic campaign map creates a more intimate experience and the smaller time frame allows gamers to get to know their generals, create a connection to them and carefully plan how to use them and their unique abilities in order to capture enemy strongholds.
The tactical combat has evolved a lot since Total War: Rome II was launched and it’s interesting to see how the eclectic armies of the Carthaginians, complete with reams of mercenaries, face off against the more disciplined Romans, with their own allies in support.
Battles sometimes still feel a little short and uneven, but the clashes that involve full armies, with elephants, triarii, equites and hoplites getting into melee, are truly impressive both to play and to simply observe.
The Artificial Intelligence created by The Creative Assembly can be fussy at times and takes too long to prepare its battle lines, but there are moments when it can offer a solid challenge, especially if it has numerical superiority and some good cavalry to use.
In terms of graphics, Total War: Rome II – Hannibal at the Gates looks somewhat better than the core game, mainly because the team at The Creative Assembly has managed to focus its resources on a smaller area and a smaller cast of characters.
The game is gorgeous as long as the player has the necessary computer to run it close to full settings, and there’s enough spectacle included in the tactical battles that I often just stop and look at how the little men under my command fight and die and fail to issue the orders that could lead them towards victory.
The sound design is also impressive, although there are moments when the studio seems to aim more for Hollywood blockbuster than historical recreation.
Total War: Rome II – Hannibal at the Gates is an interesting piece of content that will offer solid value for those who love traditional strategy experiences and for those who live the What If aspect of historical events.
The campaign is well constructed and benefits from the more focused map and the solid choice of included factions.
Those who are just focused on the Grand Campaign will also get some interesting features, but for them it makes sense to play the factions that they have access to and pick up the new campaign at a later date, when it goes on sale.
It will be interesting to see what the development team at The Creative Assembly delivers in terms of downloadable content for Total War: Rome II.
