Kisah AKU n Games Review - Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar

Assalamualaikum,

Dah lama aku tak review video game dalam blog ni. Maybe sebab dah lama tak spend time main game kot, or sebab dah takde cerita best nak update dalam blog ni. Haha.

Okaylah, dua minggu lepas aku accidently terklik satu video kat Youtube pasal HBO series yang diberi nama ROME. An avid history geek yang senang terpengaruh (lol), I did some research on this series and later decided to download all 22 episodes. Minggu lepas memang cuti aku dok marathon cerita ni je. Well, memang tak sia-sia beb! Jalan cerita yang mantap mengisahkan the rise and fall of the Roman imperator, Gaius Julius of the Julii family or famously known as Julius Caesar

First season membawa audience kedalam kancah Roman Civil War diantara Caesar' Populares menentang Pompey' Optimates, yang akhirnya membawa kepada pembunuhan beliau oleh Roman senators dikepalai oleh Brutus dan Cassius. 

Season kedua pula menceritakan the rise of his nephew, Gaius Octavius whom later being regarded as the first Emperor of the Roman Empire, Augustus Caesar. Tapi sayangnya cerita ni dua season je, ditamatkan produksi regardless won several honors and awards untuk memberi laluan untuk HBO Game of Thrones, which is a cat-shit show. Huu.

So, nak dijadikan cerita aku pun selongkar balik beg CD game lama (again, mudah terpengaruh..Haha) dengan harapan terjumpa game-game yang berlatarbelakang zaman Roman ni. Adalah jumpa 3 video games. Rome Total War dah selalu main. Grand Ages Rome ni CD rosak pulak. Tinggallah satu option je which is Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar. Muka depan game ni simple je. Main medium spec sebab laptop tak power. Karang ada yang meletup pulak. Haha

Game ni memang bertepatan dengan citarasa aku. Most importantly, as it name suggest - the game focused on the era of the rise of Julius Caesar dari his pro-consulship of Gaul to the outbreak of Caesar Civil War.

A highlight of this game is surely Longbow's (developer) trademark satellite map where the player can zoom in from the grand strategic map to the battlefield at any time. Map memang besar with berpuluh small Barbarian tribes from three main factions (Gaul, Germanic, Britons) yang akan cuba challenge the might of Rome.

One thing yang best pasal game ni ialah it's micro management basis where you can develop your region through socio-economic aspect such as securing new trade routes, maintaining public order etc.

Dalam game ni, supply routes ialah one of aspek yang perlu diambil kira especially in warring period. Setiap towns, outpost, army camp perlu ada an active connection to ensure steady supply of resources. Kayu dan emas untuk construction of new buildings dan juga makanan untuk peoples & army.

To make it more interesting, you can command and battle your legion to conquer new land. And of course, travelling army need foods. Kalau diorang travel tanpa sufficient food supply or terputus bekalan. Morale akan down to the lowest and will be easily annihilated or defected (apply to foederati only).

Julius Caesar can appoint his soldier to the rank of Legatus (Legion Commander) to command a legion. Seperti yang dinyatakan, map memang quite large. Thus, you will need several legate to support Caesar. Be it for offensive or defensive action. Sometimes, these tribes will unite together to crush you. Well, they eventually did but after the decline of the Empire lah.

Unlike Rome Total War, kepungan bandar dalam game ni memang paling basic. You can construct siege tower to protect your troops while scaling the wall. That's all. No trebuchet, no sapper, no catapult, no battering ram. Haha

If you guys are playing Campaign, you need to follow the story-line. Ada 4 chapters bermula dengan Caesar arrival di Gaul, followed by his preemptive invasion of Belgae. Chapter 3 started with Caesar first invasion of Britannia and finally on Chapter 4, the ultimate showdown with all Gallic tribes rallied under King Vercingetorix.

If korang main Sandbox, you can roam freely. Normally, Roman faction or labelled as Caesar akan start with one city. In order to expand the Republic, kita boleh lah pilih nak wage war dengan faction mana, or nak tag team dengan faction lain ke. Tapi tu lah, we're Roman Republic. We should not ally with these filthy Barbarian tribes. We came, we saw, we conquered!

Panjang lebar review hari ni, apa boleh buat. Dah excited pulak dapat main game ni. Sebab mula-mula beli CD game ni dulu, laptop tak boleh main. Tak tau lah pasal apa, ni try install okay pulak. Pasni ingat kalau takde post menarik, better aku review game. At least adalah berupdate sikit. Untuk sesiapa yang minat sejarah Rom and idolized Julius Caesar, game ni memang highly recommended untuk dicuba. Roma Invicta!

P/S: All images ROME credit to Google. Thanks!