Total War: Warhammer II

I feel like a broken record saying this is the best Total War game so far, since I've felt that way about each major release since Attila. But it really is true: Creative Assembly's designers are honing their campaign and faction design consistently from game to game, and that progression is clearly on display in Total War Warhammer 2.

Total War: Warhammer II is a hybrid turn-based strategy and real-time tactics game that stands among the best of both. Its emphasis on campaign pacing, fantastical battles, and complex battlefield tactics easily positions itself as an all-time great.

No matter how good a Total War game is, the follow-up campaign is always better. Warhammer 2's is no exception.

A maximalist sequel that improves on almost every aspect of the first game.

Pairing the tactical brilliance of the Total War series with the rich lore of the Warhammer universe is a natural fit, and Total War: Warhammer 2 fulfills the promise of that combination. It is a deep and challenging experience with an epic story to tell. It is also one of the most overwrought games of the year, a game where complexity seems to be piled on for complexity's sake.

The pairing of Warhammer and Total War continues to be a refreshing and on-point marriage of both franchises

It's an exceedingly strong beginning to this chapter of the Warhammer trilogy and is a strong contender for the best game in the series.

Total War: Warhammer 2's inability to solve some longstanding franchise-wide issues don't really dampen the sense that this is the biggest, and one of the best, executions on the same formula. Adding that this is only the second game in a planned trilogy ends up only making me more excited to see what's in store for Total War: Warhammer 3.

Warhammer 2 might have a lot in common with the first game, but everything it has done to set itself apart is big and fresh and daring, making this a game that's worthy of its own place in the spotlight.

The overall the game offers the best what an RTS can give: deep campaign and largescale battles with some of the best fantasy units I've seen.