The Total War series has always been about the balance between small- and large-scale conflict, and Rome II has taken that philosophy to its logical conclusion. In your quest to conquer Ancient Europe, you groom generals and warlords for command, curb the political machinations of your rivals, and launch legions of soldiers through the streets and countryside as you spread your influence. Total War: Rome II masters the tension caused by the ebb and flow of violence on both epic and personal scales; held back by a smattering of minor technical issues, it's an excellent sequel that manages to build upon the sterling reputation of its predecessors while carving out a unique place in the strategy game pantheon.
Total War's campaign mode has been dramatically expanded for Rome II. The playable countries and factions are largely the same, but the campaign map is much larger, and territory has been reorganized to reflect the differences between the barbarian and civilized cultures. These cultures play quite differently, especially on the macroscopic scale to reflect their historical distinctions. Hellenistic and Roman cultures both place a much greater emphasis on capitals and industrial output. Most of the other factions lean toward a distributed network of cities and production. In terms of play, this often means that barbarians can recruit soldiers from nearly any territory they control, and can often create much larger armies very quickly; however, they do so at a greater cost and higher upkeep.
In addition to an overhauled provincial system, there are more than a few changes to the finer points of imperial management. Public order or the satisfaction of your citizens depends heavily on the buildings you have constructed, whether or not you're engaged in any kind of war, the current tax rate, and a dozen or so other factors. There are enough potential influences on your citizens' satisfaction that it can, in fact, be difficult to keep track of, and one of Rome II's few design oversights is a UI that doesn't make everything that goes into your stats clear. This means that when your people begin to rebel, it's not always easy to find a way to keep them happy and to keep the area stable.
Where you are likely to find plenty of detail and more than enough options is in the countless other subtle additions that have been made to the Total War formula. If you have spies that have given you intel on approaching enemies, your forces can use the landscape to prepare an ambush or fortify your position and make it that much harder for an opponent to take any kind of action against your empire or your citizens. Weather can also play a role, when paired with your spies, diplomats, and champions. Eliciting information on the composition of enemy troops--namely the breakdown of cavalry and ranged units in their ranks--can help you create valuable opportunities and exploit key weaknesses.
When you do find yourself directing the movement of individual units on the battlefield, you're treated to something that is surprisingly rare in strategy games: old-style field tactics. Breaking ranks and causing panic is the name of the game here. Flanking, hitting troops with projectiles, charging, and slamming ranks with cavalry all cause panic and break the lines of regimented troop formations. Using that knowledge effectively means that you don't have to fight to the last man and that you won't need to risk the lives of your own men doing it.
Morale matters. If you're careful, it's not unreasonable to be able to break three of four enemy units with only one of yours, without suffering heavy casualties, and if that same unit has a general in its ranks, it can take on eight or more. The game's AI can often make some pretty strange decisions on troop positioning and movements, especially if you're playing on the lower difficulties. That said, poor planning, haphazard attacks, and unfocused assaults will only spell death for your men.

        Source:GameSpot