Metascore
69 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 28
  2. Negative: 2 out of 28
  1. The implementation of controllable sea battles and the interactive environments certainly develops the gameplay of the combat RTS sub-genre and it's sure to be a feature that a certain developer called Creative Assembly will be looking out for.
  2. Truly epic historical strategy. It's a good pick for RTS fans. [Aug 2005, p.60]
  3. The next best thing to attending a real world military college.
  4. 85
    The campaign's tedious start is a significant obstacle to gamers who want to "get to the good stuff" without going through the motions of developing a massive resource base and drafting an army from scratch.
  5. Don't expect to complete Imperial Glory anytime soon; like a good book, you'll have to invest your time, but you're repaid with a great reward.
  6. The graphics, gameplay, and concept are all well done. There is a bit of a learning curve, but players ease into the complex areas of the game.
  7. If anything, Imperial Glory does look exciting and does permit a good degree of strategizing.
  8. 80
    The empire-building gameplay is surprisingly compelling and fast-paced, while the battles themselves give you a taste of, well, glory. Hugo be damned; this empire building is fun stuff.
  9. It puts up a brave fight, but can't quite defeat the champion of war games ("Rome: Total War"). After all, Rome wasn't beat in a day. [July 2005, p.96]
  10. A great concept, but the game suffers from its poor AI. Also, the balance between diplomacy and war should have been improved. [Aug. 05]
  11. 75
    This one is not for the impatient. The campaign mode does drag out for a long time and loading times are on the lengthy side, but should you be patient enough to overlook these details, you'll definitely have a good time.
  12. The encouraging thing about IG's niggles is that they're patchable. In a few months players should be positioning troops with confidence and dispensing orders on a far more regular basis. Without these improvements, however, IG will remain annoying and silly. [PC Gamer UK]
  13. Imperial Glory feels like a giant step forward for Pyro Studios. Its scope and complexity is far greater than any of the previous strategy titles I've seen from them.
  14. As it is, it still has much to commend, but its peculiar design choices make it difficult to enjoy to its full potential.
  15. The campaign mode is good fun for a while, but the unsatisfying battle element will leave strategy buffs begging for more.
  16. In copying the formula of Total War, Pyros Studios, the designers of Imperial Glory, have missed the small nuances and details that made the Total War games, in particular Medieval and Rome, something special.
  17. 65
    Above average. Minor errors corrupt what may have been a good game.
  18. When half a battalion decides to leave your borders undefended while they wage their own private suicide-o-war, it's more than a little galling. [May 2006, p.96]
  19. There's really something fundamentally wrong in a game where I start keeping a book beside the table to read while my armies trudge into battle.
  20. The graphics are slick and I can tell a lot of historical research went into making this game, but I can't shake the feeling that the Pyro designers are still using muskets while the competition has moved on to assault rifles.
  21. 60
    It might even be considered a pretty decent RTS of usual sort, but taken as a historically accurate simulation; it's utterly disappointing and comes nowhere close to challenging the Total War series.
  22. 60
    One frustrating game. It gets so many things right and it certainly looks the part, but fans of the genre -- especially those interested in Napoleon-era fighting -- will have a tough time getting around the game's lighthearted attempt at modeling combat.
  23. While it attempts to be a strong contender against the Total War series, it doesn't make it, even with the unique addition of naval combat.
  24. If I had to describe this game in one word, I'd say it's... decent. Then I'd add that it's at times illogical, unnerving, dull, and painfully slow-paced.
  25. A great-looking game with a few good ideas, but it just gets too many things wrong. Despite the initial promise, the result is a pale imitation of "Total War" and a poor attempt at simulating history.
  26. Invading Russia in the winter was never this hard. [Sept 2005, p.54]
  27. Even if the worst mistakes and bugs would be fixed via patches, Imperial Glory would still only be mediocre. [July 2005, p.71]
  28. For if I would not play the game more than ten seconds if I didn't have to review the game, why would I recommend any voluntarily play this game?
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 52 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 31
  2. Negative: 5 out of 31
  1. ObamaB
    10
    IG is definitely a great game after playing it in my spare time. Very enjoyable and educational all the same. I started playing the demo a while back and got the game. Rome TW was lacking naval battles, which led me to pick IG instead. In my views, ETW aka Empire Total War is a remake of IG only to be a bug ridden game from the install process. I've never came across a game with so much bugs as ETW has at launch. IG brings me lots of joy and I'm thrilled to play IG instead of the buggy ETW. Eidos was ahead of CA in many ways. Full Review »
  2. StephenD
    3
    Utter rubbish, battles appalling, unresponsive commands, promised a huge amount and failed to deliver in every level sadly. The swathe of 10s suggest the people writing it read this comment. If patched and functional this would have been an 8, as it is a waste of your money. Full Review »
  3. MikeW.
    10
    I like Total War but i wouldn't want to compare this game to it, Imperial Glory is very different. Its mutli-level gaming at its best and to be honest the guys at Total War should really have a look and take some of the ideas from this to improve their own great line of games! Full Review »