Total War: Three Kingdoms

Total War Adds Dynasty Mode and Chinese Distribution

5th August 2019 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Creative Assembly and Sega Europe are busy with Total War related announcements at the moment. A new free game mode is coming to the latest title, Total War: Three Kingdoms. And a new Chinese partnership with NetEase has been announced.

Total War: Three Kingdoms Dynasty Mode:

The new free Dynasty Mode has been designed in collaboration with Intel. And it’s a bit different, as you control an army made up of just three hero units.

Your trio need to take on a horde-style survivial challenge against waves of enemies with increasing levels of difficulty.

Total War: Three Kingdoms Dynasty Mode

In your favour is the fact that characters in Dynasty mode are legendarily powerful and have a host of unique abilities. Plus defeating enemy generals in every third wave will give you bonus points to spend on new skills.

Or you can make things tougher, by choosing to increase the standard unit size from the normal 80 men up to a maximum of 950 soldiers per unit.

Total War Coming to China

Creative Assembly have also sealed a long-term partnership with NetEase to see the Total War series published in China.

The deal includes previous and current games, plus a new collectable card game for PC and mobile in China, named Total War; Elysium.

Tim Heaton, Creative Assembly Studio Director and EVP of SEGA Studios, said: “For nearly two decades, the Total War franchise has been a leader in the strategy games genre, thanks to its trademark gameplay and a focus on authenticity. We are excited to bring the historical titles of the franchise to the Chinese market where we have already seen a huge appetite for Total War. Our partnership with NetEase is an ideal pairing with our shared mission for bringing quality gameplay experiences to our passionate fans across the globe.”

Gary Dale, President and COO of SEGA Europe, added: “We are very excited for Creative Assembly to partner with a leading company like NetEase. SEGA Europe are looking forward to expanding the business in China, as it is the fastest-growing market in the industry.”

“NetEase is very pleased to work with Creative Assembly, a leading game developer in the strategy games genre, to bring the critically acclaimed Total War series to players in China. We see great potential in this long-term strategic partnership,” said Ken Li, Vice President of NetEase Inc. “Since its initial release in 2000, the Total War Series has given players an extraordinary game experience, allowing them to feel the thrill and excitement of various historical wartime battles. This is exactly the type of high-quality content NetEase has been and will continue to offer our users.”

It’s an interesting time for Creative Assembly. Mainly known for the Total War series, the company acquired a Bulgarian studio from Crytek in 2017, and is currently working on nine projects. That includes an unannounced tactical team-based shooter as a new IP.

Total War: Three Kingdoms Reign of Blood adds Gore

20th June 2019 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Warfare is a pretty violent and bloody affair. And if that’s your idea of strategy fun, then you’re in luck. The Total War: Three Kingdoms Reign of Blood DLC is a gory blood effects pack for the new strategy game from Creative Assembly.

Even the Total War: Three Kingdoms Reign of Blood loading screen makes the difference clear

Enable the pack via the Advanced Graphics Settings, and you’ll get several new mature-rated effects, animations and kill-moves to both Campaign and Battle Modes.

The campaign screens also get a gorier makeover with Reign of Blood

So if your idea of calmly calculating strategies and organising your troops also includes charred corpses, beheadings and limbs being removed, then you’ll want to grab the Reign of Blood pack on Thursday, June 27th, 2019 for £1.99 via Steam.

Or you can just watch the trailer for the DLC right now:

And that’s it – Reign of Blood is purely about adding more violence and red liquid to the game. Total War: Three Kingdoms is available via Steam for £44.99. Or for £46.99, you can pick up the Limited Edition physical copy via Game, which includes a deluxe case, and a double-sided campaign map / character poster. Amazon has the Limited Edition for £1 less, along with the Collector’s Edition listed at £299 for the game, Yellow Turban Rebellion content and a statue. Which seems a bit much when the Yellow Turban DLC is £6.99 on top of the standard game!

Anyway, here’s some more pictures of the gore for those inclined to view them…

That’s going to need more than an aspirin…

Total War: Three Kingdoms Adds Han Warlord Dong Zhuo

11th February 2019 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

There’s now a 12th faction to choose from as Total War: Three Kingdoms adds Han warlord Dong Zhuo. The military general and warlord lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China and took control of the capital in 189 for a brief but bloody reign.

His reputation was made by torturing captured enemies during lavish banquets and then placing them in the middle of the food, and killing thousands of public servants and civilians.

Should you want to take on the role of the evil tyrant Dong Zhuo, you just need to either defeat him in battle, or reach the rank of Emperor. And your forces will include his adopted son Lu Bu, who is the greatest warrior in the land (And also the person that eventually assassinated Dong Zhuo in 192.)

Total War: Three Kingdoms Adds Han Warlord Dong Zhuo and his adopted son/bodyguard Lu Bu

If that’s wetted your appetite for bloodshed, fear and intimidation, check out the Total War: Three Kingdoms Dong Zhu cinematic trailer below:

Watch the Total War: Three Kingdoms Dong Zhu Trailer:

Watch the Total War: Three Kingdoms Dong Zhu trailer and discover why he wasn’t a very nice chap

In other Total War: Three Kingdoms news, the release date for the game has been slightly delayed. The game will now be available from May 23rd, 2019.

“We’re lucky to be in a position to do the right thing for our games, and in this case, it means taking the time to get everything ready for you,” said Rob Bartholomew, Studio Brand Director at Creative Assembly. “It’s important that we give you a game that you can enjoy to the fullest, and we’re excited for you to see what we have in store.”

You can buy the game as a Steam pre-purchase here to have it unlocked on May 23rd. The physical edition is available on Game, and pre-orders receive the Warlord Pack DLC for free. And Play-Asia have the European Limited Edition available, with the game, Premium Deluxe Case, and Double-sided campaign map and poster.

Total War: Three Kingdoms Dynasty Mode:

Total War Coming to China

Watch the Total War: Three Kingdoms Dong Zhu Trailer:

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