Carthaginian Faction Joins ‘Total War: Rome 2’

Creative Assembly has quite a bit of content in store for their next game, Total War: Rome 2. It's set to be the biggest Total War game to date, larger even than their most recent game, Shogun 2.

Returning players to the Classical Antiquity of Ancient Rome, Total War: Rome 2 is set to feature multiple playable factions in addition to the pre-Empire Romans. Of these factions, the Carthaginians were revealed as a key playable faction by the developer today on the game's official wiki.

Players will be able to change the fate of Carthage by challenging the might of Rome. The nation found itself under the iron heel of the Romans in real history.

"Carthage is an expansionist trading state with a small indigenous population. As such, the bulk of its armies consist of mercenary units," reads the game's official description. "The core of its land forces, however, are elite Carthaginian citizens known as the Sacred Band and mighty war elephants from the forests of North Africa. Accomplished seamen, their ships are fast and manoeuvrable, with good ramming and missile capabilities.

"As a playable faction, Carthage benefits from its mastery of the waves and its heritage as a great trading nation. As a democracy, it also enjoys an improved level of population happiness. The player also has the choice to play as one of three major political powers, each of which confers further military, economic and cultural benefits."

In addition to the description, Creative Assembly has also released an accompanying screenshot of the Carthaginian faction, which you can see above.

The game's set for an early 2013 release. It's exclusive to the PC, so be sure to build a powerful rig for the game before it comes out—you're going to need it.