More than a year later, I still hold that opinion. In this case, the Barbarians managed to demolish the political reality of a Roman Empire, at least in the West.Īttentive readers will remember that I proclaimed Rome: Total War one of the best games I have ever played. Unlike previous Total War expansions, the invasion here isn't speculative (as in the case of the Mongols) or exaggerated (as in the case of the Vikings). With all that in mind, Barbarian Invasion makes a hell of a good title for the expansion that covers the fall of the Roman Empire.
The term was originally just a way of saying 'foreigner.' The Greeks, who give us this term, apparently thought that the language of their neighbors sounded like 'bar-bar-bar.' Still, for most of us, the word barbarian conjures up images of the shaggy, ax-wielding northmen who came knocking at Rome's door all those centuries ago. 1500 years ago, one of the greatest political and military powers the world had known collapsed under the weight of systemic invasions by a largely disorganized, technologically inferior group of people collectively known as barbarians.
