Total War: Three Kingdoms

Still one of the best Total War games IMO, shame it got axed when it has SO MUCH going for it. This is, simply put, the most fun I've ever had on the campaign map. And it's due to the way the in-depth mechanics of the campaign work. The diplomacy system is deep, accessable, and rewarding to use. The spying and subterfuge system lets you pull off schemes that would make Sun Tzu applaud. The character relationships are dynamic and help create stories as well as changing how you play. The economic possibilities are amazing, as you can literally buy your way to emperorship with enough smart deals and good commandery management. Climbing the ranks of nobility through prestige feels good as you customize your government to suite your play style either covering up for a factions weaknesses or enhancing their existing strengths. And each faction does have their own unique weaknesses and strengths that they specialize in, making the replayability very high.
Now, as much as I love gushing about the game, it would be irresponsible to not talk about the weaknesses. Unit variety is...not the highest. There are essentially 4 or 4.5 rosters in the game IF you own the requisite dlcs. These are the Han (base game) roster, the Yellow Turban Remnant (Yellow Turban DLC) roster, the Original Yellow Turban Rebellion (Mandate of Heaven DLC) roster, and the Nanman (Furious Wild DLC) roster. There's also the bandits (base game after a rework), who get a small selection of kinda crappy base units and then access to a lot of units from the other rosters through their unique technology tree (though you can only recruit a limited number of these). Outside of that, every faction (except the Shi Xie FLC faction) has about two to three units but some of these are better than others.
Second big con is that, well, some of the DLC isn't worth it as they add either only a couple new factions or take place in a completely different time period (*cough* Eight Princes *cough*). Adding on to this is that some of the DLC and FLC factions are not up to par with the base game factions, either because the have gimmicky mechanics or because they lack something nearly every other faction has. For example, Shi Xie (FLC) has NO unique units and also lacks a unique building tree. Liu Yan (FLC) has no unique building tree and has an unintuitive "inheritance" mechanic. Meanwhile, Sun Ce (technically DLC if you want to start as him) has a different mechanic from his father Sun Jian, and two additional unique units, but aside from the two units and his "Fates Divided" storyline, you're essentially playing the same faction, and arguably a less fun version of it.
In summary, I would definitely advise getting this game, but be VERY picky when it comes to the DLC.

While there is still a lingering annoyance with CA's decision to end support for this game early, I honestly believe this is the best Total War game to date. Diplomacy allows for creative gameplay, the core narrative is not invasive and allows for a strong sandbox, and mod support is fantastic.

The Total War Franchise has existed as a series of buggy, optimization nightmares for the last twenty years. The games are forgiven for the scope, depth and dedication promised to follow each bumpy, borderline beta release. Somehow, they got everything right this time before launch, which resulted in the perfection of their formula.
CA celebrated this new and interesting approach by abandoning the game completely in favor of moving their teams to future unfinished products, and Warhammer III (which returned to the old format of releasing a dumpster fire) has become the main focus for the foreseeable future.
It's a shame because this game's diplomacy may be some of the best out there. Intelligent AI, a beautiful map and the historical/fantasy setting make for a turn based, beautiful experience which can transform into intense real time battles whenever you want.
If you've heard the game lacks unit variety, it's true, but the variety of unique generals makes for an interesting game of Pokemon, trying to collect them all into your empire.
This game is worth a buy and if you can get the DLC's as part of a sale, do so. None of them are necessary but "A World Betrayed" is probably the best one as it introduces new mechanics and favorite characters from the 3K story.
Enjoy the game knowing that it will never receive the support it deserves.

I've played many Total War games. Three Kingdoms stands out to me in it's political and region managements systems. Comparing it to TW:Warhammer games. Each turn on the campaign I was putting a lot of thought into what buildings I was building, where they were located, what units and generals I was recruiting, who was running my commanderies, I was checking the diplomacy screen almost every turn. I was actually invested in watching the NPC leaders. Keeping track of who they were allying with and at war with.
The battle pacing feels good. Graphics are good. A distinct art style on the map makes it very appealing.
The toughest thing about this game is if you're like me. You know little of China history and its geography. The large map is very.. large and it is overwhelming at first. After about 15 hours of play, I started to be familiar with my half of the map, only to be lost again when I started a campaign on the other side of China.
A great Total War game in all.

grew up on dynasty warriors , one of my first pc games was rome tw, they combined my favorite things in this game!!!

This is the neglected stepchild of Creative Assembly...
9/10 relatable

Creative Assembly looked over at their biggest competitor, Paradox, and tried their hand at designing a character-driven grand campaign in the style of Crusader Kings. The result is possibly their magnum opus: a campaign dripping in personal drama and atmosphere.
Any complaints I have are little post-1000 hours nitpicks. It's hard to return to other TW entries now, after enjoying the dynamic AI of this games factions. Honestly, seeing an honourable but cowardly liege die and be replaced by his cunning and aggressive son, and seeing how that AI faction changes behaviour accordingly, imbues the game with a sense of realism that is hard to find elsewhere in the genre.
It's a shame they've cut support, but hopefully the continuation of this IP will validate that decision in hindsight.