It doesn't feel like it's been that long since PC gamers were treated to Rome: Total War, but Sega is already preparing to release the next game in the Total War series, Medieval 2: Total War. Hardcore fans of the series will note that while the name may be a bit deceiving, Medieval 2 is actually the fourth game in the Total War series, following Medieval, Shogun and Rome. Sega demoed the latest Total War for us, and some changes and general improvements are looking to make Medieval 2 one of the top RTS titles releasing on the PC this year.

A team of 40 people has been brought together to work on Medieval 2, the largest team to work on any of the Total War games. The additional development power hasn't been wasted as Medieval will feature double the textures seen in Rome, and the environments will play a much larger role in battles. Certain areas may be impassable, causing and army to be cornered, or possibly giving an army the advantage of attacking from a cliff or some other high point.

The vast armies of clones have also been replaced with unique characters to give the armies a more individual feel to them. Some of the soldiers will even feature idle movements while they're awaiting your orders. All of this has been done to give the battles a more lifelike feel. When soldiers die, their corpses will remain on the battlefield and even begin to pile up as the battle progresses. To make deaths more realistic, fatality animations have been added to the game, so you can really get a feel for the intensity of these battles.

Assassinations are still in the game, but this time around the development team has added more assassination movies and outcomes. So when you send your assassin to take out the opposing army's General, you won't be seeing the same few assassination movies over and over again. You'll of course need to train your assassins if you want them to succeed in their missions, just like you'll have to train all of your other troops. Training your new recruits has also been sped up. In Medieval 2 you can train up to four new recruits in a single term.

There are currently over 250 different unit types in the game, with more coming as development continues on the title. Certain units will also have special abilities on the battlefield in Medieval 2. Defensive units, such as archers, will be able to build spikes to keep the cavalry at bay and give them more protection.

Outside of the battles, there will be quite a few things you'll need to deal with, or at least toy with. Princesses can be used to gain a powerful ally. Marry off a princess to a powerful nation and the two armies will become one. In addition, events from the past will play a key role in negotiations. If you treat your allies poorly, they'll remember that and may not come to your aid when you need it. You'll also have to manage your relationship with the church. Since Medieval 2: Total War takes place between 1080 and 1530, the Crusades will play a role in the game. The Americas will also become available once you have the technology to sail across the ocean.

One thing we didn't get to see much of in the version Sega demoed for us is the new ability to lay siege to opposing castles. Sega said we'd see more of the castle sieges at E3, but what little we saw looked very promising. Players will be able to lay siege on up to three castle walls, and wherever you hit the wall is where the damage will be shown. These aren't generic walls that will crumble after a set number of hits. You'll need to pay close attention to where you're aiming to ensure the wall comes down and your siege is not a failure.

Topping off the new Total War game is a unique soundtrack. As the conditions on the battlefield change, the tempo of the music will change right along with it. The type of music you hear will also change as your journey throughout the world. Dynamic weather has also been included to once again increase the realistic feel of the title. All of these little extras are really making Medieval 2: Total War look to be one of the top RTS titles of the year when it hits in November. We'll have more on the title at E3 when we go hands on with the latest in Total War.