Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War

Rise and Fall plans to offer real-time naval battles; a treat rarely seen in a strategy game. You'll be able to ram other ships to splinters, hack sailors to bits with a boarding party, or launch flaming catapult rounds from the top deck. Fans of the Total War series know that watching your men fling flaming buckets of tar into the enemy ranks never gets old.

If you loved Gladiator or Troy, then Rise and Fall's combination of strategy gaming and blockbuster historical cinema might hit the sweet spot. After all, even though it never happened, what could be more fun than tramplingAlexander the Greatwith Egyptian war elephants? Just don't tell your history professor.