Clear your calendars because the time-sink that is the Total War real-time/turn-based hybrid strategy game is about to pay a return visit to the Roman Empire, allowing players to fulfill their Julius Caesar/world domination fantasies, one turn at a time. The hype meter among the PC gaming community is really high for Total War: Rome 2, and considering the quality and success of the previous installments, it’s easy to see why. While the first couple of previews focused on cinematics and shots of the gameplay map, the latest video from developers Creative Assembly focuses on the naval warfare aspect of the game.

In short, it looks pretty damn awesome:

The idea of ramming an enemy ship and boarding it with land troops is an intoxicating one, and it’s just one of the reason PC gamers are excited for September 3rd. Another strong selling point is having the ability to absolutely decimate smaller enemy ships with the larger destroyer style warships. Watching the enemy drops fall into the ocean should give newcomers an idea about the level of detail involved in the Total War series.

According to the game’s official site, pre-ordering customers will have get access to the first DLC pack for free, and while this is certainly not a pitch for the game–this publication is not a partner with Sega or Creative Assembly–if you’ve made up your mind that Total War: Rome 2 is a must-purchase, it makes sense to do the pre-order because, as most gamers know, free DLC has become a rare beast indeed.

[Lead image courtesy]