Total War: Shogun 2

 PC
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Mar 15, 2011
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1448 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,144 out of 1448
  2. Mixed: 216 out of 1448
  3. Negative: 88 out of 1448
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  1. LianneD
    May 9, 2011
    10
    As her journey for the ultimate revenge continues, Beatrix Kiddo is left with three people on her quest to kill; her ex-lover/boss Bill and his two remaining associates; his brother Budd and Billâ
  2. aungen
    May 5, 2011
    9
    The recent Total War games (Empire, Napoleon), have left me longing for the good old days. Shogun 2 has answered that prayer. I am one of those people who played Medieval 2 with mods to pass the time, because the newer games were too large, and unwieldy. I love the addition of naval combat, but felt like too many things had gone wrong.

    Shogun 2 gets almost everything right. There is a    The recent Total War games (Empire, Napoleon), have left me longing for the good old days. Shogun 2 has answered that prayer. I am one of those people who played Medieval 2 with mods to pass the time, because the newer games were too large, and unwieldy. I love the addition of naval combat, but felt like too many things had gone wrong.

    Shogun 2 gets almost everything right. There is a learning curve, but there is a lot of pleasure in figuring out how things work. I was thrilled at the diversity in paths to victory, especially if you explore diplomatic or special unit abilities. The game is a lot of fun, and replayability appears to be almost limitless. After a dozen campaigns, I am still finding amazing results when I mix different units together on the battlefield.

    The most unexpected fun has come from the multi-player mode. It is fun to let another player drop in and fight as your enemy in the campaign battles, and it is nice that you have the option of just saying no to this feature. But what really surprised me was how much fun I've had fighting on the alternate map of Japan in multiplayer. I highly recommend giving this a try!

    So ... what's the down side? I do not like how the single player game handles diplomacy in the end game. Many mods are coming out to tweak this, but I do agree that the end game events are a nice twist. I just think it went a bit too far. Another down side is the speed of movement in the game. Everything goes a little bit too fast. I am getting used to it, but if you dislike that - there are also mods to slow things down a bit, already.

    Modding appears to be very easy, and I look forward to a healthy community of mods for this game, much like Medieval 2.    … Expand
  3. ScareCrow
    May 4, 2011
    7
    As someone who has never played a previous "total war" title, but HAS played every iteration of Civilization - I have to say everything except the combat in this game is a cheap knock off of CiV5. The voiceover accents, while authentic, are unintentionally comical. Which brings me back to the combat, personally I felt like every engagement became a huge clusterfark and those with the mostAs someone who has never played a previous "total war" title, but HAS played every iteration of Civilization - I have to say everything except the combat in this game is a cheap knock off of CiV5. The voiceover accents, while authentic, are unintentionally comical. Which brings me back to the combat, personally I felt like every engagement became a huge clusterfark and those with the most numbers would win and there didn't seem to be much strategy to it beyond "melee up front, archers stand back and shoot". Perhaps I am oversimplifying it, but even the castle sieges which look like they'll be epic - just turn into complete clusterfarks where greater number of troops win and skill be damned. With all that said, it seems like the developers put a lot of work into the game and i'm sure fans of the franchise can see it as being a step forward but from my roughly 25 hours of play I can't say i've become a fan.… Expand
  4. gabrielpietro12
    Apr 28, 2011
    10
    A brilliant game. Innovative. Always leaving us stunned.
    2 Shogun: Total War deserves a standing ovation on its graphics, gameplay, technical capacity and playable and interesting itinerary grudante. But not yet overcome the almost perfect game from Blizzard. The interesting game: 9 / 10
  5. ppablo12345
    Apr 28, 2011
    10
    I am concerned, that note above is too low, becouse the game is great, but... This is the same game, that Empire, Napoleon and all Total Wars are! What's more: number of units is greatly decreased compare with eg. Medieval 2!
    If this was my first Total War, I would rate on 10, but sadly, it is not.
  6. MJR
    Apr 27, 2011
    10
    I LOVE this game to death! It really is the refinement of the total war series. Everything makes a lot more sense than Empire and the map is way more manageable. The battles require a lot more strategy than ever before because of the units ant the terrain. The units are completely the same across all factions, except for units in which the faction has an advantage with, meaning all armiesI LOVE this game to death! It really is the refinement of the total war series. Everything makes a lot more sense than Empire and the map is way more manageable. The battles require a lot more strategy than ever before because of the units ant the terrain. The units are completely the same across all factions, except for units in which the faction has an advantage with, meaning all armies have access to the same units you do but, for example, the Shimazu have better Katana Samurai and the Chosokabe have better Bow Samurai. And don't worry there are enough units to keep the game from getting stale. Everything from economics to the arts your faction can develop down the path of bushido or chi or both make a lot of sense. It is far less overwhelming and way more manageable so much so I would say any newcomer to the series could easily pick up, although mastering it will take longer. One of the new features I think is great is that you have to be much more specific in which buildings you make in you cities and even better is how each region has something different to add when you take it over. Some have horses, some ninja, others lumber or quarries, each of which are necessary for making new things like bigger fortresses, cheaper boats or stronger cavalry. The game just feels like everything they've done up to this has been perfected. Except multiplayer apparently. I don't really play multiplayer so it doesn't affect me but if that's what you're interested in then you may want to make your own research into that. Anyway for me this game is a 10/10. Gorgeous.… Expand
  7. restless
    Apr 26, 2011
    6
    I agree with dcfx1984. Napoleon was the best game of the series and for some reason a lot of people don't see it that way. I too liked the variances of game play that Napoleon offered in both factions and campaign maps. For instance, in the Italian Campaign, France really has to fight a war of speed to push the Austrians out of Northern Italy. You don't really have those kind of historic,I agree with dcfx1984. Napoleon was the best game of the series and for some reason a lot of people don't see it that way. I too liked the variances of game play that Napoleon offered in both factions and campaign maps. For instance, in the Italian Campaign, France really has to fight a war of speed to push the Austrians out of Northern Italy. You don't really have those kind of historic, situation-specific campaigns in Shogun 2. Overall, Shogun 2 is a fun game, but it can be annoyingly time-consuming and detailed in areas that do not need THAT much detail. I like that there are now 9 clans to choose from I like some of the new units that can be had (such as Bow-wielding Warrior Monks) but overall, Napoleon's battles were more fun - even if Shogun 2 does have a more advanced design for its battle engine.… Expand
  8. dcfx1984
    Apr 26, 2011
    8
    I don't know what people are talking about when they call this the greatest Total War game of all time. It's very good, but I think Napoleon Total War and it's expansion "The Peninsular Campaign" were the peak of the series. Now, before going further, I'd like to acknowledge that I am not a huge fan of online-multiplayer for a few reasons. First, with my career I do not have the time toI don't know what people are talking about when they call this the greatest Total War game of all time. It's very good, but I think Napoleon Total War and it's expansion "The Peninsular Campaign" were the peak of the series. Now, before going further, I'd like to acknowledge that I am not a huge fan of online-multiplayer for a few reasons. First, with my career I do not have the time to spend hours on my computer at night playing games online and second, even if I did have the time, I still probably would not be anywhere near as good as some of the nerds that love this game and I would only wind up frustrated. So my point is that online gaming is overrated for games like this as it hearkens those without a life. While I understand the multiplayer options in Shogun 2 (such as Clan Warfare) are better than Napoleon in some senses, there are aspects of Napoleon that are unique and great in their own right. For instance, I liked that while Napoleon was limited in the number of factions one had to choose from, there was excellent variation in units between these factions with exquisite attention to detail with regards to faction-specific units. Furthermore, Napoleon's variety of campaign maps/scenarios gave players the option of quicker games vs longer ones and the ability to choose the kind of terrain their battles would take place on. With the Peninsular Campaign you had the option to fight in a war of stealth, attrition and propaganda. In the Egypt Campaign, you fought against the elements of the desert and the British Navy in an effort to blockade trade. No such options/variances exist in Shogun 2.

    As for Shogun 2's faults - I'll start with the whole "food shortage" problem. You can't upgrade your castles or markets as an expanding power because your people will starve and revolt. While this problem is easy to solve, it's annoying, time-consuming problem you have to work around not seen in the series' previous installments and it's a factor even when the game is set to easy. Furthermore, the "one at a time" technological development is slow and you likely will only be able to develop half of the skills you'd like over the course of a campaign [In Napoleon and Empire Total War - you could acquire more schools/universities/academic centers and develop technologies at the same time.] Then there's the aspect of trade and diplomacy - for whatever reason, the computer doesn't like to trade with you, even if you have resources they need/want and this makes your financial situation dire at times (this too happens even when the game is set to easy.) While you can spend a billion turns acquiring the "tea ceremony" technology to "upgrade" your diplomatic relations, this usually does NOTHING to help your cause when it comes to trading resources with other clans.

    Adding insult to injury in a game that is already more time-consuming than it should be, if you reach legendary status before taking over Kyoto, the current Shogunate has every clan in the game declare war on you. This wouldn't be that big of a deal if it was not for clans like the Date, who are located far, far away from Kyoto and hit a brick wall once they conquer a few provinces in central Honshu - even if you have 3 large armies with excellent generals, good luck surviving an all-out attack from the Takeda, Hojo, Imagawa, Tokugawa and Hattori clans with no money to be had via trade as your provinces in the east are picked off one by one. It's just sort of sad that you can be the best clan in the game, know it and sit there powerless for a few hours while the computer delays your inevitable victory. This kind of thing never happened in Napoleon. Which brings me to another point - I think it's ridiculous that you need to buy the special edition to play as the Hattori clan - they are one of the most enjoyable clans to play with. Last, the battles in Napoleon were the best of the series because of the way they involved cannons, cavalry and rifles. Altogether, Napoleon revolutionized the battle matrix of this series and made defending/attacking when out-numbered a lot of fun. Empire was a great idea that failed on several levels ("a toilet with roman blinds") and, in the same sense, I just feel like this game could have been a whole lot better and more enjoyable. In my opinion, this game and Medieval 2 are over-appreciated while Napoleon, Rome and their expansions are over-looked.    … Expand
  9. shoebelt
    Apr 21, 2011
    8
    Another well designed game that feels.... familiar? If you have played any games in the TW series, you've definitely played a version of this game. The updated graphics, tech/skill trees are a welcome improvement, but thats all that feels new. The unit types differing from other generations that each takes place in is the only other difference that comes to mind. Of course there haveAnother well designed game that feels.... familiar? If you have played any games in the TW series, you've definitely played a version of this game. The updated graphics, tech/skill trees are a welcome improvement, but thats all that feels new. The unit types differing from other generations that each takes place in is the only other difference that comes to mind. Of course there have been updates that improve minor subtleties, but this game feels extremely repetitive as a sequel. Conclusion: If you are looking for a ground breaking game in the TW series, look elsewhere, or wait for a price reduction. If you love the TW games and all that they are, then you should definitely pick this up because it is more of the same that you are accustomed to. That being said more of the same can easily be a good or bad things depending on what you think of the 'same'. ( I do enjoy the series, and this was definitely fun as I enjoy having the graphics cranked way up, setting out strategies, and watching the battle unfold )… Expand
  10. BlyddDrwg
    Apr 21, 2011
    9
    Another great addition to the total war series. AI is challenging, diplomacy actually has a point, battles are balanced and immersive. Game is more focused and intense than Empire, offering a different challenge.
  11. deadstoned
    Apr 20, 2011
    10
    The best Total War game since Rome for me. The modes are largely the same with Multiplayer receiving substantial excellent changes, another change is the new inclusion of Legendary mode on the Campaign which is also a fantastic new feature for Total War veterans. Took me 7 attempts but I managed to complete it on legendary, which gives a great sense of achievement. The updates coming toThe best Total War game since Rome for me. The modes are largely the same with Multiplayer receiving substantial excellent changes, another change is the new inclusion of Legendary mode on the Campaign which is also a fantastic new feature for Total War veterans. Took me 7 attempts but I managed to complete it on legendary, which gives a great sense of achievement. The updates coming to the game are also great with a DX 11 patch on the way and more bug fixes for mostly multiplayer as we go along. Thanks Creative Assembly!… Expand
  12. Geroge
    Apr 19, 2011
    6
    the gameplay is good but the graphics and multiplayer component are totally broken The game was obviously rushed by sega to get more money and of course the innovation s not that good but hey they release a game a year now
  13. Anderson
    Apr 14, 2011
    10
    A great comeback to the original Total War games! The music has Jeff Van Dyck back which is great since, he's music always made up a good Total War game very enjoyable and emotional. The battles are stunning to look at, the multiplayer just gets better, and the singleplayer campaign will get you sucked in for a very, very long time! It is definitely worth your money, Creative Assembly hasA great comeback to the original Total War games! The music has Jeff Van Dyck back which is great since, he's music always made up a good Total War game very enjoyable and emotional. The battles are stunning to look at, the multiplayer just gets better, and the singleplayer campaign will get you sucked in for a very, very long time! It is definitely worth your money, Creative Assembly has done a fantastic job on this game! We can only hope for them to continue their work forth.… Expand
  14. jonandjim
    Apr 9, 2011
    9
    the best total war so far. i have owned every total war game since shogun 1, and this just blows them out of the water.(well almost sinks Rome) graphics: insane. gameplay: refined. style: perfect. ninjas: ninjas. buy this game.
    (really this game would be worth it just for the ninjas)
  15. TheangryOne
    Apr 8, 2011
    6
    I'll be honest--these games have started to go stale. Rome was innovative, Medieval was pretty good. Empire was pretty fair, but at this point I don't care how good the interface, graphics, and whatever is, it's really nothing we've seen before.
  16. DavTov2000
    Apr 8, 2011
    10
    I have been playing Total War games since the original Shogun back in 2000. Despite some hitches along the way I am a totally hooked fan of the TW genre. I am about half way through my first campaign in Shogun 2 and I can only say - EXCELLENT. The game demonstrates lessons learned from the previous two TW's and captures the heart and essence (I feel) of warfare in 16th Century Japan. ItI have been playing Total War games since the original Shogun back in 2000. Despite some hitches along the way I am a totally hooked fan of the TW genre. I am about half way through my first campaign in Shogun 2 and I can only say - EXCELLENT. The game demonstrates lessons learned from the previous two TW's and captures the heart and essence (I feel) of warfare in 16th Century Japan. It was so much more than just war all the time and the game gives me, at least, a real 'feel' of the period. My only criticism - the strategic screen is quite 'sticky' ... Which is a shame, but it may be my PC. However, both Empire and Napoleon play fine. Top marks for this game - I am thoroughly hooked.… Expand
  17. Sceptic
    Apr 8, 2011
    9
    An utterly brilliant sleep stealer!
    Minor bugs and limited Campaign modes aside,Shogun 2 is a gorgeous,well thought out strategy title.If you have any interest in strategy,logistics,history,ninja,diplomacy or samauri,you must play this game.
  18. thequailboy
    Apr 7, 2011
    10
    A stunning gaming achievement. The depth! the depth of it! I salute you for making this. You all deserve to be millionaires. I land an army via sea - in the centre of Japan, I make alliances with Date in the East and together we destroy central and western Japan - then realm divide! No need to worry, my ally has got my back and I have just taken the Shogunate. GENIUS!
  19. ragabo
    Apr 7, 2011
    10
    i'm still hopefull there will be a World TotalWar but a huge 10 from me, brilliant game. i've played every TW since it came out and love the new easy access of the features.
  20. Arquitte
    Apr 5, 2011
    7
    awsome game my only complaints are not being able to get all my friends in game at same time and the ai gets insane at times. you tell the archers to take to the wall, for instance and they stand there ignoring the command or you click a spot for a unit then go on to something else come back and there off in nowhere land and too few trade spots on the map. If you dont get to them quicklyawsome game my only complaints are not being able to get all my friends in game at same time and the ai gets insane at times. you tell the archers to take to the wall, for instance and they stand there ignoring the command or you click a spot for a unit then go on to something else come back and there off in nowhere land and too few trade spots on the map. If you dont get to them quickly you wont get them without fighting unwinable sea battles. I call them unwinable because it never fails. ill have the ai outnumbered and they take my ships and sink others over and over. love the graphics and the number of extra commands available to units compared to previous versions.… Expand
  21. Superduperjew
    Apr 5, 2011
    10
    This game contains so much content, it's simply immense. From the fully fleshed out tutorials to the campaign. Multiplayer is just the icing on the cake. Insane ranking and customizable armies. Oh, and the graphics? Unbeatable! The detail on the battlefield is incredible. Zooming in on troops exposes the vast textures. The infantry simply look like characters from Crysis. No detail lossThis game contains so much content, it's simply immense. From the fully fleshed out tutorials to the campaign. Multiplayer is just the icing on the cake. Insane ranking and customizable armies. Oh, and the graphics? Unbeatable! The detail on the battlefield is incredible. Zooming in on troops exposes the vast textures. The infantry simply look like characters from Crysis. No detail loss when zooming in. The physics are great, the size of the game is what baffles me. I love it

    10/10.    … Expand
  22. femmefatal
    Apr 4, 2011
    10
    This is the best Total War game since the old MTW game. The difficulty levels are finally what they should be and the game is finally challenging again. It's not the prettiest of the series (still waiting on that DX11 update) but it by far is the best right now in gameplay and fun. I've ranted about the TW series from RTW forward because the game has felt like playing a romper room game.This is the best Total War game since the old MTW game. The difficulty levels are finally what they should be and the game is finally challenging again. It's not the prettiest of the series (still waiting on that DX11 update) but it by far is the best right now in gameplay and fun. I've ranted about the TW series from RTW forward because the game has felt like playing a romper room game. This one I've stayed up way into the night playing as time just flies by I'm having so much fun. If you've been on the fence get off of it and get out there and get this. I think GoGamer.com has it for $33 and some change or did. Don't listen to the panty waist little rts boys who can't stand a game that beats them. :)… Expand
  23. TheCrumbster
    Apr 2, 2011
    9
    In my opinion, this is the best Total War game yet; this is coming from someone that has played every single TW game. The worst problem of the previous games, the AI, has been improved substantially. On the battle map, you will sometimes find yourself surprised by the tactics used by the opposition. When defending, the AI will go for the most favourable ground (most of the time) and waitIn my opinion, this is the best Total War game yet; this is coming from someone that has played every single TW game. The worst problem of the previous games, the AI, has been improved substantially. On the battle map, you will sometimes find yourself surprised by the tactics used by the opposition. When defending, the AI will go for the most favourable ground (most of the time) and wait for your forces to attack. If you inflict too many casualties on them using arrows, the AI will choose to charge your position instead of being slowly slaughtered. However, the AI is still not perfect, especially in sieges. There was one battle where the AI meandered around my walls and was slaughtered by arrows instead of actually trying to assault my fortress. However, this kind of occurrence does not happen often. On the larger scale campaign map, the AI has also been improved. In previous Total War games, the enemy factions would often send armies of a few units at you instead of consolidating their forces. This increased the number of battles, but the AI was always outnumbered and easily defeated. This problem has been eliminated. This time around, the AI will gather more forces before attacking. This means fewer, but more decisive battles that are more exciting due to the high number of units involved. The AI is also more likely to land invasion forces on islands. I did encounter some problems though. Through most of my second campaign, most of the factions would not trade with me even though my clan was in good standing with them. New players to the series may have a hard time, as this game is much more difficult than previous instalments. This is especially true once you reach the middle of a campaign. Once your clan has conquered a large amount of provinces and reaches "Legendary" status, Realm Divide is triggered. This game mechanic basically unites every indifferent, unfriendly, or hostile clan against you within a few turns. This would be ok if your allies stuck by your side, but they will eventually turn against you too if victory is not obtained quickly. I recommend that a new player should start off on easy, while a veteran should begin on medium difficulty.

    As for the graphics, they are absolutely gorgeous. The landscapes have more variety, more detailed textures, and are more believable. There was one battle where I encountered a few deer that quickly scattered once my army approached them. The animations have also been improved substantially. I find myself watching replays of battles simply so I can watch duels between individual Samurai. One thing that I should mention is that the game currently does not support anti aliasing or DirectX 11. The lack of DirectX 11 isn't too big of a deal to me, but I think that launching the game without a basic feature such as AA is ridiculous. In a game that takes place on such a grand scale where you see armies of thousands confronting each other, it takes away from the experience when your soldiers are made up of jagged pixels when viewing them from far away. Creative Assembly has promised that a patch should be released within the next two weeks or so that addresses this issue, so hopefully this will not be an issue for much longer.    … Expand
  24. Nautilus
    Apr 2, 2011
    9
    Finally some melee combat. I've had enough of gunpowder and muskets. In my opinion ancient warfare is what makes Total War so great. Cavalry, infantry, siege weapons, swords, shields etc.. This game is as good as Rome or M2TW but like all Total War titles it has lots of game breaker bugs in it and no antialising, no DX11 whatsoever. I hope CA releases good patches and addresses all the bugs.
  25. zipiewax
    Apr 1, 2011
    10
    The multiplayer campaign is completely broken. I do not know anyone who has been able to complete it due to de-sync issues. Check the Total War forums MPC thread...everyone gets it. This problem has been present since the beta in Empire Total War and in Napoleon Total War, still has not been fixed...

    Moving to the online multiplayer. Countless bugs, 2v2 matching is a joke. Somehow it    The multiplayer campaign is completely broken. I do not know anyone who has been able to complete it due to de-sync issues. Check the Total War forums MPC thread...everyone gets it. This problem has been present since the beta in Empire Total War and in Napoleon Total War, still has not been fixed...

    Moving to the online multiplayer. Countless bugs, 2v2 matching is a joke. Somehow it matches 2v1, 2v0, 3v1, 4v0. After a great many efforts you might get into a 2v2...Wait! There is more!...You selected to play a standard land battle? NOPE, your playing a siege battle or a naval battles. The other team is just confused as they also did not select this game type. What the hell? You really have no idea what is going to happen if you and some buddies want to play together.

    Lets play 1 vs 1 battles and just have some little fights with one another....Ow, we cannot use any of the units unless we unlock them online, games we play on LAN count towards our online profiles? Ah, their is a 'Classic Mode' button we can tick allowing us access to all units and our battles wont be recorded online, lets tick that....WTF, my CPU usage is at 100% (Game breaking button). So you cannot play classic 1v1 battles either. Also, the CPU is not actually at 100%, its 25% as the game does not seem to support more than one core, at the menu anyway.

    Ok, so I bought this game to play with my brother on the Multiplayer campaign...I cannot, ok lets move on and play 2v2 online matches...OK, that does not work either...well, lets play on this new clan conquest map they have created and fight to control it online. We are not playing together, but at least we are both fighting for the same goal?

    Now on to the 1v1 to conquer regions on this conquest map. It seems to be a completely lucky dip as to how skilled the player I am against is, some charge their general alone straight into my army, some are master tacticians I could not hope to defeat. Others are happy to sit on top of a hill with their sniper cannons and shoot my general from across the map. One thing stays the same though, if I am about to beat the other player, they push ALT+F4. Result: Neither party Wins or Loses. Meaning I have to go and look for another game again. What a waste of even more of my time.

    I could go on forever about the bugs I am getting. The latest one means if I click a particular button in the multiplayer menu which is quite important I CTD, someone uploaded a video of this issue. (Clan Competition button, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uFeORZnRAQ). So I cannot see my online clans multiplayer progress anymore/where we are fighting...yay.

    Summary: If you want to play multiplayer, which is why I bought the game and what this review is solely aimed at... for the love of god do not buy this game.

    If you are just going to play single player, this is the greatest Total War since Rome, incredible detail to everything and an all round fantastic game...if only the multiplayer component worked.    … Expand
  26. Deific
    Mar 31, 2011
    9
    Looks superb and very well optimised. Shogun 2 has really built on the series, especially when it comes to the campaign map where there's several fantastic additions. The whole Agent system has been so well thought-out, that it's one of the most exciting parts of the game. The battles are visually stunning and the small but balanced selection of units is nice. However the game isn'tLooks superb and very well optimised. Shogun 2 has really built on the series, especially when it comes to the campaign map where there's several fantastic additions. The whole Agent system has been so well thought-out, that it's one of the most exciting parts of the game. The battles are visually stunning and the small but balanced selection of units is nice. However the game isn't without its flaws. The multiplayer is nothing less than completely broken, not only in its matchmaking and room system, but also with a lot of unit behavior. Were it to work however, the avatar campaign system is an annoyance and prevents you from just jumping in with friends and playing how you want. Friends vs AI has also seemingly been removed for unknown reasons. When it comes to single-player bugs, there are less but still some real game-breakers. In one of the naval tutorial battles the player camera can barely move, this also happens in one of the historical battles, except this time it can also move through the floor and you are suddenly produced with an insane amount of screen fuzz half-way through - needless to say this historical battle remains incomplete for me. In my first campaign, part way through my income glitched and I went from 9k one turn to 172k the next. Having started again, I got through the campaign finishing the victory conditions, but chose to continue playing until I owned every province on the map. I owned all but two, when my game crashed and trying to reload either my quick saves or game saves would result in a crash - needless to say I've given up on this save file. As for the 'improved' AI, well, actually it's fairly thick. Besides simple things like sending cavalry round the sides to flank you, it really doesn't try and counter you at all. Infact, in trying to make it smart, they've made it incredibly annoying, as often it will run to the nearest large hill and turtle there waiting for you to advance. Seeing as it often starts nearer to said hill, more than you do, you have no way of stopping it - then it's just a matter of letting your archers kill theirs until they run out of archer units and rush down the hill at you. In sieges it's no better. Diplomacy also feels pointless and I barely bothered with it on my second campaign game, as I knew that as soon as I had gathered any momentum, realm divide would happen and every clan would turn against me. From this point onwards you get -5 to diplomatic relations every turn and there's no coming back from it. All this aside, it's still a fantastic game that I've already put in 100 hours in a short period of time, and definitely still worth getting. However with more thought put into how to mix up the later SP campaign (as opposed to realm divide), greater depth to diplomatic relations, a better (and working) MP system, and 'real' intelligent AI, it could have been a 10. Hopfully the modding community can do a lot to help some of these points, and because there's already several mods addressing some of these issues - and others generally enhancing the campaign experience, a game that would get a score of 8 out of the box, gets brought up to a score of 9 thanks to the community.… Expand
  27. Tig
    Mar 30, 2011
    9
    Shogun 2 is the best RTS/TB game ever made. It's polished, beautiful, fun and has very good value for a buck ratio. I could have easily given it 10/10 but game has one big flaw. My PC has 3gb of RAM and there's one more gb on my video card. Still it takes no less than 50s to load main menu, then another 20-30s to load campaign map, 30s-1min to enter battle and 30s to leave it. Also youShogun 2 is the best RTS/TB game ever made. It's polished, beautiful, fun and has very good value for a buck ratio. I could have easily given it 10/10 but game has one big flaw. My PC has 3gb of RAM and there's one more gb on my video card. Still it takes no less than 50s to load main menu, then another 20-30s to load campaign map, 30s-1min to enter battle and 30s to leave it. Also you have to wait good 15-20s every turn till AI opponents finish their moves. All of this adds up and game becomes a huge waste of time that is unless you bring a book and read it while game is loading something. I know, Empire was slow on this too, but not as much. I know that this problem could be solved by adding extra 4gbs of RAM but I can't afford system like that atm. Other than long loading times, game runs smooth, way better than Empire. Steady fps on the campaign and battle maps and all of this with improved graphics. So yeah its not 10/10 from me but it deserves strong 9/10.… Expand
  28. workgoddammit12
    Mar 29, 2011
    9
    This games would have been my favorite RTS of all time, but unfortunately I cannot play it because of steam. I wish that PC games were distributed equally in both ways.
  29. TheLooser5
    Mar 29, 2011
    10
    Superbe ! L'immersion est garantie, le jeu est très prenant. Je regrette que cette qualité ne se retrouve pas dans ETW où la carte est bien plus intéressante. Pas de bugs, et avec les mods (darth...) ça va faire très mal.
  30. nibelung
    Mar 28, 2011
    3
    Shogun 2 is a beautiful game, but there is one very tiny little problem that it still inherited from older Total War game, game breaking savegame corruption. I am a very patient person, but even my patient has its limit too. After restarting campaign for the 9th time with 9 different clans, wasting a total of 70 hours of my life, well what do you know, my savegame corrupt when I am tryingShogun 2 is a beautiful game, but there is one very tiny little problem that it still inherited from older Total War game, game breaking savegame corruption. I am a very patient person, but even my patient has its limit too. After restarting campaign for the 9th time with 9 different clans, wasting a total of 70 hours of my life, well what do you know, my savegame corrupt when I am trying to load it back and it happen every single time. Not even a constant saving with different save file help me to avoid this problem. A friendly advice from me, unless you are a very patient masochistic person, please avoid buying this game until they fix the savegame issue. And by that, you have been warned.… Expand
  31. MeenChawitTH
    Mar 26, 2011
    10
    Beautiful and well optimized, Smart, opportunist AIs (well most of the time, even on the easiest difficulty), This is the most enjoyable, that require critical thinking the most to date for me. achievement related unlockables for MP mode adds purpose to playing for achievements with many games lack of, Unit are balance: Full of rock paper scissors mechanisms. Not too casual nor tooBeautiful and well optimized, Smart, opportunist AIs (well most of the time, even on the easiest difficulty), This is the most enjoyable, that require critical thinking the most to date for me. achievement related unlockables for MP mode adds purpose to playing for achievements with many games lack of, Unit are balance: Full of rock paper scissors mechanisms. Not too casual nor too complex, loads of replay valve for SP, SP is more than enough but they also even complement us with decent MP too, little bit of everything with all goodness in it, I am going to enjoy this for long long time, I'm sure you will too.… Expand
  32. Tpiom
    Mar 26, 2011
    4
    I'm a playing coming from Medieval II, and I did NOT enjoy this game. The menus are cluttered and now they give you damn ports/lumber camps to manage too?! The map is changed... too.

    Medieval II is a really fun game but I could not stand more than five minutes of this game.
  33. Failshipdown
    Mar 26, 2011
    4
    I've played every single Total War game to date. And I can tell you what they all have in common. Everything. Its been 11 years, starting with Shogun and after spending another wasted 50 on Shogun 2, I hope it ends on the sequel to this classic series. Total War has dozens of wonderful and amazing design features. It will always be a fun game. Its idiosyncratic habits.. are fun. ItsI've played every single Total War game to date. And I can tell you what they all have in common. Everything. Its been 11 years, starting with Shogun and after spending another wasted 50 on Shogun 2, I hope it ends on the sequel to this classic series. Total War has dozens of wonderful and amazing design features. It will always be a fun game. Its idiosyncratic habits.. are fun. Its campaign is both a fantastic time sink and a great source of entertainment. I'm not a fan of multiplayer in these games so I'll leave that to another reviewer. I've extolled how adequate I think the game is so far now for my actual review and opinion.

    It can (and after 1-2 years will) crawl under the porch to die, unremembered and unloved. I Just PLAYED this game! They called it Napo.. wait Empire:TW! The units are different (Not so different considering my avid fandom to Medieval II:TW and Rome:TW. The strategies are still the same. The buildings logical conclusions are still the same. The only new feature compared to its predessesors is the addition of food management, a crucial resource that limits the amount of castle and market upgrades you can ultimately have. One new thing. Lots of old.

    Archer vs Melee vs Cav vs Archer with two differerent melee types to counter each other. The same unit stat points- new textures and more of a load for my video card. And a poorer preforming product. I can get the same unit set and the same buildings in Medieval 2, except ultra fast battle speed works as fast as intended.

    A definite downgrade is the replayability of the Grand campaign. Before you had very unique races and an extremely large map. Now its devolved into Clan A gets better bows, Clan E gets better seige and don't ever pick clan F because they're specialty, ship upgrades, is worthless once a super powered European Galleon appears and you capture it, literally winning every naval engagement without any upgrades. Look, I appreciate the game looks even better than it did before (although I'd expect such a low incremental upgrade to visuals from an expansion pack, not a year or two of work). This though, this is got to stop. The AI is still rotten at making decisions, trade alliances and vassals are still bugged and the final stretch is, as with Empire, autoattack win next turn autoattack. Maybe I'm just hung up on that one time in Medieval 2 when the Mongols invaded and attacked me at Damascus. I had a 2000 strong army in a fortress against 8000 bloodthirsty Asians. I remember being so proud of myself, turning away their massively larger army after an amazing battle, filled with both tactics and strategy. And I remember the very next turn, with my brave remaining 400 soldiers that just defeated a full stack of Mongols.. Another 8000 stepped up and laid siege. This is what Empire and Shogun 2 lack. There are no game changing occurences and aside from the appearance of the Black Ship the whole thing could take place in 1200 or 2100, no historical events actually occur.


    Yes the graphics are pretty.
    Yeah its still TW.

    But you've played it before. Pick it up for $30 if you must but please, for my revenge against Creative Assemblys latest uncreative venture- don't pick this game.    … Expand
  34. evotuc
    Mar 25, 2011
    9
    I must say that I gave Empire a horrible review due to the numerous bugs and loss of support. The release day Shogun 2 is in better shape than Empire was left in. I have only seen minor, non-game breaking bugs after about 40 hrs of play. The Creative Assembly have released a fairly polished game, that should only get better in time.
  35. Shagrost
    Mar 25, 2011
    9
    According to tradition in the modern gaming industry, the game went unfinished. Global work on multiplayer, interesting game mechanics, great atmosphere, almost historical accuracy and bugs, bugs, bugs, which, however, do not interfere with enjoyment of the gameplay.

    and yes, the game is a little loose powder! Personally, I'm a horror as happy.
  36. mjwilliams84
    Mar 24, 2011
    10
    Simply cannot give this game anything lower than a 10. My first attempt to play a 'Total War' game seriously, and utterly superb in every aspect. Beautifully presented, it has an addictive campaign map with a plethora of building, research and advancement options, and a battlefield system which appeals to the tactical/historical purists and the casual gamers alike. Each campaign you playSimply cannot give this game anything lower than a 10. My first attempt to play a 'Total War' game seriously, and utterly superb in every aspect. Beautifully presented, it has an addictive campaign map with a plethora of building, research and advancement options, and a battlefield system which appeals to the tactical/historical purists and the casual gamers alike. Each campaign you play develops stories that feel personal to your clan, generals develop their own traits and personalities, and the game constantly throws engaging challenges and diplomatic intrigue your way. Just. One. More. Turn.… Expand
  37. symple19
    Mar 24, 2011
    10
    A sick, sick game. Highly recommended. I might even use some of the multiplayer features. Certainly the best effort out of the three i've played (ETW & NTW being the others). Haven't hit any bugs either, which was my main concern with the last two Empire games. Do yourself a favor and buy it
  38. GameDrifter
    Mar 22, 2011
    5
    I tried Shogun Total War the first week it came out some 11 years ago. It had a feel and atmosphere about it that no other Total War game has yet to capture. Sadly including the current incarnation. To date Shogun, Rome, and Medieval where the only 3 in the series that I found interesting all the rest where just rehashing the same thing. I've honestly waited these 11 years for anotherI tried Shogun Total War the first week it came out some 11 years ago. It had a feel and atmosphere about it that no other Total War game has yet to capture. Sadly including the current incarnation. To date Shogun, Rome, and Medieval where the only 3 in the series that I found interesting all the rest where just rehashing the same thing. I've honestly waited these 11 years for another Shogun to come out. And find myself some what underwhelmed with what they came up with here. Pretty graphics aside part 2 hasn't captured any of the feel that drew me into playing part 1. It's just another "Me Too" copy of the other unimpressive resent additions to the TW series.. Nothing new in this game just another copy of a once innovative game.… Expand
  39. NullReason
    Mar 22, 2011
    9
    After playing Shogun: 2, I understand why there has been some commotion about the Total War series, and it has deeply appealed to the turn-based strategy gamer in me who is often turned off by an RTS genre that sometimes feels like it hasn't evolved much from Dune II (until Company of Heroes hit the decks). Hearkening back to the Turn-Based-RTS formula that reminded me of the modernAfter playing Shogun: 2, I understand why there has been some commotion about the Total War series, and it has deeply appealed to the turn-based strategy gamer in me who is often turned off by an RTS genre that sometimes feels like it hasn't evolved much from Dune II (until Company of Heroes hit the decks). Hearkening back to the Turn-Based-RTS formula that reminded me of the modern progression of Centurion: Defender of Rome, Shogun: 2 has fantastic visuals, voice acting, and most importantly, gameplay. Battles are harsh and dynamic, diplomacy is engaging and useful, and true of any real contest of military might it is ultimately supply lines (Read: Economy) that spells victory. But while overwhelming masses of spear-wielding ashigaru may compensate for poorly executed flanking attacks, and a robust economy can compensate for an incompetent general, it is in these compelling tactical exchanges in various terrain and weather conditions that Shogun: 2 shines. In fact, compelling is an excellent descriptor for the sum total of Shogun: 2. Highly recommended, check it out.… Expand
  40. Daemonik
    Mar 22, 2011
    5
    Disappointing game. The company has been making this games for 10 years and yet level of innovation is insignificant. Exactly same unwieldy interface in pre-battle and battle sequences. If you select more than a single unit it will have completely random effects on movement. Ordering entire army to move without binding them to a single group will be interpreted by a computer as a decisionDisappointing game. The company has been making this games for 10 years and yet level of innovation is insignificant. Exactly same unwieldy interface in pre-battle and battle sequences. If you select more than a single unit it will have completely random effects on movement. Ordering entire army to move without binding them to a single group will be interpreted by a computer as a decision to randomly send them all over the place. Which bring me to AI.

    AI has not being improved at all since Empire regardless of what they say. You'll discover that Siege defender AI will get bugged and only defend one level of the castle without moving, so it's possible to outflank it, climb the walls and capture the castle with 0 casualties. AI in naval battles at best horrendous and worst, completely random. Units do not obey commands, movement is sluggish and while it is a leap from Empire naval battles, you will still be frustrated. Finally, your own units will perform random actions and will be really hard to control unless you are paying very close attention to each one. The subtleties of combat are gone, it's just as easy to pile everyone in, as to weave a complex plan and attempt to surround the enemies. Additionally, the largest disappointment will be in lack of polish, same as in Empire game. Assassination movies are present, but only for ninjas and geishas. Monks and metsuke don't get any movies. Bugs are still present in the game, everything from memory leaks to infinite load times, which are already significant. There is no way to load the game out of the battle and a lot of interface is so simplified, you will never look at it more than absolutely necessary. The much discussed generals and loyalty is a gimmick as there is nothing to do on that screen and with a minimum care, general will meet and exceed 6 stars of loyalty which makes him impossible to convert.

    The land management is simplified, there is no development of any kind, what you see in your province is what you will see for the rest of the game. Sure it's pretty, but completely lacking any function. After a while you will stop looking at it altogether and provinces away from the action serve no purpose. Strategic game play is lacking too. AI will not make an aggressive grab for trading routes, and at some point the income is so large that you simply upgrade everything making minimal choices of what to build and there is never any wrong choice or even a hard choice. All you need to do is simple math: food in and food out has to equal 0 for best performance. Farms produce food, castles and markets remove it. Finally, it will get old way before you will reach the end. You'll be going through the motions of capturing one province after another with little improvement in game play. Overall, it was an exciting game to start playing but disappointing in how much potential was wasted and not implemented. Granted, you can't make the perfect game, as there is always lack of time, money or team skill that will prevent designer from archiving his vision. But come on... the team is not lacking money or time, and skill... well, perhaps they fired everyone good and kept people who will follow simple directions. This is not the culmination of 10 years of experience and hard work, this is a quick and easy remake without any thought or inspiration. Well, let's wait until the next one.    … Expand
  41. VideoDead
    Mar 22, 2011
    6
    Total War isn't about multiplayer for me so i haven't even touched the apparently buggy mp mode on Shogun 2 yet and have no intention of doing so. Haven't experienced any bugs on campaign yet.
    My favourite TW so far is Medieval 2 purely because of the variety of factions available to play and the variety of landscapes available to conquer. Shogun 2 has none of this!! As far as i can tell    Total War isn't about multiplayer for me so i haven't even touched the apparently buggy mp mode on Shogun 2 yet and have no intention of doing so. Haven't experienced any bugs on campaign yet.
    My favourite TW so far is Medieval 2 purely because of the variety of factions available to play and the variety of landscapes available to conquer. Shogun 2 has none of this!! As far as i can tell there is no difference to the factions apart from slightly better archers or spearmen or cavalry, the castles are exactly the same and set in identical surroundings - even the campaign map looks hastily splodged out with no distinctive topographical features(where's Mount Fuji?), it's just all mountains (the same height) and valleys (the same depth).

    On the management side, i am finding it hard to feed the masses as food can only be obtained through farming and not trade and virtually everything i build uses food supply. Also diplomacy can be a bit tricky as almost everything i do decreases popularity with everyone (yes, territory expansion counts against you in a big way).
    I think Creative Assembly should stick with a good idea (like Rome or Medieval) and refine aspects of gameplay. Overall this game looks and sounds great and there certainly is depth to the management side of things, but severely lacks the variety and innovation that will make me come back to it. Disappointing!!    … Expand
  42. meraka
    Mar 22, 2011
    9
    After the somewhat disapointing Empire and Napoleon games this is almost exactly what I had hoped for. Everything seems more polished than in the former games. I especially like the new interface look as well as the strategic map. Management of your clan and army is a lot more comfortable. The graphics are very good as expected. My biggest gripe with the predecessors was the battle AIAfter the somewhat disapointing Empire and Napoleon games this is almost exactly what I had hoped for. Everything seems more polished than in the former games. I especially like the new interface look as well as the strategic map. Management of your clan and army is a lot more comfortable. The graphics are very good as expected. My biggest gripe with the predecessors was the battle AI which seems to have improved quite a bit, but unfortunately is still lacking and sometimes acts very strangely. Still this game can definitely be recommended for anybody interested in strategy.… Expand
  43. 1010101
    Mar 22, 2011
    9
    I've been following the Total War series since TW: Rome. I have to say Shogun 2 is probably the best TW series of the bunch. Playing on Normal, individual battles are generally not a challenge for the experienced player (most battles end with a heroic victory) but still, you can tell that the battlefield AI is much improved over previous releases. The campaign AI is a lot better too.
  44. hcookie
    Mar 22, 2011
    10
    This is the best Total Game in the series. BEst AI, Very polished. Amazing Multiplayer. This is how all other games should benchmark themselves. There are however some problems though. Some bugs which should be smoothed out with the inevitable patches. Sieges has the AI go to Sleep if you use certain tactics. (However, I must stress that CA has never really gotten the handle on sieges.This is the best Total Game in the series. BEst AI, Very polished. Amazing Multiplayer. This is how all other games should benchmark themselves. There are however some problems though. Some bugs which should be smoothed out with the inevitable patches. Sieges has the AI go to Sleep if you use certain tactics. (However, I must stress that CA has never really gotten the handle on sieges. Shogun 2 is heading the reight direction. There are some graphical problems, which seems to be mostly centered around the latest video cards. Slightly older top line cards provide a rock steady platform.

    Played the Takeda at Normal, it provided a very very satisfying experience and most of all very fun. This is one game that I will be playing for a long time.    … Expand
  45. gas
    Mar 22, 2011
    8
    This title is without any doubt the best total war release of all time, the brand was loosing a lot of appealing with the last 2 releases, empires and napoleon, which are still plagued by several bugs and a limited by a crap engine/optimization.
    In this little review i talk about single player game, multiplayer is supported and seems implemented in a very nice manner, but im not personally    This title is without any doubt the best total war release of all time, the brand was loosing a lot of appealing with the last 2 releases, empires and napoleon, which are still plagued by several bugs and a limited by a crap engine/optimization.
    In this little review i talk about single player game, multiplayer is supported and seems implemented in a very nice manner, but im not personally interested in it while playing tactical/strategy games so im not touching this aspect here.
    The only 2 words i spend on mp is the fact i have the opinion other rts, starcraft2 in primis offer a lot more depth in strategy cause they are made for multiplayer single battles as idea, so this title cant compete specifically on it.
    Shogun 2 graphically speaking does not support yet DX11 and AA, wich is a bit annoying, but the game is really nice to see both scenarios and units are great, also the engine finally is a good one so the result is a very smooth experience, with a lot of work on little details.
    About the gameplay, the tactical campaing is very interesting, and similar to rome/medieval2, even if improved with an rpg-style level up of your generals and units which is a nice touch, now you can choose were to spend "points" to improve your generals and special units and traits are no more random (even if specific events may trigger modificators to traits or even brand new traits that you cannot choose directly).
    At start you choose a faction with specific traits that are fixed, but during the turns you will have points to spend into 2 different trees to improve combat and economic side of your empire.
    A single game ends before reaching all the upgrades available so you have to carefully plan where you wanna excel or what to priorise using those points.
    The rts battles are very tactical and very involving, you need to choose carefully how to approach the enemy, and adapt to the units you are countering to be victorious, also the terrain can and shoul be used to gain advantage like hiding troops in the vegetation, charging from a hill etc.
    The AI even at easy level is not stupid on the battlefield and tends usually to have an "intelligent" approach, also the different factions may react in a proper manner related to their aggressivness, which you can see in the detailed in the "trade panel", so some may prefer a frontal charge while other factions may prefer to defend etc, also every faction tend to prefer specific units over others, so the battles can last long and can be quite different which is a must for a game like this.
    Talking about the audio, music and effects are are defo hi standard, not so various, but sure they dont lack in quality.
    The game is very stable, the engine moves very smooth on my pc that is sure not new (intel dual duo 3.2 + ATI 5770), i had a couple of crashes on 80 hours playtime wich is defo good, expecially compared to the old total war wich sure did not excel in game stability.
    Luckily it never happened so far the "last turn bug" that afflicted all the previous releases , and was the worst issue of all the Total war franchise imho.
    At the end this game is one of the best mixed tactical turn based/rts game around, so anyone interested in the genre will be pleased sure with this game.
    There are some minor issues that dont affect much the game but still they should be fixed, like units retreating from the battlefiled are no more "flagged" so to intercept them you need to manually find them on the field wich is quite annoying, and a non perfect pathfinding when moving into castles, even if 100 times better then previous total war titles.
    Also when defending into castles you need to babysit a lot units, especially archers to be sure they are looking where is logic and expected to.
    What i personally consider a great miss in a game like this is the total lack in customization, cant get why the total war franchise always forget / dont consider it a must.
    You can start a campaign with only premade factions, starting always in the same zone with fixed traits and background, and the victory conditions can be only 3 and the difference is only the number of zones to conquer.
    I can understand the historical work on this but from a title like this i expect more and various victory conditions, randomizable starting zones/traits, customizable factions, and maybe a map editor.
    Also the game difficulty cant be applied to specific factions and you cant choose a different number of opponents then the preset.
    Also another minor issue in my opinion is the fact if you choose the long campaign, when you are half way with around 30/60 zones conquered, going on is too easy and near the end the game really lack of interest, so basically going for the 45 zones condition or to the 60 changes nothing in terms of gameplay.
    So i give an 8, great game, best in the serie, but still lacks in customization that should be a must for a geek of those tactical/strategic games.    … Expand
  46. Hanky
    Mar 22, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Love that game! In comparison to its predecessors it's so much more realistic and the gameplay a lot more exciting. Spent a good couple of hours in anterooms playing that game!… Expand
  47. 2484Stryker
    Mar 22, 2011
    9
    Pros: classic Total War game play merged with RPG elements to yield a very memorable & enjoyable gaming experience. You actually feel like you're building your own empire and you will care about the generals & family members under your command. Agents (ninjas, monks, etc.) are also more useful than before, and you similarly will care about their actions and fate. And who can forget thePros: classic Total War game play merged with RPG elements to yield a very memorable & enjoyable gaming experience. You actually feel like you're building your own empire and you will care about the generals & family members under your command. Agents (ninjas, monks, etc.) are also more useful than before, and you similarly will care about their actions and fate. And who can forget the epic battles, which are more beautiful than ever. Cons: minor stuttering when scrolling across the campaign map; not as bad as Empire Total War, but still present. No DX11 support yet.… Expand
  48. sdg
    Mar 21, 2011
    9
    Marvelous game. Love the new RPG elements and land battles. Especially love the animation of the archers, their shooting (needles) and the sound/music.

    Unhappy with the naval war bugs and turn limit of the game (too short). I mean, why not 6 or 8 turn a year, so that the startegy can be planned better. One always has an eye on the year while going about it.
  49. Regian
    Mar 21, 2011
    0
    Okay I decided to wait a lil while before writing this review az I thought the problems would of been fixed by now. This is like playing a beta, except its even worse than a beta. The multiplayer is totaly broken to say the least, 1) The screen is getting stuck on unit statistics, or arranging battle/ opponent although the game doesnt crash it just hangs there and you cant out of theOkay I decided to wait a lil while before writing this review az I thought the problems would of been fixed by now. This is like playing a beta, except its even worse than a beta. The multiplayer is totaly broken to say the least, 1) The screen is getting stuck on unit statistics, or arranging battle/ opponent although the game doesnt crash it just hangs there and you cant out of the screen, only way is to alt+del. This has hapened so many times its a joke. I dont know what they have done with the chat lobbys but there all split up into continents, why? Lobby is broken with no games up. Broken avatar traits, cant spend avatar points, match made team games never find an opponent or if they do it will usually hang up and you then stuck.

    What else to say? Absolutely pathetic, some of us thought CA would of learned from Empire. Obviously not.    … Expand
  50. Drakan
    Mar 21, 2011
    9
    Excellent game. The apex of the Total War franchise. Despite some minor blemishes, such as ocassional CTD and mouse problems with the campaign map, it's a superb strategy game through and through. S2TW beats Civilization V hands down as strategy game.

    Beautiful artist's design (kudos), beautiful landscapes, well-designed battle maps. All in all simply great. A must-play game for strategy    Excellent game. The apex of the Total War franchise. Despite some minor blemishes, such as ocassional CTD and mouse problems with the campaign map, it's a superb strategy game through and through. S2TW beats Civilization V hands down as strategy game.

    Beautiful artist's design (kudos), beautiful landscapes, well-designed battle maps. All in all simply great. A must-play game for strategy fans.

    Truly after a decade CA have become digital warfare masters, well done! ï½    … Expand
  51. Squishy
    Mar 21, 2011
    9
    After playing all of the TW games, I could easily crown this the reigning champ. Its easy to admire the wonderful graphics and solid UI, but when you get into the subtle aspects of the game it just shines. There is a completeness to the game play that is extremely hard to capture and present to an audience. While overall I feel that Shogun is the best at what it does, I can't help butAfter playing all of the TW games, I could easily crown this the reigning champ. Its easy to admire the wonderful graphics and solid UI, but when you get into the subtle aspects of the game it just shines. There is a completeness to the game play that is extremely hard to capture and present to an audience. While overall I feel that Shogun is the best at what it does, I can't help but wonder if there were possibilities to go down a new route with the franchise. I shouldn't complain about greatness, so do yourself a favor and go get this bad boy.… Expand
  52. Fireside
    Mar 21, 2011
    6
    Having played every single TW game, I have grown tired with the formula and there's nothing here that is really that different from the previous games, just small incremental improvements like always. It's fun in small spurts, but no longer engrossing, like sex after years of marriage. They need to release the dx11 patch soon cause the lack of anti-aliasing is driving me crazy.
  53. jta
    Mar 21, 2011
    9
    There's a multitude of things wrong with Total War: Shogun 2 but they are most definitely outweighed by the good. What I still, after 11 years love most about the Shogun games are the small mini movies you get when deploying your Ninja. They do repeat pretty quick but I still find myself rooting for the little dudes on their mission. "nono! look to your left!".

    What feels a bit odd is the    There's a multitude of things wrong with Total War: Shogun 2 but they are most definitely outweighed by the good. What I still, after 11 years love most about the Shogun games are the small mini movies you get when deploying your Ninja. They do repeat pretty quick but I still find myself rooting for the little dudes on their mission. "nono! look to your left!".

    What feels a bit odd is the huge bonuses the AI is given in terms of finance and troop strengths, even on low difficulty levels. This makes the game feel a bit unrewarding at times when you've used your best cunning and advanced to a key point in the game, only to find the enemy has 3 times the troops you do although you would have been hard pressed to raise an army any stronger than you have.

    There's a rich amount of detail to the world and the units and the whole atmosphere still feels as authentic as the original Shogun did. I have to admit I do miss the "boardgame" look of the original Shogun. The tactical map doesn't have to be as elaborate as it is but it works. That's really all that matters.    … Expand
  54. Crimson
    Mar 21, 2011
    3
    Has gorgeous graphics if you have the hardware (fortunetly I do : ), slick interface and a lot of polish. Unfortunetly the AI is retarded (and gets HUGE bonuses to compensate), the units are completely unbalanced (I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I melee the opposing cavalry to death with my bow samurai), and the units are still as unresponsive as ever (they are still incapableHas gorgeous graphics if you have the hardware (fortunetly I do : ), slick interface and a lot of polish. Unfortunetly the AI is retarded (and gets HUGE bonuses to compensate), the units are completely unbalanced (I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I melee the opposing cavalry to death with my bow samurai), and the units are still as unresponsive as ever (they are still incapable of getting through doorways).

    I still pop in Shogun 1 every now and then to re-play it years after the fact. Yet after a few days the annoyance factor is already creeping in on this game.

    You know what they say about polishing a turd...    … Expand
  55. Afotai
    Mar 20, 2011
    10
    Shogun 2 gives you an intense strategy game. With AI that's actually clever compared to the older series where it still had major problems navigating over water, you'll find yourself caught by surprises on the campaign map and in real-time battles. There still are plenty of units to make a diversive army, but not as much as in Empire Total War. New RPG elements have been introduced thatShogun 2 gives you an intense strategy game. With AI that's actually clever compared to the older series where it still had major problems navigating over water, you'll find yourself caught by surprises on the campaign map and in real-time battles. There still are plenty of units to make a diversive army, but not as much as in Empire Total War. New RPG elements have been introduced that makes costumisation of your agents and commanders possible to play them the way you want.

    Multiplayer has been totally revisioned, and actually encourages long-term progression by a sort of "Avatar" system that awards you unlocks with each battle you can win on a "multiplayer campaign map".

    There's also a two player coop campaign mode that I personally find oustanding to play, but its tortured with desync problems at the time I write this (21 march 2011). Hopefully these bugs get polished out soon enough, as this is the only game-breaking thing I found.

    Pro's/Con's

    + Amazing visuals with unique art
    + More intelligent AI
    + Various new RPG elements that add depth

    - Suffers from desync problems on the online 2 player coop campaign    … Expand
  56. Alcarinqueqt
    Mar 20, 2011
    8
    Multi-player is not working or/and it's quite complicated. I cannot give a perfect 10 like others do, indeed it is a solid game but after playing a couple clans the game feels like routine to me. Campaign scenarios aren't as thrilling as I expected, had the feeling of seeing the same things over and over again.
  57. WalkofFame
    Mar 20, 2011
    9
    DITO!

    "Been playing since release, what can i say...i havnt slept...its pretty awesome, best total was since medieval 2! Looks amazing even tho theres no dx11 untill they patch it, then it'll be a 11/10! "
  58. chrnit
    Mar 20, 2011
    2
    multiplayer is totally broken. games are not starting because the amount of money spent is calculated in a wrong way. people do not see each others lobbys and many many more bugs. obviously, no pc magazine tested that mode.
  59. Raggz
    Mar 20, 2011
    9
    The latest game in the Total War series. Back to the roots were Creative Assembly started. Back to the bloodiest era in Japans history. Do you have what it takes to be the new Shogun and rule Japan.
    Beautiful graphics soon to support DX10.1 and DX11 and with upgraded AI that will give you a real challenge and numerous headaches.
    Watch Samurai's and ninja's fight in epic battles!
  60. KEMPERO4EG
    Mar 20, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Amazing!!! Great game!!! Amazing!!! Great game!!! Amazing!!! Great game!!! Amazing!!! Great game!!! Amazing!!! Great game!!! Amazing!!! Great game!!! Amazing!!! Great game!!! Amazing!!! Great game!!! Amazing!!! Great game!!! Amazing!!! Great game!!! Amazing!!! Great game!!! Amazing!!! Great game!!!… Expand
  61. ukecko72
    Mar 20, 2011
    10
    Great game, Great visuals. AI is a lot smarter than previous Total War games. Overall i give this a 10 for game play, strategy, and for the fact that it is historically correct (Unit and building wise, also the clan names).And i love how General speeches before battle are back again! Its fun, and will keep you up for hours! I kept saying to myself at 4am (One more turn then bed) 5am, (OneGreat game, Great visuals. AI is a lot smarter than previous Total War games. Overall i give this a 10 for game play, strategy, and for the fact that it is historically correct (Unit and building wise, also the clan names).And i love how General speeches before battle are back again! Its fun, and will keep you up for hours! I kept saying to myself at 4am (One more turn then bed) 5am, (One more turn then bed) 6am, (One more turn then bed). Here it is now 8am and i just stopped playing because my eyes are square and my nose is bleeding a little (Joking about the nose bleed! Thought it might give the review a more of a hard core gamer believability, LoL). Anyway, Enjoy this game its worth every dollar. Once again Creative Assembly do the PC Gaming community a Great deed and release another fantastic title that will have you hooked until the next one is released.… Expand
  62. Lansan1ty
    Mar 20, 2011
    10
    I can't seem to put this game down, I already have 30 hours played and the game came out a just over 4 days ago. Sure there are some day-of-release bugs, but do you expect? It's sad that this has become a norm but: every game has them, I won't knock off points for that. The graphics are stunning, and the music is phenomenal, but the game truly shines in the game play aspect, the co-opI can't seem to put this game down, I already have 30 hours played and the game came out a just over 4 days ago. Sure there are some day-of-release bugs, but do you expect? It's sad that this has become a norm but: every game has them, I won't knock off points for that. The graphics are stunning, and the music is phenomenal, but the game truly shines in the game play aspect, the co-op campaign's only flaw is that I can't have a 3 month long 8 player campaign with my friends. To everyone complaining about the bugs, I'm sure The Creative Assembly won't pull a Treyarch on this one, every game has bugs, don't give it a 0/10 because of something that can easily be fixed. It's only been 4 days for crying out loud.… Expand
  63. Ajores
    Mar 19, 2011
    10
    I'm going to keep this simple because no one would read this long review when there are a ton of people who are basically saying the same thing I would say. Amazing, amazing game, and the best time for people who aren't fans of the series to give it another look. Graphics = top notch, the best in any RTS/Turn based strategy. Gameplay = A very addictive experience. Really makes me feel likeI'm going to keep this simple because no one would read this long review when there are a ton of people who are basically saying the same thing I would say. Amazing, amazing game, and the best time for people who aren't fans of the series to give it another look. Graphics = top notch, the best in any RTS/Turn based strategy. Gameplay = A very addictive experience. Really makes me feel like I'm commanding my troops in battle or leading my clan to victory on the campaign map. Sounds = Hey, if you like Japanese themed sound and music then this game has the best. If not, then one of the beauties if this game might be truly lost on you. Multiplayer = I can honestly say I haven't even tried it out. For a $50 release, I am happy with it not having any multiplayer what so over. This game has everything, as far as multiplayer goes it's just an added bonus. I heard mixed things about it anyway, so my only advice is that you check it out for everything else first and then see if you'd really like to get trounced in multiplayer before you go that route ;) All that being said, amazing amazing game... one of my favorites, and I'm going to be hooked on this for a long time I think. Awesome job CA! You guys rock! 11/10 if I could ;)… Expand
  64. Ecko69x
    Mar 19, 2011
    10
    The Total War series is a fine example of games that are progressively becoming better after each release. Shogun 2's refinement and improvement gives it a fresh look, but importantly satisfying game-play. The things I noticed were: great visuals and animations, improved streamline interface, and better AI. The Creative Assembly should be proud with heads held high as they can constantlyThe Total War series is a fine example of games that are progressively becoming better after each release. Shogun 2's refinement and improvement gives it a fresh look, but importantly satisfying game-play. The things I noticed were: great visuals and animations, improved streamline interface, and better AI. The Creative Assembly should be proud with heads held high as they can constantly produce great games towards the ever-so respectful Total War series.… Expand
  65. Kiagu
    Mar 18, 2011
    10
    Total War: Shogun 2 improves upon everything which was good before, as well as significantly improving some things which let previous Total Wars down, such as dumb AI. They have gone into amazing detail in regards to the history and encylopedia, much more than is necessary, which is not a bad thing.
  66. Yzer
    Mar 18, 2011
    9
    The Total War series returns. Welcome back! I'm happy to announce that with Shogun 2, the Total War series is back on track. It fully captures the feudal Japan we all wanted to re-visit from the first Shogun. It sports great graphics, with DX11 on the way in a future patch, high-quality sfx and japanese inspired music. Thousands of units can be fielded at once for epic battles. The unitThe Total War series returns. Welcome back! I'm happy to announce that with Shogun 2, the Total War series is back on track. It fully captures the feudal Japan we all wanted to re-visit from the first Shogun. It sports great graphics, with DX11 on the way in a future patch, high-quality sfx and japanese inspired music. Thousands of units can be fielded at once for epic battles. The unit complexity and diversity is lowered from Empire/Napoleon. Now there are set units which can be upgraded and which can gain veterancy. This provides a much more understandable and enjoyable gameplay. Unit stats, pros/cons are explained by a simple mouse-over. Fantastic! Now you have the data you need in order to make those crucial in-battle decisions.

    The 3d map is back and better than ever with its functionality increased.

    Summary: You need to play Shogun 2. It is a way more accessible game than the previous entries to the Total War series. The best part about that is that it doesn't sacrifice the addictive gameplay in order to achieve that effect. Support the developers. We want to see the series continue and our minds blown again and again. There is nothing like Total War.    … Expand
  67. velimrius
    Mar 18, 2011
    10
    Probably the best strategy game in last several years, its just amazing, combat is great, art is amazing, music is fantastic, multiplayer is good, i dunno what else to add,except its worth money :)
  68. janko001
    Mar 18, 2011
    10
    GOTY 2011 for strategy of the year 2011. Advanced land and naval battles. Markedly better AI on a map and on battlefield. Good avatar and inovative multiplayer. 10/10!
  69. Googoo24
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    Excellent addition to an excellent series (well, Empire had some major hiccups upon release). Everything is improved, from the a.i. to the campaign map. The game is simply more fine tuned. The lack of AA may be a little irksome to some, but the game itself more than makes up for it.
  70. 101194
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    Shogun 2: Total War has to be the best experience I've had in an RTS in a very long time. The campaign is stellar and reeks of creativity. Many features from previous Total War games really lacked in comparison to this game. It literally kept me up for a 36 hour period of non stop campaign fun. Multiplayer is the most hilarious fun I've had in years. The players are fair and challenging,Shogun 2: Total War has to be the best experience I've had in an RTS in a very long time. The campaign is stellar and reeks of creativity. Many features from previous Total War games really lacked in comparison to this game. It literally kept me up for a 36 hour period of non stop campaign fun. Multiplayer is the most hilarious fun I've had in years. The players are fair and challenging, not to mention friendly which is a surprise from most of my RTS experiences over the years. The games mechanics and innovation from previous Total War games are awesome to say the least, the Concept of Bushido, the ability to convert to Christianity, and the whole concept of massive warfare, I loved this game, I highly recommend it to anyone who's ever enjoyed an RTS or a TBS game. The game play is fun and challenging. The one flaw I'm sure they will correct is the sort of uselessness the Bow Calvary have, otherwise this is simply a great game. It's the best game I've played in two years.

    Get this game as quickly as humanly possible, If you don't believe me, check other reviewers on this site.    … Expand
  71. Kougeru
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    I've been on the line on the Total War series for a few years. After playing the demo for Napoelon, i wasnt convinced. When the first videos of Shogun 2 were shown I was very interested. I was born in Japan and always enjoyed it's history and culture so the location was a plus. Then the demo came out, and because of the demo I bought the game. The graphics, combat, scenery, environment,I've been on the line on the Total War series for a few years. After playing the demo for Napoelon, i wasnt convinced. When the first videos of Shogun 2 were shown I was very interested. I was born in Japan and always enjoyed it's history and culture so the location was a plus. Then the demo came out, and because of the demo I bought the game. The graphics, combat, scenery, environment, music, voices, everything is just perfect for this game. Unlike other RTS games that are purely based on hotkey memorization and clicking faster than your enemy, this game requires THINKING faster and smarter and clicking faster doesn't mean anywhere near as much. The co-op campaign is also great fun if you have someone that will take the time to play with you. The only problem I've had with the game is purely my own, the enemy is too smart for me at my current skill level-and that's a good thing.… Expand
  72. Dpacm
    Mar 17, 2011
    9
    An excellent game. Have played most of the previous total war games, however Empire and Napoleon where not to liking game mechanics wise - this game is more a kin to the earlier total war installments. Particular highlight of this game would include the multiplayer experience as this is pretty well thought out. I honestly can't fault much, if anything, with this game.
  73. Jelly
    Mar 17, 2011
    9
    I have always enjoyed the Total War series, since the first time I tried Rome: Total War. The series has had some questionable expansions but all and all it have been a great RTS serie. But when I played Empire: Total War, I somehow got disappointed. It was no longer about Infantry vs. archers vs. cavalry, which always have been the simple core of the games. instead you had only infantryI have always enjoyed the Total War series, since the first time I tried Rome: Total War. The series has had some questionable expansions but all and all it have been a great RTS serie. But when I played Empire: Total War, I somehow got disappointed. It was no longer about Infantry vs. archers vs. cavalry, which always have been the simple core of the games. instead you had only infantry and some bad cavalry. The Map was to big and there where no "easy" factions.

    With Shogun 2 the Creativ Assembly have taken a step back and is no more focused about the all way of gameplay. Shogun 2 is a great game... the gameplay is simple, the looks are nice and the game just works. Everything is understandable and makes sense. the only thing that pulls this game down is the sometime stupid AI and the errors in multiplayer.

    I recommend this game for everybody who's interested in RTS's.    … Expand
  74. Heben2
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    Total War has with it's newest installment made a fantastic game. They have listened to users of previous Total War games and created a beautiful mix between historical fact and in-game balance. The game AI is now more intelligent than ever both in the campaign and in the beautiful battles, which it surely lacked in battles in previous games. The difficulty settings are a lot more accurateTotal War has with it's newest installment made a fantastic game. They have listened to users of previous Total War games and created a beautiful mix between historical fact and in-game balance. The game AI is now more intelligent than ever both in the campaign and in the beautiful battles, which it surely lacked in battles in previous games. The difficulty settings are a lot more accurate now, making very hard - very hard!

    My sole complain about the game is the different types of armies. The armies of the different clans are almost similar (containing the same units and skins) except the stats of the individual units, which creates a somewhat boring game in length. These units are however so fantastically made in both animation and model and the individual fights between the units look so real and unique.
    I do however suspect the release of DLC containing both new units and individual units for each faction.

    One other problem with the game is that it needs patching and they should have waited a few weeks more before releasing. There are problems for people with starting up the game, errors in the game and the multiplayer is not working very well at the moment. It also lacks Direct X11 at the moment (along with AA).

    This is a great game with the best gameplay and most beautiful battles made so far in the Total War series. If you have played one of the previous Total War games or loves strategy games either real time or turn-based (or both), then you should definitely try this one out.

    Rating at the release of the game it should only receive 9/10, but as I expect it will be patched thoroughly, I rate it max.

    I find that the game needs Steam to run is the best solution to anti-piracy and I do not think it is a problem as most people use Steam now a days.
    Also, to all you people who comment (and therefore rate the game) before trying it out - could you please wait until you have tried the game, otherwise you CANNOT rate the game and also you look like idiots!    … Expand
  75. awesome_gamer
    Mar 16, 2011
    10
    New Features such as agent/ninja cutscene. High graphics. runs smoothly on intel CORE. no bugs. the units speaks japanese. the sound changes during battles which is awesome!!
  76. wolverdick
    Mar 16, 2011
    9
    This is a great new installment to the total war franchise. They have successfully combined all their efforts into a completely enjoyable game. Great graphics (even better when the DX 11 patch comes out), a terrific artistic style. Tone of good voice overs, although the adviser gets real annoying real fast, I had to turn it off.
    I can only give the game a 9 though, because some of the    This is a great new installment to the total war franchise. They have successfully combined all their efforts into a completely enjoyable game. Great graphics (even better when the DX 11 patch comes out), a terrific artistic style. Tone of good voice overs, although the adviser gets real annoying real fast, I had to turn it off.
    I can only give the game a 9 though, because some of the same old TW quirks are still there, and I was hoping that in a game that is mostly just a cosmetic makeover, some of the engine would get tweaked. I wont go into detail, but if you are a hardcore TW gamer you know the annoyances I refer to. Still an awesome game and well worth it.    … Expand
  77. rmorgan779
    Mar 16, 2011
    10
    i had a hour yesterday after 7 hour download from steam woke up today waved good bye to partner and kids jumped on couldnt get off its amazingly good and bye a british developer no less rule britania thank god after my hugh dissapointment that was dragon age 2 thanks bioware. any way started as warrior monk clan after half hour was uterly destroyed restarted as sword based clan deciededi had a hour yesterday after 7 hour download from steam woke up today waved good bye to partner and kids jumped on couldnt get off its amazingly good and bye a british developer no less rule britania thank god after my hugh dissapointment that was dragon age 2 thanks bioware. any way started as warrior monk clan after half hour was uterly destroyed restarted as sword based clan decieded to try and capture a section of the map 8 provenices it worked and rpg exp system for characters and dynamio are amazing ps cant recomend enough… Expand
  78. Hitteresp
    Mar 16, 2011
    10
    I have played every single total war game since the original Shogun: Total War. That being said, this game is easily one of the best ever. It brings back the best parts of Empire while removing the worst all the while bringing a welcomed stylized edge to the game. All in all Total War does it again and makes me realize why I have always played their games over the Civ games.
  79. Kcep
    Mar 16, 2011
    10
    Rupert_Smythe
    Mar 15, 2011
    10 Gosh, I say this game is rather fantastic! I'd been anticipating its arrival for months now and practically ripped it from my butler's hands this morning, feverishly unwrapped it and inserted the disc into one of my personal computers, and was it worth the wait? The answer is a resounding "RATHER!" . Being an avid historian, and a gentleman rather acquainted    Rupert_Smythe
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    Gosh, I say this game is rather fantastic! I'd been anticipating its arrival for months now and practically ripped it from my butler's hands this morning, feverishly unwrapped it and inserted the disc into one of my personal computers, and was it worth the wait? The answer is a resounding "RATHER!" . Being an avid historian, and a gentleman rather acquainted with Asian history, I found the game to be absolutely delightful and a feast to all the senses! One should rush out immediately and purchase this game with no delay. Hurrah for all the chaps at The Creative Assembly. Well done, boys!â    … Expand
  80. Gallant000
    Mar 16, 2011
    10
    Everybody's already said it all: I am blown away. I started my first campaign on VH and quickly found myself outmaneuvered and over-run. Never in a total war game have I ever felt "in danger" of losing my starting provence. CA has redeemed itself without question.
  81. grizzly
    Mar 16, 2011
    10
    Wow, this game drips quality and playing is a pure pleasure. Improved battle AI means battles stay exciting and dramatic. I think the mis-steps of Empire have pushed this game to be the great accomplishment that it is.
  82. alex_74
    Mar 16, 2011
    10
    I haven't spent a massive amount of time on the game yet, but from my first six hours of campaign play this is a much much better game than the other two recent iterations of the Total war series. It manages to achieve what everyone loved so much in Rome and Medieval, while still bringing in the new features that Empire and Napoleon brought without making them into a complete pile of crap.I haven't spent a massive amount of time on the game yet, but from my first six hours of campaign play this is a much much better game than the other two recent iterations of the Total war series. It manages to achieve what everyone loved so much in Rome and Medieval, while still bringing in the new features that Empire and Napoleon brought without making them into a complete pile of crap. Having been one of the many disappointed and disillusioned CA fans after those last two games it came as a massively pleasant surprise. What I will say is from first day experience, is that finding a game using the current multi player interface can be quite hard and slow, this will no doubt change though. One last thing if your really obsessed with playing in DX 10 and 11, and it must be said with the anti aliasing that these features allow, then i would wait till the first patch to get this, as their currently unavailable in game.… Expand
  83. kloborgg
    Mar 15, 2011
    9
    Best Total War title since MW2, arguably since Rome. Everything that was keeping the previous entries from being amazing was fixed. The AI has gone from ridiculously stupid to surprisingly clever. They'll lure you into traps and they know when to push and when to retreat. Naval battles are much more straightforward than in Empire/Napoleon, and so are significantly more action-packed. ThisBest Total War title since MW2, arguably since Rome. Everything that was keeping the previous entries from being amazing was fixed. The AI has gone from ridiculously stupid to surprisingly clever. They'll lure you into traps and they know when to push and when to retreat. Naval battles are much more straightforward than in Empire/Napoleon, and so are significantly more action-packed. This is helped by land masses and coasts, which provide a much more dynamic battlefield. The campaign is much more focused and has a pseudo-RPG feel, immersing you even more than before. The scale is smaller than Empire, but that much more detail has been packed into a smaller region. It's also worth mentioning that siege battles are much less straightforward and therefore much more fun than in traditional European-esque fights. Multiplayer was a great surprise. You can easily create a clan with your friends and find fights, moving over different regions and gaining new skills. As you progress, you can customize your general and his attributes with a rather large skill tree, you can add various perks to certain units (as well as damaging perks against your enemies), and ultimately you really do feel like you're leading a conquest against real people. The game isn't perfect, and most of its failings fall to the technical department. There are a few connection issues, but those are to be expected this early on. More disappointing are the visual settings. In its best, Shogun is easily the most beautiful TW, with amazing detail on each unit, great backdrops, and more detail all around, especially in the trees of the environment. Unfortunately, we won't get to see Shogun at its best for a while. Anti-Aliasing, higher Shader models, and DX11 features are completely absent from the release product; CA tells us that these will be added in a patch scheduled to arrive in 2-4 weeks. That's not really acceptable, and it feels like they were trying to meet a deadline. That aside, there are many optimization issues, especially with Phenom processors and AMD cards. Hopefully these will be addressed as well, if not by CA then by AMD and Nvidia.

    Overall, this is a must-own for strategy fans, or fans of historical warfare in general. Easily the best Total War game in a long while.    … Expand
  84. romires51
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love this series. Obvious progress since Napoleon is visible. The beautiful drawing, smart fights, I think revolution of the season of completely has justified. Have pleased new counters in the company and network game.Certainly, a series have tried to "simplify" a little, but these improvements only have done good.

    Shogun has completely justified expectations. 10/10    … Expand
  85. EverettLamb
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    My first impressions upon playing several hours is that the game is polished and it shows. There is dedication and soul put into this game from the well known and appreciated developer The Creative Assembly. While I don't play too many tbs and rts games, this has proven to be an enjoyable experience. If you're looking for a rts/tbs game or even a PC game in general, I'd definitely wouldMy first impressions upon playing several hours is that the game is polished and it shows. There is dedication and soul put into this game from the well known and appreciated developer The Creative Assembly. While I don't play too many tbs and rts games, this has proven to be an enjoyable experience. If you're looking for a rts/tbs game or even a PC game in general, I'd definitely would recommend this game to pick up as it is worth the price. Words can't really define nor express the amount of fun which is why this review comes off a bit short and if you'd excuse me, I'm off to play the game now.… Expand
  86. Lov3GamR
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    A Truly Outstanding performance indeed, out of all the latest Total War games, Empire, and Napoleon, I think that Shogun 2 gives more strategic options as it have a fair options of unit type. While in Napoleon and Empire most players think that those who fire first will have the advantage, especially in multiplayer, where both players maybe thinking the same thing and this could causeA Truly Outstanding performance indeed, out of all the latest Total War games, Empire, and Napoleon, I think that Shogun 2 gives more strategic options as it have a fair options of unit type. While in Napoleon and Empire most players think that those who fire first will have the advantage, especially in multiplayer, where both players maybe thinking the same thing and this could cause boredome to the entire game. I especially love the new feature where the agent Ninja and some other could enter the battlefield and provide support, but also more siege battles and the idea of using bamboos as the raw materials for the boats. Great Work Creative Assembly! Keep it up!… Expand
  87. mrRamonov
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After playing about three hours I can say with certainty that this is the best game in the series, and I began to play more with the first Shogun, Shogun 2 is a masterpiece, here everything is so elaborated in detail that one can only take my hat off to the development team, and I played all the games in series and am not particularly fond of Japan, though I respect them a great culture, the era of Rome, one of the favorite but Shogun 2 is so epic that is done I'm sure you'll be impressed with how the game is made with love. Maybe the game is not so much for everything, and nearly to the story (although I may be wrong), but once you get addicted to the game you forget about it, this game is a very good way to get acquainted with the culture of Japan, part of which remained in modern Japan I have always respected them for their spirit, and I am sure that out of this tragedy they leave as soon as possible with minimal losses.… Expand
  88. boo-yah214
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    Totally immense. Been waiting for this ages for ages, at last it is here and I just can't put it down! The graphics are sensational, out of this world! The siege battles were just amazing, probably the best bit of the whole game! I literally cannot put it down, I don't think I will be leaving the house for the next few weeks!
  89. gamerfreak1
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    Love this game!!! Been waiting for this to be remade it seems like my whole life! The seige battles are well thought out and executed. Wahoo for Shogun 2!
  90. Pantz
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    This game was awsum!! I loved it so much really good graphics!!! Been playing since release!! Its so amazing!!!! brilliant multiplayer seriously awsum! Have had a blast playing it, only have pulled myself away to write this review!!!!
  91. BapManBapsGREAT
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    So good. Trimmed off all the fat, streamlined it, brilliant multiplayer that I'll play for hours and hours and it all looks incredible. The Creative Assembly are BACK.
  92. Cosmicpoker
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    A leaner, meaner return to the game that started it all. Shogun 2: Total War pulls out all the stops and stands out as the most refined Total Wars to date. An excellent achievement and a fine addition to the franchise which I will gladly dedicate hundreds of hours of my valuable life to. The Creative Assembly have done it again, well done guys.
  93. Rupert_Smythe
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    Gosh, I say this game is rather fantastic! I'd been anticipating its arrival for months now and practically ripped it from my butler's hands this morning, feverishly unwrapped it and inserted the disc into one of my personal computers, and was it worth the wait? The answer is a resounding "RATHER!" . Being an avid historian, and a gentleman rather acquainted with Asian history, I foundGosh, I say this game is rather fantastic! I'd been anticipating its arrival for months now and practically ripped it from my butler's hands this morning, feverishly unwrapped it and inserted the disc into one of my personal computers, and was it worth the wait? The answer is a resounding "RATHER!" . Being an avid historian, and a gentleman rather acquainted with Asian history, I found the game to be absolutely delightful and a feast to all the senses! One should rush out immediately and purchase this game with no delay. Hurrah for all the chaps at The Creative Assembly. Well done, boys!… Expand
  94. farleysaurus
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    A really polished experience! The best Total War I have played! The graphics are amazing and the attention to detail is astounding. There are so many features in this game it's mind boggling.
  95. Subsonicaz
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    Wow, I mean, they almost lost me with Empire, Pulled me slowly back N:tw, and now this...Ca, you have restored my faith. Well played, The Multiplayer especially really sets me going, so much new stuff to do!
  96. G4MR
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    Been playing since release, what can i say...i havnt slept...its pretty awesome, best total was since medieval 2! Looks amazing even tho theres no dx11 untill they patch it, then it'll be a 11/10!
  97. Weggy
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    It's out and the question is did The Creative Assembly pull it out the bag or flop. There's been a lot of negativity around Total War recently and everyoneâ
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Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best PC Game of 2011
21
#21 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
10
#10 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 62 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 62
  3. Negative: 0 out of 62
  1. Game Over Online
    Jul 14, 2011
    89
    There is a je ne sais quoi elegance on how the game is presented and how well put together the game as an entire corpus is. Although it's still mired by some version 1.0 bugs, Shogun is highly playable and deserves a place on any Total War fan's hard drive.
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  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    May 22, 2011
    90
    Beautiful, complex and varied historical strategy which offers hours of fun in single player and multiplayer modes. [Issue#203]
  3. Computer Games Online RO
    May 1, 2011
    93
    The mix of turn based strategy (with economical, political and diplomatic ramifications) and real time battles is still wonderful, but the need to balance timing and aggression is more important than ever. Aggressive players will feel a little cheated, while diplomats will hate Realm Divide stage. Still, Total War was always about realism and the AI's scripted actions make logical and historical sense.
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