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
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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

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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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