Total War: Shogun 2

excellent
key review info
  • Game: Total War: Shogun 2
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: N/a
  • Reviewed on:

It is hard to review Total War: Shogun 2. The game is the second one set in Medieval Japan, focusing on the struggle between the clans for control of the title of Shogun. The game is the latest in a long running strategy series from The Creative Assembly that began about 11 years ago and has lately suffered from a rather disappointing releases of Empire and Napoleon. And, most importantly, Total War: Shogun 2 seems to be very, very good.

Why is it hard to review a game in a beloved series that is very good? Because of the complexity of the Total War concept. Initial reviews for both Empire and Napoleon were very positive only for a lot of players to then notice that the Artificial Intelligence was a bit dumb and that naval invasions were not really working, leading to disappointment in the ranks of loyal fans.

I've enjoyed Total War: Shogun 2 for more than 30 hours in single player and about 15 land and naval battles in multiplayer and so far the game seems very close to becoming a hallmark like the first Shogun. Let's hope that tomorrow does not shatter our little Total War worlds by witnessing the discovery of a well hidden and significant bug.

Concept

The Total War formula probably captured the imagination of strategy gamers because it mixes the more action heavy battle sequences, with regiments clashing and the pressure to win without suffering too many losses, with the turn based strategic element, where gamers have the time to think about how to commit resources and deploy units in order to reach a long term goal.

The mix between the demo is very much present in Shogun 2 and The Creative Assembly has added quite a big of more possibilities of the strategic section of the game, with a number of agents that are very much capable of changing the course of a campaign and even the full game with abilities like sabotage, demoralization of enemies and even whole army bribes.

Review image
Review image
Battle lines
Customization choice

The diplomacy aspect of the game has also been improved significantly. Other clans seem to make rational choices when it comes to trade deals and to military access. They also do a good job of employing agents to cripple the gamer controlled faction and make the tactical battles as easy as possible for their own armies.

Players need to be careful about how they conduct their diplomacy with the rival factions, especially the other major powers. Depending on the approach they take to the game some of them might be very quick in asking incentives in order to enter into trade deals only to then cancel them in a few turns by launching an attack. I initially dismissed this as stupid thinking on the part of the A.I. but after some more play time I began to see that this was not happening as long as I was limiting my deals with those factions that had integrity and were likely to accept offers without me sweetening the deal too much.

Gameplay

Total War: Shogun 2 is clearly a return to form for its series. The game is challenging on Normal difficulty, each battle feels important and has clear consequences and the map is well designed to allow for choke points that can allow one force to defend a whole province.

The early game is crucial, with the first two or three battles almost always being fought with larger and sometimes better equipped forces. Keeping casualties down is almost as important as winning in the early game and quick development of at least one castle is also needed early on. Shogun 2 allows the player to fully inhabit the position of underdog initially only to then push him towards greater conquests, with the entire progression feeling natural and interesting at each step.

The initial one province setup for all clans sometimes results in major clans quickly disappearing (the Oda seem to have the toughest starting position) and the fact that all the clans turn against the player in the late game feels somewhat implausible but these are the only faults I can find in the structure of the strategic game.

The tactical battles are also much improved over Empire and Napoleon. The computer is smart enough to keep its lines together both on the offensive and defensive and can actually manage some pretty good flanking moves, especially when it has local superiority in numbers. It is still pretty weak in castle assault battles and a bit vulnerable to kitting with quick cavalry units but otherwise the challenge it poses is solid, specially when pushing the difficulty to Hard.

The Creative Assembly also made character progression and research more interesting then in previous Total War games, providing the player with interesting choices and forcing him to specialize characters for various roles within the clan.

Graphics and audio

Total War: Shogun 2 could use some work in the graphics department. The strategic map, the diplomacy, the encyclopedia and the other non battle elements all look great, infused with Japanese motifs and imagery, soothing to the eyes and very informative.

Even the battlefield can be spectacular as long as the gamer sticks to his god general role and keeps the camera up in order to best direct his troops. Zooming in to see the actual engagements between units can show some jagged edges and some problems with the animations. The developers at The Creative Assembly are saying that in a couple of weeks they plan to launch a patch which fixes most graphical issues and adds anti aliasing.

The battlefield can also be beautiful, especially when fighting in the snow or with the sun setting, and again it all manages to convey the ideas of honor and respect.

The audio work is exceptional. The music always stays in the background and is Japanese without ever feeling alien in any way. The pre battle speeches can be a bit repetitive but the harsh tones of the generals are well acted and the texts are interesting and give an insight into the warrior culture of the period depicted. Even the English voice work, like the tutorial messages and the diplomacy sound bites, is good, despite the sometimes heavy handed use of accents.

Multiplayer

The Creative Assembly has begun talking about focusing the Total War series more on multiplayer ever since the long gone days of Empire but the company was late in delivering the cooperative campaign mode it promised for that game and for Napoleon.

But the multiplayer mode is a shining achievement in Total War: Shogun 2, easily equal to the single player in terms of enjoyment and even complexity. There's a lot to explore here and the inventive structure, which seems to be borrowed from the realm the first person shooters like Call of Duty, will likely keep the obsessive compulsive inclined gamers of today interested for weeks if not months.

Review image
Review image
Development opportunities
At sea battle

The multiplayer supports both naval and land battles, although it seems that more players prefer the feel of solid Japanese ground under the feet of their warriors. The naval battles also take a bit longer than normal ground based ones.

Joining a clan brings an extra dimension to the whole affair and there's also an option to play a campaign in coop mode, with the first player hosting the game and deciding what kind of troops the second player can control on the battlefield. The one things players need to keep in mind is that a game can only be loaded by the original host.


The Good

  • Campaign and battle A.I.
  • Presentation
  • Multiplayer modes
  • Character progression

The Bad

  • Oda first turn downfall
  • Small A.I. problems

Conclusion

Total War: Shogun 2 is the best game in its series since the introduction of the 3D strategic map with Rome: Total War. The Artificial Intelligence that guides the enemy is the biggest booster to the quality of the game, as it manages to provide a good challenge for the player and make the tactical engagements interesting in the long term.

The presentation of Shogun 2 is another strong point, although a bit dented by some issues with the graphical quality, which are supposed to be fixed soon.

It's a pleasure to go back to Japan and have such a choice of factions to play around with, suited for a variety of play concepts. Shogun 2 managed to create a lot of narratives in each campaign and there's no point where the game becomes frustrating or unmanageable.

Finally, the Avatar mode in multiplayer is all what was needed to round up the Shogun 2 experience, making it a must buy for all fans of the series and the game they should try out for all those who plan on getting serious about their strategy gaming.  

Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image

story 9
gameplay 9
concept 10
graphics 8
audio 10
multiplayer 9
final rating 9.5
Editor's review
excellent
 
NEXT REVIEW: Resonance of Fate