Total War: Shogun 2

The battles of Shogun 2 involve large-scale engagements between armies that meet on the campaign map and can take place on land or on water. The developers proclaim they are paying particular attention to re-designing the naval and siege battles appropriate to the new setting. In contrast to European castles and forts, the castles in feudal Japan had multiple tiers, and thus the siege battles in the game put less focus on wall defences but more on courtyard brawls and tactical maneuvering. Also, the players will fight naval battles with unique Japanese ships resembling "floating castles", and take into consideration melees on ships, arrow fire, coastal terrain, and other factors.

Shogun 2, along with Rome, stands out as a truly remarkable games. The blend of strategic map navigation and engaging battle tactics creates an unparalleled gaming experience. The captivating Japanese cultural theme adds a beautiful touch to the game, immersing players in a unique setting. The humorous memes, like spear units shouting "yarimazing", bring a delightful and satisfying element to the gameplay. While some of the game mechanics may show signs of aging, the overall essence of Shogun 2 will forever hold a special place in the hearts of many gamers, myself included. The strategic depth, historical authenticity, and memorable moments from epic battles make Shogun 2 a timeless classic that continues to captivate players with its charm and gameplay intricacies.

Disappointing. Medieval2 was OK, but since then Total War has become mediocre. The graphics may have improved, but all the flaws of the previous games (bad and cheating AI, useless diplomacy, unfair battle auto-resolve, confused units that ignore orders or get stuck, and other unreliable mechanics etc...) are still bad in Shogun2, and now it takes forever to load. Age old problems like gunpowder troops randomly failing to shoot at enemies that are charging towards them even after they have had ages to line up are still here. Naval combat is broken - try to board an enemy ship, and half of the time, soldiers will get permanently stuck due to an AI path finding failure. All the factions look and feel the same. There is also an over emphasis on expensive DLC that should have been in the base game. And where did hotseat multiplayer go?! They removed it because it allowed 2 people to have fun without paying for two copies. DarthMod helps, but not enough to make it enjoyable.

Shogun 2 is a beautiful game. From the details on the troops to the atmospheric ambiance this game, even dated, holds its own. It doesn't start perfect as all the Total War games but the modding community has made so many changes from the mechanics to the aesthetics that you can get a realistic challenge from the game if you have a few minutes to download the programs. Back to the details. The Total War developers did their best work I think with the small aspects of the game I am still discovering years after playing. Even the technically irrelevant areas like remote villages outside the map if it is winter the little hamlets have snow on cut wood and icy rooftops. The troops armor shines in rain. There is the occasional deer romping through the woods. The combat animations are, in my opinion, the best of any Total War series. I could go on about the lovely details but I would rather play some more.

One round of play can take minutes as u are forced to watch all the stupid sea avatars move around, and many of the non essential land avatars as well --- many of the voters and reviewers are probably voting on the battle mechanics, which are quite cool, however, the game mechanics itself are pretty bad, and the total war franchise carried this same irritation into the genre as a whole. only in the warhammer stuff did this go away