Field	Rating	Review
Graphics	9.5	The graphics are near perfect, something man hasn't been able to accomplish for a styled game like this. Of course a few minor flaws such as troops running into eachother or going through eachother etc. The scenery is absolutely beautiful on max settings, unit detail is exquisite. If you want to take some screenshots about the sengoku jidai period, this game is for you.
Gameplay	8	Gameplay is great, of course you need a beefy computer to be able to run maximum settings but it is well worth it. The morale system is perfectly balanced, Cavalry do their jobs just like real life counter-parts, ashigaru are ashigaru. Samurai are Samurai, better than ashigaru. The balance is great. The only problem is Multiplayer balance. The music is EXTREMELY well made. I am fully immersed while playing, Hell I would pay 15$ for the soundtrack.
Multiplayer	8.5	I was able to get my hands on a copy of Fall of The Samurai, here is my input : The game is balanced, the only balancing issue is artillery. Line infantry are easily countered and this game deserves it's high rating.
Co-Op	8	Co-Op only gets a 8 from me because I felt it could of been able to support 4 people instead of 2, of course it would take a long time to complete just one campaign together with 4 people. but it would be fun. Co-Op is overall extremely fun and has many replayabilities.
Campaign	9	Campaign is brilliantly done. so many ways you can replay it, so many difficulties ( Of course the difficulty is just cheap. ) This is all to say about campaign, find out yourself :)
Replayability	10	I can easily see people getting 3,000+ Hours on this game, theres nothing to NOT do. You can do campaign custom battles reinactments with friends conquer japan on multiplayer do Co-Op campaign, the possibilities are endless. Of the time i've had this the only reason I don't have over 3,000+ hours is because I have no friends to play with.
Overall	9.5	No game can be perfect, except this one. There are such tiny issues i've found its the only reason it's getting a 9.5. Other than that it would be a 10/10

Do you buy it? Why not. you won't find any other games like this for RTS ( Shogun 1 and maybe gekokujo for warband )

Have a grand old time.


I'm not being payed to make this review.

If you screw up, an angry Japanese man will scream at you.

How to Shogun:
Step 1: Create a MASSIVE force of Bow Ashigaru.
Step 2: Delcare war on everyone.
Step 3: Use your new army to rampage throughout the peaceful japanese countryside.
Step 4: Get crushed by another army that is well coordinated and dispersed. (Dispersion is optional)
Step 5: Cry

This guide has recieved great reviews like:
"I think I got cancer reading that" and "Oh god my eyes!"

> send ninja to assassinate rival daimyo
> ninja jumps out of a building
> dies

10/10

MY LORD, A UNIT HAS FLED THE FEILD OF BATTLE DIS ISA SHAMFUR DISPRAY!

Not buying this game is a SHAMEFURR DISPRAY.
11/10

I know im late to the party but this game is a must have for any total war fan, the combat is fabtastic and the over veiw is even better, if you dont buy this game i will punch you in the head.

Released on Steam in March 2011, Shogun 2 was a long awaited game for by fans who enjoyed the first game and fans were not let down with this installment in the series. I had pre-ordered this game and paid full price, I was only upset that a few short months later is dropped to half price. Otherwise the game is very addicting to play.

The game story takes place during 1467 to 1477 where all the nations in Japan came to war, a war that involved the Ashikaga shogunate and the territorial lords. The result of this massive power struggle three individuals would emerge who would unite Japan under one rule. You play one of the warlords who is to dominate the other clans and rule the whole of Japan.

Those who are familiar with the Total War series will know what to expect in this game, but for those who are looking for a medieval Japanese strategy game, like me, will probably find this game overwhelming at first.

I found this game difficult to get into from the start and learn what to do. The tutorials really help with the controls and how to do things in Shogun 2. You need to build, manage your clan, scout and war. When it comes to fighting another army you can let the game auto resolve it or you can go into battle mode.

When you are in battle mode fighting another army, you will find yourself in a whole new mode, commanding your forces and setting up how they will advance and what formation they will be in. I really like this mode because its interesting to see how your battle is actually going and how you will react to the fight. The game holds allot more, sea battles using ships, storming castles and ninjas.

There are cut scenes during play, such as when you send a trained ninja out to assassinate an enemy force. You will get to see a successful attempt or one where the ninja fails.

The tutorial at the start to help you learn to play is very helpful and the Japanese geisha girl voice is a nice touch to help you learn what to do.

The multiplayer portion of the game requires you to join a Total War Shogun 2 group and then you get to view a map of Japan and place your avatar on. Beyond this I haven't figured out how it plays out as there isn't any option to go to a ground to ground battle or auto resolve it. I am sure its something simple to do but I haven't been able to figure it out.

Overall the game is hard to understand how to play and takes some time to learn. The multiplayer side I found very hard to understand and troublesome to figure out. I do enjoy playing it but its one I have been able to put down and wait a long time to get back into. I think I will have to give this another try sometime soon.

I haven't gotten to the point of dominating all of Japan or anything but I do like the whole game because you get to fight during a most interesting time in Japans history and that period is a time of Total War!

Pro's

• Samurai's an Ninjas
  
• Very detailed and historically accurate
  
• Personal control over battles or automatically resolve
  
• Music
  
• DLC adds more clan's to play as

Con's

• Hard to comprehend
  
• Cut scenes are repeated
  
• Multiplay isn't as easy to understand
  
• Very large download

ːfirst_starːːfirst_starːːfirst_starːːfirst_starːːfirst_starː

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz-x1_GYQIw

An excellent game with good graphics, gameplay and sound. This game brilliantly mixes peace & serenity with battle & conflict. It was detailed enough for me to get immersed in Japanese culture and history and actually inspired my conversion to Zen Buddhism. It may seem drastic and far fetched but my life is better now because of this game. In my opinion the best Total War.

A game where you can be a Japanese daymio who sends angry Japanese men to kill other angry Japanese men and gain territory, send monks to incite revolt amongst stupid plebian ♥♥♥♥ heads in other provinces, behead Christian missionaries and bribe stupid samurai with your pimp ♥♥♥ police force, make peace with other daymios like yourself who send angry Japs at other angry Japs, ♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥ up with your ninjas, and, most importantly, marry off your 14-year-old daughter to a man twice her age who just so happens to be her uncle (he was adopted by the previous daymio, but he still counts as an uncle so it still counts)!

And it all works out well! Well, up until that sonofa♥♥♥♥♥ supreme shogun decides to ♥♥♥♥ you in the ♥♥♥ with realm devide...

In all seriousness, the game is brilliant, and I feel really stupid for not picking this game up when it was initially released. It truly is as great as many say it is. Sure, diplomacy sucks ♥♥♥♥ a lot of times, the naval battles can be lame and there are a number of other problems that I have with this game (such as those ♥♥♥♥ty load times), but all of those are made up for with the many great features that this game has. Go buy this game, especially if you enjoy strategy games. You will not regret it.

Not buying this game is a SHAMEFURR DISPRAY.
10/SHAMEFURR DISPRAY

Beest Total War game hands down.

First of all, I haven't played all games of the Total War franchise, only Medieval 2 and a bit of Rome 2, but Shogun 2 was the best so far. Its really captivating and its one of those games which can tie you to your chair for hours and hours, just like Anno 1503. I'm not bad at strategy games but I think that even for strategy newbies this game will be easily understandable and enjoyable.

Pros:

-The setting. Feudal Japan is cool, Samurais are cool, Ninjas are cool, being Shogun is cool.
-The graphics. Ok, the map is not the eyecatcher here but the battles are. The details are amazing and you can follow each samurai until his death.
-Intuitive control and UI. Its impressive how easy to understand this game is. The principles and priorities are clear, you don't have to search for anything and the interfaces for diplomacy, trading and all that stuff are well done.
-Sound in general. Wether its the effects, the music or voices (the japanese accent sounds great), everything feels right.
-The campaign. Its pretty long and its full of surprises, you can always do something in a different way than you did before.
-The characters. I'm talking about the generals, daimyos, ninjas, metsukes and all these people. I got pretty attached to them and it was exciting to see how they grew with the time (plus the skilltrees are awesome).

Cons:

-After you've finished the big campaign, there ain't much to do, you can go for the DLC's like Rise of the Samurai and Fall of the Samurai, but if you want to play the campaign again I noticed that you don't get any more clans that you can play, like in Medieval 2 for instance.
-Sometimes you have to repeat battles (if you mustn't lose them) and it can get pretty frustrating after the 17th try.

Conclusion:

I highly recommend this game and if you enjoy feudal japan and strategy games, get this game. Now.

This game might possibly be the best strategy game I have ever played in my entire life. Shogun 2 introduces a great morale system, it has a great Co-op campaign where I can take on all of Japan with one of my buddies. The other clans in the campaign react perfectly depending on what you did and how you treated the other clans. This game has provided me with the most fun and entertainment then any game I have ever played and I played over 100 different game titles, its a must have for all the strategy game lovers out there.
10/10

It is my new lover after Napoleon: Total War. Some may argue this game is the best of the entire series. Honestly, I can't agree more.
Graphically, this game looks amazing with the highest setting. Though three years old already, this game presents a kaiga style graphical experience that few newly published game can compare with. The water reflection looks just fantastic, soldiers realistic and fog artistic. Different modifications even make the graphics better.
In terms of gameplay, it has too parts. In macro, just like other Total War games, Shogun 2 relies on a turn-based strategy system. In each turn, as the learder of your clan, you can conduct treaties with your friends and foes, recruit different kinds of soldiers, manage han or clan wide tax, etc. Battles are fought at a real-time basis in which you need to be smart enought to use the right tactics and be fast enough to micro your units. You always need to combine strategy with tactics in order to win.
The history background truely intrigues me. As a Ph. D in History, I can never deny any game that involved with historical reality. All three backgrounds of this game are well selected. They are the watersheds of the history of Japan. Shogun 2 Vanilla takes place during the Sengoku Jidai, the Warring States Period. It is just amazing when you can control Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu yourself! You see them riding, speaking and moving. Perviously too me they were just names in some history books. Fall of the Samurai expansion takes place prior to the Boshin War, the era of Meiji Restoration. Japan was westernized. You can hardly find samurai units in this expansion because they have been outdated. Instead, line infantries, line cavalries, cannons and iron clads dominated the world. You can also work with the Westerner. They have superior units. In some modifications you can even recruit soldiers from Napoloen Total War in this game. Currently I use French Grenadiers and Voltigeurs as my elite units. Rise of the Samurai takes place during the feud between the Tairo and the Minamoto. You can read about it in The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu. Historically, the Minamoto defeated the Tairo, becoming the first Shogunate of Japan. In this game you can change it if you have the ambition and the competence!
See, I ramble on and on. Just buy this game already! Long live the Emperor!

After 1,200+ hrs on record

I LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!

Total War: SHOGUN 2 is a strategy game set in feudal Japan, and is a turn based strategy game. The game has two major mechanics I will get briefly into here. After you have chosen your clan you will see a map of Japan, and where you have your units and town. This map isn't the entire game by far, but here you have an overview of how you run your lands by building necessary building for your war effort, diplomacy and gathering resources and researching technology. You will also have a family tree where members can grow up to be leaders or the women can be wed to form alliances or make them stronger. Basically you govern everything from this map.

The major strength of this game is the battles however. When you enter a battle you will enter the zone from the map you are either attacking or defending, and is where the game gets more complex for strategy fanatics. If you have 80 men attacking you will see 80 detailed men on your side in formations you can change, and the same goes for 1200 men which make battles huge and impressive as you see them battle it out. The various formations and approach you can make is extremely fun, and even the terrain and weather has an affect of how everything will play out. This also means you can win despite being severely outnumbered if you somehow manage to use the terrain to your own advantage. Generals also play a huge role here as they give better morale and can add buffs to units as well.

There are also many units in the game, and this is not counting the DLC's out there either.

I found this game to be impressive and extremely fun too and challenging. I certainly enjoyed this game and if you like any form of strategy game you should consider this, especially if you like samurai, ninja or is just fascinated by feudal Japan!

Shogun 2 is a Quantum leap forward from ( The now ancient Looking ) original Shogun. I believe it was the Original Total War Game. The creative assembly have done a sueprior job with the base game, not to mention the Awesome DLC`S. I especially like the job they did with the Naval Combat. The Battles look and feel wonderful. The Ironclads are a blast to fight with. The A.I. Improvements really stick out, especially at higher difficulty levels. I dont pretend to be a Jappanese expert , but everything looks authentic. winning the Campaigns are a Real challenge and It doesnt take many mistakes to bury your chances for victory. Choosing your Tech advances is very important and picking the correct ones for the Clan you hace chosen, is Vital. TO make a long story short , Great Game. I highly Recommend you to give the game a try. It takes some time to get immersed in the the Game system, but if you are patient, you will grow to Enjoy the Unique pleasures of this game !!!

My enemies made my soldiers magically bounce 30m up in the air by destroying the wooden walls in front of them 10/10

8/10 ... Still better than Rome 2.