Total War: Shogun 2 Review
In 16th century Japanese feudal society, the shogun is feeling pressure as the competing clans erupt into total war. The alliances and rivalries that have maintained order in society are quickly breaking down as Japan descends into utter chaos with several great clans poised to take advantage. In Total War: Shogun 2, players take control of one of these clans. You must use all of your abilities as a statesmen and a general to guide your clan through the turbulent times in hopes of seizing the shogunate in the capital, Kyoto.
In the 7th installment of the Total War franchise, developer Creative Assembly has returned to the melee centric medieval combat that started the storied PC franchise. Is Shogun 2 a welcome return to form or a step in the wrong direction?
The Good
The Computer is Getting Smarter!
The AI in Shogun is remarkably better than in previous Total War installments. Overall, your rival clans will compete in a Machiavellian fashion. Enemy daimyos play won’t hesitate to declare war on you if you are becoming too powerful or if you are spending too much on economic and social development.
On the battlefield, the AI has stopped sending units in small waves that can be quickly defeated by your troops. Instead, they usually command with a grand strategy and send the troops en masse to attack. It’s more realistic, more difficult, and makes for a more hectic and exciting experience.
Bigger Challenge:
Shogun 2 is much harder than previous games. While many fans were clamoring for ramped up difficulty, the AI will often resort to summoning massive armies out of nowhere to create a challenge. It’s sometimes frustrating and a good reason for players to save often, but it really forces the player to think in broader strategy and not solely on a short-term solutions.
Return to Form:
Empire: Total War was an ambitious game but with its scale came a number of crippling technical problems. After playing almost 100 hours and about to achieve victory, the game froze on me—every single time I hit the next turn button. It was beyond frustrating, but the worst part was that Creative Assembly never released a patch to fix the problem. Instead they seemed to concede defeat and move on to Napoleon: Total War.
While Shogun 2 is not without its technical problems (see below for issues with the multiplayer), the game ran smoothly through my first two campaigns. It does have some above average load times, but I will gladly trade those for an experience that doesn’t break down at the most inconvenient times.
Wonderful Aesthetic Puts You Into the Time Period:
One of the first things that you notice when you start playing Shogun 2 is the authenticity and beauty of the medieval Japanese world. The user interface is minimal, yet the parts that are in sight add to the setting splendidly. Creative Assembly put together a wonderful variety of traditional Japanese paintings and woodblock art to decorate the world and create a pleasing aesthetic.
The Bad
Troop Movement and Path Finding Are Often Moronic:
Setting up your troops before the battle, you wait for the carnage to commence. However, in the heat of the battle, you simply don’t have the precise controls needed for a game that is sometimes brutally difficult. Empire and Napoleon introduced the simple yet important troop movement control that allowed you to order your troops to move forward without breaking rank or changing angles. For some reason, this control was taken out of Shogun 2, and we are back to the days of troops setting up in awkward and weak positions. There were several battles that were lost simply because units would inexplicably change their positioning after given a basic maneuver order.
In addition, the AI’s path finding is often mindless. Units take indirect paths to their ordered destinations, which is problematic when trying to withdraw troops from a skirmish. On several occasions siege battles collapsed largely because certain individual troops would leave the castle despite being ordered to stand by the walls. Although the AI was greatly improved in Shogun 2, troop movement and path finding continue to be a thorn in the franchise’s side.
Limited Scale of Units and Technologies:
Unlike previous installments of the Total War franchise, Shogun 2’s units and technologies are specific and limited. It is a reflection of the historical time period in which the game takes place, yet players will soon find that battles become formulaic due to the lack of diversity. Although the game includes certain western gunpowder and siege weapons, after playing through the campaign twice with two different factions, I never encountered them.
The entire campaign can be completed (with greater difficulty) using only the basic spear and bow units. The clans may have certain abilities over others, but it never appeared to make a big difference when fighting the battles.
Multiplayer Experience Is Unreliable:
As mentioned above, Shogun 2 includes a completely revamped multiplayer component. Playing either a co-op campaign or avatar conquest mode is a great addition to the Total War experience, but there is one problem—most of the times it just doesn’t work.
In this age where patches are regular and plentiful, Shogun 2 is in desperate need one to correct the multiplayer performance issues. One day I was simply unable to connect to any matches and no players appeared online while the next, the clan page wasn’t working properly. In both cases, the game crashed repeatedly. A patch would be welcomed here, but based on their past actions, Creative Assembly may be slow to release one.
The Ugly?
Total War: Shogun 2 is an impressive entry into Creative Assembly’s franchise. The return to the melee-centric combat is a return to the franchise’s comfort zone but one that includes a number of improvements and a great amount of detail. Although there are still some technical problems that should be addressed, the overall experience is an overwhelmingly positive one.
