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[Damnable Fiend]

so this came out today, and being kind of a fanboy of the series, I had it preloaded and ready, and then spent like 6 hours playing it.  and because I'm having a lot of fun with it so far and I think you might too, I thought I'd make a thread about it.

First off, it's very atmospheric, in a way that I'd call Japanese War Epic Made by a Westerner (though the pre-battle speeches are actually in subtitled Japanese, which I thought was especially cool, even if they say "Japan" and not "Nippon").

here's the intro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EQWcB1vXXg.  the entire game is more or less like that in tone.

as far as actual gameplay goes, PC Gamer gave it a glowing review and a score of 92.  edit: originally, I had  link to their review here, but then I found another one, by Tim stone, who is basically an authority on rts games, and it's better, so here.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-03-11-total-war-shogun-2-review


oh, also there's a 6 gig demo for this on Steam, if you want to try before you buy.  it's pretty long, and gives you a good idea of what to expect, though it doesn't let you play any naval battles.

[KvP]

I remember really loving the original... If it weren't for this damnable schooling I could play this!

[LeeC]

Same, i need money too.

[Blyss]

Never heard of this or the original.  Really does look like something I'd enjoy though.  Thank you for sharing.  I have to check it out now.

[IrrationalPie]

I'm waiting for Rome : Total War 2, which is rumored as the sequel on this new game engine.

[Odal]

Oh wow, I didn't realize this game was already coming out.  Between RL and other games, I probably won't be able to find the time to play it  I'm already doing a good job of buying games and not playing them lately.

I LOVED the original though.

Unfortunately I can't access these links at work.

Edit - I got the youtube vid to work.  OMG I SO WANNA PLAY THIS NOW!  I didn't even care about the other Total Wars.  But Shogun was amazing and I love Japanese history.  EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!  OMGOMGOMG. 

[LeeC]

Played the demo from steam.  I was pretty impressed. The depth of the game was just awesome.  Being able to level up your agents and give them abilities and pick them (whereas in other TW games it was random) and choosing associates to be apart of the agent gave them some flavor.  You can have a ninja that specializes in sabotage or a Metsuke (secret policeman) hunt down enemy agents, and monks to demoralize enemy troops.

I didnt get much time to use all the different battlefield units or experience the little tid bits that ad flavor (like arming your general or using religion in politics).  but I do plan to get this game in the future.  I got a headache from playing but not because of the game itself, but because the demo was just so constricting it became annoying.  I am sure once I get this game being able to have the freedom to do whatever I want would resolve this.

[est]

I loved the first in this series, because it reminded me of Lords of the Rising Sun on the Amiga.  This time it looks like they've improved even more over the Empire and Napoleon games, so once it goes on sale it's gonna go into my sack of games, for sure.

[McTaggart]

Yeah I'm grabbing this the moment it hits even medium-cheap. The demo was pretty ace and the setting is my favourite out of all the Total War games.

Actually, make that my least unfavourite. I think that's because I don't know a thing about it so it seems more like a really rich fantasy world?

[KvP]

Downhill cavalry charges into archery columns are so remarkably satisfying.

[Josefbugman]

I rather liked how devestating lots of archers can be on pretty much everyone.

That and how the shogunate instantly turns everyone against you at the point where you are reaching your zenith, to ensure that you still have a challenge in the mid to late game.

[TheFuriousWombat]

Man Shogun: Total War was so cool and Medieval: Total War was one of the first games I played really seriously and got pretty darn good at. Some many great memories of intentionally starting peasant uprisings through jacking up taxes and then crushing them with heavy cavalry. Rome: Total War was cool too. After that I didn't have a good enough computer to really play the games and when I finally got one that could I didn't have the time. Regardless, I'm thinking of buying this new one pretty seriously. The Feudal Japan setting is really cool and pretty underutilized in RTS games. Will check out reviews and demos first but I have a good feeling about this!

[Josefbugman]

I can say that its only been fun thus far. Word of advice though? Make sure that when you take new provinces you remember to turn the tax rate back on after a few turns, I lost a craptonne of koku by not realising that.

[the_pied_piper]

I really love the games of the Total War series and Shogun 2 looks like it could be the best of them all. The graphics are outstanding, the AI has been significantly improved by the looks of things (apparently they changed from a European style of warfare to Sun Tzu's Art of War-style warfare which obviously makes sense given the location and also suits the units much better) and the evolution of units and their strengths is incredibly well thought out.

In terms of units there are not all that many but the importance of good tactics and not losing too many men has really been emphasised with hill charges affecting attack/defence power more realistically, poor troop organisation allowing for devastating cavalry charges even against spear infantry and power of bow troops being improved so that they actually have some real effect on enemy infantry and their morale. It seems important to really choose your armies carefully to take the advantage against your enemies and their special advantages and to keep a close eye on management with lots of monetary and diplomacy options compared to the other games.

At the moment, I would say that Rome: Total War is probably still the best but Shogun 2 is certainly having a good go at it and Feudal Japan is a really interesting timeframe for military history though hopefully the map will be opened to Eastern China and Korea, the long time enemies of Japan to open the scope of the game even more (this might be an expansion like Barbarian Invasion was to Rome if the rumours are true). Also, Rome 2: Total War is indeed rumoured to be next in line with the new engine and there is plenty of history left to be played out if this is true.

[ackblom12]

I really just wish the narrators had the option of speaking in their native tongue with subtitles. I don't know why but the narrator's super stereotypical accent bothers me a lot more than is rational.

[Josefbugman]

Oddly enough, your generals DO have subtitles for all of their prebattle speeches.

ANd I played the original shogun, I would feel cheated if I did not hear some hokey Japanese language translations in this game. And you can trade with the foreigners, you set up trade ships (its why the Western edge of the map is so profitable, Korea, China and indonesia all lie over there).

[LeeC]

anyone else having trouble with the game? everytime i try to look at my avatar achievments it takes me back to the main menu and I am not getting credit for achievments.

in a somewhat unrelated note: the creators of Total war has announced they started working on their next total war game but havnt said what it is yet. any speculation?

[Josefbugman]

Yeah, word of advice do NOT rely solely on yourself to make money. Much as in real life, trade with other clans will make you much MUCH more wealthy.

Its hard to do once you have realm divide, but before then just spend a year or so in profitable relations with your neighbours, marrying of your daughters and researching tea until the point when you have constructed all you need and then (at the vital moment) turn to all out war production and crush all beneath your iron shod heel.

[LeeC]

Yeah, word of advice do NOT rely solely on yourself to make money. Much as in real life, trade with other clans will make you much MUCH more wealthy.

Its hard to do once you have realm divide, but before then just spend a year or so in profitable relations with your neighbours, marrying of your daughters and researching tea until the point when you have constructed all you need and then (at the vital moment) turn to all out war production and crush all beneath your iron shod heel.

pretty much worked for me as Usegui and Tokogawa

[Josefbugman]

Indeed. I am rather interested in seeing if ANYONE has beaten legendary yet, it seems to me that they have really ramped up the difficulty for the higher stages.

[Sorflakne]

oh, also there's a 6 gig demo for this on Steam, if you want to try before you buy.  it's pretty long, and gives you a good idea of what to expect, though it doesn't let you play any naval battles.

6 gigs for a demo?  This must be one titanic game file.

[IrrationalPie]

oh, also there's a 6 gig demo for this on Steam, if you want to try before you buy.  it's pretty long, and gives you a good idea of what to expect, though it doesn't let you play any naval battles.

6 gigs for a demo?  This must be one titanic game file.

It includes both the battle and campaign map parts of the game, so I'd say the space is somewhat reasonable considering.

[LeeC]

oh, also there's a 6 gig demo for this on Steam, if you want to try before you buy.  it's pretty long, and gives you a good idea of what to expect, though it doesn't let you play any naval battles.

6 gigs for a demo?  This must be one titanic game file.

It includes both the battle and campaign map parts of the game, so I'd say the space is somewhat reasonable considering.

6 gigs? I thought it was 6 megs!?

[snalin]

6 megs isn't enough for minesweeper.

Seriously, though, even if it's just a demo, they have to have the entire engine in there - and these days, the engine is probably bigger than the campaign maps and such.

[Boro_Bandito]

Yeah the full game is 12 gigs so that makes me wonder how constrictive the demo was. Friend got it, so I finally got a chance to play it and I have to say my mind was blown, since I haven't really ever played anything in the total war series i didn't quite know what to expect, but damn this is a fun game.