Shogun 2: Total War Preview

Shogun 2 is to be an improved remake of the very first game in the Total War series, Shogun: Total War. The game is not only a test to see how well The Creative Assembly could remake its oldest game, but also if it could improve the series as a whole after the lackluster Empire and Napoleon: Total War. While Napoleon was an improvement to Empire both games lacked the fun and gameplay quality of Medieval 2 and Rome: Total War. Shogun 2: Total War has a lot of expectations riding on its shoulders, but the new demo for the game certainly proved that many of those expectations could be matched.

Visually the game looks incredible with the graphics of the most recent Total War games used to color the brightly colored warriors of feudal Japan, with battlefields full of soldiers in vivid robes and dark lacquered armor. This graphical update extends to the campaign map as well which makes the world at a bird’s eye view look much richer, more detailed and dynamic than the more static world maps of older Total Wars.

It is great to see the Total War series return to melee-based combat from the buggy, ranged-based gameplay of Empire and Napoleon. Units follow orders competently and there are far less frustrating bugs that plagued the last two games. Unit animations are great and combat animations are truly superb. These little details make individual combats between units feel much more epic and intense, and can sometimes even distract you from the battle. Watching a small unit of Samurai desperately try to fight against a tide of enemies feels much more engrossing than individual combats in previous games.

The campaign mode is similar to earlier games, placing an importance on managing cities, armies, diplomacy and espionage. Of course Shogun 2 would not be complete without ninjas and their antics, and I am pleased to report that assassination videos are still as funny as they were in the original, with even better graphics. The game also adds a level of micromanagement with your Shogun, whom you can upgrade in different ways. This could be either a layer of interesting customization or an unnecessary level of management between battles depending on its implementation.

Overall, the Shogun 2: Total War demo has proven that The Creative Assembly still has got what it takes to keep the franchise great. While there are still some aspects to be seen, such as unit variety and how naval combat works, the game looks to be a promising successor to the very first Total War game.