Total War: Shogun 2 Review

Hey guys! In line with the new focus of my blog I have decided to choose Shogun 2 as my first game to review! I will be reviewing games in the following Categories; Gameplay, Presentation, and Story.

Gameplay

There's a ton to do here! In the Singleplayer campaign mode, you fight for control over Japan by capturing and holding provinces. You move your generals and armies around the map sort of like a game board (think Risk). You also control different agents such as Ninja's (To assassinate  and sabotage targets), monks (convert and inspire), and metsuke's (military police to arrest other agents). The game is quite complex, allowing for trading and Alliances. Politics is alive and well here.

Now what about the actual battles? Well, they are fought on epic battlefields of epic scale (in the thousands). Strategy is very evident here... and the right units must be used for different circumstances. You can also utilize things like forests for cover, and combat is most definitely effected by weather conditions. Sieges (taking or defending a castle) are lots of fun as well, and strategy gets quite different there as well.

If you like this style of strategy game, you'll love this.

There is multiplayer for this game, including co-op campaigns (where you and a buddy work together to control Japan, which is a lot of fun). Also, there is a multiplayer option where you fight against people for control over Japan, level up an Avatar, and unlock different rewards and skills. This would all be awesome, but there's major issues with the matchmaking system, especially if you're trying to play with a friend, so it's not even worth your time. I would have rated the game a lot lower, however I think the games' main focus is on the Single Player, and thus I haven't really let the multiplayer downfalls effect the overall score.

9/10

Presentation:

The game looks and sounds absolutely beautiful. The battles are epic and you can see individual soldiers fighting for their lives in a battle containing thousands. The game soundtrack features music from the first game, and sounds amazing! Everything is stunning and polished. No complaints here.

8/10

Story

There really isn't a story here, other than the one you create through the campaign... but how the 'campaign' shapes up, if I were to rate how that story works out, it's a blast!

8/10

Overall

Overall, the game is incredibly polished and lots of fun. If you're into the genre it's definitely worth a buy! It has kept me busy many a night, and I'm sure many more. The clans you can choose from in the single player campaign are different enough that they give the game plenty of re-playability. At the end of the day, slaughtering thousands in epic battles just doesn't get old!

9/10