I turned to my newly-recruited metsuke and ninja. When my army was two turns away from the enemy castle, I noticed a sizable enemy force had snuck its way into my territory and could take my own province before my armies would have time to rush home. In one particularly enjoyable scenario, I sent my general with a substantial army to attack my enemy to the South, leaving only a token defense force in my own castle. Unlike the boring and ineffectual agents of previous titles, the servants of the Shogun 2 daimyo are brutally effective. The player can make use of ninja (the quintessential assassin and saboteur), metsuke (secret policeman), geisha (effective but conspicuous assassins), and monks (agents of unrest and conversion) to advance their own clan at the expense of the enemy. The campaign map is stylized as a quintessentially Japanese brush painting that instantaneously transform into a breathtaking 3D display when uncovered.
Like in Empire, structures are spread throughout a province rather than clustered into the city, encouraging a more versatile and aggressive military rather than the full garrisons cloistered within the capital that pervaded past titles.
Despite the numerous features of past titles CA neglects to implement in later installations, one part of the Total War experience that never deteriorates between games is the campaign map.
I should take the time to mention the campaign map itself. These motifs, as well as the spoken Japanese, historical names, and a canvas-like campaign map that begs exploration give the player a sense that he entering the realm of the Sengoku Jidai, a land embroiled in a fierce civil war for the shogunate. Starting the game, the player is treated to innocuous cherry blossoms in bloom, serene, and an angelic soundtrack (including many remastered tracks of the original Shogun). It is with cautious optimism then that I give my personal endorsement to Total War: Shogun 2 (a new titling scheme that apparently won't catch on) with the caveats of a veteran Total War gamer. The game included numerous game-breaking glitches, an unnecessarily complex naval battle system, and an entirely new engine that left little opportunity for the minor modifications and intrepid overhauls that to the series' fans represented the heart and soul of Rome and Medieval II. With 356 hours to date clocked in Empire, however, my perception is rather humbled.
I at first was awed by the overhauled land and naval battles, three-theater campaign, and host of other overhauls to what appeared at the time to be the greatest game of the series.
The Creative Assembly's break from form was an ambitious but flawed presentation that left the fanbase of the series awed and alienated simultaneously. When Empire: Total War released in 2009, it enjoyed a staggeringly positive critical reception for its bold overhaul of the traditional Total War engine, followed by harsh criticism by critics and fans alike for its profundity of glitches. Multiplayer is bugged and somewhat limited No DirectX 10 or 11 support or Antialiasing at launch Excellent campaign with varied tactical approaches Beautiful artistic and technical graphics