Is this game worth buying?

[ByeNow]

Tittle says it, i have refused to buy it so far because i want tw games to run on my laptop ( intel chip) and thought it wouldn't run. One day when browsing steam i found a demo for it and downloaded it out of sheer boredom, it actually ran just fine. Even the battles ran without any major lag.

However some of my friends have said that it sucks and isn't diverse enough, is it worth buying?

[Miracles]

Very worth buying imo. Very fine game it borders between a game and a work of art imo.

[Shea O'Gorath]

While it is true that it isnt very diverse since you are playng basically a giant civil war it is actually quite good. The AI is improved, The graphics are beautiful and the 2 expansions (RotS,Fots) are fun and well worth the money.

[Nicolaos]

It was worth buying for me, although I have never really been into Japanese history. I even think it is the best title so far, although it lacks diversity.

[ByeNow]

Alright, im buying this game then. It seems it will cost a fair bit tho with all the dlc and expansions.

[shikaka]

Alright, im buying this game then. It seems it will cost a fair bit tho with all the dlc and expansions.

You should wait for a discount, it is not unusual to have one.


Basicly, my opinion of Shogun is that the "out of the box version" is the most polished Total War game up to date.

Pros:
- very good interface and HUD
- awesome music and generally quality sound
- they put back seasons
- auto replenishment (this is not new, but I skipped Napoleon, so it was new for me)
- very good graphics
- the bad battle AI is harder to notice then usual (the units are easier to use for the AI then dual purpose units of Rome or Medieval, there is no shooting like in Empire)

Cons:
- bad campaign AI (the best to date, but still bad - like it doesn't defend the cities, even if it has only 1)
- bad battle AI (usually it charges you head on with yari ashiragu - peasant spearmen - and that's it)
- soldiers are way to fast moving, and thus battles are a joke (without a mod). Usually a battle is over in less then 5 minutes in vanilla: The AI rushes you, you hold the line, the AI routs. Simple.
- the replay factor is not really good (that is: without DLC's and expansions): all factions are the same, all factions use the same models, basicly the only difference is the start location. To make things worse, the AI is quite good in estimating what is worth using, and chooses the most cost effective unit combo: that is yari ashiragu and yumi ashiragu (peasant spears and bows). Also, if you don't roll in dough, you will do the same. Unfortunately this means that in the game, the battles will be all the same during the whole campaign: lots of peasant spearmen against lots of peasant spearmen backed up by a few peasant archers and light cavalry on both sides.



Overall Shogun 2, without expansions and DLC's (which I didn't buy and never will) is the best Total War upon release, and the most athmospheric in general. If you are willing to pay for DLC/expansion, it has a linger lifespan then most games, but it has a problem with moddability, so it won't stay on your PC very long.



In my book this game is worth buying, a solid 7/10. (with a mod what slows combat down to not laughable level it is 8/10)

[Miracles]

You don't have to buy everything at first. Try it first see if you like it.

I can say like Nicolaos it's the best TW game so far....and when it comes to the battle it's just like the best.
All TW games could improve on non battle gameplay though. I wish it had more immersion off battle. I would like to see my subjects and all and see my domain in 3D.

[zhiphius]

Tittle says it, i have refused to buy it so far because i want tw games to run on my laptop ( intel chip) and thought it wouldn't run. One day when browsing steam i found a demo for it and downloaded it out of sheer boredom, it actually ran just fine. Even the battles ran without any major lag.

However some of my friends have said that it sucks and isn't diverse enough, is it worth buying?

The standard campaign (sengoku jidai) lacks variety between clans. DLC's, traits and starting position helps but the the clan traits (clan specific bonuses) isnt as interesting as those in the other 2 campaigns.

However there's a big unit variety for a single country strategy game. The map has 65~ provinces to conquer and play around on. Province unique resources to get or trade, naval combat, agents to abuse.
The AI is fairly smart, with AI mods it get even smarter (for a TW game anyway and it HAS supprised me a number of times :p).

Add mods into the mix and you can get a ton of variety as they change a huge number of aspects.
Not only unit mods adding potentially 40+ new units to a single campaign but improves the AI, changes the battles and campaign etc etc.

Basically by itself its a damn good game, you can play slow paced or fast paced. Several types of armies to compose from a large variety of units. Each clan offer different challenges and gameplay (some more some less.).

The DLC's help too, the RotS dlc campaign is fun if you like 12th century warfare (small armies, personal glory etc), FotS campaign offers more modern warfare with modernisation as key element, +it has a even larger campaign map and possibly larger variety of units.

Other DLC's offers new clans (2 for the standard, 4? for FotS) new units.

And i already mentioned mods

Either way: It's worth getting. its good. and its a game you can play 1-3 campaigns on, leave it for a few eeks or months and play again. campaigns rarely turn out the same way, so many factors causing different outcomes, which clans becomes huge etc

im typing too much Q_q so ill leave the post at that :p

edit: i forgot, for variety if you get dlc's etc: 3 campaigns with 11 clans for the original camp., 6 for RotS dlc camp. and 10 for FotS campaign. (includes dlc's)
the standard campaign boasts: 50 unique land units (not counting clan versions of specific units.) for example in about 9 categories. So variety is deffo there. (this number inludes DLC units btw).
3 religions (1 unique to a DLC faction, RotS and FotS doesnt have religion, instead they have family or emperor/shogun loyalty)

lastly: watch tube vids ^_^

[oqvist]

It was not worth it for the vanilla campaign. my FOTS campaign was tons better in just about every way. Except a bit over confusion regarding the many agents.

[zhiphius]

It was not worth it for the vanilla campaign. my FOTS campaign was tons better in just about every way. Except a bit over confusion regarding the many agents.

depends on what kind of warfare he likes. I agree FotS possibly is the best campaign as it got features the other 2 lack, but personally i have the most fun with sengoku jidai campaign due to my fondness of sword/bow/spear etc type of combat and it doesnt have the slow economic buildup at the start like the FotS campaign got. Who knows, he might love the battle style of RotS more than the other two

[oqvist]

depends on what kind of warfare he likes. I agree FotS possibly is the best campaign as it got features the other 2 lack, but personally i have the most fun with sengoku jidai campaign due to my fondness of sword/bow/spear etc type of combat and it doesnt have the slow economic buildup at the start like the FotS campaign got. Who knows, he might love the battle style of RotS more than the other two

Sengoku Jidai campaign? I hear that all the time what is it?

I also thought I loved the melee fighting. Had no problem with it in previous total war titles but in Vanilla Shogun 2 it´s just to fast paced and chaotic for me so I can´t use proper strategies. It goes so fast you can´t even just zoom in and enjoy the fights because they are over before you know it with half the guys left. I forget all the time to put on fast forward when hunting down routing troops lol.

Proper artillery and line infantry add more tactical options even though I admit I often get stuck on a formulae I find really works. Melee fighting make it harder to own the AI

But sure we all have different tastes but can´t vouch for vanilla Shogun 2. Getting rid of the trade nodes was a huge plus. Gave the Kyushu factions way to much of an advantage in previous games since the enemy AI did absolutely nothing to conquer them. Maybe I just got a campaign in that aspect though.

[zhiphius]

Sengoku Jidai campaign? I hear that all the time what is it?

I also thought I loved the melee fighting. Had no problem with it in previous total war titles but in Vanilla Shogun 2 it´s just to fast paced and chaotic for me so I can´t use proper strategies. It goes so fast you can´t even just zoom in and enjoy the fights because they are over before you know it with half the guys left. I forget all the time to put on fast forward when hunting down routing troops lol.

Proper artillery and line infantry add more tactical options even though I admit I often get stuck on a formulae I find really works. Melee fighting make it harder to own the AI

But sure we all have different tastes but can´t vouch for vanilla Shogun 2. Getting rid of the trade nodes was a huge plus. Gave the Kyushu factions way to much of an advantage in previous games since the enemy AI did absolutely nothing to conquer them. Maybe I just got a campaign in that aspect though.

The original campaign that came with shogun 2 is set in a period of japanese history known as "sengoku jidai" which means "The country at war" or so. Hence why some of us refer to that campaign as the "sengoku jidai" campaign. The first total war game "shogun: total war" also named one of the campaigns "sengoku jidai"

[AngryTitusPullo]

Buy it if you like anime/hentai and understand that the game is about a single culture and civil wars.

In term of gameplay this, especially post FOTS is the best of all TW games in terms of gfx, AI, features and so on.

The first Total War games that you can manually control up to 40 units in battle !

[Kissaki]

Buy it if you like anime/hentai and understand that the game is about a single culture and civil wars.

Anime/hentai? Does not compute.

[Noif de Bodemloze]

Of course it is worth! You will love to game on first sight. haha... and when you like. Get DLCs! Specially hattori dlc is the best dlc to game. Ninja clan rule the japan! I love Hattori.

[DeliCiousTZM]

If you have an account on TWcenter.net there is no total war not worth buying.

[PROMETHEUS ts]

Tittle says it, i have refused to buy it so far because i want tw games to run on my laptop ( intel chip) and thought it wouldn't run. One day when browsing steam i found a demo for it and downloaded it out of sheer boredom, it actually ran just fine. Even the battles ran without any major lag.

However some of my friends have said that it sucks and isn't diverse enough, is it worth buying?

I dunno for your laptop potentials , but this game is the BEST TW game to date for me ....

and I do play and mod since Shogun I .

[CTD_or_Bust]

I'm not sure why you asked here. Everyone that reads this forum enjoys playing S2TW. Therefore the majority answer will be "Yes buy it" no matter how you phrase the question.

[Erwin Rommel]

I like to go pedantic and say vanilla was Late Muromachi Jidai since the Ashikaga is still there, Tenka Fubu is Azuchi-Momoyama Jidai, and Seki is Late Momoyama Jidai and FOTS is Bakumatsu not Boshin.

[zhiphius]

I like to go pedantic and say vanilla was Late Muromachi Jidai since the Ashikaga is still there, Tenka Fubu is Azuchi-Momoyama Jidai, and Seki is Late Momoyama Jidai and FOTS is Bakumatsu not Boshin.

psh, Picky one-eyed dragon