Time to end the debate...

[Remo]

Shogun 2 looks better than Rome 2, and I'm going to explain why.

First, to help, let's all sit down and watch this very special episode of Extra Credits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oK8UTRgvJU

Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about Rome 2 and Shogun 2.

Rome 2 only has its setting going for it. It's a mixture of drab browns for its color palette. When it does include different colors they are extremely saturated. The sound of the game is completely lacking, the music as most have complained is horrible compared to previous games.

YES, Rome 2 has better graphics, but woopty freakin' doo. If the Aesthetics of the game are bad, graphics only become an annoyance. Nobody wants to turn on Depth of Field and make the already all brown setting look blurry as well. People complaining about the pixelation of the armies when zoomed out (On Max graphics Unlimited Graphics Memory, even I get it), and the blocky shadows at times. This is all the fault of good graphics crappy aesthetics.

Shogun 2 on the other hand has great sound, the colors POP, the setting is exaggerated with the falling cherry blossoms and other things to draw you in. The Music man, Shogun 2 has some of the best music I have heard in a Total War game. Take the Fall of the Samurai DLC for instance. The music is different, it's a mixture of Western and Japanese music, this was chosen to draw you into the new setting. It does that perfectly, which is just amazing.

Shogun 2 is the overall better looking and sounding game, and guess what, no FPS issues at the maximum of settings, no issues whatsoever.

You are free to disagree with me, I welcome debate. Yet the facts remain...

[KozaK101]

A big issue for Rome 2 is that there is almost no way for you to tell your units apart from the enemies as any hellenistic faction (including carthage) at a glance or from a distance. I have lost a few battles just from thinking I have a unit sitting doing nothing, telling it to move, only to realise I just told it to disengage. I just couldn't tell there was a combat from a distance (reduced flags being the issue). Essentially all hoplites and phalangites look the same (good but the same) for each faction at a glance, few primary colours or faction colours to help.

In shogun the faction colours showed up alot better meaning I could play with flags off. More immersive and easier to keep track of the battle (slower battles aswell ofc). Few factions provide this in Rome 2, rome itself is the faction that stands out most in battles.

Thats my piece, thought it was a graphical difference worth noting, otherwise I agree with everything else Remo wrote.

[Remo]

A big issue for Rome 2 is that there is almost no way for you to tell your units apart from the enemies as any hellenistic faction (including carthage) at a glance or from a distance. I have lost a few battles just from thinking I have a unit sitting doing nothing, telling it to move, only to realise I just told it to disengage. I just couldn't tell there was a combat from a distance (reduced flags being the issue). Essentially all hoplites and phalangites look the same (good but the same) for each faction at a glance, few primary colours or faction colours to help.

In shogun the faction colours showed up alot better meaning I could play with flags off. More immersive and easier to keep track of the battle (slower battles aswell ofc). Few factions provide this in Rome 2, rome itself is the faction that stands out most in battles.

Thats my piece, thought it was a graphical difference worth noting, otherwise I agree with everything else Remo wrote.

Again, that's Rome 2's bad Aesthetics affecting gameplay mechanics. When everything just blends together into one big smudge, it can mess with gameplay.

[Irishman]

A big issue for Rome 2 is that there is almost no way for you to tell your units apart from the enemies as any hellenistic faction (including carthage) at a glance or from a distance. I have lost a few battles just from thinking I have a unit sitting doing nothing, telling it to move, only to realise I just told it to disengage. I just couldn't tell there was a combat from a distance (reduced flags being the issue). Essentially all hoplites and phalangites look the same (good but the same) for each faction at a glance, few primary colours or faction colours to help.

In shogun the faction colours showed up alot better meaning I could play with flags off. More immersive and easier to keep track of the battle (slower battles aswell ofc). Few factions provide this in Rome 2, rome itself is the faction that stands out most in battles.

Thats my piece, thought it was a graphical difference worth noting, otherwise I agree with everything else Remo wrote.

Its amazing that a huge complaint about Rome/Shogun 2/Medieval etc was the "cartoony" factions all being color coded. Now they go a small way to making the game look less risk-like, and people are complaining they can't tell the difference (the reason CA gave for the color-coded armies). It's funny.

This really shouldn't be that much of a problem, of course, since there is the "highlight all" button that shows you every one of your troops and every enemy troops in bright colors and has been in every game.

[Sir_Pee_Alot]

Rome 2 just dont give me the feeling that rome 1 gave me. yes the graphics are great but thats is almost it.

[vonDuus]

Rome 2 just dont give me the feeling that rome 1 gave me. yes the graphics are great but thats is almost it.

That feeling is called nostalgia.

[musketeer101]

I would have the agree with the units blending into each other. I have to completely rely on tooltips and the golden rings around my units to see who's winning and losing. I think I downloaded a graphics filter thing so it looks a lot more colourful, and it's much more enjoyable to watch.

The sound is amazing for the marching and weapons, but I agree that the music is a bit naff. Doesn't sound that Roman or Greek to me...

[cevap]

I completely agree, one of the reasons its so obvious in Rome 2 is because Shogun 2 was incredible looking.

I think CA should know the difference since theyre fans of Extra Credits apparently:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbBHk_zLTmY


Although I give CA respect for doing this, more companies should spend their marketing budget that way.

[Agent Provocateur]

He, he, units blending into each other because they share the same culture? As opposed to the little-boy's-wet-dream-martial-mentalist-fantasy-all-Japanese units of stw2?

Time to take off the rose tinted glasses chaps and (as the advert over here goes) go to vision express.

Eye tests all round me thinks.

[daelin4]

people debate this fact?

[MaximusG]

Rome 2 looks better; people clamoured for them to be "historically accurate" and now that they've done a bit of that, they complain that the units aren't colourful and shiny enough?! Shogun 2's units were practically fantasy men and the battle settings not a realistic portrayal of Japanese landscape at all! That's why it looked so pretty; because they designed the game to a fantastical ideal rather than a faithful rendering of feudal Japan. Whilst that was cool, I'm glad they haven't done that for this game.

Anyhow I think you're flat out wrong anyway. Rome 2 looks beautiful!

[Sanzo Hidochi]

Rome 2 offers a more harsh, realistic look compared to the fantastical Shogun 2. Shogun 2's colors simply were not realistic, they were too vibrant. That's fine, if you enjoy it that is fair. I do not. I much prefer the more realistic, darker look that Rome 2 has. The aesthetic of it is simply superior in my opinion. Oh, and the graphics are better.

[Vilkas09]

Rome 2 offers a more harsh, realistic look compared to the fantastical Shogun 2. Shogun 2's colors simply were not realistic, they were too vibrant. That's fine, if you enjoy it that is fair. I do not. I much prefer the more realistic, darker look that Rome 2 has. The aesthetic of it is simply superior in my opinion. Oh, and the graphics are better.

this is a joke? RED SKY BLUE GRASS GREY SOLDIERS - is realistic colors according to you? Dude, you need to visit a doctor

[Dude with the Food]

What vonDuus said. I agree RTW feels like it made a bigger impactr on me but I still can't go back and play it. Compared to the the extreme brightness, saturation isn't that bad. Especially when you tweak the gamma and brightness in settings.

[♘Top Hat Zebra]

Shogun 2 was incredibly exaggerated. Which is great! It worked PERFECTLY for a game based on Feudal Japan. It fits so well with the culture... The game was very well done.I really cannot overstate how perfect the visuals in Shogun 2 were, considering the time period and culture. Even the bloodpack was perfectly fitting. However, that "Pop" as you put it, would not fit well with this gritty portrayal of classical warfare that they want to show.

[Red River]

does your game look like this at max? these screenshots are from alpha/beta with promise of more..

[Sanzo Hidochi]

does your game look like this at max? these screenshots are from alpha/beta with promise of more..

Very, very close absolute maximum settings. Lighting is somewhat different, though.

[Dimitris]

does your game look like this at max? these screenshots are from alpha/beta with promise of more..

Even with everything at max rome 2 just looks a little better than med 2,but these screenshots are probably from complete rome 2, while we have the alpha/beta version...

[Alkaline Earth]

I disagree on Rome II having poor sound.

It sounds like a real symphony from me, and I play the drums in my high school band so I hear tons of different and varied instruments everyday.

[agent 47]

I disagree on Rome II having poor sound.

It sounds like a real symphony from me, and I play the drums in my high school band so I hear tons of different and varied instruments everyday.

It sounds real alright, but it has a generic hollywood film sound thats so dull i cant even remember it and i just played it.

Jeff Van Dycks (Did Med 1-2, Shogun 1-2 and Rome) music is far more memorable. It has that gamey sound that seems to be missing in a lot of games these days.


And i completely agree with the op, Rome 2 looks shockingly bad from an aesthetic standpoint and anyone with any taste should be able to see this.