Shogun 2 is already a five star game, with Fall of the Samurai, I'd give it six stars it possible. Fantastic gameplay and politics. We finally got a TW game with firearms that actually functions. If we ever get Empire 2, I want it set around this era and to play just like this. Give me the American Civil War, CA!
step one: play saga
step two: shoot the shit out of the enemy before they get within 200 meters
step two: shoot the shit out of the enemy before they get within 200 meters
Out of Map Support Naval Artillery
Best gunpowder TW imo
Best gunpowder TW imo
Not too bad, not too good. Generally, gun fights in these type of games get boring really fast. But in this game, it got boring really fast. Still tho, I liked the samurai theme, and how you can charge you samurai for honor
Have you ever thought about how fucked up it is to be a samurai and have your cool armor and your cool sword and your years of training and then just get turned into swiss cheese by a dude who held a gun for all of 1 hour
Makes an already fantastic game even better.
Rever the Shogun, Expel the Barbarians
This stand-alone title covers a unique time period of pre-modern warfare. This game has most competition beat in so many ways, in so many aspects that it is hard not to come back to it time and time again.
It honestly isn't just an offshoot of Total War: Shogun 2; it's almost in every way better than the main game. The main game, while its lightweightness and streamlined core gameplay certainly made the game more engaging and easily accessible, it was also in a way slightly bland if you were used to other Total War titles. Fall of the Samurai instead takes up what made Shogun 2 good (and that one thing that made Rise of the Samurai actually worth playing) and added an exceptionally interesting dynamic in both battle and campaign gameplay with its new setting.
It was a common knowledge that archers were exceptionally strong in Shogun 2 and Rise of the Samurai--and honestly, it's one thing they did get right since Samurai started as a bow-wielding warriors. However, it also did mean that battles became a bit mundane since bows were so versatile. If you had stronger bow units, some units would not even reach your melee line before routing. It certainly feels good to see a shower of arrows destroying a unit, but it also meant skirmishing now much more important.
Here, bows still exist, but are very inefficient. Instead, now the bulk of the army is line infantry, like Empire or Napoleon Total War. However, unlike those games, the melee potential of these units are were nerfed significantly. The end result is that now you have to mix the old and the new units well in an army, and use them accordingly. Since musket fires are directly fire, having your line infantry behind your melee units to protect them is also not viable. You have to learn when to pull your units back and put your spears in. This keeps the battles fresh and unique compared to other Total War games.
One downside is that it made sieges even worse. Fortresses are more or less carbon copy of the original, but without the parabolic projectiles dominating the battlefield, it's now a boring battle between line infantries, one behind the palisades and the other on the open field. Having artillery helps, but it's now a lot more limited than Empire, and the one worth using is a rather late-game production.
Those shortcomings are easily forgiven with key improvements in campaign gameplay, however. Fall of the Samurai adopts the one mechanic that was central to Rise of the Samurai, the alignment system. But instead of three factions, now there are two sides (Imperial and Shogunate) who hate each other, and Realm Divide is directly affected by it. Even more so than Rise of the Samurai, whether you support the Shogun or the Emperor affects the diplomacy fundamentally. Whereas both the original campaign and the Rise of the Samurai's pre-Realm Divide diplomacy was basically allying with others to delay them from stabbing your back, now the Realm Divide is actually a Realm Divide--as in, the country splits into two, and those who are the same alignment as you will all form alliances with you in first few turns, while those who are not will declare war instead. It becomes a massive civil war, and you are now rewarded for all the hardwork that went into cherishing your alliances and turning neutral clans to your cause beforehand.
Creative Assembly rebranded it as a Total War Saga game 2 years ago, and the game's quality more than justifies that decision. It's a culmination of both Shogun 2's own gameplay mechanics and the fusion of the previous two eras of Total War (pre-gunpowder age and musket era), refined to absolute masterclass. While I would think twice before recommending the original Shogun 2 to the series veterans, I would not hesistate with this one.
It was a common knowledge that archers were exceptionally strong in Shogun 2 and Rise of the Samurai--and honestly, it's one thing they did get right since Samurai started as a bow-wielding warriors. However, it also did mean that battles became a bit mundane since bows were so versatile. If you had stronger bow units, some units would not even reach your melee line before routing. It certainly feels good to see a shower of arrows destroying a unit, but it also meant skirmishing now much more important.
Here, bows still exist, but are very inefficient. Instead, now the bulk of the army is line infantry, like Empire or Napoleon Total War. However, unlike those games, the melee potential of these units are were nerfed significantly. The end result is that now you have to mix the old and the new units well in an army, and use them accordingly. Since musket fires are directly fire, having your line infantry behind your melee units to protect them is also not viable. You have to learn when to pull your units back and put your spears in. This keeps the battles fresh and unique compared to other Total War games.
One downside is that it made sieges even worse. Fortresses are more or less carbon copy of the original, but without the parabolic projectiles dominating the battlefield, it's now a boring battle between line infantries, one behind the palisades and the other on the open field. Having artillery helps, but it's now a lot more limited than Empire, and the one worth using is a rather late-game production.
Those shortcomings are easily forgiven with key improvements in campaign gameplay, however. Fall of the Samurai adopts the one mechanic that was central to Rise of the Samurai, the alignment system. But instead of three factions, now there are two sides (Imperial and Shogunate) who hate each other, and Realm Divide is directly affected by it. Even more so than Rise of the Samurai, whether you support the Shogun or the Emperor affects the diplomacy fundamentally. Whereas both the original campaign and the Rise of the Samurai's pre-Realm Divide diplomacy was basically allying with others to delay them from stabbing your back, now the Realm Divide is actually a Realm Divide--as in, the country splits into two, and those who are the same alignment as you will all form alliances with you in first few turns, while those who are not will declare war instead. It becomes a massive civil war, and you are now rewarded for all the hardwork that went into cherishing your alliances and turning neutral clans to your cause beforehand.
Creative Assembly rebranded it as a Total War Saga game 2 years ago, and the game's quality more than justifies that decision. It's a culmination of both Shogun 2's own gameplay mechanics and the fusion of the previous two eras of Total War (pre-gunpowder age and musket era), refined to absolute masterclass. While I would think twice before recommending the original Shogun 2 to the series veterans, I would not hesistate with this one.