This is a very fine-tuned Total War for fun play. Historical facts aside, FotS focuses on simple but fun playing experiences, both on campaign and battle scene. I didn't expect much before playing, but mix of melee and rifle fighting produced exciting battle field with lots of possible tactics.

As a Total War fan from way back I had not been impressed with most of the latest offerings. I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised with Shogun 2 though. This game re-simplifies the franchise from the monstrosity it had been turning into. People familiar with these games will find pretty much the same idea and interface as before. The different factions play with the exact same units as each other, and there is a lot less variation between unit types than there was in previous games. The biggest difference between factions, other than starting location on the map, is the bonuses they get to certain unit stats. These bonuses are enough to be noticeable without overwhelming the game-play.

You aren't going to negotiate your way to victory in this game. War is going to come to you whether you are ready or not. Everything you build in the strategic layer will be aimed directly at making your armies more effective in the field. The battlefields are beautiful as usual. The terrain where combat will be taking place is directly pulled from the military situation on the strategic map. If there is a mountain on your army's right on the map, it will be there, in the same place, during the tactical battle as well.

The same goes for naval warfare. Most of the ships are pretty much the same except of course that bigger is better. There are a few specialty ships thrown in the mix, but most of your naval combat will be a slogging affair where the fleet that is initially more powerful will almost always come out on top.

The game has an extensive encyclopedia, and unless you speak Japanese or are familiar with the period, you will need to use it. Unit and agent types are taken directly from the Japanese. It's a little confusing at first, but will become second nature after a few hours of gameplay. The AI is somewhat more competent than in previous installations, but is still not near the level of a human player.

If you've enjoyed the franchise up to this point, you can't go wrong here. If you are new to it, this game will be a lot easier to get into than the earlier Empire series.

I really enjoy this game. I last played Total War:Rome and must say this game is 100% better than that. I really enjoy the economics of the game, while the automatic battles is also fun (if I lose then I go and play them). The AI is also smart and you need to be certain that our army is strong enough, otherwise you may lose the settlement just after you won. A+ game.

Fantastic game, stand-alone expansion for Shogun 2, set up in the meiji period, the game is full of new buildings, agents, units, mechanisms and more.

Graphics look pretty good, game is pretty decent for any Total war fan even if it's said to be an expansion, it still offer loads of content that worths playing and exploring.

A very great game. Sad that the map is smaller than the standard world but otherwise, it still be great. The new mounted weapons is a totally new experience when you now can actually fire them by your self. The sea battles are still like the old Empire Total War and if you like it you'll like those too. If you want even more experience you might really want the blood pack which you are able to buy for the blue coins you'll earn by buying the game from gamersgate.com.

Thanks.

The expansion that broke the game for AMD HD 7XXX series card owners.

One of the first things you see when starting up Shogun 2 is a lurid red splash screen touting AMD products. It's amazing then that AMD's flagship cards, the HD 7000 series cause Shogun 2 to hard-lock PCs when the game is run in DirectX11 mode.

Both AMD and Creative Assembly have been aware of this issue since the release of Fall of the Samurai, yet neither seems able (or perhaps willing) to rectify the situation.

The game worked on 7000 series cards prior to the release of Fall of the Samurai yet thanks to Steam, it's impossible for game owners to roll back their game to a prior, working version of Shogun 2.

Avoid Shogun 2 and its expansions if you have an AMD 7000 series card.

It's a great game, and I love the TW series. Altough, I'am kind of dissapointed about the railroad and that the ai rarely attacks your harbours and ports. Othervwise the 2nd best TW this far. Number one is Rome, then this, and then Napoleon.

If you love strategy games and Japanese history this is a must get with the rest of the Shogun 2 series.....even though you do not need the first game to play this one. One of my favorite games of all time :3

an amazing addition to the total war series I can find only two problems

1. when calling in Naval bombardments the enemy units move out of the blast area shortly before the shells come down.

2. in Naval Battles the ship AI is weak

Moving Shogun 2 into the time right before the meiji Restoration. This means bigger influence from the western powers like France, England and the US. This standalone expansion is a great addition to shogun 2 and they have made lots of great improvements like, bombardment from fleets during sieges and first-person mode on ships and cannons. There is also a lot of new units and maps to play both singleplayer and multiplayer. I have yet to play multiplayer but the singleplayer experince is awesome, last session became a little too long and I didn't even notice because I had so much fun. Highly recommended for Total war fans and others as well!

Best expansion game i have ever seen in a total war before. it has anything and everything. i like how Total war has finally gone passed the year 1825.