#SHOGUN 2 TOTAL WAR ART UPGRADE#

In other words itвЂ™s the Call Of Duty multiplayer dynamic applied to a strategy game, although thereвЂ™s also elements of Battlefield 2 as your clan leader doles out tasks for each ally.

#SHOGUN 2 TOTAL WAR ART UPGRADE#

Here you slowly upgrade your general so that he can command more units and confer ever more powerful bonuses in battle. If youвЂ™re still not convinced by the artificial intelligence though the multiplayer options have also seen a considerable boost, with the co-operative game of the last title expanding into clan-based persistent campaigns.

The Japanese sense of feudal honour also turns out to be a perfect concept for video games, ensuring that breaking a pact is never a trivial decision вЂ“ either in your opponentsвЂ™ eyes or your own populaceвЂ™s. Again the total number of different options is reduced, so focusing on the basics of trade and defence is easy. Thanks to the extra competency of your opponents the diplomacy options are also more vital than before, as your clan rise from bumptious non-entity to becoming public enemy number one in the eyes of the shogun and all who follow him. It seems Japanese ships of the period relied almost entirely on oar power, but this actually works better for video games as even the largest ships (essentially big floating barges meant for boarding) are quite manoeuvrable. This inequality has finally been addressed though and enemy generals now take proper advantage of naval attacks and invasions вЂ“ one of the main failings of the last game.ДЄlthough their strategic importance is absolute, given youвЂ™re fighting over an island, the naval battles themselves are greatly simplified over Empire: Total War. Here you must train new troops and also construct buildings to improve your cultural and technological status.ДЄlthough the battle artificial intelligence has always been solid your rivals on the strategy map have traditionally been less reliable.

The strategic happenings on the world map are, by their nature, more sedate but no less engrossing. Beat them and the feeling of achievement is overpowering. The artificial intelligence in the real-time battles is excellent, with enemy generals willing and able to set up ambushes, hide troops and generally make life difficult. The make-up of your army is of vital importance with spearmen, cavalry, infantry and archers all forming a complex web of interdependencies вЂ“ although the total number of troops is far lower than previous Total Wars.

The controls are if anything simpler though and genuine military tactics are required to win. With grander strategic choices taking place on the world map, the real-time battles are somewhat in the mould of something like Command & Conquer. Watching a previously hidden cadre of cavalry charge into the back of a formation of spearmen вЂ“ throwing the front ranks high into the air, through the weight of the impact вЂ“ is amazing. Tens of thousands of individually animated warriors can be seen on screen at once, across a rolling landscape of exquisitely detailed beauty. NobodyвЂ™s going to take that option unless itвЂ™s a genuinely trivial skirmish though, because the battles continue to represent one of the most stunning achievements in video game graphics. The main campaign game is split between a turn-based map of Japan, with battles being resolved in real-time (unless you decide to skip them and have them auto-resolved by the computer). In terms of basic set-up, Shogun 2 doesnвЂ™t do anything differently than previous Total War offerings, which were set in medieval Europe, ancient Rome and the Napoleonic era.

Shogun 2 total war art