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Strategy & War


Shogun: Total War
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 best

By Marc Dultz
(6/6/2000)

The good: Strong AI; rich graphics; entertaining background music; well-integrated strategic and tactical layers. 
The bad: Tutorials lacking; perplexing interface; map view could use additional zoom.  
The bottom line: A vivid and compelling portrayal of feudal warfare in the age of the samurai. 
Single player: Very good  
Multiplayer: Very good  
ESRB rating: T (Teen)

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In a genre dominated by Eurocentric design, it's refreshing to see some companies taking a different approach to their strategy and war games. Take Shogun: Total War, for example, developed by Creative Assembly under the auspices of Electronic Arts. At its core, it paints a sweeping yet remarkably compelling portrait of feudal warfare in 16th-century Japan. A refreshing change from all the real-time strategy titles that take place in Europe or on a global scale, it also makes for a very good gameplay experience.

Shogun: Total War puts players in the role of a Daimyo, the leader of one of six warring factions. The goal? Eliminate all of the other Daimyo fighting for control of the Japanese home islands. To achieve this, each of the Daimyo must be defeated in battle.


 
Screen Shots
Click the captions for more game shots!

-The battlefield
-I see dead people
-Way to go, General!
-You lose!
-Heads could roll

At the tactical level, the player assumes command of a huge war machine that could be composed of samurai warriors, foot and mounted archers, musketeers, and poorly equipped peasantry, to name just a few, depending upon the size and nature of the opposing forces in each territory. When battle is joined, each formation can be given various group or unit-specific instructions, such as wheel left, form a wedge, or advance at the run. Keep in mind that everything is occurring in real time. The goal, of course, is to destroy or demoralize the enemy's army within a prescribed period of time. And although force composition and terrain are certainly important considerations in determining combat resolution, the AI also takes into account the effects of fatigue and morale for each combatant, as well as prevailing weather conditions.

Shogun, however, is much more than a simple, three-dimensional combat simulation that can be played in an afternoon. At the strategic level, you must continually attempt to expand your kingdom, even as the other Daimyo are eyeing your territories. Simultaneously, you must defend your provincial borders, raise revenue, manage resources, field new armies, strike up alliances with other Daimyo and perhaps Gaijin (foreigners), create military academies and other all-important facilities, and, when necessary, hire specially trained ninja, schooled in the art of assassination.

The best part is that all of these elements hang together seamlessly and effectively, combining to create a truly enjoyable game-playing experience. What's more, you need never enter the tactical-combat phase at all, because you can instead hand off the reins of command to a computer-controlled assistant. Unfortunately, the computer-controlled assistant will often turn in a dismal performance on the battlefield, even when its forces possess a clear quantitative and qualitative advantage over its opponent. As a result, it's usually a good idea for you to control every phase of the game, even if it means dragging out the playing time and having to fight for the same province again and again.


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Shogun: Total War




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