14 DAY TRIAL // One of the biggest changes made in Total War: Shogun 2, the strategy title just released by SEGA and created by The Creative Assembly, versus previous titles in the long-running series is that almost all factions start the game with just one region under control and, mostly, with at least one rebel army threatening the capital of that region.
This is a very good change for Shogun 2 as it makes the game instantly challenging and allows for some very interesting few turns, with the player needing to evaluate which clan is the weakest around him and take it out as quickly as possible while also dealing in a more diplomatic way with other neighbors that need to be kept from attacking for the crucial first two or three years.
The one province under attack concept also means that the first field battle and the first siege assault are crucial to how the player will expand and, despite involving troops of lesser quality, feel like the ones that will determine the final outcome of the game.
The initial setup makes the player feel like a real underdog, adding value to the quest to become shogun and lending importance to those in-game messages that talk about how the other clans perceive the player and talk about the increasing attention paid by the present shogun.
The whole experience of “rise to power” that Total War: Shogun 2 delivers is also helped by the excellent presentation for the game and the way it internalizes and uses things like famous quotes and the hand-drawn images.
And, of course, Shogun 2 can make the “from humble beginnings” concept work because the Artificial Intelligence of the game is pretty good and is able to deliver tough fights that, at least on two occasions on Normal difficulty, ended my quest to become the leader of Japan.