
With modern field guns and naval fire support thrown in - and the potential to be genuinely devastating - combat has a lot more depth than Shogun's slogging matches. In comparison, although FotS is arguably not as good at distinguishing each faction as Shogun 2, with its clan-specific movies and big bonuses, you can now choose to build your armies with anything from spear ashigaru hordes to Empire Total War style line regiments complete with a light infantry skirmish line and carbine-equipped cavalry screen. Battles tend to be maximising your archers' window while the enemy closes, and then generic melee attrition. * Less monotony: one obvious issue with all the Shogun titles, including the original, is the relative monotony of setting and unit types. All the other side's han declare war on you, but they don't spawn huge armies instantly. Briefly, this is for the following reasons: * No realm divide issues: although there is a similar concept (where all shogunate and imperial han are forced into active conflict), they've gotten rid of Shogun 2's completely ahistorical and game-killing "Colonization 2" style AI dogpile. Speaking as someone who only plays TW games in single-player, this is one of the best of the series and far better than the original Shogun2.

How will you treat them? All this plays out across an expanded and improved campaign map, covering new island provinces in the far north and featuring all-new building and technology trees as well as brand new features such as railways and naval bombardments, seen for the first time in a Total War title. Three great foreign powers must also be dealt with: America, Britain and France all have a vested interest in Japan’s future. Six new playable clans, including those supporting a modern imperial Japan such as the Satsuma and those allied with the old Shogun like the Nagaoka, are now available. Three great This massive-scale, stand-alone expansion to Total War: SHOGUN 2 offers a completely new experience to players.

