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SHOGUN

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 16, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Shogun is a game of strategic warfare and politics. You have to use strategy in order to become Shogun of all Japan. You must gain resources like koku and oda. Command thousands of troops instead of peuny hundreds. If you are a PC gamer that likes srategy and warfare, Shogun's the game for you.

Best strategy game ever!! Be careful: Very addictive.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 27, 2001
Author: Amazon User

First of all I do not think this is a game. It is an incarnation of reality, a trip to another era, a voyage to the past. It is amazing what happened to me. I am a history buff and I read a lot about the Sengoku period in Japan. I was amazed with the feats of Takeda Shingen and the qualities of Uesugi khensin, the collapse of the Ashikaga shogunate and the rise of the Daimyos (I read about five books about this era). I am not the game type since I am 34 years old and a professional. However I did play Age of Empires which lasted for three weeks.

When I bought Shogun and I played several times I became so addicted that I would go to work in the morning thinking of strategies to get back to the Takeda clan which beat the hell out of me the day before. I am thinking I should have stayed away from that crest, I should not have mobilized the archers so early, I should occupied that hill earlier on, and my God I should had moved the cavalry earlier for an encircling move. I did not and I was beaten badly; and if things start to get sideways you need to put a lot of effort to convince your ashigaru to fight.

In the beginning, I regarded this package as a game and I would move around without paying much attention. Now when i go out to the battlefield or when I make a strategic move I look around me twice, and three times and four times and five times and then I look again because the other guy is more than obliged to take advantage of any misteps.

Both strategy and tactics are of course tremendously important and it takes me a lot of time (several days a few hours a day) to finish a game if it does not finishes me first.

Buy it, but be careful! It is very addictive and before long you will start thinking like a Daimyo!!

Realistic, no. Fun, yes.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

My red-eyes and coffee stains confirm my late nights and fun with this game. I really got hooked on turn-based games after playing Civilation II a few years ago, because they challenge to player to balance scarce resources with an evolving AI society that feeds the virtual-god-complex in all of us. "Shogun: Total War" on the other hand is strongly tipped toward battlefield tactics and army building, rather than economics, politics, morale, technology, etc. In this sense, I was disappointed by the fewer dimensions of the challenges.

It is really 2 separate games: chessboard map of Japan and battlefield troop fights. If the settings are set to Easy, you can almost win the whole game without seeing any troop fights. The battlefield side is strongly in favor of positioning (attacking downhill has incredible benefits), angle of attack (side attacks are just as effective as from rear), and troops (quality, morale, etc).

My major complaint to the creators is the overall controls. For instance, if you have seasons where several cities are creating armies, each one has to be dragged and moved individually. Where are the Heirs located? Where is a list of the current technology status of each city? In the battlefield, controlling groups of troops is loose and must be re-imposed each time you want action. In this way, large armies are harder to control and less enjoyable.

Somewhat of a problem is the AI. It is actually quite predictable after you learn the basic tactics. Even on the most difficult level, basically you just attack the opponent in an angled approach and/or from higher ground. As long as you have some decent troops (quality and numbers), you will usually win.

Although my processor is PIII750mghtz and I have lots of DRAM, there are performance issues with heavy graphics screens. Troops get weird, mouse-pointer stops moving, sounds get funny, etc.

All said, this is an entertaining game, but don't expect to play it forever.

Shogun:total war

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

A game that thrusts the player into medieval japan. He is forced to master the art of war to survive. I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys tactics in games. One more thing, the realism is sensational!

New model of complex role of dipolomacy & ancient warfare.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 24, 2001
Author: Amazon User

EA has struck a balance, which many games have tried, between the strategic and the tactical. The strategic game is loaded with dipolomacy, and grand management of your resources and men. The tactical battles, played in real time on a beautiful 3D world, gives the feel of commanding an army from horse back with all the benefits and troubles that come along with that!

This game is a high end demand on CPU speed and graphics, but one of those games that drives us to upgrade!

Would like to see other games on the same model--Napoleanics, Revolutionary & Civil War!

Can't wait for the expansion/update!

Not worth 5 stars, but nearer 5 than 4

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 17, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Firstly, I just can`t understand why people are crying out that the manual and turtorial is so horrible. Well, I was firstly dissapointed when I read the manual. But the tturtorial, if not bringing inn more advanced combat tactics like the no-daici samurai`s, it is a very good way to learn the game. Further, stopp the ... bugging about ME, at me it worked in ME without any problems.'

The main game screen (the Samurai Swords part) is the part with the settling, raisings of armies and intrigue. There is two tings I would like be better here. 1: The enemies never use priests at diploamcy, and the diplomacy is a little to easy (at least comlexity like Civ 2 whould have done the trick). Else, it is a great "game". You have the risk feelin`, ... just much more, for the first time on your computer in 3d. I just love playing the Uesegi.

Further, the battles are even more impressive, with landscapes as far as the eye can see (could have been a little larger, maybee the players choice), and with hills, rivers and forests like never seen before. This is just great.

I just can`t understand why so many hate this game. Some people just don`t have sense for tactics...

The animation is amazing!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The detail of the battles is incredible. When your archers fire, you see the arrows, you see them nock a new arrow, and you see them draw the bowstring back. And when you put your gunners in ranks of three, they fire in rotation. Marching troops actually march, they don't just glide across the screen. The variety and fluid motion of the camera angles accentuates astounding vistas that the armies fight on. The strategy portion of the game is not overly complicated allowing for a bit of a break after a hectic battle. My only real complaint is that the manual was not well written. It'll tell you how to move the camera and the basic commands, but you need to pick up the strategy guide to figure out how to really play the game.

Buy it if you like any of the comand and conquer games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I ADMIT, THE FIRST PART OF THE GAME IS A LITTLE SLOW, BUT ONCE YOU GET GOING, YOU CAN'T STOP. MANY REALISTIC UNITS, EACH WITH STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES TO OTHER UNITS. HOUNOR LEVELS DETERMINE HOW UNITS FIGHT. ALSO, IF YOU BEAT IT WITH ONE CLAN, THERE ARE SIX MORE ,AND FOUR DIFFICULTY SETTINGS TO CHOSE FROM. THE MANUEL STINKS, BUT THE THE GRAPHICS MAKE UP FOR IT. I CAN'T MAKE YOU BUY IT, BUT YOU SHOULD. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE NEW ONE THAT IS COMING OUT, BUT FROM WHAT IT SAYS, IT IS THE SAME ONLY WITH EXPASIONS ADDED ON. TRY THAT.

Great Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Shogun is a nice game with great scenary, but it's camera movement is terrible (you can make it move or look). I always find myself looking at the units at eye level. The unit controls are good, complete with formations and marching speed. Overall this is a great game, but the camera controls can make and break a game, and I feel that it really hurt this one.

A great game with useful history

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 26, 2000
Author: Amazon User

What can I say - the game is simple but with nueances. Historical battles that took hours to fight you can resolve in 20-30 minutes. I think parts of it are overly mechanical - for example the fighting monks are always the toughest units - but in real life they were crushed by the Samurai. Yes, some fighting monks had great skill - however the bulk of their troops were not as well trained or disciplined. Also, the fact that you can just trade rice and get Samurai works as a game mechanic but it isn't really very historical. What makes me overlook those issues and a few others is that the end results feel right for the period. I read many books (many available here at Amazon) on Japanese history and this game gives a good feel. Also, the linear tactics in this game could easily be transfered over to Seven Years War and other similar games. Excellent game. I should note I played all the way through on Easy and I am going to do it again with the next level. I feel the game has great replay value.

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