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Feudal Japan is the perfect strategic arena

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 86 / 88
Date: June 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I love feudal Japan. I've been editor for a magazine on feudal Japan for over ten years, have made kimono, and love watching Japanese movies for hours and hours. I have the Shogun board game, and play that quite a bit. Since I review strategy games for BellaOnline.Com, it was a natural for me to buy Shogun: Total War as soon as it was out.

While the box makes it seem that the game is much like the board game, where you move groups of units from province to province (a la Risk), the computer game is actually far more comprehensive and intense. To start with, there are actual graphics for each member of a unit - it's more like having a set of forces in Age of Empires II than block-units. While you don't direct the individuals, they still fight on a one-by-one basis, which leads to stunning combat sequences when you're in full attack.

Back to the basics, though. The game's graphics are awesome. If this game doesn't incite you to go buy that P3-750 with a top end sound and graphic card, nothing will. The rolling hills, wisps of fog floating over the individual trees, clouds reflected in the smooth stream before you, each unit with his own armor and banners and colors ... it's stunning. The music is gorgeous as well. The narrator ... well, he sounds like a Russian citizen trying to wander around Tokyo. You can't have everything.

The tutorials are great. They do them in standard tutorial fashion, too: give the objectives you'll learn, step through those lessons, and then recap what you've learned. They are very helpful, and get you used to unit movements and formations.

You can choose the formation within a unit and of all your units in your attack force. There are of course different kinds of units - ground troops with swords, archers, horsemen with spears, and many other combinations. As you build your fortress you can create buildings for new and interesting troops as well.

Each unit has its own strengths, and its own morale. They work well on different terrain, and in different weather. Yes, weather affects troops too! Rain dampens the musketeers, while snow hinders other troops. Going up or downhill affects troops, and you can hide in the trees. This is about as close as you can get to some of the historical battles of the 1600s.

Speaking of which, in addition to the fully customizable battle systems, you can fight historical battles as well! Interested in how you would have fared against some of the great Shogun of Japan? Load up the battle and find out. Want to kill off a few close friends? You have that option as well.

Even if I weren't a huge fan of Japanese warfare, I'd recommend this game highly to any strategy fan. The combination of stellar graphics, great sound and quality gaming experience add up to a fun time for anyone!

best i've ever seen from EA or anyone else!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 34 / 37
Date: May 04, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I've been a student of japanese martial- and cultural-history for over 20 years, and have seen many attempts to make a game like this, and bought most of them. the only other real 'success' i've seen was 'Shingen' for the old 8-bit nintendo system. 'Shingen' was a VERY nice piece of work for a turn-based game, but THIS? This is truly an amazing piece of work! Like everyone else, i've only played the demo, but the demo prompted me to do something i've never done before:pre-order the game! the 'playfields' are devastatingly beautiful, the troops are beautifully detailed and animated, and the donjon (castles) are downright gorgeous! Also, all the pre-set troop formations look like the programmers read the same ancient battle-texts that i have. each and every formation i've viewed on the game is exactly like what i had read about and seen diagrammed in the martial history texts. even the organization of soldier-movement during formation-changes is top-rate: every soldier knows exatly where he belongs at all times, and he moves accordingly. this looks like the kind of game that makes you want to dig out a bottle of properly warmed sake, proudly display your katana and wakizashi over your monitor, lace on your o-yoroi or do-maru, and start screaming war-cries like the generals in any of Akira Kurosawa's great samurai epics! I DO have some recommended reading before playing, however. Obviously, they're not REQUIRED, but if you want to win, they'll help immeasurably. the programmers seem to have used these books(at least 2 of them, maybe more) to program the AI: 'The Complete Art Of War' translated by Ralph D. Sawyer/published by Westview(ISBN 0-8133-3085-8) 'The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China', same trans./pub. (ISBN 0-8133-1228-0) 'The Six Secret Teachings On The Way Of Strategy', same trans./published by Shambhala (ISBN 1-57062-247-7) and of course any translation of Miyamoto Musashi's Book Of Five Rings. Remember: 'Being unconquerable lies with yourself. Being conquerable lies with the enemy.' -Sun Tzu

The best stategy game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 28 / 31
Date: September 09, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Shogun is a great game. This game is divided into two modes, the turn-based strategy mode (like Civilisation and Risk) and the real-time battle mode (like C&C and Ground Control. This is actually the first time that this mix succeeds in one excellent game. You have to choose from seven rival daimyos (warlords) and simply conquer all Japan. But the task set for you is not an easy one. This game is extremely challenging with a superlative AI unparalled by any strategy game. This is one of the first games that you have to use tactics to win, by force. The tactical AI is based on the teachings of the great ancient Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu and his book The Art Of War. So, the first hint anyone can give you on this game is to buy and read The Art Of War by Sun Tzu (available in all good bookshops or at amazon on the web). Apply the rules and you'll win. The strategy mode is played on a map of Japan with all the provinces and their wealth listed. You move your pieces (armies, emissaries, spies, ninjas, geishas, priests etc.) into the enemy province and control the empire like that. Now, when two armies clash on the same province you can choose to go to a full 3D environment to fight the battle yourself in fantastic real-time. Here you have to apply all Sun Tzu's teachings and tactics in order to win. For the first time, numerical strength isn't that relevant. Tactics are far more important. The graphics are awesome and every unit has its own banner and armour all in eye-melting detail. This is the first game that has thousands of men fighting and dying at the same time in one battle. The sound is one of the strong points in the game and the English spoken is very appropriate with its Japanese dialect. The gameplay is smooth without glitches but I you have a low-end machine large battles can chug more than a little. Another great feature of Shogun is that it is recreated in the 100% authentic Feudal Japan and all the names, provinces, castles, generals etc. are all true, and this gives the game a strong historical content. Shogun is a very complicated game and if I would immerge myself into detail I could write far more than a thousand words.

PROS:

Excellent graphics, sound, gameplay and strong historical content.

It is recreated in 100% authentic Feudal Japan.

Tactics are vital for victory.

CONS:

The multiplayer modes are a bit complicated and unfinished. (but excellent all the same!)

Large battles (1000's of men!) can chug more than a little.

Shogun IS Total War.

Finaly a game that is addictive and fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 24 / 28
Date: June 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Alright, let me first say this: Total War is one of the greatest strategy games I have ever played. Now, I'm not an expert or anything on Japanese history or what makes a good game, but mostly the only games that I play are RTS games and I've never been satisfied with them because they focus way too much on rescouce management and not the thrill of war (leading thousands of samurai across a battlefield to go and totally slaughter the other army). Shogun gets it right. This game is addictive as anything and will be one of the greatest games of the year. Also, I can guarantee that you wont throw the game away in three weeks. This might not be the most helpful review you have ever read, but I just had to get my opinion in here. I love this game and I bet that if you are interested at all in Military/Historical RTS games than you will love Shogun: Total War.

Shogun breaks out of the AOE, C&C doldrums

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 21
Date: December 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Comparing Shogun with the other dominant brand of strategy war games recently (i.e. Warcraft and all of its numerous copycats, e.g. Age of Empires, StarCraft, Command & Conquer, etc.) brings to mind the old Sesame Street ditty "One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just isn't the same..." If you're tired of games whose battle and strategy mechanics are exactly the same and merely differ on the setting and names of units then Shogun is the game for you. This is the best combination of battlefield tactics and campaign level strategy I've seen in a long time. Shogun is a truly unique game in a genre that has been sadly complacent for the past few years. And the best part about Shogun is that while these other games focus on improved graphics at the expense of originality, Shogun retains both.

Just a brief list of the highlights of Shogun:

1) The 3D graphics are incredible. The battlefields look real, complete with mist, fog, snow, rain, and changing light levels. Also, each unit has graphics for each individual soldier and, while you direct them as units, you get to watch each individual fight.

2) The battles rely more on tactics, including use of terrain and weather, than on numerical strength. You actually have to be a good general, you can't just rely on a superior force to pound the enemy into submission. I've won (and lost)battles where the numberical advantage was at least 5/1.

3) The strategy component is just as important as the battles. You can negotiate treaties, develop your provinces' economies, choose your realm's religion, and send assassin ninjas to take out your rivals' heirs and top generals. And its all turn based so you can take your time planning.

My only complaint was that the strategy part could have been made even more complex. Rice is the only possible harvest for a province and all income is based only on trade, mining, and rice production. Also the diplomacy is rather simplistic. You can be "at war", "neutral", or "allied" but thats it.

If you want a strategy game that stands apart from the rest go with Shogun.

Board Game converted to RTStratagy Warfare at it's Best!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: May 24, 2000
Author: Amazon User

When I was in grade school, I used to play the board game that this game is based off of. We would play for days, like those good ol' days on Axis and Allies. Now that I am an adult, it's exciting to see this transform into an thrilling electronic version.

EA has a great R&D team who put a lot of research into their game. Shogun not only has historical truthfulness,(accurate samaurai warfare down to the man to man scenario)but it's 3-D engine rivals to that of Homeworld. For being a land view, it has awsome views of castles, lakes, forests even the army from afar. Then there's the AI, the enemy learns your tactics and style of play so that it is prepared for you (even down to the individual soldier AI learns as well) You can even play multiplayer online or via email! Asside from all the claims the British developer has made, what is it Really like?

Well the game play is easy, armies at the click of a button, formation at the click of a button etc. No more micro management of each soldier, how can you when a thousand men are slashing each other across your screen, of course you can zoom in and watch each one fight. Instead, you get to use what really counts, formations, strategic placement of armies, and ambushes. The background music is great, media always ups a game by A LOT. So if it's media ya want, it's media you'll get with the animation scenes done in the stye of the director Akira K. Anyway, this game is massive, see for youself and download the demo ... or read all the reviews. I'm Hooked! I'll be seeing ya in the battlefield online! Good Luck

THIS IS THE BEST AVAILIABLE

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 21
Date: April 23, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is the best game I have ever played. I have never seen a better mixture of graphics and gameplay in my many years of gaming. The storyline and truth to history is so wll thoughtout you will think you are actually there. The physics of the game allow you to have several hundred units on the feild at any given time and it doesn't even tax your system. I would recomend this game to novice gamers or experianced RTS players. This game is the best I have ever seen. The interface is so simple to use that you will be kicking some butt as soon as you start playing. I could not and would not recomend anyother game higher than Shogun: Total War

Sengoku Jidai

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 18
Date: May 29, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I like the history of Japan a lot and grabs anything that has something to do with it. I played a lot of games, mostly strategy games and mostly RTS (real time strategy) games. I always looked out for an game about the history of Japan, but the closest I got was Age of Empires 2 and that wasn't actually focused on Japan. But when I heard about the new game called Shogun: Total War, I went to every internet site that gives you information about Shogun: Total War and looked at everything. Every place said the same thing, "Shogun: Total War are going to be the game of the year." "Shogun: Total War is the first game that brings you really to strategy game play" Japan was for a long time a country of mystery, they produced a lot of our possetions, but still it wasn't a very popular country, until now. I think you all should go for this game, that you can experience the secret of the Japanese nation.

Saw it, Bought it, Loved it !

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: June 29, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Shogun Total War - Well what do i think of the Game? Well I gave it Five stars so obviously I think it is great. This RTS game will be the best game available of its kind on the market for a while to come. If you are not the sort of person that gets thrills out of commanding vast Samurai Armies in what is essentially mass slaughter, then don't even think about purchasing this game. The game requires a great deal of thought, whether it be, do I attack or not? should I assasinate him or leave it for fear of being caught? Should I build a Sword Dojo or a Horse Dojo? What will benefit me in the future? These sorts of choices may sound a little stupid, but they are exactly what one will be thinking. The game provides four levels of difficulty, each substantially different from the other, however one will obviously not experience the true art of playing Shogun in a serious and involving way unless they play at the herdest of levels. Only then can one expect the levels of realism in battle and in the economic struggle to be truely realistic. The two levels of play (that being the overall turn based strategic map, and the real time battles) have been well amalgamated, without making the game too tricky, or for that matter too simple. The game on the overall strategic level is indeed very simple (When I say simple I mean simple to understand). Units are moved between provinces by a simple click and drag process. The quality of the fighting force you can put in the field will depend highly on the strength and quality of your economy. Upgrades and improvements are constantly available. Oh decisions, decisions! On the RTS side of things the game is perfect. Everything about the battle simulations will make you want to fight more and more of them.The exceptionaly presented environment with climate hazzards ranging from Fog to Snow one could not ask for anything more real. With thousands of accuratley presented Samurai, ranging from No-Dachi Samurai (Double handed swordsman) to Heavy Cavalry, from Warrior Monks to Musketeers one has a trully amazing choice of. The trade with the foreign barbarians (The Dutch and The Portugese) bringing guns and new technology, whether you except their help is up to you, however do not expect you people to approve of your Christianic ways. Well from reading this review I hope I can convince those strategists of you to purchase this game. Shogun Total War is certinately the best game of the year, and is certainatly the best RTS game ever. "Easy to Learn, Hard to Master"

Modern Descendent of Koei

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: July 31, 2001
Author: Amazon User

It was 6AM and the sun was already up, but my attention was focused on the battle being raged on the PC before me. I had played through the night to reach this moment: the first major confrontation between the two remaining clans to decide who would rule Japan. The enemy's warrior monks started to create havoc on my left front. Hurriedly, I sent two units of Yari Samarai to bolster the line, but I sent them in unsupported. A huge mistake. Alone the two units were in trouble and soon were wavering. I tried to order the rest of my army to counterattack, but the damage had been done. My left cracked and soon panic seized the entire army. I rushed my Daimyo into the breach in a desperate bid to head off disaster. A short while later my Daimyo was dead and I watched my ruined army being chased from the field by the forces of the victorious Hojo clan. I sat back and said to myself, "Wow! What a game!"

"Shogun: Total War" really caught me by surprise. I had heard lots of raves about its 3-D graphics, but I had also heard the words "shallow" and "lack of depth" attached to its gameplay. I was especially turned off by the comparisons of the game's strategic element to Risk. However, I discovered that the raves about the 3-D battles were all true and that the strategic element was much more comparable to the wonderful Koei console games of the late 80's and early 90's than to Risk. I loved those Koei games (Genghis Khan, Romance of the 3 Kingdoms, ect.;) and to finally get a game that merges the strategic complexities and the Far Eastern historical setting of those games with a realtime 3-D tactical battle is fantastic.

STW is not perfect. The manual is truly awful. If you have an Nvidia graphics card you're probably going to have to update your drivers in order to get the game to work. The diplomatic element is weak, and trade is very abstractly handled. The information menu, which keeps track of your provinces, generals, heirs, ect., is just a list instead of a way to locate things by clicking on the name. As a result trying to find something such as a particular general is more time consuming than it should be. Also although the game does the give the player the option to let the PC instantly resolve battles, it's just a surefire way to lose battles and ensure your clan's downfall. So the player has to fight virtually every battle which can get repetitive.

I'm still giving STW 5 stars because not many games have kept me up til 6AM and still had me forcing myself not to click the "end turn" button. The 3-D battles are truly spectacular with the weather effects and the portrayal of morale which is not often found in RTS. Unlike the warriors in games such as the AOE series or Cossacks, who fight to the death no matter what the odds, the soldiers of STW will run if they think the battle is not going well. It is simply awesome to watch what seemed like an overwhelming army melt into a mob of panicked fugitives with your tired units in pursuit cutting down those not fast enough to escape. This one very fine game!

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