Shogun 2 remains one of my favourite strategy games released in the last 5 years. The turn-based campaign strategy map lets you control the movements of a growing empire, while the real-time 3D battle map delivers a refined, tactical and deeply satisfying strategy experience.
Yesterday Creative Assembly released a standalone expansion for the game: Total War: Shogun 2 – Fall of the Samurai.
Fall of the Samurai explores the conflict between the Imperial throne and the last Shogunate in 19th century Japan, and takes place 400 years after the events of the original game.
Fall of the Samurai introduces modern(ish) weaponry to the Shogun 2 battlefield, with Gatling guns, cannons and more rifles making an appearance. It also introduces 6 new playable clans, new foreign powers, campaign map railways, 21 new naval units, and a bunch of other stuff.
Fall of the Samurai
Suffice to say that if you loved Shogun 2, you will probably feel the same way about Fall of the Samurai. But you don’t have to take my word for it, here is what some reputable international reviewers have had to say:
Game Informer 9.25/10
Fall of the Samurai, like the original Shogun 2, is good enough that I heartily recommend it to everyone who owns a PC regardless of their experience with or opinion of the grand strategy genre. If you’re coming into the series for the first time there is a lot to learn, but you’ll be amply rewarded with hundreds of hours of top-notch entertainment should you make the investment. Read more
PC Gamer 89/10
A glorious scramble for power elevated by some fantastic new units. Shame about those boring boat battles. Read more
Fall of the Samurai
Strategy Informer 8.5/10
A decent addition to Shogun 2’s content library, although we still think a slightly missed opportunity to do something truly special. Read more
Eurogamer 8/10
A decent addition to Shogun 2’s content library, although we still think a slightly missed opportunity to do something truly special. Read more
Videogamer 8/10
So it’s not hard to ignore those niggles, especially when you’ve got an excitable eight year old in your head jumping around and making gun noises as he pretends to swing a sword about. There’s a magic in that weird juxtaposition of old and new. Read more
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