Title: Total War: Shogun 2
Studio: The Creative Assembly
Publisher: SEGA
Release Date: March 15th, 2011 (Global)
Platform: PC (Steam Required for activation)
Genre: Turn-Based/Real-Time Strategy
Website:http://www.totalwar.com/shogun2
Shogun 2 is set in 16th-century feudal Japan, in the aftermath of the Ōnin War. The country is fractured into rival clans led by local warlords, each fighting for control. The player takes on the role of one of these warlords, with the goal of dominating other factions and claiming his rule over Japan. The standard edition of the game will feature a total of eight factions (plus a ninth faction for the tutorial), each with a unique starting position and different political and military strengths.
Shogun 2 will have a combination of real-time strategy and turn-based strategy gameplay, a staple of the Total War series. The player plays the role of both the clan leader and general, alternating between the "campaign", where the player manages his land and armies turn by turn, and the "battles", where the player takes control of the army on the battlefield in real-time.
In the "campaign", the player will need to oversee the development of settlements, military production, economic growth, and technological advancement. The armies and units will be organized and moved around the stylised campaign map by the player to carry out battles with other factions. In addition to fighting, the player will be able to engage in diplomacy, political manoeuvring, and special agents to gain the upper hand. Ninja and geisha are confirmed to be included in the game as assassins and spies.
Shogun 2 will feature multiplayer battles as well as multiplayer campaigns that may involve more than 2 players. In a multiplayer campaign, players can be grouped into different clans, so that for each clan, one player assumes the role of clan leader and others take command of armies. The clan leader will have the ability to direct other players and assign rewards based on loyalty and performance, introducing clan politics into multiplayer. As a player's army invades an enemy territory or is attacked by enemy armies, the online matchmaker finds a suitable opponent and initiates a multiplayer battle. When a player defeats enemy armies and conquers territories, the player will gain points and other bonuses for the clan. In addition, an achievement system is designed to provide adhering players with unique abilities and cosmetic upgrades.
Wikipedia
Chosokabe
The Chosokabe clan claim descent from the Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The Chosokabe are already at war with the Kono clan of Iyo to the northwest. Now they have to make an interesting strategic decision: deal with their immediate enemies in Iyo, crush the Ichijo clan at home in Tosa, or attack the Miyoshi clan of Awa province.
Clan Traits
* Increased income from farms
* Reduced recruitment cost and upkeep for all bow infantry
* Can recruit superior bow infantry
Date
Seen from their home province of Iwate, there are many rivals worth attacking. Date Harumune, their daimyo, is already at war with rebels at his own door, not to mention the Mogami clan of Ugo and Usen to the west. An attack there could put holy shrines under Date control. To the southwest, matters are a little more settled: the Hatakeyama clan in Miyagi is currently at peace with the Date, but who knows if such a situation will last?
Clan Traits
* Charge bonus to all units
* Reduced recruitment cost and upkeep for no-dachi samurai
* Can recruit superior no-dachi samurai
Hattori
The Hattori are the leading family in Iga, a mountainous province, and the home of the independent Iga Sokoku Ikki, a kind of proto-republic which denied the power of the Kamakura shogunates feudal lords. The Hattori are largely at peace with their neighbours, although such arrangements have a tendency to fall apart. To the north, the Asai in Omi represent a tempting target, as there is a school of ninja there. To the south, the Kitabatake and Tsutsui defend holy sites that might be better under Hattori stewardship, while the Ashikaga of Yamato represent all that is wrong with the old tired system of government, as they control what passes for a shogunate at the moment.
Clan Traits
* +2% to the success chance of ninja actions
* Specialist Hattori units can hide effectively in battle
* Specialist Hattori units possess kisho training
Hojo
The Hojo are greater builders than any other clan. The Hojo began their rise to power modestly enough on the Kanto plain, taking advantage of civil war and the troubles of others to establish themselves. They are, for the moment, at peace with Imagawa, and the Takeda in Kai to the northwest. However, the Hojo also have an immediate problem: they are under threat from an Ogigayatsu clan army about to invade Sagami from Musashi.
Clan Traits
* Castles are cheaper to build and repair
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for siege units
* Can recruit superior siege units
Mori
The Mori have a long history of seafaring and are sea masters without equal. The Mori came to prominence as jito, or stewards, of the Aki province after the Jokyu War in 1221. Under Mori Motonari, their daimyo, the clan is still at war with the Amako and, indeed, their home in Aki is threatened by an invasion from the north by the Amako. They are still allied with the Ouchi clan of Suo and Nagati to the west, and have peaceful relations with the Kikkawa and Kono in Bingo and Iyo respectively.
Clan Traits
* Increased campaign map movement range for all ships
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for all ships
* Can recruit superior ships
Oda
The Oda are rightly respected for their skills as inspiring battlefield commanders of ashigaru. Originally retainers of the Shiba clan, the Oda grew as the Shiba faded, but this only led to decades of strife within the family for supremacy. Now, the Oda confront outsiders: to the north, the Saito of Mino province; to the east, the Tokugawa clan in Mikawa and, beyond them, the Imagawa lurk.
Clan Traits
* Improved morale for all ashigaru
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for all ashigaru
* Can recruit superior ashigaru
Shimazu
The Shimazu are a proud clan, with a long history worthy of their pride. Shimazu katana samurai are cheaper to recruit and maintain in the field than those of other clans; they can also recruit superior katana-armed samurai. The clan can trace its ancestry back to Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate. Their home province of Satsuma is secure, and they are at peace with the Sagara of Higo province to the north. Higo, however, is a tempting target for expansion because of the warhorses to be found there. There is the small matter of a war with the Ito clan in the provinces of Osumi and Hyuga, but once these local difficulties are resolved the distance from Kyushu to the shoguns palace is not so great after all!
Clan Traits
* Increased loyalty for all generals
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for katana samurai
* Can recruit superior katana heroes
* Can recruit superior katana samurai
Takeda
Takeda warlords have ruled Kai, their home province, since the 12th Century, but they have known little peace. Clan infighting, a long series of struggles against repeated invasions from the neighbouring Shinano province, and wars against the Hojo and Imagawa clans, saw to that. To the east, in Musashi, the Ogigayatsu clan are also peaceful, as are the Hojo of Sagami and Izu provinces. To the south the Imagawa clan have recently been reliable allies. As might be expected of horse-masters, the Takeda clan can recruit and train cavalry much more efficiently than other clans.
Clan Traits
* Improved morale for cavalry
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for all cavalry
* Can recruit superior cavalry
Tokugawa
Although the Tokugawa are an ancient family, claiming descent from Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, they have known hard times since those glorious days. The Tokugawa have been squeezed between two powerful and ambitious clans: the Imagawa to the east, and the Oda in the west, a most uncomfortable position. They do not, however, need to worry about the Kiso in Shinano province, as relations with these neighbours are peaceful.
Clan Traits
* +2% to the success chance of metsuke actions
* Bonus to diplomatic relations
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for kisho ninja
* Can recruit superior kisho ninja
Uesugi
The Uesugi are proud of their Buddhist faith. Despite this religious solidarity, the history of the Uesugi is not tranquil. The current Uesugi leaders were originally the Nagao clan of Echigo, and were vassals to the Yamanouchi faction of the Uesugi clan. There are Uesugi rebels in Echigo itself, and to the south there is unfinished business in the shape of the Yamanouchi clan of Kozuke province. Luckily, there are peaceful relations with the Ashina clan of Fukushima, and the Mogami clan of Uzen province, but both of these areas have resources, wood and stone respectively, which could be of considerable use.
Clan Traits
* 2% to the success chance of monk actions
* Increased trade income
* Reduced recruitment costs and upkeep for warrior monks
* Can recruit superior warrior monks
GAF Thread of Shogun 2 Reviews
The demo actually ran well for me, it will probably be a different story when the DX11 features appear.
