There's still a huge amount of room for varied styles of play.

Diplomacy can be crucial when extending your network of power, but this is ultimately a game for warmongers. Move too slowly and you'll fall way behind as rival clans maneuver and seize territory, eventually storming Kyoto before you've even had a chance to see it. Expand too fast and you'll draw the attention of the sitting shogun. Expansion and acquisition is always the goal, as you'll need to capture and hold a number of territories in addition to Kyoto to attain victory. Others begin the game in Japan's center, locked in on all sides by potential enemies. Some are positioned by the sea with easy access to harbors and trade routes and few borders to worry about. One of nine clans is available to play from the beginning, each associated with a set of bonuses and level of difficulty. Shogun 2 is a high water mark for the Total War series. Issues with the game's artificial intelligence and stability are still present, but pale in comparison to the whole of Creative Assembly's accomplishment. It features brilliant visuals and sound, thrilling clashes between massive armies, and an expertly designed interface to ease in newcomers without sacrificing the depth veterans expect. Shogun 2 proves Creative Assembly's combination of turn-based strategy with sweeping real-time tactical combat is just as entertaining as ever. It's about navigating a land at war to negotiate trades, establish alliances and govern a growing collection of provinces to satisfy a need for conquest.

It's about armies charging forward waving spear and sword, clashing in the middle of vast battlefields to determine the fate of a nation. It's a reaffirmation of Total War's core values. It's not a revolutionary step, but a necessary one. Breaking from the complexity of Empire: Total War, Creative Assembly trims things down for Shogun 2.

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