Rating: 
Summary: Tiny Troop Graphics Make Tactical Battle Less Satisfying
Review: (First, a patch was released months ago (in 2001) that fixed the problems that N. Ferguson referred to, especially the one involving reinforcements. Find the patch at Totalwar.com)This is a game that in complexity is more difficult than most RTS games but less complex than most wargames. The gameplay combines a turn-based strategy phase in which the player using a RISK-style map of Japan makes long-term decisions as to which province to invade, what buildings to construct, and where to deploy his armies. The real-time phase occurs when a battle is fought and the player attempts to defeat his rival. The battles are tactical and success depends on many different factors: troop numbers, experience, weapons, formations, weather, battlefield maneuvering, and terrain. Although the graphics are usually highly-praised by most people (and in truth, there is much to praise), I was VERY disappointed with the troop graphics. Despite having a high-end machine, and the latest graphic card, the 2D troop sprites are too tiny, and difficult to distinguish (even before combat). When cavalry aren't easily differentiated from archers, and archers can be mistaken for spearmen, and a gamer with 20/20 vision like myself has to move to within 2-3 inches of the computer screen to fight a battle, something is wrong. I don't care how beautiful the terrain is, or how interesting the cut scenes,other non-game graphics may be equally stunning but it doesn't matter. The troop graphics are extremely tiny. Many reviewers defend this with sarcasm: Well, so what if you can't see the trooper's faces? If you want Age of Empires, go play that! Hey, how else can you get 5000 men on the screen? I say, "So what! Why bother with troop graphics in that case? Why bother trying to make them look like anything then?" I don't care about making out tiny details. I do care about spotting my archers easily from my arquebusers. I do care when my spearmen look much too much like my cavalrymen. You may not care about the graphics and enjoy the game regardless. You should be aware however that it is an issue that have put off many other players.
Rating: 
Summary: great game!
Review: I got Shogun Total War last week and I love it! The tutorial is tough to learn, but once you get into the game it gets fun. There are several different modes, including Full Campaign, Historic Battles, and make your custom battles. In full campaign, you begin your quest to become shogun. It has a GREAT board game interface, and the gameplay is wonderful. Once you get into battle the graphics get a little worse, but they still aren't bad. You can train units such as Samurai Spearman, and Ninja Assasins. It also has a turn based system which surprised me. This game is great, a best buy for everyone!
Rating: 
Summary: This is the lamest game ever
Review: At first I was impressed with this sorry excuse for a game, but after playing it for a week, I win every time when I play against the computer. But really what is the worst is that the AI of the game [stink]. It just is worthless. So in a...attempt to make it more challenging, it cheats. You ever charge 3 heavy calvary with 60 of your heavy calvary only to be beaten because the 3 heavy calvary you attacked just happened to have their daimyo? Come on, how stupid is that? There are a million bugs the game uses to get an advantage, which is a real shame, because the frustration it builds just does not make the game worth it. It is also a joy to get your troops stuck on the side of a mountain and it is just impossible to manuerver them anymore. Never has a game had such potential just to [stink].
Rating:
Summary: Shogun shall rule
Review: This game is great! The spies and ninjas are an interesting part because it lets you learn about the enemies armies. A easy gaem to learn to play and yet challenging for ever top players. The graphics are awesome and so detailed that the swordmen's swords are visible will they walk. Making allies and enemies is a important part of the game. They units are awesome ranging from archers to spearmen, spearmen (yari) calvary to calvary archers, warrior monks to priests all play a part. The ability to get gunmen by building trading posts with the dutch or spanish is a great feature. I recommend this game to anyone who doesn't have it.
Rating:
Summary: Shogun - The Total War ,,, Lives Up To Its Name!!!
Review: I have been looking for a game that can be played from all levels: (a) Strategy pure ... Plans & Operations (b) Third Person View ...Company/ Platoon and (c) First Person. Most games combine options a & b ... I have yet to see one that includes all three. However, Shogun - Total War ...comes close to making me forget that it does not have that feature. Although it takes a while to get used to all the various commands, the tutorial gets you into the game quickly ... and once you get into the game ...time absolutely flies!! I started playing the game at 2 O'clock in the afternoon ...and what seemed liked a half an hour ...turned into 01:30 AM. The game takes you into Feudal Japan, just before the arrival of the "foreign devils". It includes the arrival of the Mongols & The Christians. The game also includes the various intrigues and behind-the-scenes politics that were so common back then ...to include bribes by the emmisaries and assasination by the Ninjas!! By carefully using your allies - through bribes and assasinating key personnel at the right moment ...you slowly try to bring your clan to power ...by getting you declared ...Shogun - by the politically weakened Emperor. But you must have heirs to the throne ...for if you die before being named Shogun ...your clan loses all its hereditary lands and is scattered to the winds. You can play the real historical battles ...allowing you to match your wits with true life historical situations.
Rating:
Summary: Massive warfare on realistic terrain = loads of fun
Review: This game is an ideal mix of turn-based and real-time strategy. All of the boring stuff, farming, economics, and the like, are handled macroscopically on a realistically rendered, RISK-like game board. Combat takes place in real-time with hundreds (hundreds!) of troops, including archers, yari samurai, cavalry, and ninja. It's like playing the medieval Japanese version of the combat sequences in Braveheart. Combat is, thankfully, not painfully microscopic. Troops are organized into units of up to 60 warriors, and formations are easy to set up and move. Fatigue and morale are also nicely handled. If your troops are overwhelmed, you lose control over them, and they (realistically) flee the battlefield! The dialogue is minimal, but satisfying. My favorite: "the enemy daisho is running from the battlefield like a whipped dog!" I see that there is a medieval Europe version of the game in the works, complete with catapults, castles, and siege machines. Somebody please help Total War's developers obtain a license to make Total War: Middle Earth. I'm ready to play the battle of the five armies...
Rating:
Summary: Something fresh
Review: In a world where the latest RTS releases are clones of the original greats, finally, someone has come up with something original. I'm a fan of Japanese history, and have been for a while. And the first time I saw Shogun, I knew I had to have it. My favorite feature is the fact that you get to use advanced tactics and destroy your enemy. In other RTS, you are limited in what you can do. In Shogun, you are free to do what you want. Another feature is it's realism. If you have 500 men in your army, you get 500 men on the screen. The music is enthralling, and the sound is great. Now you're wondering what can be bad. The most obvious thing I found wrong with it was the fact that the geisha are like goddesses. I go as far as using ninjas, but that's it. Geishas make the game too easy. That's my only real gripe with this great game.
Rating:
Summary: Get the patch!
Review: I absolutely loved the original Shogun:Total War so it was a no brainer for me to purchase the add-on. Quite simply, if you loved the first game then this is a must buy due to all the added new features which greatly improve gameplay. I personally haven't even bothered with the Mongol campaign because I find the updated and new Shogunate campaigns so good. I also must mention that people who are giving bad reviews based on the reinforcement entrance issue should really check out the Total War website. There has been a patch available for this issue for months- reinforcements no longer show up behind you or on the wrong side of the river.
Rating:
Summary: Very good battle simulations
Review: The non battle strategy play received mediocre reviews at best (I haven't even bothered to play it yet) - but the battles and campaigns are very good. Running down rows of unsuspecting archers or musketeers from behind with Cavalry is good- and the new Thunder Bombers are devastating if you can get them on a hill shooting down. The strategy and terrain effects are very good. Some problems with a few quirks and the AI could be better - but overall an excellent game.
Rating:
Summary: Worth every penny
Review: As a relatively late convert to the Total War phenomenon, I just purchased the Warlord Edition for the bargain price of $20. It has proven to be worth that and more - it has better gameplay, greater replayability, and more style than any $60 game out on the market today. Total War combines the addictive empire building gameplay of Civilization with the immensely satisfying tactical combat of Myth. If ever there was a perfect game for wanna-be kings and generals, this is it. No silly individual unit micromanagement ala Age of Empires, No frustratingly simplistic rock-paper-scissors combat ala the Civ. franchise... this is gaming at its best - proof of the good a computer can do for wargaming... Now for a few caveats... The stategic aspect of the game is relatively limited... a very simple economic model with a limited tech tree - not a game for any bean-counters out there. Fortunately, I'm more interested in the guns than the butter. The tactical AI is left somewhat wanting. Even on the "expert" setting, the computer AI isn't to difficult to outflank and defeat (at least, if you are have any knowledge of sound military practice)... in fact, the only difference between difficulty settings in battle seems to be that the computer's units become tougher (an more numerous)--- they don't get any smarter. This is an area that too many game companies let slide, apparently assuming that everyone wants to play against human opponents online. As a member of the "silent majority" of Single-Player gamers out there, I think a more robust AI is needed for future Total War releases. If, on the other hand, you are a twitch gamer, or one who found Myth, Myth II, Close Combat, Antietam, or Gettysburg to be too difficult, you will likely be quite challenged by the AI in Total War. By the way, if you enjoyed any of these games, you will certainly LOVE Total War. I guarantee you will not find a better strategic/tactical game until Medieval Total War hits the shelves.
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