As I sit here stroking my strategy-worn chin I think over the past events of my recent time with Total War Shogun 2.
It’s a visually stunning game, beautiful in design and is an evocative recreation of the Japanese historical period. It’s (for me) brought the proud love of the Total War games back into my cold obsidian strategy heart. Sure it’s not one hundred percent historically accurate but I’m not interested in accuracy, just give me the tools to create something that I could imagine happening. That my friends is what the Total War games are all about. This game provokes positive emotion in different ways, immersing and dynamic ways.
The images say everything that needs to be said about siege battles in this stunning game, the sheer struggle to capture a stronghold held by the enemy. Nobody is going to come out of it unscathed. I need to explain how all this war and destruction began.
You see I found myself in a bad situation from the beginning, I was surrounded by clans out for my blood. Only secretly conspiring clans of course because half the game is focused on subterfuge and diplomacy. Paranoia began to eat away at me and the inevitable need to stretch and attain my goals kicked in. So I expanded, casually helping out a neighbouring clan with their dirty war. It was good for the money I told myself and in time I proved myself right. That gave me enough time to raise a secret army for future plans. Whilst the bulk of my military might was away a certain clan got an urge to scratch the itch that had been troubling them since day one. They invaded my capital Kyoto.
It was the shining jewel of my kingdom, the epicenter of my soon to be burning city. It hurts and I should know because I was the one who set it on fire. If I can’t have it then nobody can. The worst wound of all came when they initially attacked me. My leader (Daimyo) was in the city at the time and he didn’t have much of a force with which to defend. He was murdered, nay butchered. Cut down in his prime. They had to pay for this. It took four thousand of my men and a large number of allies men to take the huge fortress. No enemy survived. For the clan that took it this was the end. I wiped them off the face of Japan forever.
This never happened in Japanese history but It sure as hell happened in my current game of Shogun 2 and it was a pleasure to witness.
