So I've been playing this for about a week now, and I have to say I'm having a blast. I've always been a fan of the total war series though I've only played through two clans, so I cant comment much on how different they play. But just starting in different locations give it a unique experience Its pretty similar to the original, but with obviously better graphics. It plays a bit better too, I cant say I remember much of the first one, so I wont go into specifics. The added naval element gives it a nice challenge. I was never a fan of naval battles in Empire but it seems they reduced the number of ships per 'group' for Shogun 2. So usually the AI wont gang up on you with more than one group at a time, so it makes the real time battles a little easier to manage. Great game! If you liked the first one, I think you'll like this one. It's worth picking up. Definitely worth checking out the demo first
I already beat the game several times now im bored of it so I started watching anime lol. Its a great game however very challenging once Realm Divide kicks in and all the other clans declare war on you (even your allies and vassals).
Fun but kind of short and it still has that you vs the world feel to it. Naval battles also still suck IMO. All the clans technically should play the same they don't really have clan specific units anymore. It's more rock-paper-scissor-ry. An interesting note on the AI: I started playing Tokugawa and within the first turn, Oda got killed by Saito. That just doesn't sound right.