total-war posts

The Shogun 2 multiplayer can be a bit confusing to those unused to the Total War conventions. It even confuses us, and we love the Total War series! Thankfully, Creative Assembly has released a trailer detailing all of the functions you can perform in multiplayer, and it covers nearly everything. It has details on everything you might be confused about, from retainers to province influence to matchmaking. Despite the game having been out for a while now, this trailer is definitely appreciated.

Download the Shogun 2: Total War Multiplayer Tutorial, Part 2
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We pity any game developer or publisher who tried to release a real press release with a real announcement today. Here are just a few more of our favorite April Fool's themed news bits from all over the net:

• World of Warcraft is getting a helper, Crabby.
• That game is also getting a new ultra-dark dungeon.
• Brink developer Splash Damage gets into social gaming.
• Star Wars The Old Republic is being translated into the Wookie's language.
• Total War: Dinosaurs announced (actually we want this game to be real).
• Smash MNC (Monday Night Combat) gets a trailer (another game we want to play).
• Telltale Games reveals its Envelotech project.

Total War Shogun 2 is only a couple of days away from its release but you may want to check out the latest trailer for the historical RTS game anyway. This time the development team at The Creative Assembly gives us some of the options when a player wants to start a multiplayer match.

The video goes over the basics of customizing your player avatar, looking at the campaign map, starting a multiplayer match, picking your units and then finally going into battle in feudal Japan with your online opponent. If you win you can unlock new units, increase your army's skills and more for the next match up

Total War Shogun 2 has been promoted as a game that would take advantage of DirectX 11 graphical features. That will still be the case for the latest historical RTS game from The Creative Assembly. Unfortunately, according to a Eurogamer news story, the DirectX 11 support won't be ready when the game is released on March 15.

According to a rep from the developer, "We just wanted a couple more weeks to tweak the performance on various difference cards." The DirectX 11 support will be added to Total War Shogun 2 in a patch that should be released two to four weeks after the full game is released. Even without the DirectX 11 features, the Creative Assembly rep states, "The game still looks absolutely stunning at top end. There are no resolution restrictions. It looks fabulous. It'll be absolutely playable. All of the features are in there."

Total War Shogun 2 is one of a few PC exclusive games that are due out in March. Ahead of the historical RTS game's release, publisher Sega have released the first two videos in a series featuring several of the team members from developer The Creative Assembly discussing the game series.

In fact the first two videos are not really about Total War Shogun 2 at all. Instead the team members discuss some of the previous RTS games The Creative Assembly has made and released over the years in the Total War series. The second trailer, which you can see after the jump, continues to look back at Empire Total War along with some thoughts on the series in general. Total War Shogun is due out on March 15.

Download the Total War Shogun 2 Developers Diary 1 at Big Download
Download the Total War Shogun 2 Developers Diary 2 at Big Download

This Shogun 2 trailer is a bit familiar, mainly because the first half of the trailer is exactly the same as the campaign trailer. However, about halfway through it goes to new footage and shows some of the real-time battles we've come to love of the Total War series. There's not particularly new or exciting here; it's just the same old tactical combat we know. However, it does display some of the fancy new graphics, and we have to admit that this is the best looking Total War game we've seen to date.

Download Shogun 2: Total War 'Battle Gameplay #4' Trailer
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Shogun: Total War spawned an incredible franchise, and with Shogun 2 Creative Assembly is aiming to top the game that started it all. The latest trailer for the upcoming strategy game details the changes to the campaign map, and shows off both returning and new features. Our favorites include the addition of experience gain, the purchase of skills and technologies, and the return of the infamous ninja and geisha spies. If there was one word to describe our feelings for Shogun 2 right now, it would be this: excited.

Download HD Shogun 2 Campaign Trailer
Check out all Shogun 2: Total War downloads

We are just a couple of months away from the release of Total War Shogun 2 but that doesn't mean you can't prepare for the upcoming historical RTS game. PC Gamer's web site has just revealed both the minimal and recommended PPC system requirements for the game developed by The Creative Assembly. You can check out both the system specs after the jump.

Two things spring out when checking these system requirements. One is that this game will take up about 20 GB of hard drive space. The other is that for the recommended setting the game is asking for Intel' just released second generation of Core processors to get to the high end. That's the first time we have seen a new technology show up so fast in a PC game's system specs.

Over 10 years ago a UK-based developer named The Creative Assembly released Shogun: Total War. The historical RTS game was an immediate critical success and paved the way for the developer to add and expand the franchise. Subsequient titles included Rome: Total War, two entries in the Medieval: Total War series and most recently Empire Total War and Napoleon Total War.

Now the company and its owner Sega are going back to where it all started for The Creative Assembly as it returns to the era of 16th century feudal Japan for Total War: Shogun 2. Due out on March 15, the game promises to be the most graphically advanced game in the series with full support for DirectX 11 graphical features. Big Download got a chance to ask questions to The Creative Assembly about Total War Shogun 2 with answers provided to us by team member Tom Jarrett.

While North America will be getting a Standard Edition and a Limited Edition of the upcoming historical RTS game Total War Shogun 2 it looks like UK owners will have access to two versions of a Collector's Edtion of the game. The "standard" collector's edition of the game, which can be pre-ordered at Amazon.co.uk's web site, comes in a box made to look like it's made of bamboo. In addition to the game itself it comes with a figurine of a Japanese warrior as well as a hardcover art book.

The Chess Set Collector's version of the game can be pre-ordered at Game.co.uk and as you can see above it comes with a full chess set with hand painted chess pieces and a board made from bamboo. There's no word as to why the US audience has yet to get its own versions of the UK Collector's Editions.

Update: A PR rep from Sega has confirmed to Big Download that the Collector's Editions for the game are exclusively for the UK market and won't be sold here in the US.

[Via VG247.com]