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Feudal Japan invades OS X this Spring in Total War: Shogun 2
Feral Interactive, a company best known for porting major PC hits to Apple's OS X operating system, has revealed plans to release Total War: Shogun 2 at some point this Spring. Developed by Creative Assembly and originally released for the PC in 2011, Total War: Shogun 2 is a strategy game that drops players into 16th century Japan, a time known as the "Warring States" period. Players will control one of nine clans, all of which seek to conquer their contemporaries and unite Japan under a single flag. Mass combat plays out in real-time, but those who prefer more subtle methods can avoid direct conflict by dispatching assassins or focusing on diplomatic resolutions. Though the Mac incarnation of Total War: Shogun 2 arrives long after its PC counterpart, it will include all of the DLC released for the prior game for free. No price point or specific release date has yet been established for Total War: Shogun 2 on OS X, though Feral Interactive claims these details will be coming soon. [Image: Sega]
Total War Shogun 2 gold edition coming March 5
Total War: Shogun 2 is getting the "Gold Edition" treatment, Sega recently announced. The collector's edition will feature 2011's Shogun 2 as well as its Rise of the Samurai and Fall of the Samurai expansion packs.Jump past the break to see a pack shot for the Gold Edition, which will launch March 5.
Total War: Shogun 2 'Assembly Kit' launches, integrates Steam Workshop
Developer The Creative Assembly has launched the 'Assembly Kit' for Total War: Shogun 2, arming fans with the weaponry it needs to modify the strategy game. Included in the release is an update to the existing Battle Map Editor, which enables Steam Workshop integration.With the Assembly Kit – freely available to download from the Tools section of Steam for Shogun 2 owners – players can edit any database values in the game, including game logic, unit values and more as well as the ability to create, edit and render in-game assets. Complete details can be found after the break.To help kickstart content (which includes the ability to script single-player battles) The Creative Assembly released a "sample historical battle" on Shogun 2's Steam Workshop page to give modders a "convenient starting point."To celebrate its release, the Total War franchise will be on sale through October 1, with rotating deals each day on Steam.
Current gen consoles 'can't cope' with traditional Total War
Creative Assembly's Mike Simpson says the popular Total War series of strategy games wouldn't work on the current console generation, just in terms of hardware requirements. "They don't have enough memory, by a large factor," Simpson tells Eurogamer. The audience for console games tends to be a little more action-oriented and a little less strategy focused, and the experiences are very different as well, he asserts. But there's hope yet, "for all sorts of reasons."The user interface is another issue, according to Simpson, but it's fixable through solid game design. While he doesn't mention the Total War version coming to iOS, that's definitely a clear indicator that the game can work on platforms other than PC. And Simpson says that despite the differences, Creative Assembly has some "very clever ideas" on adapting its popular strategy games for the next wave of consoles and the pick-up-and-play style that go along with them.
Total War Shogun 2, other Sega titles on sale for PC at Amazon until Saturday
Until Saturday, Amazon has several Sega titles deeply discounted for procurement through downloadable means. Although the sale has been going on all week, both Total War Shogun 2 and Shogun 2: Rise of the Samurai were added today, at $7.49 and $2.49, respectively.Other deals include Sonic the Hedgehog: Episode 1 for $5, along with Sonic Generations and the 48-game Sega arcade bundle for $7.50 apiece.If strategy and platforming isn't your thing, there's also the non-Sega NBA2K12 for sale at $10.
Sho'gunna like this Total War: Shogun 2 DLC trailer and screens
Honestly, we didn't think much on what we'd say about the "Rise of the Samurai" DLC for Total War: Shogun 2 past the headline. It's good though, right? "Sho'gunna"? Like "Sure going to," get it? ... Listen, just watch your trailer, OK? It's late, and you've got soccer practice in the morning.
Next Total War in development at The Creative Assembly
Total War developer The Creative Assembly is hard at work on the next installment of the strategy franchise. Eurogamer confirmed with Studio Director Tim Heaton that work began on the next installment while the studio was finishing Total War: Shogun 2. "Absolutely, we're on the next," said Heaton. Sega recently announced that Total War: Shogun 2 sold 600,000 copies. Creative Assembly's Mike Simpson said the series has a "long tail" and that the original Shogun sold "more copies in the second three years of its existence than it did in its first three years." Of course, that wasn't at full price. There's no word yet which period of history (or future) the next game will be set in.
Sega earnings suffer from Yakuza delay, 'sluggish' Western game sales
Sega Sammy's consumer game division -- a.k.a. Sega games -- brought in ¥89.55 billion ($1.1 billion) in sales over the last fiscal year (ending March 31), down 26.5 percent from the previous year. Operating income declined even more sharply to ¥2 billion ($24.8 million), down 68.9 percent. While the previous fiscal year saw major success from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, this latest 2010–11 fiscal year was an off-year for the two Olympians, who were in training for their next competition. Sonic's less sporting pastime, Sonic Colors, was the bestseller in Sega's lineup, moving 2.18 million copies worldwide. It was followed by ... Iron Man 2, which sold 1.54 million. Vanquish, which everyone without Stark Industries stock would agree is the better robot-suit game, only managed about half of that achievement at 830,000 units sold. Shogun 2: Total War and Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity (which only came out in Japan) rounded out Sega's "major" lineup with 600,000 and 370,000 copies sold, respectively. Sega said that sales were slow in North America and Europe due to "the adverse market condition," noting "sluggish personal consumption" in those regions (which ... didn't seem to be an issue for everybody). Additionally, Sega's big Japanese release, Yakuza: Of the End, was delayed out of the fiscal year as a result of the Tohoku earthquake in March, further reducing the company's bottom line. Overall, however, Sega Sammy about doubled its net profits from the previous year to ¥41.51 billion (roughly $513 million) on the strength of its pachislot and pachinko business.
Multiplayer war in Total War: Shogun 2 encapsulates nearly everything
Sega has released a multiplayer trailer for Total War: Shogun 2. The war does appear large, though we're not so sure it's total. There are clearly some empty spots on the battlefield, and they're not even filled with corpses! Then again, we suppose "Substantial War" doesn't have the same ring to it.
Total Demo: Shogun 2 on Steam Feb. 22, pre-order bonuses announced
By all that is bushido, a demo for the name-reversing Total War: Shogun 2 will be available on Steam beginning February 22, 2011, Sega has announced. Additionally, the publisher has teased some pre-order bonuses available from your local GameStop or BestBuy. Honorable GameStop samurai will receive (online or in-store) the historic Battle of Kawagoe, while those who partake in the Best Buy bounty will unlock 1,000 Koku, the in-game currency used to purchase new buildings, train new units and upgrade towns. Shogun 2 is still scheduled to wage total war on PC this March 15. %Gallery-95803%
Shogun 2: Total War trailer assembles for battle
There's totally a war going down between the old and new shogun, and this latest CGI trailer for Shogun 2: Total War from The Creative Assembly and Sega really demonstrates that. Thankfully for us, it's a virtual war based on events that took place long ago. Whew!
Shogun 2: Total War gameplay demonstration is longer than most actual wars
You can't get much more bang for your buck than this gameplay demo video for Shogun 2: Total War. Well, actually, all the trailers we post are free, so there's no "buck" required. Regardless, at sixteen minutes and change, this one's guaranteed to take a good chunk out of your day.
PSA: Shogun 2: Total War is now Total War: Shogun 2
Throwing away ten years of tradition, the Total War franchise name is finally taking its place at the front of the title. Eurogamer reports that Shogun 2: Total War, announced this past summer, will henceforth be known as Total War: Shogun 2. A Sega representative explains (yes, really), "Both Creative Assembly and Sega have intended to invert the Total War naming convention for some time ... We wanted to identify all of these as one series using a more obvious naming convention for players." No word yet if Sega plans to retroactively fix the rest of the series' now backwards titles.
Shogun 2: Total War deploys to retail on March 15, 2011
On March 15, 2011, Shogun 2: Total War will wage war for your dollars (and maybe a few cents, too) when the next installment in The Creative Assembly's strategy series launches on March 15, 2011. The sequel will not only boast a new AI system "inspired" by Sun Tsu's Art of War, but also a host of graphical upgrades including deferred lighting and tweaked fire and explosive damage. There will also be some new mo-cap combat animations to see. Along with the announcement, Sega sent along some new screens. Assault our gallery below and conquer them with your eyeballs. %Gallery-107235%
Shogun 2: Total War confirmed, will have hero units and siege battles
So much for secrecy -- the cat is out of the bag early, as Sega has revealed that, yes, Shogun 2: Total War is the next game in the historical war simulation series from The Creative Assembly. The game is a direct sequel to the first game in the Total War series (released 10 years ago, if you can believe that) and will have players fighting as competing warlords in 16th century Japan, working to reunite the country under one unified ruler. The game promises the "ultimate refinement of the original formula," combining a new AI and technical polish with the gameplay that made the first title so popular. IGN has an early preview, and says that hero units will make an appearance in the series for the first time, fighting alongside about 40 units that will all be upgradeable. Siege and naval battles will mix up the gameplay and Creative Assembly hints at more features, including a set of agents that "that uses a rock-paper-scissors mechanic," and some new ideas for multiplayer, including eight-player battles and personal avatars. Sounds strategically interesting. We're scheduled to see the game in action at E3, so we'll let you know more then.
Rumor: Shogun 2: Total War to be shown at E3
A Turkish site named Oyungezer has reportedly leaked news of a direct sequel to the very first game in the critically acclaimed historical combat Total War series. The site mentioned in a deleted post that Shogun 2: Total War would be on display at E3 in a few weeks. Soon after, Voodoo Extreme posted a leaked fact sheet for the game, which will reportedly be developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Sega. According to the fact sheet, it will contain character progression across nine different Japanese clans, as well as improved war simulation gameplay on both land and sea. The fact sheet sets the release date in 2011. Joystiq contacted Sega to ask about the rumor, and we were told that it "can't comment on news about the next Total War game," so it looks like Sega's lips are sealed, at least until E3. [Via Big Download]
