Archive for November, 2011

For our next bit of Shogun 2 DLC, we’ve decided to do something a little bit different…

We’ve often said before that blood is something we’d like to do if we feel the setting’s right and it’s appropriate. That’s always been hindered by a key hurdle: inserting blood and gore into our games would raise the age rating of our titles.

Blood and gore is absolutely right up there in the top-three feature requests from the community (mod tools and commanding more than 20 units per battle are the other two big ones, if you’re interested). We get hundreds of requests a year for us to implement blood and gore into our games – and we’ve been desperate to get the opportunity to bring this feature to the Total War series.

So, we took the decision to create a new piece of DLC and have it age-rated separately. Enter stage right, the Blood Pack. DLC allows us the flexibility to individually age-rate releases, so we’re finally able to bring the visceral, vicious effects of battle to you guys. Of course, being DLC, it’s also entirely optional. If you have it and a friend doesn’t, you’ll still be able to play multiplayer together… except you’ll be experiencing blood splattering awesomeness and they won’t.

This being Japan – and with Shogun 2 being so heavily inspired by Japanese cinema – we couldn’t take this opportunity by half-measures. Expect all-out gore – from fountains of blood to fully-fledged dismemberment. This isn’t a DLC pack for the weak of heart.

Jamie Ferguson, Lead Designer for Shogun 2, tackled the challenge with gusto:

“With the Blood Pack we were going for a Kurosawa, Zatoichi and Tarantino-esque level of splatter-fest fun that evokes a number of  the Japanese films set in the medieval period.

“This might seem strange for a game that prides itself on a certain level of realism, but we wanted the player to be able to tell what was happening at a reasonable distance from the action and be entertaining. By turning up the gore factor we found it was far more entertaining and had a certain style to it too.”

You can buy the Blood Pack now right here.

The Blood Pack will also be compatible with the upcoming Fall of the Samurai and any existing or future Shogun 2 DLC, as well as the core game.

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Also out today, and available on Steam too, is the Hattori Clan DLC. For those of you who missed the Limited Edition, this is a great chance to pick up this powerful clan and complete your Shogun 2 collection. They have the most powerful ninja unit in the game, and you’ll get yourself a small XP boost and some additional Koku to help you on the way in your conquests.

You can the Hattori DLC for only a few pounds, euros or dollars right here.

Well, we said we’d have some news coming “soon”, and here it is!

We’re delighted to announce a brand new standalone expansion for Total War: Shogun 2. Fall of the Samurai is a huge piece of new content and it’s coming March 2012. The scale of this expansion is significantly larger than anything we’ve produced so far for Shogun 2.

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Fall of the Samurai explores the conflict between the Imperial throne and the last Shogunate in 19^th century Japan, 400 years after the events of the original game – a dramatic clash of traditional Samurai culture with the explosive power of modern weaponry.

New on the scene will be America, Britain and France, whose arrival incites a ferocious civil war to decide the fate of the nation. You’ll be able to play one of six new playable clans, supporting either the Imperial throne or the last Shogunate.

In Fall of the Samurai, we’ll be supporting features like railway networks, ironclad warships, improved siege battle mechanics (with upgradable tower defences, each with their own speciality).

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There will be whole new land and sea unit interactions, including the ability to call in offshore artillery support barrages. Coastal gun emplacements can conversely target enemy ships, bringing a new synergy to land and sea elements of gameplay. Players can even call in campaign map bombardments – bombarding armies and cities in adjacent coastal areas of the campaign map itself. It’s time to rethink your strategy…

You’ll also be able to get your hands on three new agent types: the Foreign Veteran, the Ishin Shishi and the Shinsengumi.

Mulltiplayer’s also had a major overhaul, ushering in the era of “Multiplayer 2.0”. We’ll be introducing a new Conquest map, reflecting the 19^th century setting, bringing with it a brand new Fall of the Samurai avatar, including:

Over 40 new retainers

Over 30 new armour pieces

A new 19^th century avatar skill tree

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We’re also introducing multiple avatars for the first time, allowing players to enjoy multiple careers and progression across Shogun 2 and Fall of the Samurai.

This huge clash of eastern culture versus western culture promises to bring with it a vast new experience for players. Expect a big campaign to get your hands on. We’ll bring more information on it over the coming weeks and months, so be sure to stay tuned to the Total War blog, forums, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr for more information as it’s released.