Hi all,

So, as you may be aware, myself (CraigTW) and Studio Communications Manager Al Bickham have been flying around the world over the past couple of weeks chatting to journalists and letting them get hands-on with Fall of the Samurai for themselves.

Some of the press coverage is now starting to hit for that, so why not check out some of the links below to see what the press have said so far?

VG 247

“Sign me up Sega, I’m sold”

Videogamer.com

“These are fresh ideas, presented with all the attention to detail we’ve come to expect from Creative Assembly. As much as I hate the term, Fall of the Samurai looks to deserve its “expandalone” title; with this much content on offer, “expansion” feels a bit lightweight.”

IGN UK

“Considering Creative Assembly’s track record with Total War and that Shogun 2 was one of the best iterations of the franchise yet, chances are Fall of the Samurai could be one of the year’s best strategy games when it’s made available on March 23.”

Eurogamer

“It’s an astonishing rush to be in direct control of your units in such a personal way.”

Games.on.Net

“Overall, FOTS is shaping up to be a game that Total War fans will no doubt enjoy. As a fan myself, I’m really digging the greater interaction between land and sea.”

GamesWelt TV – Interview with Craig Laycock

“The 40v40 feature is there for the community, so I’m all over that!”

We’ll post more as we get ‘em!

We’re delighted to say that Total War: Shogun 2 has brought home a raft of prestigious awards in the end-of-year round-ups, which the team here at CA are absolutely ecstatic about. Here’s the full run down of what we’ve won just in the past few days.

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PC Gamer “Game of the Year” Awards, 2011
Strategy Game of the Year

PC Gamer UK gave Total War: Shogun 2 an epic 92% in their review of the game, and they continue to show the love with a terrific write-up in this month’s issue of the magazine. Described as “high drama to stretch your grey matter”, Gamer pronounce Shogun 2 as “a spectacular return to form”.

They go on to describe the Total War games as a “story-engine”: “Not only do they offer deep and difficult decisions about how to paint the campaign map your colour, but they also entertain you with your own genius. That time when you hid an army and engineered an ambush. That time when your veteran clan leader dismounted, and held the line while thousands of peasants rolled into the front gate. That time when… you’ve got the stories. You remember.”

Thanks for that, chaps. We’re really proud of such an accolade.

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Kotaku Best Game Music of 2011
Total War: Shogun 2

Jeff van Dyck was back for Shogun 2, and he’s been steadily building the accolades for the powerful Japanese-themed soundtrack that accompanied the game. Kotaku have given us a warm-glow-inducing commentary on their “Best Game Music of 2011″ feature, waxing lyrical about the atmosphere Jeff’s soundtrack stirs in the air.

“Shogun 2 draws you into the Sengoku period of Japanese history until you’re up to your eyeballs in it”, they said, “giving you a sense of being and place that most other strategy games can only dream of.” High praise indeed.

Kotaku go on to say, “the end result is a soundtrack that, if you close your eyes, not only transports you back to 16th century Japan, but perfectly conveys the scope and scale of the Total War games themselves”.

A massive pat on the back from the whole studio to Jeff. He absolutely deserves it for the tireless hard work and relentless talent he exhibits with every soundtrack he writes.

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GameSpot Game of the Year Awards 2011
Best Strategy Game

GameSpot pile on the third major accolade of the Christmas season, awarding Shogun 2 the Best Strategy Game award in their annual gongs.

“It’s just such an immense and rich package”, said Gamespot’s Maxwell McGee.

The website’s Kevin VanOrd added, “You’ve got these huge swathes of units controlled by each player, going after the enemy, and you just don’t see anything like that in any other strategy game. It’s just a wonder to behold”.

You can check out the video below to see exactly what GameSpot said:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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IGN Best of 2011
Nominated: Best Strategy Game

“Combining turn-based campaign map management with sprawling real-time battles between thousands of troops, there’s something here for every kind of strategy fan.

“Not only does Shogun 2 deliver the best visuals of the series, lots of strategic and tactical depth, and tons of options to customize your faction leaders through skill trees to gradually win over 16th Century Japan, but includes an immense multiplayer component.”

 - -

The Metro
Class of 2011

And the accolades just keep on coming! We’ve also been listed in The Metro’s Class of 2011. For our international readers, The Metro is a free newspaper in the UK which has a huge circulation, so we’re pretty proud of getting in there.

 - -

Strategy Game of the Year
GameTrailers Awards, 2011

We’re hugely honoured to have been listed in GameTrailers’ awards of 2011, and to pick up yet another Best Strategy Game award, topping off an amazing seasonal raft of trophies heading our way.

We’ve revealed the box art for Total War: Shogun 2 – Fall of the Samurai!

We want to know what you think of it. Let us know in the comments.

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The end of the Samurai era, the dawn of an empire. Fall of the Samurai is the standalone expansion to the award winning Total War: SHOGUN 2.

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

Guide ancient Japan into the modern age, as the arrival of America, Britain and France incites a ferocious civil war which will decide the future of the nation.

You can read the full feature list here (pending a couple of potential juicy additions closer to release!).

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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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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.

It’s that time of year again – the Golden Joysticks have come around, and this year we’re thrilled to say we’ve been nominated in two major categories! We’re up for Best Strategy Game and Ultimate Game of the Year, both incredible accolades that we’re amazingly proud of.

If you’re keen for us to win, you can show your love for Total War by voting for us in either category by clicking the link text above.

To share in our euphoria at these nominations, we’ve decided to run an exclusive competition. If you’re one of the lucky 6 winners, you’ll get the ultimate Total War fan package- the opportunity to visit the studio and get to play exclusive new stuff before anyone else IN THE WORLD.

PLEASE NOTE: This competition is only open to UK residents. Sorry! But if you’d like to join in the fun below, feel free to help spread the word.

Craig Laycock and Mark O’Connell from The Creative Assembly tell you more right here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And the best thing is, there are loads of ways to enter. All we ask is that you show some support for our Golden Joystick bid on Facebook, Twitter and/or the Total War forums by doing one of the following:

On Facebook : like this post on the Shogun 2 page and change your profile picture to the image below.

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On Twitter, Tweet the following: I just voted for @TotalWar Shogun 2 for Best Strategy Game & Ultimate Game of the Year at Goldenjoystick.com! #ShogunJoystick

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And if you’d like to get involved on our official forums, simply change your avatar to one of the lovely, brand new selection we have here (go into your user settings to do this on the board) and reply in the thread we’ve linked to here.

That’s it! Sit back, relax and cross your fingers. The competition is open from right now until 23:59BST on 21st October, 2011.

Check out the full T&Cs below.

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SEGA Ultimate Total War Fan Competition

THERE IS NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE
IN THIS PROMOTION OR TO WIN ANY PRIZE.

(1) Description of Prize Draws SEGA Europe Limited (the “Sponsor”) is offering a “Prize Giveaway”, (the “Promotion”) and will award prizes via a random selection from eligible entrants. The Promotion is conducted as a free prize draw competition (“Competition”) taking place on the following schedule: the Competition begins at 00:00 Greenwich Mean Time (“GMT”) on 10^th October 2011 and concludes at 23:59 GMT on 21^st October 2011, (“Competition Period”).

(2) Eligibility - The Competition is open to legal residents of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), who are 18 years of age or older. Competitions are void anywhere it is prohibited by law.  Any entrants who are not eligible for the Competition can be disqualified at the Sponsor’s discretion.  Employees, officers and representatives (and members of their immediate families and those living in the same household of each) of the Sponsor, its parent, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, advertising and promotion agencies, and any other company involved in the design, execution or production of this Promotion are not eligible.

(3) How to Enter –To enter the Competition, eligible entrants will have to vote for Total War: Shogun 2 (the “Game”) in the “Best Strategy Game” and “Ultimate Game of the Year” categories at www.goldenjoystick.com and follow the steps listed below (please note that the steps vary depending on the platform used by the eligible entrant):

• Facebook: Add one of the Game’s provided Golden Joystick avatar (the “Avatar”) to your Facebook profile, and press the “like” button on The Creative Assembly competition post on Facebook; or

• Twitter: Tweet: “I just voted for @TotalWar Shogun 2 for Best Strategy Game & Ultimate Game of the Year at Goldenjoystick.com! #ShogunJoystick”; or

• Totalwarforums.com: Add one Avatar to your profile page; or

• Twcenter.net: Add one Avatar to your profile page.

Entries received for a given Competition are eligible only for that drawing and will not be “rolled forward” for inclusion in any subsequent Competition.

(4) Prize - The Competition will have, fours (4) winners will be randomly selected from eligible entrants (one (1) per entre Site). Each winner will receive one (1) entry to an exclusive Total War event (the date of the event will be chosen by the Sponsor), all-expenses paid travel to the Creative Assembly studio (as chosen by Sponsor), the opportunity to meet members of the BAFTA award-winning development team and have lunch with them, one (1) signed copy of Total War: Shogun 2 and the chance to play The Creative Assembly’s latest in-development project. The odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received for any given Competition.

(5) General:
(i) Winners will be selected in a random drawing conducted approximately three (3) business days after the ending date of each Competition Period. Potential winners will be contacted within two (2) business days of the drawing by the e-mail address associated with their Registered User account to confirm prize acceptance and determine a mailing address for the prize. Potential winners will have five (5) business days to respond to the prize notification e-mail with the requested information. Failure to respond within this time frame will result in disqualification and the selection of an alternate winner. Return of prize notification e-mail as undeliverable will result in disqualification and the selection of an alternate winner.

(ii) ANY AND ALL TAX LIABILITY RESULTING FROM A WINNER’S RECEIPT OF THE PRIZE IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER. There are no prize transfers or prize substitutions available. In the event of unavailability of the prize or prize components, Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize or prize component of equal or greater value.

(iii) Sponsor reserves the right to discontinue this Promotion at any time and without notice following the conclusion and complete fulfilment of all prizes associated with any given (and then current) Competition.  In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting the winning entry, the prize will be awarded to the authorised account holder of the submitted Internet e-mail address regardless of the individual who submitted the entry. The authorised account holder is the natural person who is assigned to the e-mail address by an Internet Service Provider or other organisation that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses or the domain names associated with e-mail addresses. Sponsor reserves the right to void entries, which in its sole determination, are irregular or have been generated with abusive and/or duplicitous intent including but not limited to false or multiple e-mail addresses.

(iv) By entering, you (a) agree to comply with and be bound by the official rules and the decisions of the Sponsor which are final and binding in all respects; (b) agree to release Sponsor and its employees and agents from any and all liability, loss, damage or injury resulting from participation in this Promotion or from the awarding, receipt, possession use and/or misuse of any prize; (c) acknowledge that Sponsor, and its employees and agents have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to any prize including, but not limited to, its quality, mechanical condition or fitness for a particular purpose; and (d) consent to use of your name, photograph and/or likeness, statements and voice for advertising and promotional purposes in all media worldwide and in perpetuity without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.

(v) The use of machines, computers or any automated technique (“Automated Cheats”) to enter the Competition is prohibited. Sponsor has the right to invalidate any entry if its sole opinion Registered User has engaged the use of Automated Cheats at any time.  All decisions of the Sponsor are final.

(vi) Sponsor is not responsible for any lost, late, delayed, misdirected, garbled, illegible, incorrect or inaccurate information or entries that are misdirected or misrouted as a result of interrupted or unavailable network connections or internet transmissions for any reason, or any failure of the website during the Competition Period, or for any computer, phone, phone line hardware or software malfunction, failure or error of any kind, whether mechanical, human or electronic. Any attempt by an entrant to interfere with the operations of this Promotion is a violation of criminal and civil laws; Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such entrant to the fullest extent permitted by law. If, for any reason, any Promotion is not capable of running as planned, including, without limitation, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Competition, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Competition and select winners in a random drawing from among all eligible entries received prior to the cancellation. All entries are the property of the Sponsor.

(vii) Where relevant, winners should check with any relevant authorities regarding passport and visa requirements; it is the sole responsibility of winners to produce all requisite travel documentation. Insurance is not included and winners are strongly advised to take out insurance cover for all appropriate risks. Any costs incurred additional to the prize package elements expressly specified are at the sole expense of winners and/or their companions.

(viii) Following notification under clause 5(i), winners will be emailed or posted a Liability Release Form (prepared by SEGA Europe Ltd) to be properly and fully completed by the winner and traveling companion(s) (if applicable). Completed Liability Release Forms for the winner and all traveling companion(s) (if applicable) must be returned to SEGA Europe Ltd in accordance with the notified instructions to arrive at the specified address by no later than fourteen (14) days after the date SEGA Europe Ltd emails or posts the Liability Release Form. Failure to comply in any respect with this requirement will result in the relevant prize being withheld and the winner’s entry for the Competition becoming void, whereupon SEGA Europe Ltd may at its sole and absolute discretion reallocate the prize to the next valid winning entry for the Competition.

(6) Release: BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROMOTION, YOU RELEASE AND HOLD SPONSOR AND ITS PARENT COMPANY OR COMPANIES, SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, DISTRIBUTORS, RETAILERS, ADVERTISING AGENCIES AND EACH OF THEIR RESPCTIVE EMPLOYEES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, SHAREHOLDERS, AGENTS, AND REPRESENTATIVES, HARMLESS FROM AND AGAINST ANY AND ALL LOSSES, DAMAGES, CLAIMS, AND ACTIONS OF ANY KIND ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROMOTION OR RESULTING FROM ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE OR MISUSE OF, OR DEFECTS IN, A PRIZE, OR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROMOTION, WITHOUT LIMITATION CLAIMS BASED ON PROPERTY LOSS OR DAMAGE, PUBLICITY OR PRIVACY RIGHTS, AND/OR DEFAMATION. NOTHING IN THESE TERMS SHALL EXCLUDE OR LIMIT THE SPONSOR’S LIABILITY FOR PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH CAUSED BY ITS NEGLIGENCE.

(7) Law and Jurisdiction: These terms are governed by English law and any claim or matter arising out of these terms shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England.
(8) Winners List: An accumulative list of winners from the most recent month is available via email request to competitions@soe.sega.co.uk

Sponsor: SEGA Europe Limited, 27 Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex
TW8 9BW,UNITED KINGDOM.
(c) SEGA. SEGA and the SEGA logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. All rights reserved.

As I’m sure you’re all undoubtedly aware (else we’re clearly not doing our jobs properly!), Rise of the Samurai is out TODAY on Steam. Keep checking your games list – it’ll be going live later this afternoon UK time.

In the run-up to this exciting day, we invited a very select group of some of the biggest TW fans we could find and let them go hands-on with Rise of the Samurai for a whole day. So rather than have us talk about the features in Rise of the Samurai any more, we thought we’d hand over the reigns to some of the chaps who attended.

First up, LionheartX10, who many of you will know from his excellent YouTube channel (and that spoof video of the Napoleon intro). He regularly posts on Total War Center, too.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We also had the inimitable Jackie Fish in the house. Both got to check out our brand new, swanky meeting rooms in the newly-fitted out downstairs floor here at CA towers. We’ll be posting a full tour of that jazzy floor in the coming weeks (except the top-secret bits), but in the meantime, enjoy Jackie’s video, below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I promise myself and Will aren’t paid by the appearance for these things. If you’re keen to familiarise yourself with Rise of the Samurai, you could do a lot worse than checking out our trailer, below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And if you’re quick, you might be able to bag yourself a Rise of the Samurai key on our official forums (sign up required).

We’ve announced a release date for Rise of the Samurai, so take out your calligraphy set, open your calendar and mark the date…  27th September!

Set 400 years before the Sengoku period depicted in Shogun 2, Rise of the Samurai pits you as the leader of one of six playable clans from the Taira, Minamoto and Fujiwara families. This conflict, the Gempei War, culminated in the first Shogun’s rise to power, and the consolidation of the Samurai as the ruling class.

The downloadable content brings with it a new campaign, which can be played in single and multiplayer modes. The six new clans bring with them their own unique traits, and between them will have sixteen new land units and ten new naval units.

On top of that, there are four new hero units, including the Tetsubo Warrior Monk Hero, armed with brutal studded clubs, and the deadly female Onna Bushi Heroine. There are also four new agent types, each with their own skill trees. From the seductress Shirabyoshi to the shrewd and zealous Junsatsushi Inspectors, each offers a new campaign experience.

What’s more, at the same time Rise of the Samurai is released, we’re also deploying a new patch. This will contain a huge number of fixes and feature upgrades, covering single and multiplayer gameplay. We’re already talking about some of these in our weekly update thread. Stay tuned to that for more as and when it’s confirmed.

So, in September you’ll be able to get your hands on:

Rise of the Samurai – downloadable campaign

• New campaign (The Gempei War)
• 6 new clans from 3 legendary families
• 16 new land units
• 10 new naval units
• 4 new hero units
• 4 new agent types
• 10 new mons, 10 new retainers

If you’re keen to see how Rise of the Samurai looks and plays, check out our trailer below, see the artistic changes to the new campaign map in our comparison video, or click through to see or part one of our Rise of the Samurai campaign diary (part two following today!).

Click here to view the embedded video.

 Rise of the Samurai is now available for pre-purchase on Steam.

Keen-eyed followers of upcoming DLC “Rise of the Samurai” may have noticed a few differences to the main Shogun 2 campaign map.

Our artists have been beavering away at crafting a different experience for the new campaign, which is set some 400 years before the main game. As well as tweaking elements of the terrain detail, they’ve also added a new skybox (effectively overhauling how the sky looks in the campaign).

They’ve also tweaked the sea, adjusting its appearance and tweaking the waves so they’re more visually-pleasing.

What’s more, there’s a lot more variety in the campaign map flora now, particularly when you see the seasonal changes. It’s atmospheric to say the least.

There are also tweaks to the shoreline, rivers, borders and particle effects.  UI elements on the campaign have also been tidied, so distant settlement names are now ‘fogged out’. That leads to a less cluttered appearance to the map.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Minimum-spec machines will also receive a nice visual boost. Fog has been optimised and enabled for lower-end machines.  That will be the case for the core Shogun 2 game, also. Lighting has also been tweaked, and tree rendering improved.

As lovely as all of this sounds, there are gameplay reasons for it too. Impassable forests are now much easier to discern from forests you can hide in, and there’s a clearer delineation between various strategic elements of the map.

But don’t take our word for it – check out the lovingly-crafted comparison video above, which demonstrates the changes between the standard map and the new Rise of the Samurai campaign map.

The screens, however beautiful, still don’t do the new campaign map justice. In motion, as you’re flying over the terrain, it looks even lovelier – you’ll be able to find out for yourself sometime this month when it’s released (watch this space for the release date).

Until then, enjoy the video (which you can see half-way up this page). Let us know what you think of the changes in the comments below!

Rise of the Samurai is out in September. You can pre-purchase today by visiting: http://store.steampowered.com/app/34344/

It’s a familiar scene. While we’re busily working away on Total War, perhaps over a cup of tea, someone starts playing a video featuring one of our games. Before you know it there’s a crowd of people checking out the cool stuff playing.

Our community seem to have really taken making movies in Total War to their hearts – and we’re massive fans of a lot of the awesome content the community has generated. With that in mind, here’s a roundup of some of our favourite videos:

“The Perfect War” – Robert Stoneman

Click here to view the embedded video.

We loved this one so much, we hired the guy who made it! Rob Stoneman became one of our cinematics guys and was responsible for some of the trailers and in-game movies in Shogun 2. We’re staggered that someone could make something this cool with absolutely no tools.

Total War: Shogun 2 – Duels (Ninja – Heroes…) – Naxzul666

Click here to view the embedded video.

We stumbled across this video today, thanks to TWC. We love the energy and camera movement – and this video really shows off the awesome mocap we spent a lot of time developing for Total War. Shogun 2 has the most complex set of animations of any TW game, and this video throws the spotlight right on it.

Pure Beauty – xHerzoGx

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s another gorgeous video from TWC’s community – this one showing off the lovely environments in Shogun 2. We love the “red bridge” shot. One un-named member of the team almost broke down when he saw it, muttering something in a high-pitched voice as a tear rolled down his cheek. Alright, it was me.

The saddest thing I’ve seen so far on Shogun 2 – CurlyHooligan

Click here to view the embedded video.

This genuinely made us laugh and also feel sad, and for that reason it’s in there. Comedy is always good and the team always appreciate cheering up on a gloomy Monday morning, so please keep them coming! This poor samurai takes on the world only to… well, you’ll see.

Napoleon Total War Machinima History – Megadokuro

Click here to view the embedded video.

And one for the history buffs, of which there are many here at CA. This one gets bonus marks for use of post-processing filters and wobbly battle-cam photography!

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If you have video you think we should include, email rallypoint@creative-assembly.com and we might include your video in the next roundup. Until then, happy shooting!

-Craig and the whole team at The Creative Assembly