I love my job as chief reviewer here at Cheathappens.com. One reason? I get to experience a ton of new games that I wouldn't have touched otherwise. In March of 2009 I was assigned to review Empire: Total War and was amazed by its depth, complexity and gorgeous ascetics. Now, just over two years later I have that feeling again, and it's born of the same series.

Much like its predecessor, Shogun 2: Total War is a literal masterpiece in real time strategy form. It features gorgeous visuals, bold, intimate gameplay and a surprising amount of depth. In short, it's an absolutely stunning interactive experience. Creative Assembly's latest is a game you simply must play.

Like the other games in Creative Assembly's Total War line, your ultimate goal in Shogun 2 is total domination, both in war and politics. Specifically in Shogun 2, your goal is to rise from daimyo or clan leader to take control of Kyoto and become Shogun. The setting is noticeably smaller than previous Total War games, which had you taking over entire countries and continents, but that goes a long way in creating the game's charm. By focusing on a smaller and more intimate setting, it allows the truly great aspects of the game to shine.

"...sensational visual style throughout the game."

Chief among these truly great aspects is the sensational visual style throughout the game. Each map is fully rotatable and allows you to focus on the game's fantastic attention to detail. The amazing water effects glisten off each coast, accentuating the game's sweeping vista views. These views are made even more dramatic when the impressive weather effects go into effect.  Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the game's visuals is that they change based on what happens in battle; arrows stick in walls and the battlefield becomes littered with dropped weapons and armor. Shogun 2: Total War is easily one of the best looking PC games of the year.

Of course, Shogun 2 isn't just looks; it's also an incredibly deep and fun strategy game. From the start, you'll take control of one of nine clans, each with differing strategies and levels of difficulty. For instance one clan may be set on the water and not have to worry about many attacks along with having a powerful naval attack while another may be landlocked and have to control all of its borders at all times. Regardless of which clan you play as, how you go about controlling Kyoto's points are mostly up to you. Shogun 2 offers a lot of user choice in just how you go about the game's campaign. Do you play it safe and be diplomatic, creating alliances with other countries, or do you attack anyone who stands in your way? The amount of options are truly remarkable here, you can open trade with other clans, marry off family members to strengthen ties, even send ninjas to quietly dispatch enemies. Yeah, you can send friggin' ninjas.

"You'll control literally thousands of units at a time..."

My gut feeling though tells me that the majority of players are going to get through Shogun 2 via their armies, and why not? It's an absolute blast. You'll control literally thousands of units at a time (ranging from archers to katana wielding samurais) and have the option to either auto resolve each conflict or jump in yourself. Each battle in insanely fun, and is a testament to the strong brand that Creative Assembly has built over the last few years with the Total War series.

The AI is much improved from the previous games and allows for interesting battles whether they're between AI or live opponents. That's not to say though that Creative Assembly has fixed all of the issues with the game's AI. As any of the fan of the series will tell you, some of your squads have the tendency to make...well...pretty much the worst decisions ever (like placing a line of unarmored soldiers directly in the line of a group of archers' sights). To Creative Assembly's credit, these moments happen a lot fewer than in past games, but they still do happen.

Shogun 2: Total War is simply an incredible game that easily tops anything that came before it in the Total War series. It may feature a smaller setting, but make no mistake; it's incredibly large in pretty much everything it does. Shogun 2 is a bold, intimate and truly impressive work of gaming magic. To put it most simply, you don't want to miss the latest installment of the Total War series.