Total War: Shogun 2 – Fall of the Samurai

Yes, Fall of the Samurai is an expansion, but like any good expansion – even standalone expansion – it doesn't just add things to the original, it changes them. You'll get an experience much more like a Civil War-era wargame with Fall of the Samurai, as opposed to a medieval wargame with the original Shogun 2, and that, in itself, is worth the cost of admission, let alone all the new units, locations, abilities, factions, and bells/whistles.

This is a great expansion. Shogun 2 was about taking a clan and carving out a niche in history in a time of tumultuous change. Fall of the Samurai is about being part of a larger conflict. It takes the strong narrative drive of Total War DLC such as Empire's Warpath and Napoleon's Peninsular Campaign and applies them on a much bigger stage while simultaneously taking Shogun 2's warfare to a new age with a series of smart, satisfying technological advances.

Fall of the Samurai, like the original Shogun 2, is good enough that I heartily recommend it to everyone who owns a PC regardless of their experience with or opinion of the grand strategy genre. If you’re coming into the series for the first time there is a lot to learn, but you’ll be amply rewarded with hundreds of hours of top-notch entertainment should you make the investment.?