Shogun II

Somehow I missed the release of this game, so this post is coming a bit late, but oh well. I enjoyed Rome Total War and Medieval II, so I hope they don’t drop the ball on the latest installment in the series. The three things that will make or break this game are the:

1.       AI

2.       Campaign Mode

3.       Multiplayer

If the AI is bad or boring or too predictable, the game will lose its replayability. If the AI is weak, then it won’t be worth coming back to play again and again against a computer that poses no challenge. The AI has to succeed at more than just battles. If the AI isn’t aggressive or smart enough to expand and pose a threat on the overall campaign map, the player will grow bored and won’t finish the game. If the AI can’t be made competitive without massive handicaps, then no amount of pretty graphics and cut scenes can make up for it. For an example of a game partially crippled by poor AI, look no further than Civilization 5.

Similarly, the quality of the campaign mode is a vital factor. The campaign is the meat of the game, the thing that ties it all together. Sure, you could play custom battles against the computer, but without the campaign to give them meaning, they would grow dull all the sooner. If the campaign gameplay is poorly done, the game can’t succeed.

Now onto the third thing: multiplayer. True, good multiplayer isn’t essential. There are plenty of single player games that are fun to play and have left their mark. But multiplayer is what keeps players coming back. A computer can’t match the challenge of battling another person, someone who comes up with new tactics and strategies, who can actually think. Multiplayer is what keeps games alive, multiplayer is why Starcraft 1 is still played today and multiplayer is how you make fans. If they can pull off a good multiplayer it’ll be a boon to them later on.

Like I said, this game is already out, so if you have it go ahead and comment how you feel about it.