The remastered Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition launched on October 13, and Steam users have rated it "Overwhelmingly Negative" so far, with only 19% of reviews positive. Most complaints are about performance, new bugs and the reworked graphics.
What players are complaining about
The biggest issue in the reviews is how the game runs. Players report heavy frame rate drops, especially on the campaign map, the turn-based part of the game where they manage their clan and move armies. Others mention crashes and bugs in the AI and unit controls, such as units ignoring orders. Several reviewers also say that bugs from the original game are still there.
The Complete Edition also moved the game to 64-bit. One of the most-upvoted Steam reviews points out that better stability and performance were the main reason fans wanted that upgrade in the first place.
The new look is the other big complaint. SEGA promised updated lighting, shadows and textures, plus interface scaling for high-resolution monitors. Many reviewers find the lighting too harsh, and some say certain textures look worse than in the original. A number of players also suspect that AI tools were used to upscale the old artwork. SEGA's feature list mentions the updated textures but doesn't say how they were made.
The Complete Edition was developed by MATABOO together with Creative Assembly and SEGA. Creative Assembly is reportedly collecting bug reports from players and passing them on to its development partner.
Old mods don't carry over
Long-time fans are also unhappy about mods. The Complete Edition uses mod.io, a mod platform built into the game, instead of Steam Workshop, and SEGA confirms that mods made for the original don't work with it. According to players, the Assembly Kit, the official toolset for making mods, isn't available yet either.
The original is still playable
The original Shogun 2 is no longer sold on its own on Steam. Anyone who buys the Complete Edition there also gets the original game with nearly all of its DLC. Steam players who already own the original keep it, mods included, and get any DLC they were missing for free. On the Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store and GOG, the purchase includes only the Complete Edition.
The Complete Edition costs $39.99 (39.99€). Owners of the original can upgrade at 75% off until November 12. That deadline is the tricky part, since players have to decide before anyone knows how quickly the problems will be fixed.
