2. Total War: Shogun 2

These men mean business

Attention, students of history! Total War: Shogun 2 takes place during the Ashikaga Shogunate, one of Japan’s bloodiest eras. Just how bloody? Play the game and find out!

Nine clans exist for you to lead to victory, each with its own area of expertise. For example, the Chosokabe clan comes with exceptional bowmen. The Mori clan possess the mightiest navy. Then you’ve got the Uesugi, whose devotion Buddhism lets them to recruit the game’s most lethal warrior monks.

Battles are brutal, gory affairs, but it’s not all about cutting each other down. You’ll have to use tactics and clever unit combinations to win. By training you how to coordinate your troops in a timely fashion, you’ll learn how to use your various strengths to exploit your enemies’ weaknesses. And when not skewering opponents on the battlefield, special agents, such as geishas and ninjas, can be sent to spy on and assassinate enemies – teaching you the importance of subtlety in any conflict. Yes, because victory does not always have to come at the cost of direct confrontation.

Seriously, it’s like Sun Tzu’s Art of War, only with better graphics!

Cavalcade

Storming the woods