Total War: Shogun 2 remaster draws backlash as original leaves Steam
Total War: Shogun 2 Complete Edition is drawing overwhelmingly negative Steam reviews over performance, visual changes and the original game's delisting.
Total War: Shogun 2 Complete Edition has launched on Steam, but its arrival is being met by a wave of negative reviews over performance problems, visual changes and the removal of the original release from sale.
Why players are unhappy
The Complete Edition is presented on Steam as an updated and enhanced version of Creative Assembly's strategy game. 1 However, GamesRadar reports that players have found the remaster's performance worse than the original and have raised concerns about long-standing bugs, new glitches and a $10 price increase. 2
At the time of the report, only 19% of 677 Steam reviews were positive, leaving the release with an Overwhelmingly Negative rating. Players have also criticised what they believe are AI-upscaled textures and visual assets. Comparisons shared by the community include altered faces and hands that appear distorted rather than cleanly enhanced. 2
The controversy is made sharper by the original Total War: Shogun 2 being delisted from Steam. Existing owners can still download and play it, but new players are directed towards the Complete Edition instead. 2
The important distinction
Steam's store listing describes the Complete Edition as a modernised package that brings together the original game's content. 1 That does not, by itself, settle whether the visual changes are acceptable or whether the new release performs as it should. Those questions are being answered by players in the review section, where the complaints currently focus on the gap between the promise of an enhanced edition and the condition of the launch build.
The delisting also removes the simplest comparison for newcomers: buying the original version and deciding for themselves whether the upgrade is worthwhile. Existing owners retain access, but anyone discovering the game today has fewer choices.
Our opinion
A remaster can justify a new price when it makes a classic easier to play, preserves its strengths and improves the rough edges. Removing the original while launching a version that players say performs worse puts the burden on the publisher to respond quickly and transparently. The review score may move as patches arrive, but the launch criticism is substantial enough that prospective commanders should wait for evidence of fixes rather than treating the Complete Edition as a straightforward upgrade.