Sega and Creative Assembly released Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition on Tuesday. It's a $39.99 remaster of the 2011 strategy game. It comes with updated visuals, all the old expansions and more than 50 newly playable clans. By Wednesday afternoon, Steam players had left about 2,400 reviews, and only 17% were positive. The original game's all-time rating is 91% positive. Players say some of the new art looks AI-enlarged. The store page has no AI disclosure. Creative Assembly hasn't said whether it used AI. Since Sept. 28, Steam hasn't sold the original on its own. The original now comes bundled with the remaster. Owners of the old game get 75% off the upgrade until Nov. 12.

The Art Looks AI-Made, and Nobody Disclosed It (John Walker, James Lucas, Steam players)

These critics say the new art shows telltale AI mistakes, and Steam requires a label for AI art.

Some of the new pictures are visibly broken. Kotaku writer John Walker compared the game's encyclopedia images with the 2011 versions. He found unit flags whose emblems turned into "a sort of art-deco jellyfish," and a unit card where a general's face merged with his helmet. "If it's not genAI then it's inexplicable, and even if it is, it remains incredibly sloppy work," he wrote.

Others keep finding the same mistakes. GamesRadar+ pointed to a mustached warrior whose nose and mustache now look like a Stormtrooper helmet. It also flagged new art with six-fingered hands. A Steam reviewer called JMMMHAMM wrote that characters on the new unit cards have "missing fingers."

If AI made the art, Steam's rules say the store page needed a label. Valve requires developers to disclose AI-generated content that players see, including on the store page. Walker wrote that the missing label "violates Valve's rules." TheGamer executive editor James Lucas said the remaster appears to use generative AI art, "or at least AI upscaling," without saying so on the store page.

But Old Fans Shouldn't Pay Again for a Thin Update (Okoii, Xukaku, Sean Martin)

These players and reviewers say the remaster runs worse, fixes too little and shouldn't cost old fans this much.

Old fans don't want to pay again for an update. A Steam reviewer called Okoii says the remaster "should be free to everyone who owned the original." Okoii says the remaster "could have been a patch for the original game." The reviewer pointed to CD Projekt Red, which Okoii says gave away an entire Witcher 3 remaster for free. GameWatcher writer Fran J. Ruiz agreed that "other publishers would've just made it free for existing owners." He said the $10 upgrade "seems reasonable," but he wants the 75% discount to be permanent.

The discount runs out, and that makes it worse. A Steam reviewer called Xukaku titled a review "Literally the greed they talk about in the Bible." Xukaku notes that the discount lasts only a month, so "there is no guarantee they will fix all the issues before it runs out." The reviewer also says the remaster dropped Steam Workshop support and runs worse than newer Total War games.

The game is still great, but the remaster is thin. PC Gamer writer Sean Martin still recommends Shogun 2, "but that's not contingent on this remaster." He says none of the 50 new clans get their own bonuses, and many old problems are still there. "Shogun 2's quality as a game deserved a better and more extensive reworking than it's been given," he wrote.

Still, It's a Good Game, and the AI Charge May Be Wrong (Luke Williams, Jake Su, Creative Assembly)

Early reviewers say the remaster is a strong package, and the studio says the original isn't going anywhere.

Critics who played it early mostly liked it. Metacritic shows a Metascore of 83 from five critics, three of them positive. Console Creatures reviewer Luke Williams called the new visuals "absolutely stunning." He called it "a great 'Complete Edition' for fans and newcomers alike." The publisher gave him a review copy. SavePoint Gaming reviewer Jake Su gave it 8 out of 10.

The art may just be higher-resolution files. Williams noted that the studio hasn't confirmed whether it used AI. He said he agrees with players who think the art looks "less AI-generated and more like the result of higher-resolution pictures being included in the game files."

The original isn't going away. Creative Assembly said it's "vital that the original Shogun 2 build remains accessible as it currently exists." Owners keep the old game. Anyone who buys the remaster on Steam gets the original too. Williams says the remaster is "well-priced for those who don't have it yet." Su says the case for newcomers "is much simpler."

Where This Lands

Walker and Lucas say the new art looks AI-made, and Steam requires a label if it is. Xukaku says the remaster runs worse than newer Total War games, and Okoii says it should have been a free patch. Ruiz says the $10 upgrade seems reasonable but agrees other publishers would have made it free. Williams and Su say the remaster is a strong package, and Williams thinks the art may just be higher-resolution files. Creative Assembly hasn't answered the AI question yet. Owners have until Nov. 12 to get the upgrade at 75% off.

Sources