Easily one of the best of the Total War series and is still a giant leap forward in the turn base strategy genre...
It should be right where it is rated by gamespot, a solid 8. I wish that is was more interactive when it came to building your dynasty. Also the map is just way too large and takes so long to build your empire. Also the navy battles still aren't at the same level of entertainment as the land battles.
However, that is about all of my issues with the game. The graphics are alot better than some people have written. the battles can be adjusted to meet your competency level, so it you're beating the armies too easily, turn it up and quit complaining. The land units working with navy units has added a brand new level of strategy that I have wanted for a long time and it doesn't disappoint. The rest of it is about the same as Shogun 2, which I liked alot. So bottom line, I would buy if you liked Shogun 2.