Been waiting for this game, and so worth the money and the wait.
I don't understand why people have so many problems with the game, when I've hardly had any. Just make sure you have all your drivers updated and that your system meets the requirements. Also try to disable the steam community and cloud to prevent crashes. Only had a few crashes, but I think it's from the steam community being enabled.
The game is so beautiful, the beautiful that brings tears to your eyes. Every battle I encounter never gets old, and if your system is powerful enough, the unit model is top notch for a game like this. The AI compared to the other games is a step up in my opinion.
The enemy tries to find a weakness in your army and they'll charge without you noticing if you're not paying attention. From other reviews, people said that the AI army declares war but never attack, but that has yet been the case with me. Also the archers aren't overpowered from what I've seen, compared to the other Total war games.
The archers in other total war games can take out an entire unit before it even reaches their target. The archers in this game are pretty lethal but needs the backup of melee units to protect them. So from my play through the game is pretty balanced. I'm happy to see the elite hero type units come back in this game. The economy in Shogun 2 is pretty unforgiving, but it depends on how you manage everything.
If you're not a veteran total war player, then you'll probably have problems managing your money and army. Promoting trade and alliances early on is pretty important. I tried the tutorial on the demo and it's informative enough for newer players and is recommended to play it through.
The sea battles aren't as fun as the ones from Empire and napoleon, so I think this is the only thing lacking in Shogun 2.
The game isn't for everyone, but it's an amazing change of pace from other RTS games. I love the Total war games and will probably continue to try them and I hope they don't stop.
Would like to see a Rome 2 or maybe a Dynasty Total war.