CA wants Shogun II: TW to "ham it up"
"It's supposed to be fun," says dev.
History is boring, which is why Creative Assembly has told Eurogamer it's crucial to spruce it up for Shogun 2: Total War.
"Oh yes; it's absolutely important to ham it up!" blurted Mike Simpson, the father of Total War. "It's supposed to be fun. I mean, it is fun.
"If there's ever a contest between something that's fun and something that's historical, fun will win."
Shogun 2: Total War will epitomise that mantra with blossoms and thunderstorms; atmosphere and drama. And unlike recent Total War games, Shogun will sacrifice geographical scope for focus and attention to detail. Feudal Japan is Simpson's favourite, too.
"Going back is like going back to an old friend. It's probably our - it's certainly my favourite period," he said. "It's the coolest of all of them. It has the most interesting units, it has the coolest content. The whole of that era and setting is more alien than most of the other periods."
Until Creative Assembly does Caveman: Total War, obviously.
"Cavemen: Total War? Well that would be slightly restricted," mused Simpson. "Oh we could have dinosaurs? Hmm. That would be slightly inaccurate.
"It would be fun though, yes, you're right," he added, coming to his senses.
Mike Simpson will be presenting Shogun II: Total War at the Eurogamer Expo today. We sat him down ahead of his talk to find out what he had planned and how development was going - obviously focusing hard on the serious stuff. Our interview with Mike Simpson is live, now.