Even things like straightforward rifle technology have come on enormously.

It's more furious, faster reloading, more death...

NARRATOR: Over fifty new land and sea units change the rules of engagement,

giving battles an entirely different feel.

Some of the most interesting ones on land are obviously the Gatling gun,

but we've also got a lot of new line infantry units and riflemen.

And on sea we've got lots of ironclad ships and the torpedo boat, which is perhaps a favourite of mine.

My favourite new ship is definitely the gunboat.

You can buy loads of them, get them all together and basically clog their gun ports up with matchwood.

It's a fantastic divisionary tactic.

NARRATOR: Modern ranged units include the Gatling gun and the behemoth Armstrong gun,

directly controllable in the new Third Person Mode.

You can hit a hotkey and drop down to Third Person Mode on cannons and Gatling guns,

which enables you to have direct control over the weapon.

You actually follow the cannonball along the battlefield until it actually hits its target.

The downside, obviously, is it means that you're not really paying attention to the rest of the battlefield,

so it can be quite dangerously distracting.

NARRATOR: Mighty, steam powered ironclad warships armed with torpedoes make naval battles much more destructive.

Naval technology went from the ancient Age of Sail to modern warfare

and being able to fire cannons a few hundred meters to being able to fire tens of miles.

We've really put a lot of effort into the naval battles.

They're the best naval battles we've ever done, I think.

To see torpedoes coming towards you and not knowing what to do, and it puts you in a state of panic.

I've had several times when I've been playing where I've just kind of froze and I'm not knowing what to do.

Do I try to put it astern, do I try to steer around it?

That's a totally new part of gameplay, and I think those are really cool.

So the new units, they're not just new stats or new models, they are creating totally new elements to the battles.

NARRATOR: The increased power of naval weaponry allows fleets to play a greater strategic role.

Turn the tide of conflict by directing devastating naval bombardments against enemy fleets and settlements.

A nearby navy can reinforce that land battle, and actually you can call in an artillery from the navy.

So, you can select your general, and you can pick a location on the map,

and you'll basically just see a huge artillery bombardment raining down fire onto the enemy.

And you have to time those right, because they're not immediate, so you have to try

and predict where you should be calling it.

They're really good fun.

NARRATOR: Attempt a naval assault on an occupied enemy port to fight the new Port Siege battle type.

The attackers will sail in to a coastal region.

The defenders will actually have artillery mounted on the coast that they can use

to bombard the attacking ships, as well as having their own fleet to back up.

So it's a whole new battle type.

NARRATOR: Upgrade your castles with deadly matchlock or Gatling gun towers to give a new dimension to sieges on land.

These improvements are all available in the redesigned Avatar Conquest Mode,

Shogun 2's innovative multiplayer gaming system.

So yes, we're bringing in a new Fall of the Samurai Avatar, and you'll get a whole 19th century specific skill tree with that,

access to a bunch of new retainers and a bunch of new armour sets as well,

so you'll really be able to customise your online persona in line with the 19th century look and feel that the rest of the game will have.

NARRATOR: Featuring an expanded 19th century conquest map, new retainers and upgrades for your avatar,

multiplayer returns to Total War bigger and better than ever.