STEAM SCORE: 'OVERWHELMINGLY NEGATIVE' — 19% POSITIVE FROM 2,000+ REVIEWS; ORIGINAL 2011 GAME REINSTATED

Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition, released October 13 as a modernized version of the 2011 strategy game, opened to overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam, with players citing AI-upscaled art and other serious issues. Players noticed the new 2D art, some inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e, appeared to have been run through an AI upscaler, sharing screenshots of garbled details and one character's face merging with his helmet. Development partner Mataboo had previously been accused of using AI to upscale art in last year's Stalker remasters.

Around 48 hours after launch, Sega apologized, said it was pulling Complete Edition, and promised to reinstate the original version and investigate. The remaster had also left old bugs unaddressed while introducing new ones, and its move from Steam Workshop to Mod.io broke compatibility with 15 years of unofficial patches and mods. Sega had delisted the original version ahead of launch, making the remaster the only option for new buyers, though prior owners could still download the original.