Shogun 2 pre-order bonuses announced

SEGA have announced that pre-orders of the latest entry to the Total War series - Shogun 2 - will come with some shiny bonuses if players pre-order at either BestBuy or GameStop. Read on for the details.

Pre-ordering at GameStop (online or in-store) will bag you the ability to take your troops to The Historic Battle of Kawagoe. Set in 1545, the battle saw Hõjõ clan launch a night time attack on the besieging Uesugi, favouring speed and stealth tactics over a full-frontal assault.

Players who pre-order at BestBuy will start the game with 1,000 Koku, the currency used in Shogun 2. With this starting cash, players will be able to get a head start with the ability to purchase new buildings, train new units and upgrade their towns.

As for other pre-orders, it appears that at most UK online retailers (Play.com, Game and HMV among them) pre-ordering will grab you the Limited Edition version of the game for the same price as the standard edition, and will provide The Battle of Nagashino scenario, The Hattori clan as a playable faction, special armour for the player's avatar and instant access to one upgrade from the start. Play.com state that 'The Shogun 2: Total War - Limited Edition is available as a pre-order incentive only, it will not be available after launch'.

If any of these pre-order bonuses take your fancy, you'd best go drop in an order before the game's launch on March 15th.