Hi, I'm new to total war. I've played a lot of other strategy games. Its my favorite type. I can get 1 Total War game and its overwhelming to try to decide which one. My general impression is that Shogun (STW?) is the one that diehard enthusiasts appreciate most. Rome (RTW?) is the one that mainstream players favor most and gets the best overall scores. But I see that there are a lot of factions! so confusing. I'm most interested in immersive gameplay and strategy and good explosions and cool weapons don't hurt either. There MUST be one that stands out. I was sure it was MTW2 but after reading a bit I thought maybe it should be STW.

Please give me you opinons for a newby. I don't care how hard or complex it is. For those of you who've played them all, I'd be interested in your gut reaction. Your very favorite. Maybe brief reason why. gut reaction off the top of you head.

thanks!!