I don't think they're incompatible, and I like epic scale (anyone who plays Total War does). In fact, if CA had spent maybe a year longer on Empire and ironed out issues and improved historical accuracy, it could be one of the best in the series (it certainly had the most potential in terms of the world map). But unfortunately, deadlines mean they have to make choices and sometimes one aspect suffers over another. Regardless, I think Shogun 2 is actually a good choice simply because it will be quite a change of pace for the series as of late.