| | Click on Product Listings for Details!
Europa Universalis 2
- Real-time strategy game set in 15th- through 18th-century Europe
- Play the medieval campaigns of Jeanne D'Arc to the massive wars of Napoleon
- Intuitive interface and combat system
- Lead any of 140 nations with historical leaders and national research
- For 1 to 8 players using Internet or LAN connection
Avg. Customer Review: 
 Chess for the History Buff
Do you enjoy strategy games that aren't a real-time strategy click fest? Did you major in history? Then Europa Universalis is the game for you but be careful because you may never set it down. Being a history buff, any game which allows me to conquer the world in the Age of Mercantilism is a dream come true so you can imagine how quickly I picked this one up. Actually, I started playing the series with the first game and if you're new to the entire Europa Universalis line, I recommend you begin with the sequel which doesn't add an incredible amount of new content but is a better play than the first game. Historically accurate rules and the ability to play any country from Spain to the Aztec Empire is what makes this game a classic. War isn't as simple and one-dimensional as a classic turn-based strategy game such as Civilization or popular real-time strategy game such as Age of Empires. While technically the game is real-time strategy (RTS), it really doesn't feel like it as it's a different approach from your typical RTS title. You can easily change the speed of the game by slowing down the progression of months and essentially turning the game into a turn-based strategy game which is the best and necessary way to play in most areas of the game. The game allows multiplayer and speaking of online communities, Europa Universalis may have one of the smartest PC gaming communities in existence. Check out the company's message boards for plenty of custom mods and in-depth history discussions. While you're at it, make sure to download any patches as well because the entire Europa Universalis line has a notorious reputation for buggy releases. This game takes plenty of time to master so don't expect to learn it in one day. To enjoy this game, you really need to know what type of gamer you are. While not as sophisticated as some of the lesser known harcore military strategy games, Europa Universalis does require plenty of patience and a passion for history and strategy.
 Great concept with some problems
Europa Universalis II is one of the most compelling strategy games for the PC to be released in the last decade. Its combination of economics, politics, and warfare provides a much richer experience than the typical build and conquer style strategy games.
Here are the high points:
* Large scale conquest is impractical and difficult. You won't find it easy to win the game by wiping out the competition. This means you actually have to think!
* The political system is rich and diverse, allowing you to actively make efforts to improve relations.
* The large number of nations makes realistic alliances possible.
* The economic system is simple enough to be playable, but diverse enough to be interesting.Here are some problems:
* The game is supposed to be historically accurate, but it defies this in two serious ways:
1.) The nature of exploration is unrealistic. Because all military units have an attrition rate that increases with time, you cannot send out long expeditions (making circumnavigation impossible). Also, you can't bring ships into a safe harbor in unknown lands to refresh the crew.
2.) When you discover the new world empires (Aztecs, etc.), they are treated exactly the same as the old world countries politically. This means you have to have a valid cause to attack them. In history, the cultures of the new world were exempted from the rules of war.
* The focus on history also limits your choices. As far as I can tell, you only get explorers (which allow you to move into uncharted map spaces) that correspond with actual famous explorers from the country you are playing. Some countries will therefore get a big advantage that others don't have. In conclusion, EU II is a good game with a lot of fresh ideas, but it has some limiting factors that can easily turn you off. It is worth a look if you are a thinking strategy fan, but is probably not a good choice if your interest in strategy is limited to traditional (War Craft style) real-time games. I found that, after playing this game for a while, I went back to Imperialism II, which is a much superior game.
Extremely fun when it works right --- get the patches
Paradox is now up to Patch 1.07 on Europa Universalis II, which can be interpreted two ways --- it means that Paradox is quite attentive to the needs of its customers, and responds to them. However, it also means that there are so many bugs in the game (and Paradox is justly infamous for extremely buggy games) that it has thus far required 7 patches. Trying to play the game without any patches? I wish you the best of luck. Save early & save often, and be prepared for frequent crashes. There was a point, after one crash too many, where I simply put the game away and refused to play it for many months. Also, without the patches, you will find that you cannot use your diplomatic strategies to their full extent. Assuming that you have updated the game with the 1.05, 1.06 or 1.07 patch, you will find an extremely fun and addictive strategy game. At first glance, one may be tempted to take a purely military approach and carve out a massive empire for yourself. However, you may then find yourself teetering on bankruptcy and facing continual revolts throughout your domain. You may also find the rest of the world suddenly ganging up on you. The option of hacking your way across the world generally will not bring success. Of course, this means that the game forces you to look at the picture --- managing a budget, allocating your resources, managing your domestic & religious policies, and wielding diplomacy as a weapon just as effective as your armies --- and that all adds up to a pretty steep learning curve. It will take more than a few tries before your national engine is firing on all cylinders. Paradox has a great forum, with a very active posting community. Just about any question you may have has been addressed on one forum or another. In theory, you can play a couple of hundred nations --- ranging from the major powers of Europe, the pipsqueak principalities of Europe (sometimes simply surviving is a victory in and of itself), or a 3rd world nation such as Mali, Dai Viet or Chimu. The reality is that this game is heavily Eurocentric. You can play a New World nation such as Cherokee & Creek, but you will lack the resources and wherewithal to make any significant improvements in technology. Centuries will whiz by as you stare at the same dozen provinces, with barely any improvements in technology. Then you will get the pleasure of watching the English, Spanish or French swoop in and gut you like a fish. If you aren't going to play Europe, stronger non-European nations such as Delhi and China will give you a fighting chance. Playing Persia, the Mameluks or the Ottomans will also give you the chance (possibly) of sweeping across Europe, leaving havoc in your wake. Few things provide more pleasure. The game is extremely open-ended. You can play the exact same nation a dozen different times. Random events and the sometimes unpredictable nature of the AI opponents guarantee that your game will unfold a dozen different ways. Obviously, this is not a game for the shoot-em-up crowd. The graphics are a minor part of the games (although the music is quite delightful --- the patches will add some new music), and the game's pace will prove frustrating to those yearning for a lot of action. However, as a strategy game, this has to be up towards the top. Just make sure the game is fairly up to do date, so that you can maximize the strategic possibilities.
| |
shopping cart
Enlarge View
