Cheap Europa Universalis 2 (Software) (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me) Price

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Customer Reviews of Europa Universalis 2

This game is complex, layers upon layers. It refuses to insult the intelligence of its audience. It expects you to make choices, in real time, like a monarch would. But don't let that scare you if you're used to Turn-Based. This is NOT a click-fest. Plus you can pause the game whenever you desire and still give most orders.

The game is incredibly customizable. With literally over 100 playable nations. Be warned, each starts in its 1419 historical position. So if you line up between two heavyweights as a weak nation, you need to be a strong player. Also every nation has its own event and monarch file, with historical events and historical monarchs (or suitable ahistorical if you manage to play a nation that disappeared historically for longer than it really existed--like say the Byzantine Empire or Burgundy).

Also, the Paradox forums is simply put, the most helpful gaming forum that one could ever be part of. With developers who actually listen to their players.

If you like deep, complex simulation games. This is your ticket. No two games will ever play the same. Virtually infinite replayability, scenarios, different nations, and different event choices can change a game readically from one time to the next, even if you always play the same nation. Play different nations, and you're guaranteed radically different experiences.

If you think games like Civ are just too darn easy and want a REAL chance to build an empire. Here it is. But don't say you haven't been warned. You'll never get it off your hard drive either.

A huge game and strangely addictive.
In 1691, after seventy years, five wars, countless spent ducats, three failed alliances, and the loss of tens of thousands of men, I finally managed to force Poland, the power of eastern Europe, to cede to me Danzig- its port city, its center of trade, and its most valuable province. After decades of frustration, I finally had land access between Brandenburg, my captital, and Prussia, my heartland. There is much rejoicing throughout the realm of Brandenburg.

EU2 is a unique game in that there are so many different ways to play it. Play a major power like Spain and you'll gobble up the Incas and Aztecs in nothing flat- although expect to suffer from revolts. Play a small to mid sized power like Brandenburg and you'll have to pick your wars with care and learn that trying to take a heavily fortified and valuable province from a major power is not an easy thing. Every country has its own unique situation and thus its own playing style. And there are literally over a hundred different playable nations.

EU II is also a complex game. In fact, it's one of the few PC games that actually requires a careful reading of the manual, as well as playing the tutorial scenarios, just to understand the basics of the game. There is alot going on "underneath the hood" in this game. EU II features some of the most complex economic and diplomatic models ever seen in a PC game. The complexity of EU II is both a strength and a weakness in that gameplay rewards careful thought, but also frustrates and intimidates newcomers.

The AI does fairly well considering the open ended nature and sheer size of the game. The AI does get several advantages over human players, such as not suffering from naval attrition, which means it can keep its fleets and explorers at sea indefinetly. Some may object to allowing such an AI "cheat," but concessions must be allowed in order to have the AI to have a chance in such a massive game. Besides the AI still makes all sorts of dumb mistakes, and its lack of aggressiveness against even weak human nations means that a competent player will rarely be eliminated from the game.

This is a strangely addictive game game in that occassionally the player will literally just sit watching the game clock's days and months go by, doing nothing, and yet not get bored. This is especially true of the small and mid-sized powers who have limited income and thus must wait around alot for Jan. 1st on which the player gets his revenues. Wars are fun, but a smart player will try to make them brief because if a country is at war too long his citizens will rebel due to war exhaustion. Also, you have to be careful about what provinces you conquer because if your religion and culture are at odds with those of that province then expect to be annoyed by constant revolts.

EU II is highly impressive. It's sheer size and variety are pretty hard to beat for a strategy game. I cannot say it will appeal to everyone- its complexity, size, abstract handling of combat (the player has no tactical control of his troops), and slow pace of play can be offputting to many people. However, for fans of grand historical strategy games EU2 should be of some interest.

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.