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

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Customer Reviews of Europa Universalis

It is an example that small software companies can produce some extraordinary works sometimes. And, undoubtedly, this game can become the one to beat in its category for months to come.

If Europa Universalis has a flaw, it is because of its depth. Thanks to the skin-deep plots and gameplays that offered by most of the other real-time strategy games, most of the gamers, I believe, have adapted to the typical way to victory -- building huge army and upgrading to new technologies as soon as possible. This is not going to work as an efficient way of beating the game in this case. So many times, when I thought that with the number of the armies that I had, I could conquer a neighboring province with ease, however, it turned out that either domestic unrest or the mightier enemy force combined allies would crush my ambition. At last, I came to the realization that I am dealing with a game that emphasizes on more than just military supremacy.

And, there comes the beauty of diplomacy when I started to look deeper into this game. I have always loved games with historical backgrounds but no others have provided more than Europa Universalis. The diplomacy element in this game has worked magics. It does not only add more strategic depth and replay value but a whole lot of "real-life" feels. Let us be rational. The best way to climb to the top is not to do it with just blunt aggression but also with some wits and tricks. At last, we have a game that would not require us to kill all others to win at the end. A civilized game that is.

No other games integrates historical elements more tightly than Europa Universalis, either. What is said in our history textbooks would happen in the game. We would play the man/woman behind the emperors like Elizabeth and Louis XIII. Puppeteer is the word, if you like. It is as if we have gone back in time and tried to rewrite the history already knowing all the major events and having to plot along and gain the most advantages out of them.

Another beauty found in this game would be its flexibility in decision making. To colonize or to just merely trade? To use aggression on the locals or to make peace? Almost nothing would restrict us from making the decision we really want to make. To be an ultra-aggressive imperialist or rich-seeking trader, the choice is always ours.

A review would not give a picture of all the extraordinary elements in this game. It is just like a beautiful movie. You just have to see it for yourself. To me, the diplomatic part of this game alone would have already lured me into hours of playing. With other elements like nationalism, religions, and military operations, I deeply believe Europa Universalis is equipped with all the tools to make it to the top.

If it does not, that is because it is not published by Microsoft.

One of the best historical strategy games out there!
Do you remember Sid Meier's Colonization? Well, take that game and add about twenty times more depth and you have Europa Universalis. Based on a board game that I never played, but still managed to utterly enjoy the computer version. As a matter of fact, this is one of those games that gains so much attention, before you know it, you're playing til 3 A.M. (Computer game fans know what I'm talking about.)

The game covers the entire world from 1492-1792. There are many scenarios available: a grand campaign that covers all 300 years, the Thirty Years War, fantasy "What If?" historical scenarios and many others. Even better, many fans of the game have designed other scenarios which you can download off the internet at fan sites. These scenarios go to extra lengths and add periods such as the Roman Empire.

In the normal game version, all empires from the period of 1492-1792 are represented. While you can't play all of them, you do have a chance to play any significant empire such as Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Russia, England, Scottland and many more. Your goal is to earn the most points by completing missions given by your monarch, winning wars, starting new trading posts around the world and other elements of the game. The system of rules is very indepth and requires many hours of gameplay before you feel confident with the game's layout.

The only complaint I have about the game is that it was full of bugs when released and is currently on its eight patch I believe. While most problems have been taken care of, it's still hard to play online mulitplayer games with more than 6 players. Also, the instruction manual has not been organized efficiently considering its close to 100 pages. There is no table of contents or index which would be a good idea considering there are so many rules that until you become familiar with the game, it would help to have an easy system to look up particular rules.

Still - considering some of the flaws, this game has single-handedly ruined my social life. :) A brave attempt for historical/war strategy games because not many software companies put this much detail into their games. A fun game that is guaranteed to last you quite awhile.

A Strategy Game for History Buffs
Conquering the world is a popular objective for strategy games, but in Europa Universalis, that is not necessarily the goal.

In EU's Grand Campaign, the biggest scenario from about a dozen you can choose from, you are in control of a number of European nations at the beginning of the 1400s. It is your job to lead the nation to a glorious future through exploration, diplomacy, trade, research, and good old-fashioned conquest. Your empire begins small, anywhere from a half dozen territories as Austria to twenty plus as France. In EU, not all nations are created equally. Some have very distinct advantages at the beginning of the game. However, even if you begin with a small nation, you don't have to conquer as many territories or make as much money as you would if you were a larger nation to win. The game uses a point system. You achieve victory points by completing missions, such as defending territories, discovering parts of the world, or conquering certain enemies. You have two hundred years to score as many points as you can to win.

EU is a very involved historical simulation. While you steer the fate of a nation and the world around you develops differently every time, there are many historical events that come up at more or less the same time that affect the entire European continent and add a historical flavor to the game.

The game is a good mix of diplomacy, combat, discovery and exploration. You can discover much of the world, though it is disappointing that many portions of it remain unexplorable, like much of Asia as well as central Africa and central South America. Combat is not very involved. You tell your armies where to go, and if there is an enemy army there, battle rages on and both sides take casualties until one side retreats or is destroyed. However, in order for your army to perform optimally, you need to think about things like the terrain of the territory, the composition of your army (infantry, cavalry, and artillery), the quality of your leader, etc. The system is fairly simple but effective.

Overall, EU is a great strategy game. It is a combination of a real time and a turn based game. The days run by at intervals that you can set to however fast or slow a speed you like. It is historically based, has fairly intelligent AI, and most importantly is good fun. On the down side, the manual is more of an explanation of why the game plays the way it does rather than an explanation of how to play, but the controls are fairly easy to figure out, so this is not a big deal.