Diplomacy

 PC
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 23
  3. Negative: 6 out of 23
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  1. GamingTrend
    90
    The AI provides a solid challenge against players, and online battles could possibly take weeks at a time thanks to the ability to save multiplayer games and come back to them later. The armchair strategist in all of us can always use a challenge, and Diplomacy more than fits that bill.
  2. PC Gameworld
    86
    Diplomacy is a fun game that has finally been made into a fun PC game. Fans of the board game will love it, strategy fans will love it, and casual strategy gamers will enjoy it.
  3. GameZone
    85
    If you love playing tabletop-strategy board games, or strategy games in general then you will love Diplomacy. It offers hours upon hours of gameplay that will keep you entertained for months to come.
  5. Gaming Nexus
    83
    Fans of the boardgame, especially those unable to easily find opponents, will have a lot to like here. And while the single-player game lacks the punch of facing off against real people, it does allow players to hone their Diplomacy skills and take their game to the next level.
  6. Gaming Age
    83
    Paradox Interactive has made an extremely faithful recreation of the board game and its rules. Every rule, every detail is folowed to letter.
  7. Game Chronicles
    80
    Was the game perfect, no, but it did do a reasonable good job of transferring the material to a different medium.
  8. PC Gamer
    80
    Buy Diplomacy for its excellent single-player mode. That's a hard thing to say about a PC version of the world's greatest multiplayer game, but there you have it. [Holiday 2005, p.79]
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  9. Armchair Empire
    79
    For the deep-thinking gamer, Diplomacy fits the bill. It's definitely not without its faults, but fans of turn-based action will fully appreciate what Diplomacy has to offer.
  10. Worth Playing
    75
    It has a pretty steep learning curve, but in the end, it's worth it.
  11. netjak
    72
    Ultimately, Diplomacy is no fun at all when you are playing by yourself, but a bit better when playing with others over a network.
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  12. GamerFeed
    70
    The challenge is there, the rules have been correctly implemented, and things play rather well. However, part of the thrill in playing a board game that strongly involves negotiating with other players loses something when it is put into text format.
  13. My Gamer
    70
    In the heavily saturated strategy game market it is nice to see that someone can get back to the basics and make a game that is more about planning a strategy than memorizing hotkeys and map details.
  14. Adrenaline Vault
    70
    With the various methods of strategic growth, tactical conquest, and diplomatic gains, Diplomacy lives up to its table-bound namesake’s reputation. It is easy to learn, play, and master.
  15. Gamers' Temple
    67
    Diplomacy is best left to fans of the board game looking for a little nostalgic fun. Those who enjoy juggling multiple competing proposals while under the clock are also encouraged to apply.
  16. GameSpot
    51
    The latest attempt to translate the famous board game gets mired in some dubious design decisions and bad AI.
  17. IGN
    50
    The original board game is magnificent but even the strength of the basic design can't redeem the PC version's shoddy AI and thoroughly inconvenient multiplayer experience.
  18. Cheat Code Central
    50
    About the only way you'll get something out of this game is if you use it as a tutorial to learn how to play the real thing. Then get a copy of the real board game or download a free version from the internet and play via email with your friends or coworkers.
  19. Pelit (Finland)
    48
    A nice game at freeware standards, but for a full-price commercial game it is just a huge disappointment. [Jan 2006]
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  20. Eurogamer
    40
    If you are looking for a multiplayer version of the classic board-game you're almost certainly better-off going to community sites like www.diplom.org and exploring some of the free Play-By-EMail options (bewilderingly Paradox have chosen not to include a PBEM or a hot-seat mode).
  21. Computer Games Magazine
    40
    With artificial intelligence as unintelligent as it is, the pure thrill of Diplomacy is untranslatable to the computer. [Jan 2006, p.46]
    All this publication's reviews
  22. 1UP
    30
    The A.I. will almost never actually honor deals and will backstab potential allies willy-nilly. This means that A.I. nations can never actually cooperate effectively. The A.I. also has no real tactical or strategic sense.
  23. Computer Gaming World
    20
    Besides a game-killing lack of a chat function, Diplomacy's negotiation interface makes it impossible to propose long-term deals, except for the all-encompassing "permanent alliance."
  24. GameSpy
    10
    How a respected strategy developer like Paradox could've produced a game so broken, cryptic, and unfaithful to the franchise is a mystery. And why Hasbro, who owns the Avalon Hill properties, approved it is beyond explanation.

Awards & Rankings

60
#60 Most Shared PC Game of 2005

User Reviews

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User Score
4.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 13
  3. Negative: 7 out of 13
  1. smijatov
    Aug 21, 2011
    0
    There was nothing really exciting about this game. It was a total waste of money. I was severely disappointed with Paradox on this one. TheThere was nothing really exciting about this game. It was a total waste of money. I was severely disappointed with Paradox on this one. The only time I did not like one of their games!… Full Review »
  2. iseeall
    Dec 10, 2015
    5
    Diplomacy is a great board game but this PC implementation is not so good. Giving orders and coordinating actions with allies is clumsy. TheDiplomacy is a great board game but this PC implementation is not so good. Giving orders and coordinating actions with allies is clumsy. The reactions of AI players lack explanations. When the turn is resolved the "talking heads" show emotions and ahs and ohs but it's not clear why. Since it's hard to find other players online, you can try playing vs the AI but since the UI is clumsy you will end up playing without any diplomacy, as if it were a simple combat-only strategy game (like Risk or similar). So, when the whole diplomacy thing is cut off you are left with just 2 types of units (infantry and ships) which don't have very interesting interactions. I'm not sure this game could even work well on computer because in single player it loses its meaning and for multiplayer there must be a constantly active and large online community (which, as other games show, won't exist for long after game release unless it's something constantly updated like an MMORPG).… Full Review »
  3. >[Anonymous]
    Nov 25, 2005
    4
    I want to like it, but it just is too slow and I feel like I am playing a French game in that it is unnecessarily complex. It takes forever I want to like it, but it just is too slow and I feel like I am playing a French game in that it is unnecessarily complex. It takes forever to tie in the moves I want and then I hate the avatars which pop up and go "ahh" in rapid fire when I have no clue what they are moaning about since I had half a second to see the move that upset them. The game seems "distant"...it lacks character and seems like a cheap Hoyle card game (with less charisma) or one of those Adventure Company games with cheap production values. I really expected a wilder and more free feeling game. This game really should of just gone with an English language based gameplay where you don't have to guess at symbols and you can actually communicate with players and strike up "outside the box" gameplans so you can exercise your devious ideas. Now the game isn't all bad...it works, and you can play it, and once you get the hang of it you could probably enjoy it more online...but it doesn't feel fun. I think it's time we give up on Diplomacy as a computer game, but maybe take the spirit of it and try to implement it in a new way and in a new game.… Full Review »
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