Europa Universalis IV

1. Orctownorc

   Aug 13, 2013

   10

   WOW! For about ten years Paradox Development have been a small team of nice guys working hard to give us good games and mostly failing. TheirWOW! For about ten years Paradox Development have been a small team of nice guys working hard to give us good games and mostly failing. Their games have been for the most part tedious, pretentious and ugly, with cluttered mechanisms, and hideous micromanagement. Most of the Paradox efforts suffered from terrible tutorials and ridiculous learning curved that discouraged any vaguely casual gamers. But beyond inaccessibility, the games were finally not that good, because even when you figured out the mechanisms they were still too MECHANICAL: not even really worth learning in the end because they were all variations of a sausage machine. However something miraculous happened with Crusaders Kings 2, and echoes of the good things we saw in earlier games (Hearts of Iron 2) reappeared: Better looking graphics. Simpler, yet DEEPER gameplay. The machine kept churning away but Paradox learned to save us from the worst of it, and the gameplay began to blossom. Europa Universalis IV seems to demonstrate that Paradox has really turned the corner. The game is beautiful. Gameplay is fluid. The depth and complication is welcome, but it has been softened with a more thoughtful and gaming friendly structure! GREAT WORK PARADOX! Good things take time, and your grand ambitions are finally bearing fruit. I'm very excited about where this will lead with the Hearts of Iron series, because all the design wisdom that we can see in CK2 and EU4 is leading in the absolute correct direction. If you love strategy gaming please go and buy this game and support this developer! This is a FAR, FAR superior game to Civilizations 1-5 as well as anything put out by Creative Assembly. It's been a long wait but worth it. Can't wait to see what we get when the final few pieces of the game design puzzle fall into place. If they get the budget to build something with a more solid multiplayer experience we will see the PERFECT game.… Expand

   • 83 of 105 users found this helpful
2. Skogen21

   Oct 30, 2022

   10

   EU4 is an incredible strategy game from Paradox interactive. The most accurate description is probably "a sandbox of alternative historyEU4 is an incredible strategy game from Paradox interactive. The most accurate description is probably "a sandbox of alternative history taking place in the Modern Age" (from the fall of Constantinople to the end of the Napoleonic Wars). You can choose any existing country from around the world and lead them in your preferred direction. Establish powerful alliances, conquer new territories, colonize unknown areas, trade with precious commodities, become a pirate state, play politics in HRE and many others. For me personally, this is an essential game that has had a strong impact on me, one of the best I've played in my life. That's why I rate it 10/10.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
4. georgio

   Oct 13, 2013

   10

   After seeing this game several times on Steam and passing it I finally decided to give it a try thanks to user reviews here on Metacritic. AndAfter seeing this game several times on Steam and passing it I finally decided to give it a try thanks to user reviews here on Metacritic. And I was not prepared for what was coming.
   
   This game is a pure blast! I've put 40 hours so far into the game only playing tutorials and my first playthrough as Ireland and what a ride it was. I am nowhere near the end, but I can say that this game is amazing! As a fan of grand strategy games who played them since the very first Civilization and through all Total War games I have to say that EU IV one is the best one so far. They just got it right. Diplomacy, research, warfare, trade, rebellions, religion, colonization it is all very well balanced mix that not fits together incredibly well from the gameplay point of view but also from the historical perspective. Even though the game is a sandbox it is so well balanced that you see many historical events occurring even if they are not really scripted like Rise & Fall mod for Civilization IV.
   
   Additionally there are so many aspects of the game that I did not even approached in my first playthrough where I focused on exploring new world that promise a lot of replay value a thing very scarce these days. Do you wish to play as part of Holy Roman Empire and unite it under one umbrella to become a dominant power as Germany? Check. Or do you wish to be spearheading counter-reformation that is threatening the stability of Europe? Or do you want to play as one of the less advanced civilizations and wage a fight for your very existence? Check and check. There are endless opportunities and all of them real and well thought off.
   
   On the top of all of it I did not encounter a single bug or any other issue. The gameplay is smooth and in spite of so many people criticizing the user interface I find it very useful the end game management of dozens of provinces which was always a chore to do with other games is breeze in this game. It lets the game keep holding you from the beginning to the end so that you do not want to go to sleep because you just want to win this battle or set up the trade in that node.
   
   For me this is the game of the year and it is something that many people may have expected Rome Total War. That it was Paradox interactive, a company that I admire for other great titles such as Mount&Blade, who achieved this is surprising but also refreshing. That I support such a good gaming company by purchasing this superb game is just an icing on the already incredibly tasty cake.Do not wait and if you ever liked any of the grand strategy title go and buy EU IV. It is a must have for any even remote grand strategy fan because this is how such a game should look like.… Expand

   • 3 of 6 users found this helpful
5. RagingPoet

   Aug 6, 2018

   9

   Europa Universalis 4 is absolutely gigantic strategy game and it hits the balance between depth and accessibility just right.

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. Natorules

   Feb 26, 2018

   9

   I'm playing through this game currently with a friend and it is an absolute joy to play! Despite having massive difficulties learning otherI'm playing through this game currently with a friend and it is an absolute joy to play! Despite having massive difficulties learning other Grand Strategy Games such as HOI3, I was able to very easily learn the base mechanics of the game. However, despite easily learning the base mechanics the systems go far deeper than they appear.
   
   Despite my generally positive experience there are a few issues with the game, namely Paradox's DLC policy. I currently don't own any of the DLC however, due to the high price and extensive nature of the DLC I don't plan on buying any either. As well as this a decent amount of relatively basic content (e.g. manual improvement of provinces) is locked behind this incredulous pay wall.
   
   Even though this DLC policy is ridiculous I personally believe you don't need the DLC to have an extremely enjoyable time while playing the game. (Especially for a history geek like myself!) I do personally believe that this game is best suited to play with friends and if possible would recommend that you buy this game in tandem with a friend!… Expand

   • 2 of 2 users found this helpful
7. 68Camaro

   Dec 16, 2013

   8

   Great game. Very addicting. A few minor quarks but every game has them. Paradox is getting better and better over time though. In a fewGreat game. Very addicting. A few minor quarks but every game has them. Paradox is getting better and better over time though. In a few years, I bet I have all their major titles, instead of just Hearts and Europa.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
8. Dickm4n

   Jun 9, 2020

   0

   The unbalanced countries / dynasties make multiplayer impossible. The graphic is just below average. Didn't feel entertained while playing,The unbalanced countries / dynasties make multiplayer impossible. The graphic is just below average. Didn't feel entertained while playing, nor was I educated in history.… Expand

   • 0 of 8 users found this helpful

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