Age of Empires III vs Europa Universalis II
Age of Empires III
Age of Empires III is a great third installment to the classic, award-winning, real-time strategy franchise, Age of Empires. The game offers three seperate campaigns that will bring you on a journey from the European continent to the nations in the East. The game even has a multiplayer mode where you can play against or with players from all around the world.Age of Empires III (or any of the AoE franchise) is the sort of game that will make you lose track of time when you play. The gameplay is also quite challenging regardless of whether you're playing with a Hard AI or another human being. So, if you get the chance, you should really give this game a try. The game's a classic after all!
Europa Universalis II
Europa Universalis II is what many have deemed as the best sequel to Europa Universalis. Set during the period where the hundred-year war occured, you'll need to lead your country's expansion and guide the growth of its domestic and foreign policies, while engaging in religious battles and sending expeditions to beat the competition and claim large swathes of the new world. Similar to the original game, you'll get to, depending on your decisions, interact with historical figures and momentous events (some of which though are special, random events).However, this time around, the game has a revamped and frankly much improved system for diplomacy, trade, military and overall country development. You can even demand tribute or knock out deals in order to make peace with a foreign nation. As religion is often the cause of war, this aspect has been greatly expanded in Europa Universalis II, requiring you to actually deal with cultural differences between nations of different religions.
In some way, Europa Universalis II managed to not only build on the game design used in the first game; it has also introduced a series of new features of its own. This is exactly why the game has gotten critical acclaimation from both fans and critics alike back when it was first released. So, if you love grand strategy games, you'll want to check this game out.