Europa Universalis vs Ultima Online
Europa Universalis
Europa Universalis is a historical real-time grand strategy game that includes all aspects of world history in the Early Modern Europe era, a period of time between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Due to the game's meticulous need to be accurate in its historical accounts (period monarchs, known military leaders, and technological advancements), the game can, in some way, be doubled as an educational game since you can learn quite a lot simply by playing it.That said, the gameplay in Europa Universalis is just incredible for its time. The game is played on a huge world map that is divided into around 1,500 provinces where you can literally govern your nation the way you like. You can get involved in your nation's colonization efforts, explore new lands, trade with neighboring countries, wage war when they renegade on that very trade deal, spread the religion you've adopted far and wide, and of course, navigate the tricky political waters of diplomacy.
Not to mention, instead of using a turn-based format, the game has opted for a pauseable real-time format, so you can pause the game, issues orders and plan out strategies, before unpausing the game and let the world events play out. There are even tons of historically-based missions and events which may affect the world based on your actions and decisions.
When it comes to grand strategy games, there are only a handful that truly embodies the genre, and obviously, Europa Universalis is one of them. However, being the original game in the franchise, the graphics might be a bit worn for wear, but if you don't really mind, you can definitely pick this game up from GoG.com.
Ultima Online
Ultima Online is one of the most legendary MMORPGs of all time. In fact, if you were to trace the entire MMORPG genre back to a single game, then you’d probably end up at Ultima Online. Being one of the longest running MMOs has its fair share of perks - a ton of updates to keep the gameplay fresh as well as a solid and loyal player base, and of course, downsides... there is only so much of the game they can update and graphics is, unfortunately, not one of them. That's actually great in some way since the game still retains its classic looks and charm.Ultima Online is a massive game and as you might expect, you can spend years in the game and still be pleasantly surprised to discover new parts of the game that you may not have known before. Aside from exploring the land, you can even set sail on your very own ship and make your mark at the seas as well. Character building is equally as impressive here mainly because you are free to mix and match over 50 different skills to come up with a build you feel comfortable with. However, if you're looking for a casual PvP experience, you won't find it here since your stuff can be looted by your opponent if you were defeated in combat.
As amazing as it is, Ultima Online is not a free-to-play game. That said, the game does offer a 14-day trial for players who would like to try the game out and who knows? You might just end up paying for the game for the sake of being able to fully experience the "founder" of modern-day MMOs.