Europa Universalis IV vs The Third Age
Europa Universalis IV
Europa Universalis IV is the fourth game in the award-winning Europa Universalis franchise. Similar to its predecessors, the game has everything you'd need to build your own nation from the ground up and guide it through the ages. The freedom in which you get to customize your giverning style, your nation and even your game is simply ridiculous (in a good way) and of course, the best selling point of this series is that almost everything is based on accurate historical references, be it a historical figure or an event. This time around you'll get to grow your nation over a much wider span of history, arrange royal marriages, form coalitions, support rebels in proxy wars and more. You can even cooperate with up to 32 different players to govern a single nation. The multiplayer mode apparently now has an improved chat and a new matchmaking system.Unfortunately, the major downside about this game is that the developers, Paradox Interactive, have apparently "sold-out" by adding in features that should have been in the original game into DLCs that players actually have to pay extra for, ending up spending over $200 for just a single game. Not to mention, many players have complained that the DLCs they release are priced at the same price point despite having progressively lower amount of content.
That said, the game is still an epic masterpiece and a worthy sequel to the Europa Universalis series, but the game's hardcore player base is admittedly not happy, and honestly, we wouldn't recommend getting this game unless you can get all of the DLCs dirt cheap... maybe like in a bundle.
The Third Age
The Third Age is a pretty typical MMO strategy game that uses a more modern gameplay formula, allowing for more real-time interactions between warring factions, and hence, players. Set in a world that was taken over by the Demon King, it is now up to you, the fabled lord who will finally bring an end to his evil reign, but first, you’ll need to gather up an army!Overall, The Third Age is a pretty decent browser-based MMO strategy game with a much more interactive world map and casual-like gameplay due to auto-combat, despite its generic storyline. Progress can be a bit slow once you hit level 3 Castle, however, so the game may end up becoming one of those more casual MMO games whereby logging in once or twice a day is enough.