Age of Empires II vs Europa Universalis
Age of Empires II
Age of Empires II is, despite being a sequel, a classic real-time strategy game from the crtically-accalaimed game franchise, Age of Empires. The graphics in the game has been reworked to pull it up to level with modern graphics, but the content of the game is essentially the game. Choose one of 18 unique civilizations to play with and dominate the map by eliminating your enemies or by other means, depending on the goals of the match. You can even play the game with other players from all around the world on Steam via the game's multiplayer mode.If you enjoy classic real-time strategy, Age of Empires II is a game you wouldn't want to miss. It may not be the original "first" game, but since the revamped Age of Empires 1 has yet to arrive (1 more month to go), you might as well brush up on your skills by playing the sequel first!
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.
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