Age of Empires II vs Europa Universalis: Rome
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: Rome
Europa Universalis: Rome brings players back to the ancient ages where Roman, Celtic, Greek, Egyptian and six other civilizations reigned dominant across the game's 53 different factions. Set in between the years 280 B.C. and 27 B.C, you'll get to not only rule but also guide the growth of your very own nation from being a fledgling into a country that the world will need to reckon with (if there are any nations left that you have yet to conquer or brought under your rule). The game retained much of what made the Europa Universalis franchise such as a success, including beautifully deisgned 3D topological maps, historically-accurate figure and events, as well as an insanely in-depth political landscape where you can forge an alliance as easily as you break one.There are also plenty of exciting changes and new features in this installment though. The important characters in the governance of your nation, for example, will develop new traits on their own through their interactions with other people in the game, much like how a human would, giving the game more of a challenge due to all the unpredictability. The military AI used here has been completely revised as well. In addition to the usual 32-player co-op, you can now play competitively against other players... up to 32 of them!
Europa Universalis: Rome is a decade old and as such, you may need to tap into some of the mods made by the game's community to help bring the game to a new level. That said, it's still a really good buy at the current discounted price and if you're a fan of grand strategy games, you should definitely get this one.