Ancient War vs Europa Universalis II
Ancient War
Ancient War is a brand-new MMO RPG/strategy game that you can play for free directly on Facebook. In this game, you will need to choose one of 3 factions to join, namely Thebes, Athens or Sparta, before setting off to develop your city-state, recruit legendary heroes and their associated battalions, and take on your enemies.The gameplay here is pretty generic in many ways, but there are a couple features that stand out although they are not entirely unique. One such feature is the world map. Unlike many other games within the same genre, the world map feels a lot more real and alive as you can see the boundaries of each faction being drawn and re-drawn as players of the same faction work together to conquer other faction's city-states.
Another feature is the faction hierarchy. Each faction is governed by the players themselves and only the strongest players will be able to climb the ranks and assume one of the 4 important positions in the hierarchy. If you are the best of the lot, you can even be appointed King.
Ancient War isn't exactly a refreshingly unique browser MMO game, but it is not your run-of-the-mill game either. The gameplay is quite decent and the epic Greek-theme that it has may appeal to you as well.
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.