Europa Universalis vs Total War: Attila
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.
Total War: Attila
Total War: Attila is relatively new addition to the Total War franchise that is set in the great steppes of the East where a warrior king is rallying up a massive army that would sweep across continents, burning cities as they go. In this game, you play as the commander of western Roman empire whose territories are coming under attack from both outside and inside. Starting with vast swathes of land, your hold over what's left of a crumbling Roman empire will gradually become a struggle for your very survive.This game has similar and iconic mechanics to most Total War games, but there are some important changes made, such as a reworked politcal system, family tree, civic management and technological progression. There are a few significant additions as well, including the incredibly strategic Raze option, allowing you to use the power of fire to terrify defenders or utterly scour entire villages or cities from the face of the Earth. Best yet, Total War: Attila can even serve as some form of educational game as every detail in the game are meticulously recreated based on actual historical documents and references.
Of course, let's not forget to point out how gorgeous the graphics and how realistic everything look and feel in Total War: Attila. It's just incredibly immersive and who know, you might even learn a thing or two about world history!