Europa Universalis: Rome vs Stronghold
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.
Stronghold
Stronghold is the original castle simulation game and it's not shy to let you know about it. Back when it first came out, the game was incredibly popular among fans of the real-time strategy genre and it is pretty obvious to why. The game not only let you build and design your own castle in its combat-free economic campaign; you also get to engage in medieval warfare against AI enemies in the game's single player campaigns or against up to 8 other players via the multiplayer mode online. You can even besiege actual historical castles, set up typical catle defenses to stump invaders and make sure your people are well-taken care of.Stronghold is a classic when it comes to castle sims. In fact, until today, there still isn't any game that managed to achieve a similar depth in terms of its gameplay. If you love castle-building and real-time strategy, this is a game you'll most certainly enjoy. Do give it a try!