Crusader Kings III vs Europa Universalis II
Crusader Kings III
Crusader Kings III is Paradox Interactive’s latest entry in the popular medieval strategy saga. You’ll step into the shoes of a medieval ruler of your choice and run your domains as you see fit. Spanning across three continents and two eras, you’ll have a massive roster of historical rulers to choose from, including William of Normandy, Bjorn Ironside, Basil I, and Almos Arpad.As a count, duke, king, or emperor, you’ll try to navigate around the intrigue on your court, placating or subduing unruly vassals and external enemies jeopardizing your authority. Your realm needs attention, which is why it’s a must to secure funds to strengthen your holdings’ walls, build farms, and construct wonders. Plus, you can cement alliances with your neighbors by organizing political marriages while engineering your dynasty’s traits. After all, you’d want your descendants to be superhuman geniuses. If diplomacy fails, you can always wage wars, but first, you need to raise levies and men-at-arms that can change the tide of battle in your favor.
Crusader Kings III is a deep medieval dynasty simulator. It’s an open-ended strategy game where you can decide the fate of your dynasty. Will you bring your family prestige and lead it to the thrones of Europe and the entire world, or to its downfall? Your actions will decide your fate, but remember, real strategy requires cunning.
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.