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OK... Pick your jaw up off the floor...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 38 / 43
Date: March 21, 2001
Author: Amazon User

... which is what you'll be telling yourself once you've opened the box and taken a look around in the manual. Let's leave the gameplay out of it for just a moment.

A NOTE TO GAMING COMPANIES: Take lessons from Paradox in how to write a manual. I don't think I've ever read a manual all the way through before playing the game before I bought EU. After EU I can't say that anymore. Yes, maybe it's a little light on explanation, but it is RICH in history and ambience. In my opinion, the people who are thinking about buying this game are history buffs in the first place, so writing a manual rich in historical background and atmosphere was a perfect complement to the game.

**Deep breath** All right... now about the gameplay. I have been an RPG/Strategy/Sim player since Zork and pre-Sid Meier, and in those years I have NEVER seen a game with this much depth. Pointing out only one aspect of it is to do injustice to the rest, but if I were to sit here and comment on everything in the game this review would be Tolstoy.

So... let me just comment on the diplomacy model. So, you want your country to be Protestant? Waitaminit... you have an alliance with Spain and Navarre (both Catholic) that has kept your fat out of the fire for years with France. Count them out of your group of friends. As a matter of fact, they may just take it upon themselves to cleanse your country of the Protestant "taint." Guess you'd better make nice with France, Savoy and Venice, all of whom are allied with each other and have been waiting for the right time to strike.

So, you're England and you have to deal with the "Scottish problem." Do you just go in and burn them out? Careful... they have powerful allies who will go to war with you if you do. In other games you had to suck it up and either let them live or bear the brunt of continued attacks from their allies. In EU if you have a peaceful bent (and patience) you can gradually pacify Scotland with a policy of honey rather than blood. Give them a few State Gifts, invite them to marry into the English Royal Family. Wait a while and invite them into a military alliance with you. Wait a little longer and make them a vassal of England. Wait still longer and eventually you can annex them into England. Voila! Scotland is now fully yours (or, more accurately, a part of England) without ever firing a shot (or ruining your reputation with other countries).

You see where I am going with this. I look back and see that I've written a lot. Friends, this is just the tip of a large iceberg. Very large. Titanic-sinker large. Buy this game. Buy a lot of Mountain Dew and Doritos. Buy your wife/husband some flowers and your kids some candy to pacify them, because once you buy this game you're going to be gone for a very, very long time.

A New Standard for Strategy Games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 34 / 37
Date: May 16, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Though Europa Universalis is a Real Time Strategy game I hesitate to refer to it as that since that term may bring to mind unpleasant memories of the whole Warcraft-Age of Empires-Command & Conquer franchise. EU transcends all of these in terms of realism, scope, and diversity of strategy options (it is NOT just a war game).

For me the ideal strategy game has 1) scope - it doesn't limit the level of your development. You can advance just as far as your imagination and ability allow. Consequently I hate map edges. I think the first thing that grabbed me about EU was that is played throughout the whole world, on every (habitable) continent and with over 800 colonizable provinces.

An ideal strategy game also is realistic, meaning that it has as few abstractions as possible. For example, in EU there are more economic goods than just gold/stone/wood (to name one example). In fact each province has its own commodity and the relative value of that will differ in the game depending on its rarity and the demand for it in the various markets that it is dealt in.

EU is also very historically realistic. You play during the age of exploration and enlightenment (1492-1792) and the game designers have done a superb job of setting up the political situation to mirror Europe in the early modern period. There are dozens of nations (even small ones like the German principalities) and you have the possibility of complex diplomatic relations with each of them, even to the point of vassalizing or politically annexing smaller nations. Furthermore, exploration is a major component of the game. and many provinces are inhabited only by a handful of natives that can be easily subdued and incorprated into your grand Empire. These options of diplomacy and exploration provide more ways to succeed in the game than just pure conquest.

Religion is also a major element in the game. At the beginning there are two Christian options (Catholic or Orthodox) and two Muslim options (Sunni or Shiite). Of course once the 1520's roll around Protestantism becomes an option, and many of the German and Scandanavian states will make the same switch that they did historially. Wait a few years and you can become a Reformed follower of John Calvin. These religious changes greatly affect the diplomatic dynamics of Europe and spark numerous rebellions and religious wars. In the midst of this tumult new nations may even emerge (the secession of the Netherlands from Spain is a historic event that typically occurs at some point during the game).

A final aspect that makes this a great game is that it can be played multiple times and still be fresh. You have the option of playing any of the major nations (England, France, Spain, Turkey, Russia, Austria, Poland, or Portugal) and each is presented with a very unique situation. (If you want to play any of the minor nations simply download the free patch from the EU website.) In addition, there are several smaller scenarios focused on particular historical events that can be played.

Europa Universalis is everything that I've been wanting in a strategy game. All that I could ask is that it wouldn't end so soon. 300 years sure flies by when you're having fun! :-)

The Benchmark for True Real Time Strategy Games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 30 / 32
Date: June 26, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I am a senior gamer who has been playing computer games since they were only available on mainframes at universities. Europa Universalis is the first true real time strategy game I have seen short of major simulations on large scale systems. It is not a hack and slash you way across the world game and for those who are looking for that, they will not find it in EU. It is rather a game that makes you think in the way leaders had to think during the time period 1492 to 1792. Too much agression earns you the animosity of all your neighbors. Fight too many wars in Europe and you will find everyone attcking you at once. A very realistic and controlling factor. This game is far more dependent on an excellent diplomatic and trading model and the need to develop economically and expand ones colonial base. Another nice thing about this game is that each country plays very differently depending on its location and cultural setting. England and Austria once use very different strategies to achieve success. Widely available add ons any country on the map can be played and province resources can be randomized once you have learned learned where everything is. With these, this game offers infinite variety and long term playability.

As a note of reality, the graphics are not state of the art, but they are fully functional and, linked with a fantastic and flexible interface, make a complex game very playable. Nearly everything in the game is explained with a pop up when you hover the pointer over something for a while and most things yeild more information or options with a right click. The manual is more indepth than most these days and explains most of the mechanics quite well. It does suffer from a lack of an index or a table of contents. One is available however on the company sponsered on-line forum. Finally, honesty requires acknowleging that the sound is terrible. The music is uninspired and repetitive even for a classical music fan and the sound effects range from irritating to truely awful but are essential to keeping track of everything that is going on. This is not sufficient however to detract from what is a truely great game.

Most so called strategy games available are just "gather your resources and throw your armises at the enemy" look alikes that have absolutely nothing to do with strategy. This is a true global strategy game where managing your trading relations, developing sound diplomatic relations, exploring and settling new lands and very judicious use of your military force are all necessary for success. If you are a history buff or if you want a game that really forces you to think about what you are doing this is the game for you. As a side benefit it has one of the best, most inteligent on line communities I have ever encountered. Who are constantly developing new history based or alternative history senarios. The only problem with this game is once you get started, you may never eat or sleep again.

Great game but...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 26 / 31
Date: April 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is a great piece of strategy gaming, but it's been overhyped. It is not as deep as the manual and some reviews would suggest -- for example, each province can have only one major improvement, technology tree is too linear, and armies and navy have only three types of units. Having said that I must admit that the game has set a new standard for both real-time and turn-based strategy games. Its strongest point is the realistic depiction of historical change. Its emphasis on stability, diplomacy, and economics over war and exploration is a fresh and welcome change of paradigm in the world of computer strategy games. The idea of earning points for different tasks would also be a good one if and only if the feature actually worked. This points to another problem with this game - bugs. Beginning with the CD-ROM's copyright software that almost prevents the owner from running the game, and ending with a point system that never calculates any points (after installing the 1.08NA patch it stopped working), the game needs some heavy duty bug fixing before it can compete with the likes of Civilization or Age of Empires.

One of the best historical strategy games out there!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 20
Date: July 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Do you remember Sid Meier's Colonization? Well, take that game and add about twenty times more depth and you have Europa Universalis. Based on a board game that I never played, but still managed to utterly enjoy the computer version. As a matter of fact, this is one of those games that gains so much attention, before you know it, you're playing til 3 A.M. (Computer game fans know what I'm talking about.)

The game covers the entire world from 1492-1792. There are many scenarios available: a grand campaign that covers all 300 years, the Thirty Years War, fantasy "What If?" historical scenarios and many others. Even better, many fans of the game have designed other scenarios which you can download off the internet at fan sites. These scenarios go to extra lengths and add periods such as the Roman Empire.

In the normal game version, all empires from the period of 1492-1792 are represented. While you can't play all of them, you do have a chance to play any significant empire such as Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Russia, England, Scottland and many more. Your goal is to earn the most points by completing missions given by your monarch, winning wars, starting new trading posts around the world and other elements of the game. The system of rules is very indepth and requires many hours of gameplay before you feel confident with the game's layout.

The only complaint I have about the game is that it was full of bugs when released and is currently on its eight patch I believe. While most problems have been taken care of, it's still hard to play online mulitplayer games with more than 6 players. Also, the instruction manual has not been organized efficiently considering its close to 100 pages. There is no table of contents or index which would be a good idea considering there are so many rules that until you become familiar with the game, it would help to have an easy system to look up particular rules.

Still - considering some of the flaws, this game has single-handedly ruined my social life. :) A brave attempt for historical/war strategy games because not many software companies put this much detail into their games. A fun game that is guaranteed to last you quite awhile.

Wow! There is no other game like this out there!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 20
Date: September 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

OK, I admit to being a history buff, and it's no wonder I love Europa Universalis. Become England, Spain, or Poland, or even Turkey if you like, and try your hand at rewriting European history. Can you maintain an English presence on the Continent? Who says you have to leave Manhattan to the Dutch? Want to prevent the rise of Russia? All these goals are possible, and more.

Not just a wargame, EU places you in the tangled diplomacy of Europe from 1492-1792. You can conquer and annex another country, but not without a serious diplomatic blow. Grow strong, and other countries will unite to strike you down. The AI is fairly competitive, and the graphics nifty. Don't look for tactical control here: EU is a game of grand strategy. You must balance economy, colonization, technology, unique leaders, diplomacy, and religion to maintain your empire.

Religion is a particularly important and interesting angle to this game: Your state religion affects your diplomacy directly. For instance, as England you may want to find a strong Continental ally to help you control France, otherwise superior French land forces will eventually push you out of Calais (England starts with Calais in the Grand Campaign, which spans 300 years). Spain is an obvious choice, but Spain is an ardent Catholic state. If your England is Protestant, Spain is virtually unattainable. You can keep England Catholic if you wish, but you must then contend with Protestant sympathizers in your provinces. Indeed, the religious propensities of a province are a powerful factor in your ability to control that province.

You cannot just wage war indiscriminately in this game, gobbling up province and country without penalty. This is a good thing. If you manage to conquer, or build a large colonial empire, it will be through a combination of carrot and stick.

Like colonies? The game allows you to roam the entire globe, colonizing and exploring where you will. Poland-Lithuania might colonize Bombay instead of England, and the first country to circumnavigate Africa gets a bonus. Portugal and Spain start out with an an early advantage, but Spain is surprisingly difficult to direct successfully into the 1700s.

The game also poses interesting moral questions for the modern player. True to the times, slaves are the only commodity to be gained from many African territories. Will you forego your modern sensibilites and establish colonies based on slavery? These colonies might be necessary to get your ships to India, for instance, without serious attrition due to an extended sea voyage. Or as Spain, will you obliterate the Aztec and Inca empires? If you don't, others may. Can you see England as master of the valley of Zacatecas?

One unfortunate historical reality is ignored in this game, no doubt to improve gameplay: disease does not destroy Native American peoples. Accordingly, one wonders at the need for African slaves.

Overall, EU succeeds admirably. The manual is a bit esoteric, and clearly translated from a foreign language. Still, the gameplay is easy to manage, and the details come soon enough. Want to know why your soldiers are dying even though they are camped? Well, what is the supply capability of the province? Is it winter?

This is a super game, period. Like history? Like epic strategy? Like European history? Tired of telling your sargeant to attack that hill? Buy Europa Universalis, and see if you can rewrite history!

This Is How It Should Be Done

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 22
Date: April 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If Civilization series were the best strategy games you have ever played, Europa Universalis would definitely glue you to your seat for many hours. To say that it is equally good would be an injustice because it is in a class of its own.

It is an example that small software companies can produce some extraordinary works sometimes. And, undoubtedly, this game can become the one to beat in its category for months to come.

If Europa Universalis has a flaw, it is because of its depth. Thanks to the skin-deep plots and gameplays that offered by most of the other real-time strategy games, most of the gamers, I believe, have adapted to the typical way to victory -- building huge army and upgrading to new technologies as soon as possible. This is not going to work as an efficient way of beating the game in this case. So many times, when I thought that with the number of the armies that I had, I could conquer a neighboring province with ease, however, it turned out that either domestic unrest or the mightier enemy force combined allies would crush my ambition. At last, I came to the realization that I am dealing with a game that emphasizes on more than just military supremacy.

And, there comes the beauty of diplomacy when I started to look deeper into this game. I have always loved games with historical backgrounds but no others have provided more than Europa Universalis. The diplomacy element in this game has worked magics. It does not only add more strategic depth and replay value but a whole lot of "real-life" feels. Let us be rational. The best way to climb to the top is not to do it with just blunt aggression but also with some wits and tricks. At last, we have a game that would not require us to kill all others to win at the end. A civilized game that is.

No other games integrates historical elements more tightly than Europa Universalis, either. What is said in our history textbooks would happen in the game. We would play the man/woman behind the emperors like Elizabeth and Louis XIII. Puppeteer is the word, if you like. It is as if we have gone back in time and tried to rewrite the history already knowing all the major events and having to plot along and gain the most advantages out of them.

Another beauty found in this game would be its flexibility in decision making. To colonize or to just merely trade? To use aggression on the locals or to make peace? Almost nothing would restrict us from making the decision we really want to make. To be an ultra-aggressive imperialist or rich-seeking trader, the choice is always ours.

A review would not give a picture of all the extraordinary elements in this game. It is just like a beautiful movie. You just have to see it for yourself. To me, the diplomatic part of this game alone would have already lured me into hours of playing. With other elements like nationalism, religions, and military operations, I deeply believe Europa Universalis is equipped with all the tools to make it to the top.

If it does not, that is because it is not published by Microsoft.

More fun than another game I have bought

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: June 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is more fun than any of the other pc games I have bought over the years. It has real depth and a combination of ideas that really require thought to make achieving your goals possible. The dipolmatic matrix is great and really brings diplomacy into a game seriously for the first time. Additionaly, there is the REAL novelty of the influence of religion - your country's success will depend on how you handle the different religions that live within its borders.

I also like the fact that you have some wonderful random events that make game play unpredictable. It is also much better than so many of the big name strategy games (AoK and Shogun) where there is a strict level of developement and you have to adhere to a certain progression of action to survive. In EU, you get to choose what course you want to chart for your country, warmongering giant, economic powerhouse or diplomatic leader. The other games bored me to tears, this game just keeps on playing. There is also the incredible variety of countries to play - anything from colonial Spain to small German states, like Baden, or something exotic like China, Dia Viet or the Mughal Empire. BUY THIS GAME!

As far as bugs go, I had no problems after the patches.

For King and Country!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: August 26, 2001
Author: Amazon User

EU is by far the most addicting strategy game since Civilization 2. The game provides a level of depth and gameplay virtually unkown to strategy gamers as well as a huge map and open-ended scenarios. First of all, the game is HUGE! With over 800 provinces and sea zones and over 90 different nations worldwide, this is game is a megalomaniacs dream! The game itself spans 300 years (1492-1792), and although this might seem quite short when compared to Civilization's timespan of 4000 B.C.-3000 A.D., it actually offers up about the same amount of playtime since the time in EU shifts by day, not by years. Also, EU is Real-Time, not Turn-Based. This was a turn-off to me the first time I heard it (how the hell can you effectively micromanage with the clock ticking?!), but the fact is that it enhances the gameplay. And with the ability to pause at any time and still manage your nation, the game has a sort of turn-based feel to it as well. In the game you'll have complete control over your nation. From religious tolerence to diplomatic encounters, you decide how things go in your country. The level of depth is amazing! You can marry into the royal family of friendly nations or declare war on a minor principality and march your infantry in to siege the capital. The open-endedness of EU is what really makes the game fun. Although you can set specific goals for victory, you can also leave it so that the winner is the person with the most points in 1792, and since just being an active nation awards you points, you can pretty much do as you please. You can go the entire 300 years without ever lifting a sword (although unlikely) or you can raise incredible armies and wage war throughout Europe. You'll form alliances, you'll be betrayed, and you'll even do some betraying yourself. You can impose trade embargos on nations and gain monopolies in foreign markets. You'll have the option of selecting your state religion (and dealing with the consequences). You'll even have to deal with inflation and what could become a plummeting economy if you get rich too fast (don't forget how Spain went bankrupt). Nothing is cut and dry in EU. Don't think you'll raise an iron curtain of infantry and march on European nations with ease. The AI in EU keeps a close eye on you. Grow too aggressive and watch the outbreak of a world war as all nations rally against your empire. Share boarders with an enemy? Leave it lightly gaurded and watch as hordes of soldiers hit you with a surprise attack. Also, unlike many other games, soldiers in EU suffer attrition. What does this mean? Basically don't think you'll be able to just send troops to South America to fight the Incas. Not only will a good number probably die on the boat ride over (yep, you lose soldiers to disease on long sea voyages) but the terrible supply lines will have them dying by the dozens on the South American front. You'll have to establish a colony in South America before you can go waging wars, and depending on what province you try to establish yourself in... the natives might not be so friendly. Also, you'll have to watch the weather conditions. Invasions of Russia in the winter months is a surefire way to kill off thousands of your own troops. And sailing through stormy waters will usually see your ships destroyed. The game also allows you to discover and colonize. In the beginning you'll only have knowledge of Europe, it's up to you to either expand into a colonial power or worry about problems at home. Colonizing is not a 1-2-3 process either. With 6 stages of development it takes a few years to make a colony into a city with full benefits of troop support and such. Also, you can lose much of your colonial lands when enemy nations march through and burn down your trading posts (don't worry, you can burn theirs down too). All in all, the game is addicting and extremely fun to play. If you're a fan of history, you'll love the game even more. But be advised that the game isn't as historically accurate as they'd have you believe. The history in the game is more of a "guesstimate" than a fact. But who cares? It's still fun! Also, the manual that comes with it is HORRIBLE. But the manual has nothing to do with how well the game plays. Although there are some glitches in the game, downloading patch 1.09 will fix almost all of them (at least the major ones). Also, stick close to the player forums on the official website, they are your guide to truly discovering how great this game is. Many of the players contribute additional files which makes the game truly great. For instance, you can only have up to 90 playable nations if you download a custom scenario called "Improved Grand Campaign" (which is done by independant programmers), otherwise you're stuck with 8! . But the game is great for strategy gaming fans and megalomaniacs. The learning curve is a bit steep but I recommend using cheat codes your first game out so that you can play with all the options and see how things work (it's more effective than the tutorial). Also, I can't stress how much this game is NOT for casual gamers and non-strategy fans. You have to enjoy dealing with 200 things at once in order to enjoy this game. The action isn't fast-paced and heartpounding, and everything isn't centered around bloodlust and war (although it could be if you wanted to play that way... but you'd die quick). You have to really be into being a King/Senator/General/Merchant and you have to love micromanagement and difficult challenges. So yes, it can in fact be too complicated to be fun... unless you enjoy doing all kinds of EVERYTHING (which I do).

UNDECIDED I'll give you the honest truth...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: November 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

So you're thinking about buying EU?? O.K., first let me ask you, do you like strategy games?, micromanaging?, ancient war simulation?; do you like/know games like "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Risk" and/or "Stratego"?, if the answer is yes, and you have a little pacience to spare, BUY this game. If, on the other hand, you are a "Doom" fan, a "Street Fighter" nut or a "Mortal Kombat" buff, chances are you wont like this game.
This is NOT an action game, and I think the people who gave it less than 4 stars are people who didn't understand the concept of this game. I'm not saying that if you like action games you wont like EU, but in general, "action junkies" won't like this game since, news-flash, its a STRATEGY GAME. Of course its complex, its deep, its complicated and for me at least, as a strategy/historical game fan, THATS THE POINT...a strategy/conquest game is much more enjoyable when you have lots of options, variables, etc.
Having said that, the graphics are very decent, the music is a little monotonus, and the manual (its true...) sucks!. So why the FIVE stars? you're probably wondering...if you are a hard core strategy/historical/conquer-all/feel-like-a-king/build an empire kind of guy, you know that what really matters in these kinds of games is depth, flexibility, freedom to play as you want and make your own rules, and most of all, a genuine feeling of conquest, of being the ruler of a country, etc. So if you understand what I'm saying buy this game NOW, even better, buy EU-II, it'll be even better...(NOV 29th 2001)
If you didnt get anything I said, go buy another shoot-them-up, right-scrawling, thumb-numbing action game because this one is not for you. (If on the other hand you like strategy RUN to the nearest store, but dont take my word for it, look at how many great reviews EU has gotten...with a few action-holics/mindless exceptions.....lol ;-))
HAPPY CONQUERING!

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