Europa Universalis II Updated Preview
We take an in-depth look at some of the new features in Europa Universalis II.
Serious strategic gaming made a comeback earlier this year thanks to Europa Universalis. Paradox Entertainment's look at 300 years of empire building was a cult hit with the hard-core crowd, which embraced the game as an alternative to lighter, less realistic fare like Sid Meier's Civilization series. More than 60 nations, some 750 provinces, and a gallery of famous regents and rogues contributed to an impressive backdrop that would have stood up to the scrutiny of even the most fastidious history professor. All of this made for a challenging experience, albeit one that gave a lot back to the player who invested time learning the game's many facets. Nevertheless, many were scared away by this complexity.
Europa Universalis II may be even more complex. The sequel, which arrives later this month from Paradox and publishing house Strategy First, is certainly coming with more of just about everything. A broader focus, more than 150 total nations, dozens of new historical personages, a wide range of revamped units, and additional options for diplomacy and trade should make the follow-up more expansive in nearly every way. At the same time, however, the overall design seems to be a lot more approachable. Our extensive perusal of a nearly complete preview build revealed a friendlier game, thanks in large part to a reworked tutorial that sets down all of the need-to-know information in easily digestible bites. Nine separate sections take you from the basics of the interface right through more esoteric elements like diplomacy and religion. Where the first game dropped you in the middle of the woods without a map, the second takes you by the hand and leads you exactly where you need to go.
That's a good thing, since Europa Universalis II is a huge game. While the first game covered the three centuries between Columbus' discovery of North America in 1492 and the beginning of the Napoleonic era in 1792, the second starts nearly a hundred years earlier and ends almost 30 years later. This expanded timeline grants the developers a chance to depict virtually every event of historical import that took place between 1419 and 1820. The scope is incredibly broad, encompassing late medieval conflicts such as the Hundred Years' War and the Napoleonic conquests that characterized the latter days of the Age of Enlightenment.
All of these momentous events are fully detailed in the 11 single-player campaigns. A few are enhanced and updated models of those available in the first game. The American Dream, for example, lets you take up where the original United States scenario left off in 1792 and continue through the southwestern expansion and the War of 1812. This formidable scenario features a number of difficult diplomatic objectives and waves of English troops that attack from Canada in the early years. Similarly, The Age of Revolutions campaign lets you guide one of eight states through the turbulent period between 1773 and 1820. You can take the reins in familiar situations, such as the American Revolution and its aftermath, or look into the affairs of foreign nations like Spain and Austria. The history of the latter is particularly fascinating during this period, which saw the central European nation go from expansion to a defensive alliance with its most hated enemies.
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- Strategy First
- Paradox Inter.
- Historic Real-Time...
- Release: Nov 12, 2001
- ESRB: Everyone
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