Europa Universalis: Information from Answers.com

Platform: IBM PC Compatible
Release Date: February 22, 2001
Genre: Strategy
Style: 2D Real-Time Strategy
Similar Games: Age of Empires (IBM PC Compatible), America: The Game (IBM PC Compatible), Europa Universalis II (IBM PC Compatible)

Game Description

Beginning the same year that Columbus first sailed to the New World and running through to the rise of Napoleon, the Europa Universalis player leads a European nation through the continent's 500-year "Age of Exploration." With a strong emphasis on actual history, the game is full of famous leaders and events to provide a deep, rich context for the virtual conquest. Even the uniforms and coats-of-arms displayed by soldiers are historically accurate. Players can choose to lead the English, the French, the Spanish, the Dutch, the Russians, or one of several other European nations.

Europa Universalis blends the abstract strategy of turn-based games with the immediacy of a real-time strategy. The 2D map interface is reminiscent of empire-building classics like Sid Meier's Civilization, while the real-time action demands continued attention and quick decisions. Many gameplay factors, including the game's speed, can be adjusted to match the user's preferences. Multiplayer options allow up to eight gamers to cooperate or compete over a LAN or the Internet.

~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

The out-of-the-box version of Europa Universalis is a bit of a disappointment. While the game's design is well-considered and interesting, another round of quality-checking might have helped fix the numerous programming flaws.

First, and most annoying, is the inability to save the tutorial scenario. This is made even worse by the extreme length of the mission, which you'll be hard pressed to complete in a single session of gaming. The tutorial requires Ireland (Eire) to score a military victory against the Mamelukes of Egypt. It takes real-time hours to learn to build armies and colonies, develop your economy, and to explore the map sufficiently to locate your foe. Moreover, a good many of the functional gameplay questions you'll likely have won't be explained in the documentation.

What you'll need to do is use the Internet to download patches and pick-up information that's missing from the manual. There's a patch to fix the tutorial-save problem, and maybe they'll even fix the translation problems that occasionally pop-up in Europa Universalis's English language version.

All that aside, the game itself is complex and engrossing, though the detailed micromanagement needed will probably not appeal to those looking for casual play. While real-time strategy games are currently in vogue, the scope of Europa Universalis is such that it's difficult to maximize the micromanagement in an RTS environment. Fans of the turn-based Sid Meier's Civilization II may find the more detailed play appealing, while at the same time being frustrated by the RTS play-mode.

The game is conceptually divided into three areas of play -- economic, military and diplomatic. Of these, the economic model is the most complex, with various options for colonies, trading posts, commodities and merchants. Closely interrelated is the political model. Without political stability, your economy will soon falter. You must also make alliances with other powers, fight wars as needed, and be careful not to overextend your goals. The military model is the most simplistic with limited troop options and strategies. As war-gaming, it's barely more complex than Civ II.