Victoria II

Story: One is put in the Role of an almost absolute Monarch and now directs the Fortunes of a Country from the Year 1836 to 1930. Sounds Short compared to Europa Universalis, but it Is not so. The Duration of Research Technologies, moving on the Real-time map, factory Construction, etc. Is well aligned with the duration of The Game, but more in Gameplay. There is no fixed Story, only some Goals that you can fulfill, but are not necessary, for example as Prussia: Reasons of the North German Confederation, conquering Alsace-Lorraine, proclaim the German Empire. The whole thing is quite nice and there is interesting Background Information as pop-up, but they are rarely relevant. Gameplay: The Game offers a Variety of Countries that are variously difficult to play, but the Game Mechanics are the same For almost every Country, diminishing the Long-game Delight. In each Country, you start to build a functioning Industry that washes money into the Coffers, with which we can lift and build new Regiments from different Types of Cavalry and Infantry, as Well as Artillery, airplanes, Tanks and various Ships. At First, the Game drags on very sluggishly and seems very tiresome in phases. Speaking of Tiring, the Tutorial Is as dry as the Sahara and no one to recommend. That being said, the Game evolves into a very interesting diplomatic Construct that makes it hard to wage proper war without instigating a world War. But if a World war really breaks out and you're on the Winning Side, then it can go pretty hot and get quite exciting. Diplomacy, while very important, is limited to very few Possibilities, which does not seem so well thought out. Also, it is sometimes hard to keep track, between Research, the budget, the military, politics and more. Authenticity is the Strength of the Game: On very vivid Tables and beautiful Diagrams you can see the Change of Society and much more, which is a very nice Gimmick. This Game requires a lot of diplomatic tacking and thinking ahead, which is clearly the Game and Technology: The World Map is very manmod-designed and impresses with a good Overview, such as narrow filters, e.g. public Unrest. The Graph does not quite approach Europe Universalis IV, but it is not ugly for all cases. Even though the Game has a few Years (released 2010) under its Belt, it's pretty nice. The Background Music is a bit very monotonous, which is why I strongly advise against investing in a few Music DLC'S, the rest of the fate had to suffer the rest of the Sound and literally became a mute Victim of my tormented Ears. The Control consists of clicking out and therefore I leave out, as well as Bugs and the one Crash I had in over 70 Hours of play. Conclusion: Paradoxical Interactive has once again let go of a strategy dino that won't let us go. Unfortunately, many good Approaches fall short, such as Diplomacy, which is going much better in EU IV. But The Overall Package is very coherent and definitely playable. 7/10