High Scores: The Best of 2013 - Europa Universalis IV at Killscreen
"It simulates Earth, from the fall of the Byzantines to the end of the Napoleonic era; that’s four hundred years and a bit.
It lets you control any independent realm—from the pre-white man Cherokee tribes to the world-spanning British Empire.
It tells the origin story of the nation state, and teaches the underlying mechanics of human history in the meantime.
It connects with Crusader Kings 2—the game of medieval backstabbing—which turns it into a millenium-long oddyssey through alternate history, so you can stage that battle between the 17th century Jomsviking Norse and the Shia muslims of Brittany you had been thinking of.
Even with the immense complexity that lies underneath, it is both easy and joyful to interact with.
It is beautiful to look at, if you are the kind of person that can enjoy a good map. And if you are not, the system design is good enough that the game is beautiful just to behold.
Europa Universalis IV is not for everyone—but if the grandest game of 2013 sounds even slightly like your kind of thing, then you are one of the lucky ones."
Read the full Killscreen High Scores: The Best of 2013 list here: http://www.killscreendaily.com/articles/articles/high-scores-best-2013/
The best games of 2013 that weren’t released in 2013 - Crusader Kings 2 at Killscreen
"CK2 is one of those games that feels inexhaustible. Its world of petty intrigues and sudden deaths (always announced with the same ridiculous howl) continued to expand in 2013 with the excellent Old Gods and Sons of Abraham expansions, as well as continued updates to the one true Game of Thrones mod. Paradox has charmingly added a host of achievements that only unlock in Ironman mode, daring gamers to work without a save-scumming safety net. But even without the new layers of simulation, the core game remains one of the most charming role-playing titles out there.
Its focus on individual actors gives it a tragicomic air that traditional “grand strategy” titles can’t match, and it gradually acquires the sweep of a true family saga as you play through generations of failed schemers and lucky idiots. I play it badly, so it always feels like a satire about the countless misfortunes and calamities that befall nasty and ambitious people. I imagine that some players game CK2 to the max, sending all their children without Genius traits into the arms of the Church, stationing inconvenient relatives in plague-stricken provinces, and other such power moves. But the game feels like it should be about navigating messy situations and working with unlikely rulers; it’s more fun to play with the hand you’re given than to stack the deck."
Read the full Killscreen list here: http://www.killscreendaily.com/articles/articles/best-games-2013-werent-released-2013/
"It simulates Earth, from the fall of the Byzantines to the end of the Napoleonic era; that’s four hundred years and a bit.
It lets you control any independent realm—from the pre-white man Cherokee tribes to the world-spanning British Empire.
It tells the origin story of the nation state, and teaches the underlying mechanics of human history in the meantime.
It connects with Crusader Kings 2—the game of medieval backstabbing—which turns it into a millenium-long oddyssey through alternate history, so you can stage that battle between the 17th century Jomsviking Norse and the Shia muslims of Brittany you had been thinking of.
Even with the immense complexity that lies underneath, it is both easy and joyful to interact with.
It is beautiful to look at, if you are the kind of person that can enjoy a good map. And if you are not, the system design is good enough that the game is beautiful just to behold.
Europa Universalis IV is not for everyone—but if the grandest game of 2013 sounds even slightly like your kind of thing, then you are one of the lucky ones."
Read the full Killscreen High Scores: The Best of 2013 list here: http://www.killscreendaily.com/articles/articles/high-scores-best-2013/
The best games of 2013 that weren’t released in 2013 - Crusader Kings 2 at Killscreen
"CK2 is one of those games that feels inexhaustible. Its world of petty intrigues and sudden deaths (always announced with the same ridiculous howl) continued to expand in 2013 with the excellent Old Gods and Sons of Abraham expansions, as well as continued updates to the one true Game of Thrones mod. Paradox has charmingly added a host of achievements that only unlock in Ironman mode, daring gamers to work without a save-scumming safety net. But even without the new layers of simulation, the core game remains one of the most charming role-playing titles out there.
Its focus on individual actors gives it a tragicomic air that traditional “grand strategy” titles can’t match, and it gradually acquires the sweep of a true family saga as you play through generations of failed schemers and lucky idiots. I play it badly, so it always feels like a satire about the countless misfortunes and calamities that befall nasty and ambitious people. I imagine that some players game CK2 to the max, sending all their children without Genius traits into the arms of the Church, stationing inconvenient relatives in plague-stricken provinces, and other such power moves. But the game feels like it should be about navigating messy situations and working with unlikely rulers; it’s more fun to play with the hand you’re given than to stack the deck."
Read the full Killscreen list here: http://www.killscreendaily.com/articles/articles/best-games-2013-werent-released-2013/