Tag: cool games

The joy of conquest

Shameless history nerd that I am, I’m a big fan of the Europa Universalis series from Paradox Interactive. For those of you who haven’t been exposed to the awesomeness that is EU, it’s a series of grand strategy games that allow you to play as one of many different countries during the period from the end of the Middle Ages to the first decades of the 19th century. It’s basically a digital board game: you play on a map that’s divided into numerous provinces and each army is represented by a giant soldier who towers over everything else.

What the games lack in graphical sophistication, they more than make up for in depth. Sometimes, it can feel a little too deep, but it’s nowhere near as bad as Paradox’s other historical strategy games (e.g. Victoria and Hearts of Iron). I still fondly recall the elation of playing as the Byzantines in EU2 and successfully conquering the Turks. That was damn difficult to do, considering they started the game with just two provinces!

The other day I had the inexplicable urge to play Europa Universalis 3, which is the most recent incarnation in the series. I’ve had it for years, but for some reason I never really played it much (though I did buy two of its expansion packs!). After getting everything installed, I sat down and started messing around as the Austrians during the War of the Quadruple Alliance (which started in 1718). EU3 is a bit more complicated than the earlier games, but I still felt right at home. It very much follows the tried-and-true formula that’s so addictive. My first foray into the game ended in ignominy as a precipitous decline in my realm’s stability caused numerous revolts. I decided to restart the scenario and, the second time around, things went much better. I managed to successfully wage war against the Turks (I’ve sacked Istanbul on two separate occasions!) and most of the Balkans are now under my control.

Even though I’ve had a great time with EU3, I’ve also become reacquainted with its downsides. Because of its great complexity, it’s not really a game you can play casually. The pacing can also be inconsistent. In peacetime, the game can actually get rather boring, but when you go to war, you can be bombarded with a million decisions, forcing you to make liberal use of the pause button. Still, on the whole, I’m really glad I rediscovered EU3, and I look forward to many delightful hours of putting smaller countries to the sword.

 

Universe Sandbox

When I logged on to Steam the other day, I came across an interesting little program called Universe Sandbox.  After a bit of hemming and hawing, I decided to give in to my curiosity and purchase it.

I hesitate to call it a ‘game’ since it’s more of a simulation than anything else.  Basically, the whole point of Universe Sandbox is to have fun mucking about on a cosmic scale.  See what happens to our solar system if you make the sun 200 times larger!  Bombard the Earth with asteroids and giant teapots!  Tinker with the planets’ orbits and watch the hilarity that ensues!  The whole thing is entirely open-ended, though you can try to win various achievements through Steam.

If you grow tired of molesting our own solar system, you can make your own from scratch.  Many of my attempts ended in  carnage since my planets have a nasty habit of getting sucked into the stars that are supposed to anchor them (then again, maybe I shouldn’t be using Mu Cephei as the focal point of my solar system!).  Eventually, after a lot of trial and error, I managed to figure out the sweet spot that ensures a stable orbit.

Perhaps the greatest thing about Universe Sandbox is that it’s a scientifically accurate toy, so your inner nerd will have a field day with it.  If you’re not careful, you might actually find yourself learning something.  It’s also a bargain at $9.99 if you get it through Steam.