Crispy Gamer writes: "In his Life of Aemilius Paulus, Plutarch tells the story of a Roman nobleman who astonishes his friends by announcing his intentions to divorce his wife. His friends protest that his wife is beautiful, well-born, honest and chaste. What possible reason could he have for a divorce? The noble replies that his shoes also seem attractive and well-made, but only he knows where they pinch.
Europa Universalis: Rome pinches. Like that abandoned Roman matron, it has a distinguished legacy, an attractive design, and an unpretentious facade -- it is up-front about what it is. It also has many flaws that become readily apparent as you spend more time with it. Rome is the most accessible and comprehensible game Paradox has made, but it also has the same issues that have plagued earlier titles in the series."
What's Hot:
-Deep national models, trading system
-Approachable
What's Not:
-Weak AI
-Money rarely an issue
-Too much distance from characters
Direct2Drive has slashed $15 off the price of Paradox's strategy title Europa Universalis: Rome Gold, taking the game down to $5 as part of the digital distributor's Deal of the Week.
The Reticule writes: "Paradox may be all hands on deck at GamesCom in Germany but I managed to sneak some questions through to the companies CEO, Fredrik Wester. Read on for his comments on DLC and newly announced titles from Paradox.
The Reticule – You describe the new titles as being a 'tribute' to those who play your games, to what extent does this mean the new games will be designed according to what your fans want to see?
Fredrik Wester – We are always working close to our customers when designing and developing games. This is the result of many years of interaction between our studio and our fans. Several people from the publishing team also interacts with our forum users on a daily basis to discuss, get feedback and to help us develop the company and our games."
GamersInfo writes: Europa Universalis: Rome is an empire builder set in the time of ancient Rome. Despite my love for all things Rome and empire or city builders, I found the game to be tedious, boring and frustrating.
In my experience, there are typically three elements to all empire builders, though most good games will focus on at least two. The primary one is conquering your foes through epic cinematic or stylistically rendered combat. The second element that you can find is winning through the simple strategy of micromanaging your city or empire. That is, you win through trade, diplomacy, alliances and financial gain. And, through all good empire builders, there is the undercurrent that you are somehow a supreme figure looking over all you survey with a sense of power and control.
