Victoria II: Civil War Edition

Victoria II: Civil War Edition, for 25$, HAD to include the complete game with all the DLCs, but Paradox is quite disrespectful to its users so, Heart of Darkness dlc( that is ESSENTIAL for the enjoyment of the game) is sold separately :) Buy it ONLY on sale.

If you’ve ever played the first one, the first thing you will notice (and love) is the look of the map. However once you get past that you will encounter many changes that were made with the intention of reducing micro that instead reduced player choice. To add insult to injury, micro wasn’t reduced either, just replaced with new micro. Want to go to war over specific provinces? You can’t, now you must take the entire state, even if you don’t want to. Want to promote your pops? Nope, you can only encourage them to take on new jobs, but once you stop doing so, they will likely switch to a different profession, meaning you’ll be constantly fiddling with them over and over. For those that never played the predecessor, this is more of a sim than strategy game, and as the red-headed stepchild of paradox, it is full of un-reached potential. Victoria was always a niche game, one that accepted a lot of micro for an astounding level of freedom and choice as the trade-off, Victoria 2 has gotten away from that and is just “meh” Do not get it at full price Stay away from the heart of darkness DLC, (more bone-headed decisions by paradox await you there)

In Victoria II (1836-1936) you manage your country throughout the industrial revolution. The game engine feels dated because it lacks a lot of quality of life improvements and it doesn't look too pretty. Underneath the hood, there is a complex system that keeps track of the population in great complexity, and if there was a Nobel Prize for video games, then this game would've won it. But even if there is a lot of complexity underneath, you don't really have that many options with what you can do. The AI is not that great and is vulnerable to large military stacks. You can't have more than two great powers allied, and while this is a much too "gamey" mechanic for my taste, alongside "crises" that can appear, it can lead to a lot of volatile situations. In the end, the world can be a pretty dangerous and unforeseeable place. If you have a lot of states in your sphere of influence, then your game can transform in a very tedious mini-game to properly maintain and manage them, and of course you lack at least a proper notification system for it. Overall it's a good game, with good mods, which can keep you hooked for a long time, but it really makes you yearn for a Victoria III. Rating: But Mom, you promised me Italy! Recommendation: Are you into grand strategy games even if they look dated? Want to play a Paradox Interactive mega-campaign? https://pixelloot.com

Victoria II was one of the first games I bought on GOG. I now have 1000 hours or so invested in it 2.5 years later. I have never played any of the many mods out there. At some point I will add GFM, TGC, DoD, etc. but this review only concerns the game as can be purchased. Let's start with the bad. You need Heart of Darkness DLC. That means too much money even when on sale. Some game details, such as coloring and fonts are poorly chosen. For example, moving a National Focus from one province to another requires reading small light green lettering on the province names. It is unnecessarily difficult to read. Big bold black lettering would have been an obvious choice. Bigger issues are more abstract. The game is difficult to master. You'll quit many playthroughs as you slowly learn. War and economy management is tedious, even frustrating. Some historical actions are rather railroaded, like immigration. National flavor is reserved for only the big boys. The beginning Great Powers (other than the Ottomans) are too easy with correct play. Now the Good. The game is fun and, if you like stats and map painting, rather addictive. The graphics are simple but attractive. Create (if you can) one of the formable nations like Poland-Lithuania, The Byzantine Empire or Gran Colombia. Play as a smaller nation or as a releasable colony. I especially enjoy South Africa and Australia. If I want a bigger challenge, Greater Java, which includes Sumatra. Japan is uncivilized but powerful and with real chances. Victoria II with HoD has its limitations and I only play a handful of nations...but I find enjoyment in building my imperial realm, watching my accepted pops grow in number and spread from the homeland, seeing how the SIM expands other empires in endless permutations. I'll look at the clock and realize I've lost a few hours. That's what gaming is all about - having some fun and forgetting about the real world for a while. Victoria II does the job on both.