Victoria II (PC) Review
A BrutalGamer.com review.
If you’ve ever played a board game with a friend who clenches the rulebook and appears to get an erection as he gorges upon its information, you should tell that friend about Victoria II.
Victoria II is the sequel to Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun from Paradox Interactive. Like many of Paradox‘s previous titles, Victoria II is a historical strategy game for the PC. Picture Victoria II as Risk with more rules and less conquering. You play as the head of state for the nation of your choice and must guide that nations Production, Budget, Technology, Politics, Population, Trade, Diplomacy and Military.
Each section of the government has a display menu filled with detailed information that you can tweak or guide. The budget, for example, allows you to adjust the taxes and earnings of the lower, middle, and upper class, as well as the percent of money various departments receive (administration, social services, etc), and the overall tariff percentage. The most important thing to consider is how your budget reflects the income of your population. If the majority are getting their needs fulfilled (and some luxuries as well) your economy will function successfully. How much and how often you alter the budget will depend on the country you choose, but unlike the other menus the budget is not one you can pet the computer automate entirely.
Don’t play the game without the tutorial if you’re new to the historical strategy scene. Victoria II isn’t like the garish WarioWare, it’s much more civilized. Open your the instructions, read all the tutorial, and be prepared to just play a few games with different nations to search for what you enjoy, and what you want to accomplish. Otherwise you will load your first game and foolishly think things like, “if I make a factory that produces wool and I export more wool than when I started the game I will see direct profits.” No silly. Oh no. You tax the craftsmen and owners of that factory assuming the factory is profitable, likewise assuming that the demand of the workers in that state existed as did the export demand for that factory’s market.
See how that might be handy information?
Fortunately Victoria II does a lot of things for you automatically. Trade, for example, is
mostly automated and it’s better to not touch it. Likewise with politics, as long as the basic needs of your people are met and the culture isn’t too divided (or you’re an absolute monarch) there isn’t much to worry about here. Some menus feel optional but looking at charts is the majority of your gameplay; hover over section for information, read, assess, adjust.
The rest of Victoria II gameplay involves pop up messages that offer a couple of preset solutions. You might encounter a rebellion, or might simply have a surplus of a trade item and be asked what you want to do with the additional stock. Each option displays number value associated with your decision, such as a decrease in population or an increase in popularity. After awhile you’ll notice the same issues over and over, and will probably choose the same reaction each time.
Combat in the game can be an involved affair. Armies take time to move and prepare and it represented by two soldiers that poke each other with bayonets as red, negative numbers fly out of them and the number of total units declines. An army is much more successful if it has a general and like your nation, requires some tweaking to ensure victory.
Which nation you pick to play as changes what path your gameplay will take. There are over 200 nations from which to choose and the size of your nation matters. If you choose a smaller nation like Mexico your experience will be far different than if you pick the big-swinging dicks of the world, the UK. As you progress you can make alliances that will affect your role as historical wars occur, and while the game suggests you should take revenge on allies who abandon you when attacked by a large nation, you might find yourself cower when the roles are reversed.
Unless you enjoy perpetually scanning information and feel a personal satisfaction from a budget that runs smoothly in the green Victoria II might not be for you. Because the technology you research takes a number of game years to complete it’s obvious the game is designed for those who enjoy small rewards over long periods of time. Say you are invaded by a larger nation and wanted to exact revenge. Your vengeance might involve relinquished territories, a temporary peace and few games years building armies and creating alliances with surrounding nations. Victoria II states patience is not a virtue – it’s a necessity.
Final Thoughts
You may, however, find the game’s pace to be a welcome change even if you aren’t a strategy games fanatic. There’s an odd gratification in reading how a game works and investing time to discover rewards that are personally satisfying. When was the last time you had to read a manual for a game? Or a long list of rules? With so many games that cater to a casual audience who demands to be interested and entertained immediately or not at all, it was refreshing to play something with a little more complexity; it was good to remember we can think, and read, and be fulfilled by a process, rather than an explosion.
User Score:
3 votes
3 votes
No related posts.
1 Comment
News
Images
23 Aug 2010, 11:54 am
[...] Read full review on BrutalGamer.com. [...]