Crusader Kings II

   Unlike other grand strategy games where you lead a country or a race, here you are a character that leads a dynasty that in turn rules lands and armies. Yes, there is a good part where you move armies and deal with warfare; but there is also a part where you spend way too much time deciding on a wife, or whether to try and murder your imbecile son that is about to inherit all your title. Yep, this game also has an RPG side; all characters in the game have different stats and there are well over 200 traits to give life to endless stories and scenarios. You have a lot of freedom in a way which allows you to do tons of things, but without help from other characters, most will just take very long or lead to failure. Here you also have to manage your relations, with your vassals, with the liege, with your foes, with your family, with your council, and more. Nothing is easy but also nothing is impossible, and like in real life, money does wonders but can’t buy everything. The game definitely has a lot of depth yet nothing is overly complicated. I’m sorry if I seem vague but if I get into details (like the legal system), this review will be ten times as long and might spoil some things that maybe you’ll want to discover by yourself. The soundtrack is one of the best I ever heard, but this is a common theme from Paradox games. The graphics are very nice but they can do with some improvements (such as the desert terrain).