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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Endlessly fascinating, August 17, 2003
This review is from: Europa 1400: The Guild (CD-ROM)
As a long-strategy gamer, I have been disappointed with many games that I have bought in the past several years. They may be heavy on graphics and sound, but many are either lacking in intellectual interest or are beset with inane features that make playability a chore. I am happy to report that Europa 1400 is a standout exception. It is a happy combination of real-time and turn-based in that the play is divided into "years" marked by several phases at the beginning and end, but during each year the player roams the scene at will and interacts with people and events. Few of its many features are original, but the German designers have produced a game that is far more than the sum of its parts, immersing the player into a charming but devious and Machiavellian life as the head of a dynasty in a city in the 1400s. First, the player can participate in one or more of over a dozen different occupations, accumulating his own skills as well as his workshops and subordinates over a long period, within a complex and responsive economy. Secondly, he can participate in a Byzantine network of the town's civic, ecclesiastical, and professional governing bodies, scrambling by hook or crook among opponents for the various privileges attaching to dozens of offices. Thirdly, he or she must attend to a family life with spouse and children. Eventually one's character ages and dies, and the player inherits the life of a child or sibling. Woe be unto the neglectful parent! All this takes place in a sumptuous animated visual and audio environment. This is the first game I've played in which I felt that the elaborate graphics and sound were worth the computer power required for them. A beginning player might be bewildered by all this multifaceted environment (including military aspects which I haven't even mentioned), but it is not necessary to understand everything at the outset. You can choose to be a humble, honest, conscientious artisan, keep your nose clean, and get rich, paying no attention to the political intrigue surging around you. But inevitably, the wheels within wheels will intrigue you, and you will yearn to go further, higher, and deeper. It will be a long time before you know how to pull all the levers, and in another game you may well do so in a completely different way and also prosper. I doubt that you will become bored anytime soon. Of course, every game has its infelicities and glitches, but I've been impressed as well by the discussions and feedback on the vendor's web site. They listen, respond, and work on improvements. I feel that an enthusiastic player has a voice in what direction the game or its successors will evolve. This is very like the computer game that I would create myself if I had what it takes. Well done, JoWood! ... It is very much a going concern!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This one will keep you involved!, December 28, 2003
This review is from: Europa 1400: The Guild (CD-ROM)
How many times I've purchased a game with the hope and expectation that THIS time I won't get bored with mindless gameplay or monotony. I picked up this game for cheap, had never even heard of it, and was almost immediately engrossed and addicted. I went through 3 generations and decided to start over and this time it was all different. Along the way I found a few new tricks and became wealthier and wealthier, so I bought more, then I found how fast the game years pass as I tried desperately to maintain what I had, train and properly utilize my employees, increase my own skills, and somehow get more...because no matter how much I had, there seemed to be another character with slightly more. Rise in power, abuse the heck out of it, rob your way to wealth, get rich on other's gambling and drinking habits, take advantage of certain privledges of office, become a money changer, become a priest, or a simple artisan, corner a market, set trade routes, learn new skills, train your employees and give them instructions, bribe pretty much anyone, kidnap anyone, have your enemies beaten or rob their houses and shops....So much you can do, and playable from any position in a fun way. Be good, be bad, be simple, be complex, this game is topnotch, if you are into this genre, you will NOT be dissappointed.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Original and Engaging, March 5, 2003
This review is from: Europa 1400: The Guild (CD-ROM)
This is one of the most comprehinsive and engaging games I have ever played and unique to the stategy genre. There is almost no end to the number of paths you can take in this game. You choose from several different occupations, offices and tactics you amass your fortune or enforce your will. I started out as a noble preacher making an honest living, to a crooked one gaining wealth, to a Mayor/ Robber Baron, controlling all my towns resources. The occupations range from several different kinds of merchants (Smithy, perfumer, alchemist ect), or a trader, banker, thief, preacher, robber baron, police, or invest in the natural resources of the town. When you die you pass your fortune to your heir and start a dynasty of your making. The game con go on forever, very additictive. Be warned though it is not for everybody, only the patient apply. Those hooked on fast paced action will see running an empire as more work than entertainment. Still the quality (graphics, gameplay, sound) are far above expected for a game getting so little attention for now.
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