LGR - Europa Universalis - PC Game Review

The original entry in the incredibly engaging (and addictive) historical grand strategy series! Brace yourself, complexity is coming.
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● Buy the game here:
www.gamersgate.com/DD-EU1/euro...
● Songs used are:
Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 by Liszt,
OST to Europa Universalis IV,
All This Down Time by Jingle Punks
kzbin.info...

[@paradoxinteractive]

"This is a game with a major hard-on for historical accuracy," Ladies and Gentlemen, the new box quote for Europa Universalis IV! A++++++ Review. Would be reviewed again.

[@LGR]

Haha, why thank you :D

[@MikuMusicNetwork]

Can't wait for Hearts of Iron 4!

[@amshermansen]

AssassinKitty88 Nope - They just published it. :)

[@tfd7915]

A good review of a flawed classic. The longest tutorial in the history of tutorials. When I first bought this game the tutorial bored me so much I put the game on the shelf and forgot about it for months. But then I came back and got in to it and was glad I did, Universalis has it all. And it's a game that you can win without ever staring a war. Or you can go out and be the 16th centuries answer to Attila the Hun if you want. It's the rare game where either approach is equally legitimate. Although I will say being overly aggressive can often lead to more trouble than it's worth. Much like the real world. Not a game for any but dedicated strategy nerds though.

[@arga400]

>Gets reviewed >Replies in the comment sections >Best Publisher/Developer ever.

[@henrik_skating]

I briefly worked on this for Target games in 99. This is the first time I see my work in action since then. Brings back good memories. Thanks for playing!

[@Trashboat4444]

Seung Ho Henrik Holmberg wait a minute,europa universalis was originally made by target games?

[@Andvare]

Target Games turned into Paradox Entertainment, which split creating Paradox Interactive and Paradox Entertainment. The latter tried to be successful Hollywood style (in movies), dunno how well it went. Bonus trivia. The horrible way the American publisher of this, and other early Paradox Entertainment games, published their games in the US/Canada, is the main reason why Paradox Interactive is now also a publisher (AFAIK).

[@Ichinin]

I remember playing EU2 with a friend, "just for a few hours" he said. I was stuck in North America all the time and he was constantly bugging me to send troops to help him. Didn't even get close to be able to save him. Years later i bought EU4 and i was hit in the face by the 89' learningcurve, i was considering giving up and going back to Shogun Total War, but i persevered and i learned the game mechanics one by one. The awesome music helped to keep me interested. I think Paradox should send diplomas to people who have learned to play their games :D

[@Daemonworks]

the learning cliff is real.

[@Carewolf]

EU2 had the best music. Fallalalah...

[@hrsmp]

Most PDX games i think are like 50 times easier to learn than Total War. Except maybe HoI III.

[@billypilgrim1]

@@hrsmp there's nothing complicated about Total War

[@Omega0850]

@@Carewolf Yea, i was a teenager when i played EU2, and my cousin (same age) made fun of me, because i liked the music... to be fair, even i called some of it "whining cats". (but i liked that too)

[@ZombieRat8bit]

The naration translates to: It was the time of progress. The commoners build mighty strongholds with blood and sweat.

[@Ba1k3n]

'So this is Europa Universalis...*various clanging and battle sounds* Oh my God...' No idea why I just love the timing and how you worded that.

[@halv5370]

Ba1k3n actually paradox games usually have very comprehensive tutorials

[@Ba1k3n]

I wasn't saying it had a bad tutorial or anything of the like. It was just Clint's delivery of that line that makes me chuckle but thanks o_0;

[@Khunark]

They have actually in recent times patched the 'battle noise'. It was going off way more often than intended, and judging by the noise of the first game, it seems like they had that piece of code since then. Apparently their scripting language in all games from the first has remained the same, so a lot of it is re-used in newer games. Just upgrade the engine, look over the GUI, add a ton of stuff, then release it again.

[@patrykzukowski7471]

E... Europa Universalis?! At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country? Localized entirely within your bookshelf?!

[@furball8889]

steamed ducats

[@TheAlexSchmidt]

May I see it?

[@Sharnoy1]

No.

[@AleronWolf]

ikr

[@benjaminjones8782]

Aleron Wolf is inf Ed

[@spiderjerusalem100]

Looks like one of those games where even after i've finished the tutorial i still wouldn't know what the hell i was supposed to do.

[@Trashboat4444]

Serpico's Beard as a player that started playing like last month or something i can confirm this

[@or10nsharkfin]

"This is Europa Universalis..." Game sounds. "...Oh my God." Yep, sounds about right. That was exactly how I felt the first time I played EU4.

[@Me-ui1zy]

So after I saw this review I kept an eye on EU4 and ended up buying it in a steam sale. Now I'm a huge Paradox fan and a grand strategy fan as well. EU4 is my 3rd most played game ever. So thanks I guess, for showing me the time sink hole that is grand strategy gaming.

[@avatarwan5824]

Did you try CK2, HOI4 (or HOI3 which is more complicated), and Victoria 2?

[@dr.sharktooth3587]

This game looks utterly engrossing, yet completely exhausting all at the same time. I've always been intrigued by these mega strategy games, especially those that include history, but I've always been intimidated by the effort they take.

[@CitizenKanevideos]

I used to feel the same way. I've played RTS games for the better part of fifteen years now, and turn based strategy for only a few years less, but I was horrified by Grand Strategy for the longest time. I bought Europa Universalis 4 on steam during the winter sale recently, and in only a few days I bought the expansions as well. Your greatest enemy is the UI, but after forty hours I had conquered it, and in 20 more I had conquered the British Isles. These games are so good and so fun, I've been kicking myself for not trying them sooner. Definitely give it a shot, you (probably) won't regret it.

[@yostoyou]

LGR talking about Svea Rike? That's some fine swedish gaming history right there. Damn... I love the internet.

[@MASTACHIEFPWN]

Europa Universalis 4 has held my life hostage for more than a year. Someone please help me. Brittany will rise.

[@Cheesemongle]

"France has declared war on Us They cite Subjugation as their cases belli!"

[@rustyshackle8000]

RULE BRITANNIA!

[@squirrelguy2195]

Praise to Ulm!

[@dominusinsularum5396]

You should review Europa Universalis IV separately.

[@Ailure]

Svea Rike is really funny as it's basically a basic strategy game (compared to Europa universalis) with a ton of minigames on top. An aspect that hadn't aged well, I think the only the first game of the series had those silly minigames, they all involved famous Swedish people or events in some way. Havets Vargar, or "heerscher der meere" (it was a german game translated by target games) is probably worth to look into even if it's in german or swedish, it seems to have majorily influenced the Europa Universalis trading system in some aspects. Another game I have a major nostlagia for, which is a shame as few outside of Sweden and Germany probably have played it.

[@LGR]

Sounds a lot like a Swedish-themed successor to Defender of the Crown!

[@Cythil]

Yeah Svea Rike is a interesting game. Designed for the Swedish market to be sure in a time where you could create games for you own little country and still survive (if just barely). Europa Universalis: Crown of the North is a English localization of the game. Never tried it but I have played Svea Rike series in there original form and you can see similarities with Europa Universalis.

[@Ailure]

Yeah I wouldn't be surprised if Defender of the crown was a major inspriation. Defender of the crown looks like to be the deeper game though, but then again EU is deeper than both!

[@Ailure]

Oh and the havets vargar shown in the video momentarily is a later "cheaper" release, which is the same as I have. There is a older big box version too that I recall our local libary had haha (they probably mistaken it for a 100% educational game).

[@SwedishEmpire1700]

Although i am a Swede i have only played Svea Rike 2.... :ashamed:

[@dmitchell4355]

"Christian Pope" = my favourite variety of pope

[@Wallerock16]

Nah. the Taoist Pope is superior

[@bitlatetothegame9584]

Intro to this reminds me of a friend who played Tomb Raider on his Playstation for so long that, when he stood up, his leg had gone numb and he fell over and broke his foot. True story.

[@adriannn3720]

Really?

[@Powerhouse1]

It's good to see your formula change up a bit while staying true to the core reasons why we watch your videos. A great way to start off the year of 2015. I hope it's another great year for LGR.

[@LGR]

Thank you! Here's hoping the same :)

[@rutgerb]

It was, it is.

[@BMC2]

Funny to see how Paradox never changed the fonts of the text in their EU games. Love these kind of games and love it you give them some attention. Nice video!

[@bganonimouse2754]

Outstanding review, you've really done this one justice. In another life I would spend days playing this, but you managed to convey the experience in 11 minutes so I 'lived it' vicariously!

[@James-fm4lk]

Would you ever do a review of Crusader Kings?

[@LGR]

It's possible, sure! Love those games.

[@daytonaaviation4449]

+Lazy Game Reviews could you do one of the total war games

[@fredricknoe3114]

Can't wait to find out if he's a fan of the horse incest

[@yomanos]

OMG I am super addicted to EU4, and I have been playing for 6 months now, so I am already pretty good at it! It's such a coincidence that now that I have started to play, you review it! So cool!

[@cristianobb13]

You always make the best and most funny rewiews.Love your channel.

[@itsaPIXELthing]

I really enjoyed this review! Thanks, Clint!

[@CitizenKanevideos]

I've been playing Europa Universalis IV all morning long, so what a pleasant surprise it is to see this video pop up! Now I just need to...pull myself away from the game long enough to watch it.

[@Cheesemongle]

Impossible. What you did? DEUS VULT

[@JudasMugensson]

1:39 Translation: Sweden's destiny in your hands svea kingdom

[@TheMrThornton]

Your voice should be bottled and fed to my ears everytime I feel as crap as I do today. Lovely review. Thank you.

[@cardboardvessel2734]

LGR, I want to thank you for making this this review. This is something, that I have always wanted you to review and yeah, this game is great.

[@GuileMike]

This is where it all began for me back in college. Still playing their games today. One of the highlights of my life was going to their game show in NYC in 2011 as the fan they picked to attend.

[@pettahify]

Oh yes. Me, my siblings and my friends are still playing paradox games from time to time. Once every 2-3 years a bunch get to togheter for a weekend and play multiplayer 😁

[@Evansmustard]

I've had Europa Universalis III in my steam library since forever and have never once installed it, maybe I'll play it later.

[@SigurdKristvik]

I think EU4 is easier to learn. But EU3 is pretty good :D

[@MooseIndie]

I'd recommend trying EU3 first before EU4. In my experience EU4 is not well optimized and can go from choppy to unplayable if not on powerful PC. This can result in $40 to $50 USD down the drain. Where as EU3 complete is only $15 USD. And like LGR said, its a very dense game and it might not be for everybody.

[@marekvrbka]

MooseIndie EU4 works just fine on my 5 year old PC.

[@Pvemaster2]

I would also advice EU3 for the sole fact that EU4 keeps getting updates, and updates can render your save file unplayable.

[@SigurdKristvik]

All good reasons :)

[@chonahli3367]

Not bad pronunciation, you almost nailed it! I remember playing "Svea Rike" my last years in high school, but had since long forgot the name of the game, thank you very much LGR for rekindling my memory!

[@Oddlyoko2K]

Whoa you finally did a review of this game and KZbin didn't notify me of this!!!!

[@sistaledaren]

It's so fun to hear you pronounce Svea Rike! :) It's not to far off mind you but it is very funny for me since I'm a Swede. Cudos to you for doing it better than most americans would've.

[@DivineBloodline]

Why did I watch this? I just broke my addiction to EUIV and CKII... Oh now I want to play again.

[@madsli]

2:52 "it was the age of progress. The unbaptised built mighty castles, with blood and sweat." My translation (of what we hear) of the intro.

[@smellydelicious7872]

Oh! Sweat! That makes way more sense than sword as I had heard it.

[@TheOnlyToblin]

"unbaptised" may be a literal translation. The proper translation would be "the commoners", and it implies that the commoners built the castles for the nobles.

[@Tuco1992]

Did you play Imperialism at all? I had it as a kid and played it for hours even though I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Would love to see a video on it. Keep up the good work, I love your channel.

[@winnerking]

Such nostalgia! I love that game! It was my first game I ever bought. And when I heard his voice, I was mind-blowed! Thanks Paradox! Tack så mycket! ^_^

[@Derevirn]

Nice review as usually! Regarding your back pain, try to always maintain a good posture while sitting at a computer. You can get in a LOT of trouble because of hunching.

[@LGR]

Definitely learned my lesson on that! Just didn't even realize while I was playing, it's that engaging.

[@TigerClawTV]

This is one of youtubes best reviews. Thank you Mr. LGR.

[@homerunnr2197]

Another good review, keep them coming LGR :)

[@timlarsson]

I loved playing Svea Rike as a kid, and I was good at it! I tried it when I was older and didn't understand a single thing. It's a great game though, and helped me learn some about Swedish kings :) And your pronunciation of it was good enough :) a longer "i" in Rike and it would've been perfect!

[@SixDeadMice]

Hey Clint do you have crusader kings 1? I'm still obsessed with that game and would love to see a review if you have it! LOVE your work on this channel, keep it up dude!

[@senorMckenzie]

Please play eu4!!! Please Please PLEASE! It's so much fun!

[@Sudahluopa]

he will hurt his back more

[@amshermansen]

For those who are scared by the complexity - The latest revision of the game, EU4 has taken a step back to a more simple, or rather easier game to ease into. :)

[@LGR]

This one is still far more simple than EU4 though!

[@amshermansen]

Lazy Game Reviews Hehehe - No doubt. :D

[@SwedishEmpire1700]

Well i used mods to make my EU4 even better

[@amshermansen]

mandraxhair EU4 is in no way as complex as EU3.

[@victorjohansson5300]

Mansen What are you saying they removed? I mean they cleaned some stuff up and made the interface better but I don't think it's less complex at all and I've been playing paradox games since the first Svea Rike.

[@LeFabulousDiamond]

One of my favorite reviews so far 10/10

[@Kfroguar]

Gog had an eu sale and I bought eu1 and 3. I finished the tutorial for EU 1 last week and it was a lot of fun. It held me in a way that civ hasn't really managed to.

[@MaverickHunterXZA]

To be honest, the section before the actual review should be more than enough for everyone to judge the game ;) Great video, and get better soon

[@ValensBellator]

I started with EU III when I actually game across it in a store back when PC games were still on shelves and when I got home and saw the thick manual inside I knew I'd struck gold lol.... I've been hooked to Paradox games (primarily EU/CK/HoI/Vic and now Stellaris) ever since. I never feel as if I've truly learned everything there is to know about those games, and the way they keep updating them with new expansions they just remain fresh and interesting.

[@gizho6493]

I love listening to your videos while cooking... yeah, that's a thing 😄

[@David-fm6go]

I picked up a combo cd with Crown of the North and EU II back in late 2004. Been hooked ever since and I still play EU II a lot.

[@tornader]

I've spent so much time in europa universalis but my first game was the second one, I'm happy you showed me what the first one looked like. It seems pretty similar to the second one

[@ZemplinTemplar]

Nice retrospective. :-) Even if the first installment is a bit simpler, it's really refined for a strategy game of this sort from 2000. As always, thanks for the review. :-)

[@UltimateGraphics]

Seeing that Intro video with the Solar system gave me goosebumps. Lovely elementary school years.

[@looker999997]

Going back to EU2 engine (in For The Glory, a standalone mod) I had problems with the interface and graphics, such as the units being tiny. In later games, you get an exact date when armies will arrive at a province. This is vital for planning, since it can make the difference between attacking and defending, evading combat or getting caught. Does original EU have that?

[@spinoza2326]

You've described what I love about EU1 and 2 - they're not absolute monsters of complexity. I probably would have never got past the learning curve of EU if I didn't start with 1 and play around in the Fantasia scenario. It's fun and pretty simple to just capture lands and grow your empire. Plus, I really love the old-school interface and the 2D maps, it has a distinct style that stays fresh compared to the new titles. Admittedly, I still don't know how to play a land-locked country and it's not very interesting to me, but I've managed to complete the Grand Campaign as the British Empire in EU2, and it was a ton of fun!

[@gurufabbes1]

Up 0:22 Yup, that would be about all of us playing EU4. The game is a masterpiece. Paradox! Thank you so much!

[@Morzall0055]

I need to go buy this, thank you LGR for showing me this!

[@cMaXeJIJIo]

Sounds awesome!

[@aaronbasham6554]

Hey LGR, something I found out that's fun is the main developer for EU the board game actually went to my highschool

[@sonnytots]

I used to play this when I was like eleven, I love good strategy games like this that just let you immerse yourself completely.

[@kennandunn7533]

Hey Clint! What's your opinion on the Hearts of Iron series?

[@XError40404]

Never played this one but I do remember playing EU3 and now play EU4 and CK2

[@jasonz7788]

Great work Sir thank you

[@TheGlennLife]

@LGR is Svea Rike the same game as Europa Universalis: Crown of the North? I remember the latter very fondly but the plot and even the look of the box art look very similar.

[@will2003michael2003]

Thanks for reminding me of how great this game was. Grand Strategy games are amazing and Paradox makes the best of them. The detail in some of these older games are amazing.

[@BigBossJ]

Like the review. It'd be cool to see you do now paradox games

[@kalashnakov0477]

Thanks I've always wondered how this game played but there was no review on YT. Plus you're on my home country on 8:22

[@AndreasVictorsson]

You pronounced Svea Rike surprisingly well Clint! :)

[@KombatGod]

"if you're one of those that likes to read manuals entirely before playing" yeah, remember when we used to do that? I mean surely not everybody did that, and I didn't either sometimes, but I'd call myself a "manual reading guy". Two main reasons are 1-so that you had something to do while waiting for the game to freaking install; 2-OCD. But it was also used to let you dive in the game world before playing, to prepare yourself for a fantastical trip. Especially PC games had some cool extras, like the LucasArts adventure games of course, but even more recent games like StarCraft had an incredibly long section for storyline, so that I remember reading the SC manual before going to bed like a book. Another reason was because I used to get a lot of games for Christmas (of course), but we used to spend the Holydays at my Grandparents' house without a PC or a console, so not being able to play the games, me and my brother could only "read" them. And it was great to use our imagination to wonder what the game would be like, and having to wait really did amplify the excitement. Nowadays we don't even get a manual, most times there only is a little flyer that says "follow the on-screen instructions, you dumbass". Ok, maybe not these exact words, but still. Is it better like it is now? Was it better before? I don't really know, and that's not even the point. The point is that you made me relive all these memories in just one sentence. You're great as always, LGR!

[@Zhedox]

I also loved how some manuals had a page for you to write down notes. Not sure if a lot of games had that but, my case for Spyro 3 does.

[@KombatGod]

Expand Dong I'd say MOST games had that. Never used it, beside for passwords sometimes.

[@psychowordsmith]

KrossoverGod Not just Starcraft but all the Blizzard games in that era had manuals filled with lore, myth and history of their worlds. I remember one of the first actual game purchases I had made was a 3-in-1 set of Starcraft + Brood War, Warcraft 2 + Beyond the Dark portal (the expansions were on a single I think ) and Diablo. They didn't come with physical copies of the manuals, but pdf versions on the disk. I discovered them during my 10th grade finals and would spend a couple hours reading them every day. Then I re-read them afterwards and they added so much the already impresseive worlds they had made. Blizzard what happened to you? Even Warcraft 3 came with theses awesome manuals but ever since WoW, you seem to have lost your interest in making single player experiences.

[@scootsmcgoots]

"Mmn, look at all that text." Lol, your Duke Nukem voice is the best.

[@Gooberslot]

I saw that Disciples II ad. I don't suppose there's any chance you'll ever do a review of that game? As you can tell by my avatar, I'm a fan. :)

[@MannerlyGem]

Are you going to be covering any other paradox Grand Strategy games? Such as the Europa Universalis sequels, Hearts Of Iron or Crusader Kings? It would be amazing if you did. Your reviews are on a whole other level and there aren't many good reviews of any of their games.

[@Psistarstormer]

Wow, this is absolutely retro... But I love it. It's always great to see where a series began, and as someone who's attempting the Paradox Grand Campaign and learning to love these games that I once called "map-staring simulators", it really gives you an appreciation for the dedicated fans. Are you going to touch on the other Paradox classics, Lazy Game Reviewer?

[@LGR]

I'd like to touch on more at some point, absolutely.

[@Psistarstormer]

I absolutely and happily await that, amongst your other fantastic material, LGR.

[@kaiawase]

Nice review, though it has piqued my interest about which games you might possibly do. Since you seem to be on a grandiose complex kind of game kick it makes me wonder what the chances of you reviewing Dwarf Fortress at some point would be.

[@kaiawase]

Mostly yes, but he has done games like slave zero which isn't dos either.

[@FezTheSpaceBiker]

Speaking of Paradox Interactive, are you ever planning on reviewing the Magicka series, and are you looking forward to the upcoming Magicka 2?

[@yomuyugi]

I still have my original CD, got it as a kid and honestly much of what I know about old history came from games like this and AoE. EU 1 was such a beautiful and complex game, really miss that feeling of playing it for the first time.

[@ken90ny]

Brings back memories

[@killknife1]

hay LGR what do u no about the heros of might and magic games? for older pcs?

[@AdriftForWeeks]

Even though I was never really good st real time strategy (turn based is way more my jazz) I will definitely pick one of these up in the near future. This just looks like boatloads of fun.

[@marekmagdziak5916]

Good commentary:)

[@ratonbox]

Can't believe I missed this review originally. This is indeed the type of game to make you forget about day/night cycles by how engrossing it is.

[@marekvrbka]

You know your channel is big when the studio which made the game makes a comment.

[@angelocruz3577]

Oh my gawd, you should, like, totally review Deadly Premonition!

[@TheKatamariguy]

Do you think you could look at the first Victoria game? It's my favorite of Paradox's titles.

[@cloudtx]

I'm a huge Civ fan but this looks so daunting. I don't know if I'll ever give it a chance, but I do respect the huge scope they were going for.

[@setto53770]

These are the best type of computer games. I mean I love arcade games, but these really suit the computer format.

I'm swedish and I played the shit outta this game back in -99/-00. Good work Clint!

[@harrus88]

Svea rike is a really good board game! I'm a Swede :)

[@CybeargPlays]

Your description of this game sounds like loads of fun, and the complexity possible (arranged marriages, religious feuds, etc.) sound like tons of fun! On that note, what game would you most recommend of this type? You mentioned that this game has its flaws here and there but that the series just got "better as time went on", so if you could recommend just a single game in this series (or a different series that is similar) that most superbly gets the game's formula down to its best, which would it be?

[@Singular8ty]

I'm a crazy fan of anything from Paradox, and I'd say that EU3 is your best bet. It's the most complete and stable in the series (EU4 is going to have new DLC for at least one or two more years). I'd also go with EU3 before CK2, HoI3, or Vicky2 as well. It's the easiest to get into. CK2 = Crusader Kings 2 -- Medieval Europe (now also down to India) HoI3 = Hearts of Iron 3 -- WW2 Vicky2 = Victoria 2 -- Everything between EU and HoI (Civil War, Unification of Germany, WWI, etc.)

[@aazo5]

The music in the background throughout the video is definitely from EU4. did you put that in the background or did the first game really have the same music?

[@L3gion3r]

The classy music was a nice touch

[@ese_cholito]

I got late into the game with EUIV... It was mind boggling how enthralled I was in the game. For now though I've been giving Victoria II quite a lot of attention, sadly Paradox hasn't mentioned much on a next version :/

[@Quertzy]

Victoria 3 has been released

[@110341]

​@@Quertzyhaha you beat me to it 😅

[@centaur6ify]

you had me @ "either bleeds out or bows before you." Stellaris buggered my neck.

[@theburningskull100]

what is the song at the start? Couldn't find it with the description...

[@FuriKitten]

Uou wouldn't happen to have the various Patrician games from Ascaron there for a future review would you? (sank nearly as much time into Pat2 as I have the HOI series)

[@LGR]

I do not yet, no!

[@RetropUk]

Any chance of a review on Populus or Colonization if you played them at the time?

[@DennisAlexis]

I'm Swedish. Fun to hear some Swedish in your videos. ;)

[@BlackAdder57]

Love Svea Rike. Played it lake crazy back in the days.

[@geminiprime7475]

Great series. Svea Rike means, well The Kingdom of the Swedes or Sverige (Sweden in english). Could have been called something else but us Geats didn't object loudly enough 1000 years ago or so. Awesome review as well.

[@RobNoonanic]

Good vid!

[@vicchopin]

Wonder how did ya record gameplay under 60fps settings...