Out of Eight writes: "I really like the Europa Universalis series. Europa Universalis: Rome takes the game back in time and focuses on a more intimate experience in a specific area of the world, and I liked it, although I may have been slightly more enthusiastic that what was really appropriate (it's happened before). Hot on the heels of the quality In Nomine expansion for the "regular" series, the developers have turned their attention back to Rome and come up with Vae Victis (Latin for "In Nomine"). Paradox has a pretty good track record regarding expansions with meaningful features, so how does Vae Victis stack up?"
The Good:
+Missions
+Simplified governorship with rebellious leaders
+More sophisticated leader succession
+Tenuous republics
+Additional character attributes
The Not So Good:
-No manual and lacks new or modified tutorials
-Relatively minor improvements some of which we've seen before
Direct2Drive has slashed $15 off the price of Paradox's strategy title Europa Universalis: Rome Gold, taking the game down to $5 as part of the digital distributor's Deal of the Week.
The Reticule writes: "Paradox may be all hands on deck at GamesCom in Germany but I managed to sneak some questions through to the companies CEO, Fredrik Wester. Read on for his comments on DLC and newly announced titles from Paradox.
The Reticule – You describe the new titles as being a 'tribute' to those who play your games, to what extent does this mean the new games will be designed according to what your fans want to see?
Fredrik Wester – We are always working close to our customers when designing and developing games. This is the result of many years of interaction between our studio and our fans. Several people from the publishing team also interacts with our forum users on a daily basis to discuss, get feedback and to help us develop the company and our games."
Passing laws to achieve your ends means currying favour with certain parties in the Senate, but it's not as easy as granting titles or smearing the reputation of the opposition. New laws always upset the balance a little and decrease the stability of the country, the cost of which can far outweigh the benefit unless considered carefully. Vae Victis comes with interface tweaks and an updated military AI; it's enough to extend the playtime and enhance the experience for EU Rome veterans.
