Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun

List Price: $39.99 Discount Price: $49.98

Features:

• Control your nation from the early 19th century to the early 20th century
• Revolutionary simulation of the industrialization of the world
• Build up military might, industrialization power, and national prestige
• Send explorers to map out the inner parts of Africa and the Americas
• Full-scenario editor and complete multiplayer support

Accessories:
PC Gamer (1-year)	Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

Customer Reviews:

The most entertaining game I've played in my life [Posted on 2005-07-20]
I've played the vast majority of Paradox games, and many of them are honestly a mixed bag even after all of the patches. While Europa Universalis II eventually became an extraordinary game, the Hearts of Iron series is simply not a good fit with the engine. Victoria, on the other hand, is exactly the ridiculously complex and open-ended strategy game I've been waiting for my whole life.

Two notes for consumers not used to Paradox:
1. Always get the latest patch before playing
2. There is a vast fan community that has constructed sites explaining any question you could possibly have with these games. The best of these are the relatively recent wikis that have been set up (linked from the paradox forums). Read them.

Victoria review [Posted on 2005-09-13]
A really addictive game- LOTS of detail. Needs a better tutorial to walk you through all the features- but once you get it down...it is a wonderful waste of time!

Intense Strategy [Posted on 2005-09-23]
If you like intense, drawn out strategy games, this game is for you. The game is demanding in that you must manage many elements to become sucessful, such as trade, production, research, army and navy development, and an overall strategy for victory. The learning curve is probanly two hours, and once learned, Victoria will provide many hours of entertainment.

Assuming you're an OCD history buff strategy gamer, this is heaven for you. [Posted on 2007-03-30]
Vicky is one of my favorite strategy games of all time. It isn't just an 'expand and conquer' game - it's a century long (with the Revolutions expansion) gaming challenge of guiding your chosen nation through the Imperial era. Vicky is *hard* - you'll need to read the rulebook, play some test games as either Sweden or Brazil, and probably Google yourself some online help. That should get you skilled enough to run your economy.

Once you get past the steep learning curve, you've got years of potential gameplay here. Take control of Sweden, recover Finland from Russia, bring Denmark into union and form the nation of Scandinavia; a Great Power, but still weaker than the major powers. Try and avoid the Civil War as the United States. See if you can unify a stronger Germany or Italy than what happend historically.

If you get really attached to your Vicky game, you can export it into Doomsday, and take your nation through the thirties and forties ...

Decent Game [Posted on 2007-12-01]
Alright, I'll admit it: I'm a Paradox fan. I have been ever since I took a leap and bought Hearts of Iron II on a lark. The game was so incredibly deep and historical and magnificent that it continues to entertain me. With that great experience, I decided to expand into other Paradox titles, and I began with Victoria: Empire Under the Sun.

So, regarding the game. If you want an easy game, this isn't it. If you want your typical real time strategy game, this isn't it. If you want to find a game you can learn quickly, this isn't it. If you are looking for a wargame, this isn't it.

The game is, at its digital little heart, a economic simulator wrapped in a package of a game. Economics will be your primary concern throughout the game. There are numerous other facets, including politics, diplomacy, imperialism, (a little) warfare, and country making, but all this pales in comparison to the amount of time you'll be spending attempting to manage your country's economy. Certainly, it could be argued that this is exactly what world leaders do, but it limits the entertainment of the game.

I'll confess, I'm a wargame buff. And that's why I loved Hearts of Iron II. This is definitely not a wargame.

And while I love depth, this game has so much depth it's smothering. When you combine this with little help manual-wise and absolutely no tutorial or learning campaign, you'd need rock climbing gear to surmount this learning curve.

In conclusion, if economics and history are your thing, have at it, otherwise, you might be better suited to some other game ... I know I am.

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