Recent reviews by Blaze Pascal

After a not-insignificant amount of time with this game, it is safe to say that Europa IV is perhaps the defining game of its genre and its generation. The game has near-endless replayability and requires thoughtful strategy every time. However, until Paradox does something about its predatory and exploitative DLC policy, the game can never be worth the price.

The current price of the game as of writing this review is $39.99. All of the DLC expansion packs that add actual game content (not just sprites or music) costs around $350. Fans of the game will justify this by arguing something along the lines of, "the game is 10 years old, so it's just equivalent to buying one $35 game per year to keep the Europa IV experience fresh and new--that's half of what a new AAA game costs, so it's a good deal." There are so many players who have not owned the game for 10 years. How can you expect a new player to pay $400 for a 10-year-old game and all of its content? Asking players to play a game for 10 years to make it worth it does not seem like a good value proposition. And Paradox's solution is to add an "expansion subscription" option. I do not have time in this review to rant about the subscription model's infiltration into gaming, but it is sad to see.

If there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it's that Paradox titles after Europa IV have adopted a "fewer-DLCs-more-content" approach. But I can never recommend a game that locks core game mechanics behind paid DLC. Players who love this game should not be force to hawk Steam Sales or constantly monitor Humble Bundle to find discounted DLCs to make the game playable at an attainable price. If you can get your hands on the DLC, congratulations--enjoy Europa IV as it is one of the defining games of its genre and its generation. But until Paradox does something about its predatory and exploitative DLC policy, it is a game that is not worth the price.

Victoria 3 is a quaint economy simulator that chooses to do one thing and do it extremely well. At launch, this game was heavily and unfairly criticized. The game runs perfectly fine (in single player), and patches continue to address any weird bugs that pop up. Where this game shines is allowing you to take control of any country, turning it into an economic powerhouse. However, where this game falls flat and disappoints is in the history.

In a grand strategy game, it is the historical story that brings the game to life. What makes Victoria 3 feel flat compared to other Paradox titles, is that telling the story of the economic boom of the XIX century is telling less than half the story. This historical story is not at all modeled in Victoria 3. The Diplomacy, Politics, and Warfare gameplay loops merely reinforce the main loop - the economic one. The polticking done by the player requires careful balancing of factions in the country to pass new laws--which get you better bonuses for the economy. The diplomacy conducted by the player requires thoughtful positioning of interests and curating of relationships--to get better market access for the economy. The warfare gameplay results in brutal wars between major powers so you can conquer new states--to get more room for buildings for the economy. You could play the game without ever touching the diplomacy and warfare aspects. There is no nationalism, there is no irredentism, there is no other reason to go to war other then to acquire more space for buildings to feed your economy. Any historical events that the game models (e.g., The Red Scare, Belgian Congo Expedition, Scramble for Africa) are all merely timed events that happen off-screen except for a few decision points along the way for the player.

It is this story that other Paradox titles brought to life which Victoria 3 does not address. The Burgundian Succession event chain feels meaningful. The crusades feel meaningful. The countdown to Danzig or War feels meaningful. And it's this story that makes keeping independence as Burgundy a fun challenge in Europa Universalis IV. It's what makes surviving as Jerusalem after the crusades interesting in Crusader Kings III. It's what makes trying to fight back as Poland or France an achievement in Hearts of Iron IV. These feelings and moments are noticeably absent from Victoria 3. The only motivating force for your actions as a player ends up being constructing more profitable buildings working under your market. And the green line can only go up in so many ways, so many times.

Victoria 3 is a great economy simulator. If you love pure economic simulations, then by all means buy and play Victoria 3. If you can get Victoria 3 for free or even heavily discounted, then get Victoria 3. But make no mistake about where the game's priorities lie. The nations may as well be named "Easy," "Medium," and "Hard" and take the shape of outlines on a blank map.

I cannot recommend the game at full price. And, once they do add any sort of historical elements, if at all, I certainly will not be able to recommend the game at the new inflated price of all the DLC that it will certainly be locked behind.

As of writing this review, the game is free and in early access. The game is developed by a small Ukrainian developer during a war, who are self-publishing the game.

The PvE mode is an incredibly fun rogue-like. You can choose from a small set of Operatives with unique abilities. The gun mechanics are incredibly satisfying. Even if you're bad at FPS like me, you can still meaningfully contribute to the team while feeling powerful. The sound design is immersive. This mode has really good replay-ability, and the difficulty makes every objective and completion all the more satisfying. There are many fun and unique buffs along the way that turn each run that makes it to the end into an over-the-top ridiculous slug-fest. However, this is still an early access game, and the amount of content and variability illustrates that. Still, very well-done for a small early access game.

I wish the developers would focus on the PvE mode, rather than try to chase a PvP competitive shooter mode that has to compete with the likes of Valorant, CoD, CSGO, R6S, Overwatch, etc., etc. The PvE mode clearly has good bones and a lot of potential to turn into something special at full release if they devoted the time and effort to it.

Lastly, the FOMO-battle-pass-loot-box-daily-weekly-task model seems to be here for good. I'm willing to forgive it somewhat for such a small dev team in a free game. Plus, paid items are cosmetic only. All weapons and Operative skills rank up based on experience gained from playing the game.

True sandbox game. Allows your imagination to take the game wherever it may lead.