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Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 330 Ratings

  • Summary: In Crusader Kings II, you will get to control one of the great Christian dynasties of the West, attempt to conquer all of Europe, and liberate the Holy Land.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 31
  2. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Mar 13, 2012
    95
    The best Paradox Interactive game to date. No game has ever explored feudalism so deeply.
  2. Feb 14, 2012
    86
    The bottom line is that Paradox Interactive knows its audience, and the developer hand-crafted Crusader Kings II to fit the needs of its dedicated fan base. This is not an accessible game, and it does not pretend to be. If you want an update to the original Crusader Kings, or if you want to play Sengoku in the context of a different culture, Crusader Kings II is a must-buy. If not, stay away.
  3. Feb 20, 2012
    82
    Playing as a lower level character is almost even more fun than starting out as the King, I mean sure, it's good to be king….but it's nice to see the designers of the game took not only their fan base into consideration with this one…no even someone new to this type of gaming would do well to have this as their first experience. After running those tutorials off you go… and players will have all the courtly intrigue, army gathering and conquests and world running they can handle.
  4. May 10, 2012
    70
    People who spent dozens or even hundreds of hours with Crusader Kings and the Europa Universalis series will like Crusader Kings II and appreciate the fact that this is the most polished game by Paradox Interactive. Others will probably quickly get bored. [June 2012, p.82]

See all 31 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 9 out of 117
  1. This is the type of game that requires time and investment to be able to play successfully; if you expect to jump in and win right away then the game will take great pleasure in destroying you thoroughly.

    You absolutely will need to read the manual which is online as a PDF downloadable from where you purchased it, or from the Paradox forums. And you may even need to consult the online FAQs for assistance.

    Which seems like a lot of work for a game doesn't it?

    Honestly though if you persevere it is completely worth the effort. Wouldn't say it was perfect, but with the ability to mod out the things you don't like and mod in the things you do? It is pretty damn near it.

    Paradox's best effort yet. Defo worth a 9 out of 10.
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  2. Although daunting in its scope and sheer overload of information, Crusader Kings 2 is a great "social" strategy game. The main difference between this title and some of Paradox's others is that in this game you are not some omnipotent god like figure ruling over your kingdom. You are actually a family member in the game, and you must successfully navigate each character through their life, forging alliances with other family members of all sorts, and as ruler, your most important task is securing a line of succession- failure to do so will result in instantly losing the game.
    The game is not for the impatient FPS player who wants instant kills and gratification, if you're looking for explosions, this is not the game for you. As everyone else has already mentioned, the game is in desperate need of a sufficient manual. The learning curve is rather steep as one has to learn medieval jargon to master the game. Not a bad game.
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  3. Not an easy game, sometimes frustrating, with a slow learning curve (if you expect to master it). You ll have to make many mistakes before understanding most of the game mechanics and be successful. Certainly not a game for everyone. But if you can go through that, you ll find a jewel that worth your time. The political system is very complex and the backbone of the game, it's all about relations between members of your family/vassals, not so much about war and conquests. Very deep game. Expand
  4. I was really excited about this game when I heard of the dynasty concept and how you build your family. The focus is supposed to be on planning and resisting intrigue plots so you can further spread you dynasty. However its just a bunch of menus within a boring world with extremely boring characters. Characters are reduced to simple stats and there is very little if any relevant character developments. To top it off, your expected to "get" the rules and UI without any real help. I spent two play sessions reading tutorials and trying it out to learn how to play as I do not have a friend to just show me. The learning curve on this game is way to high for what it is.

    I love strategy games, I do not understand how this game rated so high. Its a serious disappointment and financial waste.
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See all 117 User Reviews