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Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun PC
Metascore
58 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 12
  3. Negative: 3 out of 12
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  1. Gamer's Hell
    75
    The ability to assign many administrative tasks to AI routines helps to make Victoria more accessible, but if you’re new to the genre, you still may not be prepared for the overwhelming amount of data for which you’ll be responsible.
  2. IGN
    72
    There's an excellent game struggling to surface in Victoria, and I look forward to playing it just as soon as the requisite patches appear. Now would some kindly soul please create an accurate, intelligent manual for the game?
  3. GameZone
    70
    It is not for the new player to the strategic gaming genre. It will likely provide a challenge to veterans due to its frenetic pacing. The game has depth, but hurries through it rather than allowing players to savor the experience.
  4. GameSpot
    63
    Despite some wonderful depth and a great alternate-history ambience, this game is more work than play.
  5. PC Gamer
    62
    I grappled with Victoria for a solid 10 hours before I actually started having fun, and most folks will deem this figure unacceptable. Even then, the game's glaring bugs had a tendency to disrupt the deep and absorbing machinations that eventually develop. [Mar 2004, p.65]
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  6. Computer Gaming World
    60
    Victoria could be a classic after a few patches, but in the initial release, you're paying Paradox to beta test their game. [Mar 2004, p.79]
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  7. Computer Games Magazine
    60
    A good game hidden behind a baffling interface. All the "one more hour" elements are there; you just have to find them. [Apr 2004, p.72]
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  8. FiringSquad
    57
    It’s strange to admit that I do personally enjoy Victoria – and wouldn’t recommend it to a soul I know. Nobody should have to go through the frustrations of the first few games, especially with the newest patch, in order to see if they’ll actually grow to like it once they learn it.
  9. Computer and Video Games
    52
    Compelling - in a masochistic way. Deep down, there's a great game trying to get out, but it's been hamstrung by our many complaints that can be summed up in one sentence. Piss-poor support for the new user. Victoria will infuriate strategy enthusiasts and baffle everyone else. [PC Zone]
  10. Adrenaline Vault
    40
    Gets marks for depth and scope, but unfortunately so much of the detail goes to waste due to the frustrating interface, horrendous learning curve, and sparse gameplay options.
  11. VideoGamesLife
    35
    Far too ambitious and the multitudes of bugs make playing a hugely intricate strategy game a trial.
  12. GameSpy
    30
    A game that combines the micromanagement of "Civilization" with the intrigue and politics of "Diplomacy," adds in a "Railroad Tycoon 3"-style dynamic economic and resources model, uses a layered interface ... and then somehow expects you to manage it all in real-time.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. AndyK.
    10
    This game is all I could ever want for strategic politics and warfare in the Victorian Age. The hundreds of countries, bizillions of outcomes, easy modibility, makes it almost infinitely replayable. It's also only complex (as reviewers keep saying it is) if you're too stupid to be accepted to community college. I learned to use every function in the interface without touching the manual in under an hour. Also reviewers seem to forget you can change the speed and slow it down to paused or speed time up so the fact that you might have to do alot in real time is an invalid complaint. I vote this is the best strategy game of the year.… Full Review »
  2. Imachuemanch
    6
    Well... It has everything to be the best Paradox's game, but it's not. For me, at least. I had been really hoping for hundreds of hours of playing this game, but I was raped by horrible interface. Historical correctness is just amazing, and aspects you can control can overwhelm you. I like that. But as I said, I had been raped by crude interface, which is just not comfortable for me. I give this game a credit and maybe instead of trying it again once more - I will go straight for the sequel.… Full Review »
  3. Mark
    8
    Wow- what a pleasant surprise! This game can be addicting once you figure out the not-so-intuitive interface and hundreds of menus and statistics. I only wish that it were a bit more interesting to play as a very small country (such as Zululand) and actually win the game, but that might be asking for too much, because the game is supposed to be realistic and historical. Maybe a fantasy mode? In any case, it has tons of replay value because you can choose to play as any nation in the world!… Full Review »
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