There's a difference between RTS fans and those who love Paradox "grand strategy" games. RTS gamers are often making last-second decisions as enemy forces arrive, or as resources run low often managing things as quickly as possible, researching tech before the next attack, cranking out force after force. Paradox gamers are almost the complete opposite: planning their strategies far ahead of time, slowly and meticulously, often setting up a play for hours, thinking about A-Z and then finally executing that plan. While still working in real-time, Crusader Kings II is a much different breed of strategy game.

Crusader Kings II is a sequel to the original Crusader Kings, which was released back in 2004. Much has changed since then, but the heart and spirit and complexity still remain. Taking place in the dark ages (starting around 1066, it will be easy to choose whichever historic dark ages date you want to start at), players will take the role of a prominent or non-prominent figure and will play within a time span of 400 years.

To write about Crusader Kings II can almost be overwhelming. Simply put, there is so much to do and so much complexity it's often hard to explain just how amazingly rich this game is. To begin with, winning isn't simply "crush-kill-destroy-conquer"; there will be dozens of elements to gaining political power, resources, and land. To explain this all, let's start with whose role you take. You may choose to start at a lower rank such as a count, or you may choose a higher rank such as king. Right away, you will be thrown into Game of Thrones territory. Family and lineage play a huge part in this game. You'll be marrying off your daughters to gain more land, you'll be doing favors to stay good in the eyes of those shaky alliances, and you'll be backstabbing those you know are keys to gaining more power. These in-game plots will weaken or strengthen crown authority within kingdoms, but sometimes they are the best ways to go about things. 

You won't spend a lot of time micro-managing your kingdoms, as your vassals will take many responsibilities on their own as you conquer more territory. Technology will upgrade over time; however, the system is a bit confusing and automatic rather than manually chosen like in say, Warcraft. In the end, Crusader Kings II is about acquiring your friends, alliances, and honor in order to build up your power and territory. Angering too many people will cause so many assassins and usurpers for you to deal with that you might find yourself dead before you even get to run a crusade. However, there are also the advantages to executing those who oppose you and ruling by strength and fear. 

Of course, there will be plenty of battles (however, they are often long-winded), and many of these will be defending your kingdoms from non-Christian kingdoms (such as the Moors). As far as running a crusade in the holy lands (as the title implies), I never once in all my hours of play even attempted it, until I had risen to the title of king. My affairs were so heavily rooted in local drama, it never seemed important until I become listless and all-powerful on throne. 

Crusader Kings II keeps the Paradox charm many gamers are familiar with: hand-painted loading screens, simple, streamlined UI, basic yet handsome maps, and crisp clear layouts across the board. Forsaking flashy graphics for functionality, Crusader Kings II may remind some of mid 90s RTS games, but with a much fresher and updated look. For "grand strategy" gaming, these layouts and graphics are far better. A multiplayer mode enables up to 32 players to hop on and plot against and conquer one another, while the A.I. in single-player mode is strong enough to provide enough challenges. However, a weak point of Crusader Kings II is that for how deep it is, the only playable countries are those that are historically Christian. There is the option of going against the pope and his rules; however, this creates major challenges and there is no choice to join non-Christian countries or religions.

Crusader Kings II is incredibly accurate as far as historical detail and execution, and it will make any fan of grand strategy or historical gaming jump for joy. The hardest part about Crusader Kings II is the learning curve. It may take a good 30 minutes to an hour to get into, and it also takes a strong will to learn. While it is an easier and more accessible "grand strategy" game than most, if you've never attempted playing one of these Paradox titles, it will still take some getting used to. A good resource is YouTube, as there are many tutorial videos helping players to get into it and learn the details of the game. It is a shame that Paradox forsake a tutorial mode within the game, but it's also understandable, as their target audience is most likely current fans.

GameDynamo's Score for Crusader Kings II (PC)

	Score	Description
Graphics	73	Beautiful yet basic. These graphics won't wow anyone, but they're easy on the eyes and serve for streamlined functionality.
Sound	70	There's not much to say on the sound / music here. However, nothing gets annoying. Again, functionality is the key here, rather than the wow factor.
Gameplay	92	For those who love "grand-strategy" games, Crusader Kings II is top-notch. However, the game will not appeal to those not ready to tackle an all-out, complex, slower-moving strategy game. Regardless, getting around the UI is a joy, and overall design of the game flows both mechanically and gameplay-wise.
Play Value	95	There is no doubt that whether you hate it or love it, Crusader Kings II offers so much content and strategic ways to play / win, along with a hefty 32 multiplayer option that the play value is through the roof.
Final Score	90	For those who love "grand strategy" or historical strategy, Crusader Kings II will be like heaven, while others won't last ten minutes. For the genre, Crusader Kings II is stellar.

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