Pick IV Me: Saints Row IV or Europa Universalis IV

What the fuck is Europa Universalis?

The bank

Knowledge leads to intimacy

Obviously you should get Europa Universalis 4. It's more complex than Casual Kings 2, but it's nothing on Victoria 2 or HoI3.

Buy EUIV because its good, and you like things that are good.

If you're looking to stretch your gaming dollars and you enjoyed Crusader Kings 2, I think it makes sense for you to go the Europa Universalis route.

Europa will last you longer.

Also, it's really not that much more complicated. Exchange your knowledge of intricate succession laws for like, a more detailed (though not that much) tech and economy screen.

PLUS there's a demo out right now! Everything's in it, it just doesn't last that long. and you can't save.

This is precisely what I was going to say. Get SR4 for Christmas or your birthday or something and beat it in a weekend or two. Get EUIV now and play it off and on for a year.

Which one lets you play as Nolan North in a powdered wig and American flag facepaint again? Is it Europa Universalis? If so, then that one. If not then go with Saints Row IV.

I would also like to say Europa Universalis is a FANTASTIC name. Just as a side note.

EDIT: Oh yeah and fuck you for that title, Aron. That's not okay!

as a huge fan of SR3 and CK2, I highly suggest EU4 and save SR3 for a later date.

If your primary concern is playtime and know you like Paradox games like Crusader Kings 2 then go with EU4. You can easily spend hundreds of hours on the game.

Though if you want 20 hours of awesome then Saint's Row 4 looks like it fits the bill

@fearbeard: @twigger89: @mariachimacabre: @believer258: @animasta: @chaser324: @kaiserreich: @alexw00d:

Thanks for everything guys, I decided to go with EUIV to get the most bang for my buck.

Mariachi: It's my life title, Maury, and I do what I want!

well theoretically you could mod it so you play as Nolan North the 1st and he could be wearing any matter of powered wig and American flag facepaint YOU JUST DONT KNOW MAN

Shiiiiiit. You win.

@animasta: you could even use the ruler creator in CK2 to create the first Nolan North then play through that and import your North dynasty save into EU4.

Good man. I'll see you on the 13th, we can see who fucks up the French more.

53% of people are wrong apparently.

Demo for Europa is out and here is a ton of gameplay footage by Youtube's Quill18.

They shall be crushed under the mighty boot of [Insert Whatever Country I Choose Here]!

I mostly want to see if I can turn the tides and fuck up the Ottomans real bad as Albania.

Best title ever.

someone on the paradox forums did that (beta after action report) and failed horribly.

Then one of hte devs did it, but only by taking Bosnia and abandoning Albania.

@rabidcentipede: The poll is to help decide, but for the most part the posts are the important factor.

@liquids: I know, I've been watching his stuff for a while, his videos have helped me get my head wrapped around the systems of the game

The Ottomans are the last bastion of Roman Imperialism! They can't fall to lowly nations like Albania.

@mariachimacabre: Except Byzantium is still alive at the 1444 start date, so they're the last bastion of Rome, not the Ottos.

Ottoman Empire officially dissolved right after WWI.

Considering your choices though in EUIV between Byzantium and the Ottomans, wouldn't you rather take the empire that was directly founded by the ancient Romans (Diocletian formed the Eastern Roman Empire, and Constantine built Byzantium), rather than picking the empire that destroyed said empire? (the Ottomans took Byzantium).

Damn I'd love to see that, that's like david's toenail vs Goliath.

I didn't realize there was such a large following of paradox players here on GB, we should try to set up a multiplayer game after EU4 comes out.

@mariachimacabre: Oh, you mean in modern times? The title of the last Romans is pretty contested though, the Ottomans, the HRE, Mussolini's Italy, and the Russians all laid claims to the name.

@twigger89: I'd be down for a game; I'll probably be awful though, but that's half the fun, right?

But the Ottoman Empire was essentially just the Eastern Roman Empire that survived after the fall of Rome. The rest moved on governmentally to different systems but they remained an Empire. And yeah, many Renaissance-era Italians didn't even believe that Rome had fallen because they were so prosperous compared to the rest of the continent but the Ottomans remained relatively unchanged for longer than anyone else. They were the last Imperial piece of the Roman Empire.

@mariachimacabre: Uhh, bro, the Ottos were the followers of Osman, a sunni who lead a conquest of anatolia and who's descendant took Byzantium from the last of the Romans. They destroyed the ERE, they weren't their heirs; unless you think just having the land counts.

They weren't their heirs, obviously. But they believed themselves to be the true Third Rome, and they still acted as an Empire long after the other "Third Rome" empires had fallen. I'm not saying they were Rome. It was mostly a joke. But they were the last major remnant of the Ancient Age to fall.

Should be getting Total War Rome II.

@mariachimacabre: Hmm. I dunno man, the Ottos weren't that old, only becoming an empire in 1453, while some of western europe is older and has never really fallen, i.e. England. And then if you mean as in they carried the legacy of Rome from the ancient age to the modern age, you could also counter that with China, though China is totally out of my historical knowledge to be honest.

This is getting a bit tiring, lets just go play some video games.

NO. LET'S NOT. BOW BEFORE THE GLORIES OF THE SULTANATE.

Does Europa Universalis have Riff Raff? No? Then the choice is clear.

@mariachimacabre: FINE! I call a new reconquista!

Wait. Quick question. I haven't played either EU or CK before so forgive me. Can you play as actual leaders or can you only create one? Because if you can play as Caligula, this may be game of the year. Grand Strategy Orgies!

Buy Saints, you want to be in the zeitgeist of it all and you don't want the crazy story stuff to be spoiled before you can experience it. EUIV will be as fun when it comes out as it will be months from now and it will become cheaper. Its great, its just an easier game to put off for a bit. Let some DLCs come out, maybe wait for a steam sale, and then you can take over the world.

total war is boring YO.

@aronman789: If you're so worried about school that you can't find time to work, how do you have time for games?

@hunkulese: Because I use games to relax, yo. After busting my balls on homework, I use the little time I have to play a bit of video games. I don't know about you, but using my only downtime to flip hamburgers for minimum wage doesn't sound very soothing to me.

@mariachimacabre: EU has a little bit of personal stats for leaders, but that's mostly just a name and military skill, ect. CK2 is much more in-depth when it comes to people; it has traits, dynasties, relationships, and all that jazz. You can play both characters you design yourself or historical people, however the game starts in 867, so playing as Caligula would need a mod.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR.

Get Saints. EUIV is awesome but it will have dlc out the ying yang like all the other incredible paradox titles and it will most likely be on sale at some point. Saints will come out and people will spoil the shit out of all the great moments.

@mariachimacabre: There is an EU: Rome game, but that's a bit old and Paradox likes to pretend it never happened.

Wiz, modder extrordinare and current AI programmer made a pretty decent mod for it that people say makes it a good game.

The strategy game. SR is fine but once you beat it you are done and there's not going to be much reason to play it again and again. It's the type of game to wait for a sale on if you don't have the money to waste on it.

I remember what It was like to be in your shoes where one game has to last a long time, and the ones that did it for me were always strategy games and/or games with a ton of modability like an RPG. For me it was the Westwood era of Command and Conquer. I could replay those games a million times and have a million different outcomes by just trying to approach maps and situations in as many different ways as possible. I would make crazy scenarios and restrictions on myself and force myself to try and find a way to win with them. Like only beating a map with infantry. Then doing it with only a certain type of unit etc. Then when that all got done, I would edit the rules.ini files and change every aspect of how units in the game work and suddenly I had an infinite number of scenarios to try and conquer my way through by commanding. Sorry I couldn't resist.

So get EU. I have never played the games myself and only know of them from passing, but they sound like they will give you a ton of replayability and what sounds like an active and dedicated modding community.

This made me smile because it's totally opposite for me. I know I'm in the minority, but I have 101 hours (not counting the 360 version that I had before I got a rig that could play it) logged onto Saints Row: The Third. Probably going to do that with 4 as well.

Gotta say, if you gots 50 bucks to your name, buy a bunch of indie games, and then get both on the cheap during the Winter Sale.

Also, awesome use of Roman numeral in the title. Whenever people intercap their words/avatars with numbers it's lame, but this was pretty cool.

Everyone enjoys games for different reasons. In the case of SR I just don't get anything out of running around the city doing whatever comes to mind, and once I played the story missions replaying them don't offer me much. The only time I had fun just running around a city doing whatever was GTA III on my PS2. The only reason that held my interest for so long was because it was my first time playing that style of game and at the time it blew me away and felt like I could do anything. It also helped that it was the only game I had for the thing.