Well, as a Paradox Interactive "game collector", i can say that this is their best game. Like the review below, is like a dream come true, the mechanics are real deep, but if you have played this kind of game before, you'll know that in some hours you'll overcome the learning curve and do many things very fast, keeping you focused on your aims, and not on deciphering the interface.

Its very nice to start as a count and have its family rise up until you are kings of many kingdoms. You should also look in the Paradox Interactive forums and get some of the awesome mods that are in the making.

A truly excelent game. If you arent satisfied i guarantee you money back :-)

Like grand strategy games?

Like Game of Thrones?

Well, if the two had an illegitimate child, the result would be CK2. Okay, it's not officially a Game of Thrones Game, and there's no fantasy as such, but if you like the idea of a game where you build a dynasty by intimidating your enemies, using your children (and those of your court) as pawns and setting up intricate plots to covertly steal power, then this is for you. And if that doesn't sound like a Game of Thrones, I don't know what does (barring dragons and incest!).

This game like its predecessor is amazing middle ages dynasty sim which allows you to guide one dynasty throughout crusades and try build up legacy which will stand test of time.

You gather piety and prestige for your own glory to be used in politics with church or with other kingoms. And if you find yourself lacking land in larger scheme there is allways plots you can have to get you larger holdings or better titles untill you are king or emperor.

Crusader Kings II completely blows me away, it graphical beautiful and runs well even on lower end computers. It improves on the original 10 fold and is a must buy for anyone who loves strategy games or in general is looking for a fun and enjoyable experience

CKII is really one of the best games of Paradox! I love the first game a lot and the second game is really better then Victoria II or Hearts of Iron III. It's nice to see, that Paradox goes back to the roots! Its a really great game. The best game of the mediæval era!

Crusader Kings II is strategy gamer's dream come true. Warfare, diplomacy, court intrigue, and economic development are all rolled into one amazing package. It makes a game like Civilization look like child's play. Like all Paradox games, this one is a modder's paradise, but unlike several recent releases, this one was quite well balanced and bug-free upon release. There isn't much not to love here!

After playing the original when I was younger, it quickly becomes clear that this is a much better game in every aspect. From the immersion as a king/queen/duke/count added with the improved mechanics, being a medieval lord has *never* been more fun.

This game is clearly worth every penny and combined with the mongols dlc you have late game enemies who in every way look foreign.

Crusader Kings 2 has received a lot of plaudits since its release, and deservedly so as it is Paradox's best effort to date.

The emphasis in this game is squarely on role playing. There are grand strategy elements involved as well, but if you approach the game intending to conquer the world, you will most likely become frustrated and disenchanted. Instead, your main emphasis is on developing the characters of your chosen family line, and managing their relationships with the thousands of other characters who populate the world.

It does a good job of simulating the realities of feudal Europe and the difficulties of keeping large possessions together when everybody was pulling in their own direction. It is not a historical simulation per se, and certain aspects, the military in particular, are heavily simplified, perhaps too much so for some peoples taste.

But on the whole it provides as broad and engrossing strategy game as you could ever hope to play. My only criticism is that this version will ultimately be superseded by the inevitable future DLC's that allow you to play Muslims, Republics and Pagans.

Having played the original Crusader Kings and enjoyed it immensely I had high hopes for CK2. I was not disappointed.

CK2 has been modernized and revamped and while it seems to ooze a new commonality with the EU3 series(No wonder since both games use the same engine.) it remains true to the original game. Instead of playing as a country or kingdom you play as a person in medieval Europe (or as some mods, (Umbrae Sphere I'm looking at you.) are hoping to implement, a character in the middle east or asia as well.)

You will scheme plot and war over titles granting you ownership to land. The caveat here is that you can only control so many fiefs. Eventually you will be forced to hand over titles to loyal members of your court - who may or may not remain loyal. Controlling these characters who owe fealty to you will often become a greater challenge to you than fighting foreign kings. Everyone wants the king's crown, the question is are you ruthless enough to hold on to it?

Best game in years! I can only advice anyone with a passion for strategy games to give it a try.

Even though it takes a while before you properly understand all the features and elements of the game it is well worth getting started at. Hours go away as you attempt to further the power of your family and the game has a very high replay value. There are so many options for the way you wish to play and they're all fun.

Thank you thank you Paradox for the best game to date!

This is an excellent game. I've had some issues with buggy paradox games in the past, but no complaints here. If you are interested in the period, and have played clausewitz engine games before, don't miss this.

This game is my favorite paradox game yet, and I highly recommend it. Even without any expansions it's fully playable to the end, and mods are coming out already that fix some of the balance issues.

Paradox have done amazing things here. Crusader Kings I was admirable in many ways and was perhaps the most engaging of the Paradox titles in the old engine. It brought stories to life via characters whose very basic traits, expressed very simply with just one word and/or a number, became easy to understand and fit into a narrative that almost wrote itself.

More of the same in Crusader Kings II with everything going a little deeper in terms of the simulation and all the right tweaks and changes to smooth things out. It is a joy to play as your dynasty of choice and go through all the highs and lows that you can suffer. What Paradox have captured her, which is seen to various degrees in their other grand strategy games, is the joy that comes from victories and losses alike. It's making that losing fun, when setbacks and even serious defeats can continue to throw up interesting events, twists and turns.

It's not the easiest game to get into without a little preparatory understanding of how grand strategy games work, but with a little perseverance it pays off. If you're already a fan of the genre then this is the stand-out work and you should already have bought it.

CK2 is one of those strategy games which draw you in, make you incredibly frustrated, then suddenly it all clicks into place, and you end up playing it till 3am on a school night.

Like all Paradox games (such as Europa Universallis) it has a very steep learning curve, and with the added emphasis on building your dynasty, you will soon find yourself obsessing over lineages, births, deaths, marriages, and finding enough land for your sons. All good fun.

What makes this game so special is the attention to detail in both the history and the setting, so if you are looking are a way to sink a significant portion of your life into, you won't go far wrong with this great game.

I love Civilization type games, and CKII is definitely that type of game. However due to a clumsy interface and some game dynamics being way too involved, I soon lost interest.

Paradox has pulled off yet another gem of a game. Crusader Kings II hearkens back to the days when games of this nature were about well thought out strategy as opposed to who can click or react the fastest. One aspect that I greatly appreciate is the lack of predetermined, false "victory" goals. Instead, you are given roughly 400 years, with a game speed slider to make that 400 years go as fast or as slow as you want, and are left to define your own "victory" options.

Kingdom Management in Crusader Kings II is fairly straight forward. Each county is composed of one or more holdings. These holdings can be a castle, church or a city and are the residence in most cases of your vassals. Each can be upgraded based on your Kingdom's technology levels and at most times the NPC vassals are decent about upgrading their Hold. You have the option, however, of spending the Kingdom's money to upgrade their holdings as well as your own (which is most often a Castle).

Whether Count or King you have court to manage (which I've found to be mainly the place to either create alliances and also manage your Dynasty, or spreading your bloodline) as well as a set of five royal advisers. Each has a set of three skills that allow them to perform actions to grow and protect your realm.

If you have played any previous Paradox strategy games then you will be familiar with combat. I must admit, though, that raising and using armies in Crusader Kings II seems more straight forward than in other Paradox titles I've played. Especially when it comes to funding the army. I've always had the feeling of whether I could or could not afford a to raise an army in previous games. That is not the case here.

If you enjoy strategy games you need to pick this one up. Must have!

Thank you paradox for truely turning me into a hermit again. This game like it's siblings (e.g. eu3 ) provides hours upon hours of just wait one more year to see what happens anticipation. The graphics are tight and gameplay is more balanced as compared to earlier versions. The initial learning curve is steep but after a couple quick sessions is easily picked up.There are many features that add uniqueness to each individual playing style. All in all another great game !

A solid title in line with other paradox games. If you liked EU3 or Sengoku you'll probably like this. The combat is dull at best but the character development is solid and the satisfaction you get from slowly eroding power from a king before stealing his crown is worth a try. My only complaint is that some aspects of the diplomacy don't seem to work well and once you become a king plots are essentially out the window (which is a shame as this is the funnest part of the entire game).

This is an amazing, absorbing game. If you have played EU3 or a similar Paradox game, you'll be familiar with the basic idea and, indeed, the controls as they are very much cut from the same cloth.

However, in CK2 you control a dynasty - you are trying to carve your families place in history, which may not necessarily be the same as your country's place in history. It is a brilliant new angle on the grand strategy genre and is executed superbly.

Very highly recommended.

PI got it right with this one. I've been missing the entertainment value from their games since EU2. Crusader Kings 1, Victoria 1, Eu3 all did not cut it for me.

Crusader Kings 2 however is great. The game is tremendesly fun, with tons of things to do. The game has villains and heros, tragic kings and queens and lots of depth in gameplay.

I am currently totally absorbed by the game and its possibilities. It's a masterpiece. Well done!

Great game and, in my opinion, probably the most polished release that Paradox has put out. The release version was excellent, not absolutely needing immediate patches to become more playable. Patches now are only improving a strong product.

An excellent game that simulates what it must have been like to rule a medieval kingdom. A pure joy to play, if you're in to that sort of thing.

Great game. Far better than the first in my opinion. If you like Europa Universalis and Victoria you should certainly get this one. Its interesting playing as part of a dynasty instead of automatically the king. It makes the game a unique mix of strategy and RPG because you get attached to your characters and follow their development.

If you are new to paradox's games, you might want to consider Europa Universallis III or Victoria II, due to the learning curve invoolved here. However if you are willing the time (and maybe read a few AARs) this is proobably the most immersive game in the series, as it takes a more personal note. As with all 2nd generation paradox games the UI is much more newcomer friendly offering most things, but with this said keeping track of all the important characters is still a daunting task.

Paradox delivers another deep and very satisfying game with Crusaders Kings II. If your a fan of any of the similar Paradox titles you'll enjoy these game from the start. They have greatly improved the graphics over the original and I'm wishing that they could somehow incorporate them into HOI3. Great game that will surely provide hours and hours of enjoyment.....buy it.

From all the paradox interactive grand strategy games, CK I was always somewheat special. It was centred on the character and their relations. Game was quite hard and you never knew if you will survive or not... CK 2 took everything and improves it a lot. It is very bug-free (for paradox interactive game anyway :) ) and very easy to learn. But of course - hard to master. I can only recomend it to everyone who either loves deep strategy games or medieval era... Or actually to anyone who want some fun with strategy games!

Crusader Kings is one of the most original strategy game created at the date. You're not playing a country nor a character but a dinasty. Placed in one of the most appealing historical scenarios: feudal Europe (XI-XV centuries).

You can play like a Count (controlling one province), a Duke (you're having Counts like vassals, and you can be also a Count yourself) a King (several vassals, Counts and Dukes) or a Emperor (there are already two in the game, the Holy Roman Empire and Bizancium). Your challange is to use your diplomatic skills to make blood ties with other families and dinasties in other to get control over more lands... and as it's been stated, war (and spionage) are diplomacy by other means.

You are also involved in Crusades to regain control of Holy Land as well as improve your relations with the Pope; engaged in plots to end with your enemies and you should be careful to make your people satisfied enough not to revolt but not so powerful that they start a civil war to secede or take your titles, specially when you're in a succession afther the death of your former "incarnation".

A great improvement from the original Crusader Kings in all senses (it's been added lot of things, one of the most interesting a new way of managing your own beholdings and court, with baronies, bishops...). A gem of a game, 5/5 without doubt.

Brilliant on every level. I believe its the best game Paradox have ever done, bettering even EU3 with its expansions. Music, graphics and interface are top notch, and it will keep you hooked for ages building up your family dynasty as the middle-ages progress through time. Play for 200 years and see how your family get interspersed all across Medieval Europe as you marry off your sons and daughters to other kingdoms to create and make alliances. Then watch as these other kingdoms then declare war to claim your throne...

Great game, spectacular.

Being a person who played all of the Europa Universallis-es this game feels like a lost cousin, with much more depth and detail then that of the previous games, i find myself loving this game and while im at work dreaming of getting home to play it, which is a way i haven't felt with many other games lately.

it gets a thumbs up from me :)

I've been a fan of Paradox games for quite a while now. They have a habit of releasing games with incredible depth, but a learning curve like a a wall and, especially early on, the feeling that you're hardly influencing the game at all. Crusader Kings II is a step in the right direction in that regard: You have fairly direct control over the dynasty you're in charge of, the game feels responsive and it has more feedback than their last title (Victoria 2). The learning curve is still tough compared to other games, but hey, it's a Paradox game, and it's milder than their other titles.

It does seem like they left out quite a bit of content for the DLCs though (playing as a muslim/pagan dynasty, etc). All in all, probably Paradox' most subtle and playable release yet.

Crusader Kings 2 is an awesome game. It accomplishes something that sounds odd. I enjoy losing more than winning. The subtle decline of your empire, or the meddling of your heirs can ruin perfectly laid plans. It absorbs you into the lives of your world, and each person has personality. The replayability is amazing also, since each game is different. I had never played Crusader Kings, but after a few games as Scotland( whom it is recommended to start as) I learned things. I still lose, and sometimes horribly, but I am having so much FUN doing it. A must buy for strategy fans.

this game is great, unlike many other games i've played this game doesnt seem to get boring in a couple of hours. i've had it fo a couple of days now and still wanna play it. the only thing that bugs me is that the game takes long time to master. the tutorial is fine but all too long it would take at least an hour or 2 to fullfill and thats not worth the time. thegame is fantastic and its so much worth the money

Let me start by saying this is a much cleaner release. I've been able to play hours without crashing and random unpleasantness on single player. And since the patch, multiplayer experiences are equally smooth. For those of you who screamed at CK1 and laughed at the idea of the listed number of people actually being able to play, because the more you had the more bugs you encountered, that's definitely better.

There is a lot more information at your fingertips in the game. This is a big step forward from CK1... but not big enough. You'll still be spending too much time with online forums and guides trying to figure out what is going on even on the most basic levels. The learning curve here is steep folks. They didn't even try to fix that.

There are few options for sucessions, which I do not care for at all. History buffs will yell until they are blue in the face why this is better, but in terms of gameplay, it isn't as enjoyable. There is such a thing as too many options, I know, but they're not even close in this case. There are more options for female characters to inherit which is better.

Paradox's next efforts are going to have to be in balancing out superpowers, muslim groups and for the love of god, please add information to messages. Alliances are all through marriages now, which is fine. The problem is if you instigate the marriage, you get a lot of feedback in terms of what that marriage will or will not do for the character and your realm. If the AI offers, you get NONE OF THAT.

This game will bring a lot of frustration and joy to people who really want to experience a hardcore strategy title. This game doesn't expand the niche though, and even those who enjoy it. As for the narrations you might run across online about this game, those are the creations of writers, not the game. You can imagine all sorts of reasons why your queen suddenly hates you, and you might be lucky enough to see a few indications as to what happened, but nothing like the stories you see.

I do recommend this game to people who stuck with CK1 despite heavy flaws. This is better in many areas than that. For those who dropped the game after a few minutes because it was difficult to get into, this is not a big enough step forward for many, but a few patient individuals might want to give it a go... try the demo! I can't say that enough, the demo is a good taste of teh actual game and gives you a bit of time to mess around with it. Try it. You'll know if you have the stomach for this or not in no time.

This is by far the best game Paradox ever has made. (except Victoria I)

Not only that it is simply good - it is a lot of fun from the beginning , challenging , it has depht and this all without any DLC or addon.

I must say that i was very very sceptical before it came out. (especially sceptical about DLC's)

But now i can't await all these DLC's that hopefully follow soon.

I love this game -:)

Absolutely fabulous.

I've waited for ages for a new Crusader Kings game, and finally it's here. It doesn't disappoint at all, the dynastic politics are interesting and fast paced, and it's substantially harder to hold your realm together. Indeed, much of the itme the greatest threat to your Kingdom are the Dukes who make your rule possible.

As always, there are a handful of small gripes (an occasionally baffling reluctance to marry, mercenaries and soldiers are both a hair too inexpensive) but for people like myself that love the genre, the creators, and the concept it more than satisfies.

This game is everything Crusader Kings 1 wanted to be. It's stable, fun, intuitive, and it just works. It also performs perfectly well, and the map modes are just beautiful.

Hands down, this is Paradox's best launch ever, and the game is a contender with EU3.

Excellent game and a huge improvement on the original. I just wish Paradox would introduce a similar Royal Family marriage system to Victoria: Empire Under the Sun.

Crusader Kings 2 is a great example of how fun it can be forging your own dynasty of hundreds of years with the choices you make early in somebody's life affecting how the rest of life pans out out. From having your monarch who has won several wars die hunting to your eldest son who has been groomed to lead his nation die of typhus before his 20th birthday. The only issue is that it isn't possible to play as many of the nations in the middle east, however this does fit with the games focus on the christian nations in western europe and if neccesary could esily be changed in an expansion pack. An amazing game which has a great level of replayability.

Even though it's more about family and dynasty than amassing troops and tech to blow the other guy off the map, make no mistake about it: This is a strategy game. In fact, it's one of the best strategy games to emerge in a long, long time and is unquestionably Paradox's best to date.

Most of the time diving into a Paradox game is like taking on a second career, but CK 2 strikes a perfect balance of absorbing depth without mind numbing complexity and micromanagement. Indeed the game has a learning curve and it's definitely not for a casual gamer, but unlike some of Paradox's other offerings, it is accessible without six months of scouring their forum, watching videos and reviewing wikis.

During game play you're constantly making decisions that have both immediate and far-reaching consequences, but it never feels (at least to me) like slider-tweaking tedium. Furthermore, when those consequences do begin to unfold, it's usually possible to figure out *why* things are happening the way they are. As in life, though, some things make sense only in hindsight, which is part of what makes this game so fun.

If you have any reservations about buying a Paradox title fresh out of the gate or playing a game that sounds like "Sims for Boys," cast your fears aside and take the plunge. If you're a fan of the grand strategy genre, you will not be disappointed.

As a dude who's never been a big wargame fan, I've been looking forward to this game for quite a while due to its promise of in-depth diplomacy in single player. I've been looking for years for a game that let me enact elaborate political schemes - backstabbing, broken promises, the kind of stuff you see in actual politics and almost never see in games.

Unfortunately, this isn't that game. It's closer than anything else I'ver ever played, but the focus is still very much on sending tiny men around a map to stab each other. It's very good tiny-men-stabbing; of the handful of Paradox wargames I've played it's certainly the best, but if you're more interested in running your dynasty than forging an empire, after a while you're going to be pretty bored.

All of that said, it's an excellent game. It's fun, the micromanagement is satisfyingly detailed but not overwhelming, and if you're at all interested in this kinda thing you're love it.

The other problem I have, beyond my wargame-apathy, is that despite loads of improvements since EUIII, the interface still has tons of glaring problems. You can sort your vassals, but you can't search for them by name. You can move the game's windows around, but you can't resize them. The worst is being unable to sort character lists by certain traits - if you want to find a seriously fertile wife for your chaste, sickly son, you're gonna have to go through the massive list of potential mates by hand. The game will immediately tell you if someone will accept an invitation to join your court, but you have to navigate to their character page first, and if you've got a couple dozen potential courtiers to go through it can be extremely tedious.

Still, the problems don't effect the actual Game part of the game, and for those used to the old-school impenetrable UIs of yesteryear the interface will be extremely simple to use and relatively pleasant. The problems are far outweighed by the fun of glorifying your dynasty, assassinating your family, pissing off the Pope, and even conquering Europe if you're into that.

Last, if anyone's still reading, I wanna mention a couple points I've seen in earlier reviews: first, the music certainly has good production values, but it won't be to everyone's taste (I thought it was pretty bland and occasionally annoying). Easy enough to listen to something else, so that's not a big issue, especially since it's down to taste. Second, the English translation has a lot of errors too, including occasional nonsensical phrases and text being cut off. Given that, if you're not playing in Swedish I'd expect an awkward translation. It hasn't hurt the game for me playing in English, but it may be worse in other languages.

A Highly anticipated title which is probably Paradox's largest release to date, and it definitely shows! I think this is the first Paradox game I have ever bought (and i've bought a lot of them) that has been almost flawless from day one. A strong dynasty Based medieval strategy game that gives the likes of Total War a run for it's money, if you're the kind of person that autoresolves battles in the latter, mind...

Awesome game, looks great, and the game is very, very deep. Have only scratched the surface and havn't a clue what im doing proprerly yet but each time I dip in more and more pieces come together. A game I plan on playing...a lot.

This game is what I waited for six or more years now.

You get basically a mixture between Victoria 2 and Crusader Kings 1. The nasty badboy

system is replaced by a personal opinion relationship to every character in the game!

Even smart and gamey marriages like matralinear ones or with the beloved daugther of the Mongol Khan. Don't forget about the various knight orders whom you can grant land to support them or even try to vassalize them. Or just put the Hochmeister as your personal jester in a honorary position.

All together this game is the masterpiece I waited for so long. Runs smoothly on my four years old Mac under Windows and does not slow down even after a lot of generations.

Be your own master and bring your dynasty to glory!

I've been playing several Paradox titles: Europa Universalis 3 (with all expansions), Victoria 2, EU: Rome and the original Crusader Kings. The combination of RP and strategy that the original had to offer was never seen again, so even in 2012, 8 years after release, I played that game. So when CK 2 appeared I was overjoyed.

It's like playing Fifa 2012 when the last Fifa you played was 2002. Bigger, better, and it kept me going for entire nights. I absolutely recommend this game for those who like history. If you like strategy and if you, once in your life, dreamed about holding a sword, you can buy this game and have an awesome time.

Crusader Kings 2 is a game that is not solely about "painting the map your color". Certainly like most Paradox games that could be your primary objective however, to ignore the amazing mechanics presented in this game would not do the game justice. The premise of the game is that you guide your family to become a powerhouse in Europe. Manage your family relationships and watch the fun unfold. Manage relationships to keep your vassals happy and prevent them from rebelling.

This game can be picked up by anyone and played effectively. The game has a somewhat complex interface however, once you put in a good amount of time playing you will have mastered the interface. After that, it is all fun and very intriguing playing a different game each time. I recommend this game for any strategy lover like myself, this game is for you.

Ah Crusader Kings II, I was eagerly waiting for this game and it has not dissapointed. Players familiar with CK I will feel at home and although the game can appear quite daunting at first (as Paradox games so often are) the interface is clearly laid out and information readily accessable.

The game itself consists of you playing a character of noble rank in europe from 1066 until 1453. You can plot, conquer and bribe your way to gain territory, titles and as the name suggests Crusade. The depth of the game is really quite impressive with family trees for historical characters going back many hundreds of years and as with Paradox games usually it will never play out exactly the same twice. There is no fixed goal apart from increading you power and prestige so what you do is very much up to you; stay as a loyal Doux of the Byzantine Emperor and fight to defend the Empire or plot to stab hime in the back and take the throne, you decide.

The release state of the game is very good, no serious bugs and nicely polished. In the past Paradox have released a few games that were a little but rough around the edges but CK II no such complaints.

Overall the game is Grand Strategy gem which should give many many hours of enjoyment to players, the only sad thing is the comparatively niche market games of this nature are in.

The game has so far been awesome. A lot of the bugs that were present in Crusader Kings I have been addressed and so far no main problems. The military part has been made much easier and I like the way the mercenaries can be raised. I highly recommend the game.

It's a nice grand strategy game and I don't want to repeat what is already said. I only want to explain why I only give 4 and not 5 stars. The fifth Star I'm not giving, because I'm german and the german translation is terrible like in other Paradox Games before. Some names of countries and other textes are not tranlated correctly. They are like they translated them with a translator. Some textes are too long, so that they don't fit in the text windows or overlap each other so that they are not readable. The german wikipedia links to the descriptions of the important persons are also completely missing. I don't understand how you can bring a game out with such a bad localisation. Now there are some German people in the forums, who correct the textes. But when I buy a game I want to play it and don't want to programm it by myself. I don't understand why it's so difficult to charge a competent translator. Nevertheless the game is a lot of fun, so I don't want to rate the game that bad because I don't know how it is in the other languages.

Great graphics and good music!

Game is big improveement over original CK & Deus Vult. There is now lot more things to take account, but game is still not oerwhelmingly difficult. User interface is quite intuitive and easy to use. And since game has quite decent tutoarial, game mechanics are easy to grasp.

For those that are into this sort of games, this is one of "must buys".

From the first moment you load the game you will realise how well made it is. The map looks fantastic, the music incredible.

One nice touch is the in-depth tutorials, covering all the major aspects of the game; tutorials which don't simply present you with walls of text, but make you think about the way the game works.

I have only played around 30-40 years of game-time so far, so am by no means an expert, but it feels very intuitive once you have played the tutorials. This does not mean that you will win, however!

Having little knowledge of the history or social make-up of this time period I am finding it very rewarding as a learning experience, and the built-in Wikipedia links for a number of characters is quite simply amazing.

My biggest criticism would be the inability to play as Muslims, pagans or republics; however, these are relatively minor complaints, and hopefully something which could be addressed in some form of expansion.

If you have experience of Paradox strategy games, and an interest in this time period, I doubt you will be disappointed in this game as it feels like their best game yet, and if you are new to Paradox strategy games this is probably their most accessible to date.

I hope this short review is helpful.

A vast improvement over the original. Much more user freindly although still very complex. The addition of a tutorial makes it much more accessible to a first time player. Many more options and an expanded range of choices and character control. looks like a game I will loose hunderds of hours playing. In short it can be seen that the lessons learnt with Europa Universalis 3 had been applied thouroughly to Crusader Kings 2 making a vast improvenment over the original expanding almost everything and making it much more accessible

I've been a fan of the EU series of paradox games for a while so I thought I'd check out Crusader Kings II. Like many paradox games, CK2 basically drops you in the deep end of an incredibly complex game and leaves you to work it out; the limited tutorial teaches you about the UI but that's it. Therefore when you first start playing you might have some frustrating experiences as the brutal AI kills you again and again.

However once you get the hang of it, Crusader Kings II is a deep and satisfying game to play. You control a noble family in medieval Europe and have to ensure the success of your character and his descendants whilst dealing with the many other characters in the game who all have their own ambitions.

Although the graphics aren't anything special compared to most modern games, they serve their purpose and there are many different map modes to display all kinds of information.

Overall, this is a decent game which offers many hours of entertainment and a lot of replay value, as every time you play through the game you can choose a different character, leading to a completely different experience.

I rated Crusader Kings II 4 stars. I would gladly have rated it 5 stars had the tutorial gone into more depth to help newb players to Paradox's grand strategy games actually help them to get into a game. It does a fine job of giving them the basics of the interface but not nearly enough (any?) towards helping them to dive into the actual game.

The music as others have mentioned is really nice, I still have mine turned on and not likely to turn it off, just maybe turn down the volume a little bit when it does become overwhelming, which it hasn't done yet.

The graphics are extremely nice for a Paradox GS game that's for certain. I love the overall look of the game board (landscape) with the hills represented nicely and the icons displaying beautifully on said game board. I'm not really sure if it's a bug, or just lazy design or intentional, but I do find it a bit annoying to see the enemy troops walking towards the south on the landscape, but then appear in my territory on the east. It's almost like they are either doing it to intentionally trick me into thinking the enemy is headed to a southern territory when they should be facing and marching to the east since that's where they end up at.

It's not an easy game to get into by any means, but if you do manage to figure it out, then you'll find another fine Paradox GS game full of depth and intrigue. If you're into the whole AAR (After action reporting on forums), then you'll find a huge wealth of material in your game play through to make beautiful and detailed AAR's to report to other players.

Overall, I'd really have liked to see Paradox put out a tutorial that really helped new players get into their Grand Strategy games and help to increase their own bottom line, not to mention help the new players figure out how to actually play the game. That's the one major thing missing from the tutorials (basic, intermediate and advanced), otherwise the tutorials are helpful to learn the basic mechanics.

Well Paradox has finally done it and put out a pretty good game out of the box. I have encountered no crashes in my first game and can only complain about the fog of war feature removal not working. I won't kid you the game can be overwhelming to the new at this sort of game. There are a lot of buttons and features to get used to and learn where they are and what they do. But, once you get by that by mere repetition this game is awesome. The intrigue and the imaginative stories you can come up with are limitless. This one truly is The Sims Medieval.

It's also like a marriage of Diplomacy goes Medieval as well since there is a lot of that going on as well as marriages and assassinations when diplomacy doesn't work and sometimes inplace of diplomacy.

If you loved Crusader Kings I then you're going to love this one even more. Don't hold back because of Paradox's past performance in releases I think they finally LISTENED to us and got their act together for this one.

Now one last thing if you're into it has to be historically accurate or an historical simulation then stay away from this one because that's not what it is about. If you can't stand that France will invade Spain in the early game, don't buy it. If you can't stand Harold losing in the early years don't buy it. If you can't stand a game in history that isn't exactly like it happened in history then don't buy it please because I don't want to listen to your whining over at the Paradox forums because of it. >:)

I have been a die-hard paradox games fan since Europa universalis II and I have to admit that I don't usually enjoy their games when they are released. Paradox have a tendency to release quite buggy, un-polished games but boy is this title different.

First we have the map which is just gorgeous, even though I look forward to a mod including more provinces, but that I always do, and in this title it actually doesn't matter as much since the provinces in existance have much more depth than in the first game. This leads us to the new vassalage-system which introduces baronies, bishoprics and towns within the provinces which in turn have their own rulers who scheme for power in the realm together with the higher lords. The old loyalty-system have also been revamped into a relations based system between lieges and vassals which makes much more sense.

Further on many of the problems of Crusader Kings have been adressed. Vassals now fight personal wars within the realm without breaking from it completely, which means that AI kingdoms actually survive. Lords in Russia won't swear allegiance to the Irish High King just because of his high prestige, Kings don't generally wed commoners without backlash anymore.

Personally, the feature I like best probably is the ability (and obvious cause since the relation system) to include the high lords of the realm in your council, creating a solid foundation for a character-rich story in a character-driven game.

Quite simply the best game from Paradox (at release at least) in years.

This game is truly a masterpiece! Never have I played a P'dox game with so much content, so much complexity yet so approachable! Its mechanisms are intuitive, the learning curve is not steep at all, the UI is great and the reward - in the form of fun factor - is UNPARALLELED!

You need not search any longer, this is Paradox's finest. Grab it. Now.

So far I must say this is one of the best Paradox games I've ever played.

The map is beautifully made in my opinion, and unlike some other games it runs smoothly even when the speed is higher and you're scrolling around.

The interface is wellmade, there is a lot of information only a mouseclick away without obscuring your view. I particularly like how every character now can easily be found through the character tab. This is something higly requested by many players of the first game and I'm sure it gets the dev team a lot of kuddo's. I certainly appreciate it.

The music is great, I suggest the music in the downloadeable content to you all, it will be blue coins well spent.

The only thing that comes to mind as a downside is that, I would like to see some more plots & especially ambitions. But that is all easily added in patches and knowing how paradox works is probably forthcoming. :)

Unlike some previous titles, certainly playable from day one! Give it a go, I'm now certainly going to go back and play some before I have to go to work!

This one is what alot of fans of the original Crusader Kings have been waiting for.

A high quality feature rich release! It has a high replayability and a very deep system of character interaction. You have enemies out there not because they wear the label "enemy" but because they have very concrete reasons to hate your characters guts. Like you owning land they want, a title they crave.

In case you are interested, try the demo!

I preordered with Gamersgate and I dont regret it for a second. People are having a lot of issues with steam but will still call it convinient. I am glad that Gamersgate offered the only version free of steam and thus alot of hassle out there. Way to go.

I've been a fan of Paradox's grand strategy games for a very long time and ever since playing the original Crusader Kings I've been eagerly awaiting its sequel. While I've only played for the past 10 hours or so I'd say the wait was worth it. While it takes a little bit of getting used to the new way of doing certain things, the game FEELS very nice. The new UI aesthetic is very attractive (I really like the stained glass look) My ambitions of creating a united Ireland to join the grand stage may yet be realized!

Exploring the interface paused on day 1 would've already gotten me to review CK II at a 5. I have not seen a more polished, detailed, interesting, and awe-inspiring game. There are so many interesting things to explore and so much information to internalize, I find myself doing very little for hours. I am an avid strategy gamer and fan of Paradox Games, and dare I say it, this is the best product I've played from Paradox yet.

Pros:

-Wealth of information on the screen that is incredibly easy to access and use

-Message system is very well executed: Minor news in your realm is organized in a way that you can easily skip through unimportant things to potentially fun side operations through the use of a message client

-Immersion factor

-Councilor missions

-Flank system in combat

-Appropriation of casus belli system

-Ambition/Plot system

Cons

-Not having enough time to play

The polish of this game is impeccable. It is a game that knows what it wants to be, and does it very well. Cheers!

Not since the original Crusader Kings has there been a game that embroils you in the medieval world of dynasties. For the second installment in the series, Paradox has taken all of its lessons learned developing on the Clausewitz engine and delivered an extraordinary product. It's fun and engaging to plot and marry your way to supremacy, expanding your family's holdings and immortalizing their name. It's a satisfying web of intercharacter relationships that makes this feudal simulator so addictive.

The game mechanics accommodate various styles of play and offers great replay value. This, in tandem with a polished interface and great atmosphere building, makes it a difficult game to simply put down. The few blemishes here and there are thankfully minor, with most of the outstanding issue being small balance issues that are guaranteed to be tweaked in future patching. This does not detract at the least from the experience.

Anyone with a passing interest in one of the most interesting parts of human history will enjoy this game as will fans of strategy games. The learning curve may be a bit steep at first for absolute beginners but tooltips and tutorials do a great job at explaining how game mechanics work. It's possible to be challenged even at the late-game stages as kingdoms suffer civil wars and mongol invaders sweep westward (and semi-random events like plague begins to take its toll). In short, CKII promises to be a game that will continue to be appealing for years to come.

For people who like Paradox games, I would recommend this game which is a big improvement on the old, slightly wooden Crusader Kings. New features such as the new traits, advanced warfare, realistic battles and more historic characters are welcome and accurate.

Overall if you like Paradox, you'll love Crusader Kings II!

This game... it's beautiful. I was a big fan of the original Crusader Kings (though not so much of it crashing all the time), so i had high hopes and I haven't been disappointed. It's easy enough to get into, you can do more with your characters than before, and the whole demesne system has been completely revamped.

Absolutely hooked, and I only got it today!

Very interesting game and a wrothy heir to the previous title Crusader Kinds + DV. It offers a great history-feeling, while being simply to get a hang on. Thankfully you can get the game at Gamersgate WITHOUT Steam buying-prevention. I'm a modder myself, so i kind of like the new features about the modular mod-system.

The one thing i really dislike is the implementation of an ingame store... for "just 2€" you can get 10 minutes of music... great... Imho such things should be in the core game off the start with a 40€ game! I would not be complaining about the principle that's applied here, i would be OK with this if the game cost like 20€, and you would need to get the "rest of the game" via DLCs. But if I buy a full-price game, I EXPECT to receive a whole game.

Regardless of the monetary rip-off, I do like the game, the plotting and dynasty building is a lot of fun. And if you are REALLY interested in history, follow the Wikipedia links in the game.

This is one of Paradox's finest works. Not only is it stable on release, but it is a unique blend of both the epic historical feel felt in the great EUIII, as well as the intense character dramas found in the original Crusader Kings, with additions from the more detailed EU: Rome system. All put together, Crusader Kings 2 is a game of supreme excellence, and almost plays like an RPG skillfully merged with a Grand Strategy. There is something for everyone in this game, and its purchase is highly recommended.

After playing 4h non stop i can say this is the best release from paradox to date. dint see any bug in the game and it feels good.

They have managed to convert the old crusader kings to new era of game play you can manage almoust anything in our family domains.

expanding your realm is fun and you have to think what you do make alliances near and far to secure your back from your "friends"

the new character relations system helps to keep you well informed about your moust inportant characters and it really helps you to keep them happy

Only bug i have yet to encounter is that tutorial time freezes sometimes and you haveto start it again but that is hardly a problem.

Having played the demo for about a week I must say - this is a very stable, fully developed and extremely enjoyable game which I'm probably going to spend a lot of time playing. It's a very big step compared with CK1 since mechanics, graphics, map and pretty much almost everything has been changed. And in a good way too no less: the map is larger, there are more characters, more stuff to tinker with. Surely, there are some minuses but they're so minor it's even worth mentioning them.

I have to point out once again - this game is stable. And not just the full game - the demo has not CTD'd even once. And Paradox is known to often issue games that need a lot of polishing after their publication... Of course, there will be patches correcting stuff but this game by all means is not a post-issue beta version.

It should also be pointed out that this game like all EU-style titles is easily moddable, therefore a lot of mods will come pretty soon. Some already have.

Overall "judgment" - get it, play it, love it. And probably have no life too in the process. :)

I've played the demo and must say that it is absolutely great. The features that made CK I great are still there in a new layout. They've added things to make the game more complex, but hey.. that's why I love the paradox games so much!

Great job

In Crusader Kings II, you will get to control one of the great Christian dynasties of the West. Honestly, this game show me spectacular and sophisticated medieval world, with kingdoms, dynasties and church influency. The game explores one of the defining periods in world history in an experience crafted by the masters of Grand Strategy. Through CK II have started reading lots of historical books. Paradox created my new hobby - history.

Although my disappointment at the delayed release date still persists, I'm very much enjoying the demo that's been made available on File Planet.

For those who've played Europa Universalis III, the layout and game mechanics will be very familiar. There's LOTS of new content, and honestly, I don't miss the lack of a colonial empire section. I always felt that was a distraction anyway.

The tutorial really gives a great overview of the interface, game mechanics, and outlines the various causal relationships between all the different parts. There are a few spelling and grammatical errors in the text, but not enough to significantly detract from the experience.

The graphics are superb! The music is truly awe inspiring, but after a while, a bit overwhelming so I disabled it. It's definitely worth downloading the demo and playing a bit, if for no other reason than to get a jump on the interface and basic game play mechanics.