A map of the world, centuries to cross, and a nation to lead toward empire or oblivion.

No preference ranking here, so let's look at the criteria. And the profile of Europa Universalis III is all contrasts. On fun, the kind you start for one game and put down at 3am, it explodes, ahead of 96% of titles, nearly all the way up. The desert island follows, very high. But the moment you swing toward emotion and aesthetics, it tumbles. Art direction and controller feel slip into the lower ranks, rediscovery too, and the sound atmosphere falls right to the bottom, behind more than nine games out of ten. There lies the true nature of the beast: a machine for swallowing hours, but one that marks you neither by eye nor by ear.

Against grand historical strategy, EU III is a well of depth. What makes it addictive is not what the questions about emotion or style measure.

So, who is it for? For you if you love drowning in diplomacy, trade, wars that drag across whole reigns. A lot less if you want a visual punch or a soundtrack to replay.