My thoughts

[Lighthope]

Now that they have lifted (most of) the NDA, I can finally say what I think about the game.

I have about 97 hours into the game. That isn't too much by many standards, but I've play it on Normal, Hard, and Very Hard.

This is a great sequel to the first.

The original was "What do we think we can do." The sequel is "What do we want to do."

So KoH2 is everything you wanted to see in the first. It's a great game. If you liked KoH1, you'll love KoH2.

Yes, there are things that are different. The new building system took a little bit to get used to, but in the end you get more out of it. So it is not restrictive at all.

The Court is a new addition and makes a good wrench in the works. It's something else you need to keep an eye on. I liked it.

Spies are massively reworked and are very useful. I barely used spies in the original. I can't live without them here.

Diplomacy is still weak. There are a number of things you should be able to do with diplomacy but can't. Especially when it comes to vassals.

I've always said this game is a worthy successor to Medieval II: Total War.

I will admit, though, that I really didn't play with the tactical battles, preferring to just let the computer handle it. They didn't include Quick Battles, which is painful by its omission.

For those who think Crusader Kings is too complicated, KoH2 will be a breath of fresh air.

My only major complaint is that the AI is too easy. Once you get your economy running and your armies built up, the game is essentially over. You'll roll-stomp your enemy. Even on Very Hard mode. Hopefully they will fix that in a future patch.

The AI doesn't seem to play to the minor victory conditions, so if you are a solo player, those won't add any variety to the game for you.

So based on its price point, KoH2 is a good investment. My only concern is that this may not be a game that you'll be playing months from now. At least not in its vanilla form. The game is moddable. And it won't be long before you'll see new varieties of the modded game coming out.

[Lysimaque]

Thanks , game was already too easy in KOH1, i wonder why they didnt fix it.

[Lighthope]

İlk olarak Lysimaque tarafından gönderildi:

Thanks , game was already too easy in KOH1, i wonder why they didnt fix it.

In truth, the game is plenty hard at the beginning. In Very Hard mode I struggled. That was because it throws a lot of problems at you.

But like I said, once you establish yourself, it is just too easy.

[FredDie]

Ahh, was hoping for a challenging game for a change...thanks for sharing.

[Swansonhart]

İlk olarak Lighthope tarafından gönderildi:

The AI doesn't seem to play to the minor victory conditions, so if you are a solo player, those won't add any variety to the game for you.

Thanks for the heads up. Fingers crossed they will add this variety.

[Phalnax811]

Can you turn off victory conditions? I really only ever want to play and win by Conquest...aka indefinite sandbox until bored or have all provinces.

[Anguille]

In the original game, I always aimed for the minor victories.

[Lighthope]

İlk olarak Phalnax811 tarafından gönderildi:

Can you turn off victory conditions? I really only ever want to play and win by Conquest...aka indefinite sandbox until bored or have all provinces.

Yeah. You can turn them off. Except for Kingdom Advantages victory. But if you get that, you can still keep playing.

[Heraclius Caesar]

Excellent review. That's a shame about diplomacy.

[Phalnax811]

İlk olarak Lighthope tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak Phalnax811 tarafından gönderildi:

Can you turn off victory conditions? I really only ever want to play and win by Conquest...aka indefinite sandbox until bored or have all provinces.

Yeah. You can turn them off. Except for Kingdom Advantages victory. But if you get that, you can still keep playing.

Ah good to hear!

[Arizona Ranger]

What about the voice acting and music? That made the 1st game for me. "Let us starve them to death!" "Move, move, everybody out!" just ingrained in my head for all eternity.

[Lighthope]

İlk olarak Mcz tarafından gönderildi:

What about the voice acting and music? That made the 1st game for me. "Let us starve them to death!" "Move, move, everybody out!" just ingrained in my head for all eternity.

Music is great. I didn't really pay attention to the voices. Though as you get depper into the game, you get so many voiced messages it does get annoying.

I think it has at least as many voiced parts as the original did.

[Grandmaster of Pwn]

thanks for your opinion. sounds good

[Arizona Ranger]

İlk olarak Lighthope tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak Mcz tarafından gönderildi:

What about the voice acting and music? That made the 1st game for me. "Let us starve them to death!" "Move, move, everybody out!" just ingrained in my head for all eternity.

Music is great. I didn't really pay attention to the voices. Though as you get depper into the game, you get so many voiced messages it does get annoying.

I think it has at least as many voiced parts as the original did.

Thanks, mate

[ShadowFox]

My biggest question you have almost 100 hours in atm. Do you still feel the desire/urge to play more or are you kind of over it/burnt out?

[Kukurutz]

İlk olarak Mcz tarafından gönderildi:

What about the voice acting and music? That made the 1st game for me. "Let us starve them to death!" "Move, move, everybody out!" just ingrained in my head for all eternity.

If you liked the voice overs in the first game, I'm pretty sure you'll like them in this one :)