Recent reviews by Benjome

My game of the year 2020 - 10/10

Crusader Kings II is honestly my favorite game. Looking at the statistics, since getting this game in late 2016, I have played 880 hours. That is nearly 150% the hours of my next-most-played game. There have been times where I have taken a break, but I always seem to come back to everybody's favorite medieval infanticide simulator.

Crusader Kings II is an odd mix of genres. At it's core it is a medieval Grand Strategy game, like PDS's other titles. However, it's character-based focus and the evolution of the game via DLCs and patches have made it to the point where it is now somewhat it's own genre of Role Playing Grand Strategy. This uniqueness is what makes CKII.

I know that there are a lot of DLC, and they are very expensive, but frankly, a lot of them are worth the price. Also, they go on sale a lot. If you are getting this game for free and are disillusioned about the DLC price, remember that you got this game for free. This is a whole lot better than some other free games. Also remember that all the DLC came with free map changes, bug fixes, assorted quality of life improvements, and events. Hell, half of the major features of some DLC just go more into attached free features.

If you have some money to spend, I recommend a few DLC. First and foremost, Holy Fury added by far the most stuff of any DLC, enabling pagans and (I think) the 867 bookmark (although The Old Gods does those too), making Catholic crusades a hell of a lot better, making Catholicism in general a lot better, and much more. Also, Way of Life is the primary roleplaying DLC, allowing you to choose a series of fields for your character to focus on.

In the end, if you are considering getting Crusader Kings II, get it because at the time of writing this, the game is free, and it is certainly not a game that is boring. I'm looking at you, incest, satanism, and Glitterhoof.

Edit: 1001 hours now and this still stands.