Due to their complexity, potential or scope, some games require DLCs and expansions to develop their full potential: Age of Empires, Combat Mission, Crusader Kings III, Europa Universalis IV, Field of Glory, Sengoku Dynasty, Stellaris, X4, Xenonauts … That makes them more expensive, but one receives a lot more content and updates, keeping the product fresh and interesting for longer. Whether that is worth the price is something anyone can judge for themselves, which is why the absolute number on the sticker is not the smartest criterium for the evaluation of an entertainment product. The aformentioned titles provide challenges for hundreds of hours, whereas many cheaper products last a dozen hours tops. The ratio of money paid for hours of fun is therefore often more favourable when investing a little more upfront. What people need to make an educated judgement is a brief summary of the context and story, mechanics, technical bugs or logical flaws, handling and so on, so they are in a better position to evaluate whether a particular title may be their cup of tea, whereas merely whining about the cost is not really telling anyone anything. If the type of game and the way GC III is being played is something that someone usually enjoys, than it is a good game in this genre, as long as you get the add-ons, DLCs and expansions as well. In mid-October 2025, the 'ultimate' edition that includes everything was on sale for 12 bucks — a fair price for the labour and time that went into its development, especially when taking reviews from professional critics (see «Top Critics» above or visit some game magazines' sites) into consideration as well. It is always a bit more expensive to have sophisticated taste — if you think you deserve a little treat from time to time, you could do worse than getting this one.
«If it was not for the DLC mania, the game would be good». The game is good, very good indeed, because it is the other way round: due to the constant enhancement, improvement, expansion and actualization with DLCs, it keeps and maintains its appeal. Yes, Paradox and Slitherine exaggerate the number of DLCs, yes, there should be more content in each of them, but the continuous downvoting for reasons that have nothing to do with the product itself is like grading an Aston Martin, Rolls Royce or Bugatti with a 1-star rating just because they are expensive cars. The companies are making a juicy profit from the premium they charge, but that does not mean their quality and engineering only deserves 1 star. Review the content, the graphics, the music, the strategies and management options -- price is not an object of evaluation. Wait for a sale at a notable discount and then these titles are definitely worth their money.
Late is the hour of thy arrival, mylady ... ... but what a beautiful lady it is. One can only wish that all publishers were as open-minded and supportive of their fan base. While here is hoping that after the Witcher I, parts II and III will receive a professional overhaul and makeover in an awe-inspiring remake, this will surely bring out the creative side in many a modder, and who knows? Maybe some of their ideas make it into the official remake?
Yes, Paradox' business practices are as despicable as they are impertinent, charging for every little detail separately. Half a dozen packages would be o.k., but the sheer number of add-ons leads to a lot of downvotes. On the other hand, potential customers can judge for themselves whether what's on offer is worth the money. At the current 60% discount, the «Imperial Collection» that includes absolutely everything is a fair offer, because one cannot expect a manufacturer to support, work on and expand a product for half a decade without any kind of remuneration. Having bought the complete Europa Universalis IV at an 80% discount, using the included cross-converter expands both products' usability even further. The correct question to ask is not what a product costs in absolute terms, but in relation to the hours of gameplay («quantity of joy») you get out of it, and whether those hours were a grind or a challenging and rewarding experience («quality of joy»). In these departments you will not be disappointed, quite the contrary: in all likelihood, Crusader Kings II will provide you with more hours of fun per Dollar then most of the mediocre and garbage games you bought here on GoG, let alone what we all wasted on underwhelming products in other walks of life, from lousy restaurants to lousy dating, books, movies and so on. For the current $38 USD, there is no reason to hesitate, in order for the game to keep us busy until GoG finally brings us Crusader Kings III, which is the true king of grand strategy games.
There can be no denying … … that selling every portrait, unit and whatnot as a DLC is an appalling and despicable practice that Paradox take a couple steps too far. Especially whoever had the impertinent idea to harass people with heavy metal music in an historically themed product, in order to make us pay for additional, less nerve-killing soundtracks, deserves to be hung up by his toe nails. Nevertheless, there would neither be active support nor further development for a ten year old software if it was not bolstered by DLCs every now and then. They should be fewer and fatter (more bang for the buck), sure, but it is unrealistic to expect programmers to keep working on a product for a decade or longer without remuneration. Furthermore, the money earned with current products is also necessary to finance the development of the fifth iteration of the series. The add-ons, mods and additional content and information to make the most of the title have led to some people spending hundreds of hours playing EU4, others have thousands of hours under their belt. This indicates that in the end, the game's price/value ratio is better than the one of most cheaper games. The complete experience, including all add-ons, DLCs, soundtracks, units, i.e. everything available on GoG at the time of this writing, will set you back $109.07 USD at the currently discounted Black Friday sales prices. Now everybody can calculate how many hours of entertainment are worth such a price tag to them. Given what we all routinely waste on lousy movies in theatres, abysmal TV served by cable/streaming TV, books that do not provide the information/guidance they promised, mediocre food or disappointing dating, Europa Universalis IV might not be such a bad deal after all. As a game it certainly is not, quite the contrary: it might very well be one of the best grand strategy titles/series/franchises ever produced. Whether you can stomach the publisher's business practices is a different matter.
While we are all appalled by what Russians are doing in Ukraine at the time of this writing, that is no reason to give a game an unfair score, just because it depicts the same country's soldiers' endeavours in another war in the previous century. The graphics look good, there are various ways to approach a mission and complete its objectives, and if you liked classics such as «Commandos», «Desperados» or «Robin Hood, the Legend of Sherwood», chances are that you will like this one, too. In a market where one gets flooded with brainless 3D shooters that are cheaper by the dozen, this is a welcome change from the routine. If Black_Hart or anybody else wants to put their money where their mouth is, I am going to post a list of organisations to which donations can be made. Doing so will help the blue-and-yellow defense efforts a lot more than some silly comments and unfair review score in the comment section of some video game.
It is an unfortunate habit of software publishers to release their products as bananaware that ripens at the customers, and «Imperator Rome» has been rightfully criticized for that in the beginning. It is also a nuisance that Matrix Games, Paradox and Slitherine -- as well as a countless number of other companies -- sell half a product first and then charge the purchasing price another two or three times for DLCs and other gimmicks before a game is finally complete and all that it could and should have been since its release. After having bitten the bullet, however, acquiring all the available DLCs and extras, and after three years of updates, «Imperator Rome» has become a very polished and fine-tuned historical 'simulation' whose complexity exceeds that of most other titles of this kind. Even better, there are no idiotic fantasy, time travel, sea monster, deity, zombie or other psychedelic elements that other developers ruin otherwise interesting titles with. Far too many games are ruined by a hodgepodge of nonsense from other eras, technologies or what have you that has nothing lost in the setting. Sticking to merely historical ingredients without unrelated crap makes this menu all the tastier. Yes, one has to pay for the salad, soup and dessert on top of the main course, but once you stomach that, this is a delicious dish to savour for the historical connoisseur. Disregard the reviews that were posted immediately after release (a mistake in general in our times of bananaware) and give the product a chance if the screenshots/videos are to your liking and you do not mind managing a complex system of all aspects of nation building -- you will most probably enjoy the ride.
If you like challenging tactical squad type games à la «Commandos» or «Desperados», this is THE game to get. The setting in feudal Japan is perfect and a welcome change from all the usual western war theatres, and if you ever wondered how the 47 Ronin might have gone about achieving their objective against seemingly impossible odds, here you can put your tactical planning skills to the test. The title is available at a very reasonable price even with the added goodies of the Anniversary Edition, has received high review scores from everyone who knows it and is a hidden game that blows most better known competitor products out of the water. Get it - you won't regret it.
