Europa Universalis III: In Nomine Impressions

Europa Universalis III is a strategy game for the PC that simulates world affairs between 1453 and 1789. The first expansion, Napoleon's Ambition, extended that time frame to 1822 to include the Napoleonic Wars. The newest expansion, In Nomine, moves the start date back to 1399 to include the Byzantine Empire.

The extended playing time, however, is one of the least noticeable changes in this extensive expansion. One of the biggest changes has to be the introduction of rebels with a cause.

Previously, rebels merely sprung up and caused you a little trouble but ultimately were not an important aspect of the game. Now each rebel unit that appears has a purpose. Say, for instance, that you conquer part of Morocco. Now you might just get peasant rebels but you could could also get Muslim rebels (if you are invading Christian nation) or Moroccan nationalists. This change forces the player to keep focus on the internal strife in your country instead of just thinking about world conquest.

The other major gameplay change featured in In Nomin is the addition of missions. You now get nation specific mission that will give you bonuses if you complete them. These missions could vary from simply having to build a better navy or improve relations with a neighboring country or can be something more difficult like unifying Italy or becoming the Holy Roman Emperor.

All things considered, I find this expansion to be so chock full of new content that it could have been Europa Universalis IV if they just threw a fresh coat of paint on the graphics and made some new box art.

You can download Europa Universalis III and the expansions Napoleon's Ambition and In Nomine from www.gamersgate.com.