Medieval II: Total War is one of those games that sort of helped me realize how much I really love gaming on the PC. Unfortunately, I was too young to know any better that the time that other greats like DOOM or Quake had come out, so I didn’t know that I should have pushed for a PC that could run games better than Packard Bell (sorry, guys), so this is one of the games that led me on this path instead.

Not only is this game a major push ahead of its indirect predecessor, Rome: Total War, but there’s a certain level of mod-ability that just coaxes you into playing it.

Like the previous GYNTP, Medieval II: Total War is a strategy game, though on a much more scaled-down, less hands-on (less personal) basis, so if you were interested in fighting some battles but were too intimidated by the hundreds of screens Paradox throws into their games, then Medieval II is an excellent stepping stone. (In case you hadn’t figured it out, I love my strategy games.) Instead of real time strategy, you can take your time and contemplate your decisions through turn-based strategy, and you also get to jump into the thick of real-time battle (with pausing) should your conflicts come to arms.

Unlike Crusader Kings II, Medieval II doesn’t allow you to be every single country in the world. In fact, one of my best memories of this game is working with a friend of mine to add Norway as a playable faction in the base game—we both have an unnatural love for Norway. Through basic research and heavy trial and error, we were finally able to place our very own King Harald in his home over in Oslo. Å gledelig dag!

At any rate, with incredibly easy mod-ability through Notepad files and an excellent means of getting a grasp on strategy games, Medieval II: Total War is definitely one to check out through Steam or through old retail copies.

Keep an eye out here in the future for more Games You Need To Play.

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