When comparing Crusader Kings 2 vs Hearts of Iron 3, the Slant community recommends Crusader Kings 2 for most people. In the question“What are the best Historical games on Steam?” Crusader Kings 2 is ranked 1st while Hearts of Iron 3 is ranked 15th. The most important reason people chose Crusader Kings 2 is:
The game allows for one to make their own choices with there being many "win" conditions in that you can choose to progress how you like. Want to take over all of Europe, that is possible, want to create a successful lineage of family that keeps to themselves, this is also possible.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Freedom to play how you like
The game allows for one to make their own choices with there being many "win" conditions in that you can choose to progress how you like. Want to take over all of Europe, that is possible, want to create a successful lineage of family that keeps to themselves, this is also possible.
Pro Massive online multiplayer
Crusader Kings II has a whopping 32 player online multiplayer mode. Something not often found in games of this sort which can make for a very intense and strategic gameplay session.
Pro Mods available that improve historical accuracy
For those interested there is a mod that improves historical accuracy called the Historical Plausibility Project. This mod features many improvements to the game such as complex politics that were not originally in the default game.
Cons
Con Extremely complicated
Crusader King II is a very complicated game that seems overly complex at first and may take a while to really learn as there are quite a lot of things to not only balance in the game but also figure out how to do either through in game tutorials or reading online.
Con No naval battles
No naval battles, which reduces the advantages of being an Island nation.
Con Difficult to get into
The game is really difficult to learn all the mechanics of and how to control, like most Paradox games. For those that like this difficulty there is a lot to like but for the most part it only appeals to the die hard fanatics.