I was so excited for Cities: Skylines II, and it is a shell of the former game. So many systems seem to fake the economy, and it also feels impossible to make your city fail.
Waiting until I see evidence of a good game post-release before I board any kind of hype train.
I still haven't bought that, and looks like I won't be for a while at least, maybe never if it doesn't pan out. I was so excited for Victoria 3 but reading the reviews they indicate that it's also a shell of the former game. Waiting until the game is fully released before letting in any hype has served me well lately.
Vic3 certainly isn't a shell of Vic2. It's a considerably more complex and interesting game.
There are however some frustrating and obtuse mechanics, particularly related to warfare. It's not even that bad once you get into it properly, but as a new player it's definitely a bit frustrating and it's definitely different from what players were used to from Vic2.
Ah, that's good to hear! I myself haven't played Victoria 2, I've played EU4, CK2 and CK3 a lot and was really excited about focusing on economy and population rather than map painting in Vic3. I saw the lackluster reviews on release and beyond and assumed it just missed the mark like so many sequels do. I'll check it out some more. Thanks for your input!
I recommend watching some YouTubers playing the game (not reviewing them). One Proud Bavarian has some fun playthroughs, and Laith is one I quite like too. Those videos give good impressions of what the game is like I think.
I checked out one proud bavarian and some beginner's guide videos to see what the gameplay is actually about and ended up buying it. Thanks for taking the time to respond, I might've slept on this title otherwise.