Having played both games, I believe I can try to make an objective step-by-step comparison between those two games, so that potential buyers of both games can get an informed opinion.

MAP : Advantage IMPERATOR

The map of Imperator is very detailled and truely beautiful, and the most beautiful map ever made by Paradox. The map of Empires is nice but clearly can't fight.


NUMBER OF FACTIONS : Advantage IMPERATOR

Empires has 77 playable nations which is already great, but Imperator offers much more.


FACTIONS FLAVOR : Advantage EMPIRES

Each faction in Empires has a different set of units, and lots of them have specific rules. Compared to that, factions in Imperator feel quite generic as apart from the distinction between Republics/Monarchies/Tribes all factions play quite the same.


UNIT TYPES : Advantage EMPIRES

Empires offers a wide choice of unit types for each faction, while the choice is very milited in Imperator


COMBAT : Advantage EMPIRES (if using FOG II, otherwise Draw)

In both games, combat is quite hands-off, but the option to export battles in FOG II is a strong plus for Empires. FOG II Is a gem and the best tactical simulator of ancient warfare ever made. I would however recommend to make it only for major battles, as otherwise the game would take much too long.


AI EFFICIENCY : Advantage EMPIRES

the AI in Empires is quite good and take advantage of your weakness to attack you where you have trouble defending, while the AI in Imperator often do silly things.


DIPLOMACY : Advantage IMPERATOR

Diplomacy in Imperator is one of the strong points of the game, with 8 different sorts of relationship between nations, even if some unrealistic gamified rules sadly limits the possibilities. Compared to it, the Diplomacy in Empires is quite simplified and lacks depth. It's also more random, which can be quite frustrating.



INTERNAL POLITICS : Advantage IMPERATOR

Both games rely a lot on the notion of Loyalty, but Imperator offers you some tools to manipulate the senate (for republics), making internal politics an interesting mini-game of wits.



CHARACTERS : Advantage IMPERATOR

Imperator has lots of characters, which allows for better immersion and some roleplay. It really needs more character interactions to expand on that strong point. In Empires, you only have your nation leader and a few general, so it's very lmited.



BUILDINGS : Advantage EMPIRES

In Empires, most of your kingdom management is made through buildings, it's a very clever system and buildings really have a major impact. With more than 400 building types, it definitely crushes Imperator on that point.


POPULATION MANAGEMENT : Advantage EMPIRES

Empires allows you to affect your population to different activities, giving you a lot of flexibility and making population matter a lot.


LAWS MANAGEMENT : Advantage IMPERATOR

Empires doesn't really have a law system apart from some events, so there isn't a fight on that point.


TRADE : Advantage EMPIRES

Trade is far more developped in Empires, and some buildings require specific ressources, while Trade in Imperator doesn't matter much apart for unlocking some unit types and small bonus here and there.


CHALLENGE : Advantage EMPIRES

Between the WEGO system (which makes harder to anticipate the moves of your enemies) and the progress/decadence system (which can make the biggest empires crumble fast), Empires is really a lot more challenging and you can't expand as fast as in Imperator without risks.


POLISH : Advantage EMPIRES

Empires has been carefully beta tested and offers a much more polished experience than Imperator, which is currently a mess and under full reconstruction after a disastrous launch.


FUN FACTOR : Advantage IMPERATOR

That's quite subjective, but because of the characters and easier expansion, I find Imperator more fun to play, while Empires is more of a challenge and serious simulation. That's just my personal taste, however.



FINAL SCORE : EMPIRES 9 / IMPERATOR 7


It's a close battle, but Empires seems objectively a slightly better game at the present time, winning on a majority of points. Still each game has its strong points and weaknesses, and an ideal game would mix both.

Depending on what matters the most for you, it can totally make sense to prefer one to the other or the contrary, so the choice is really a question of taste.