Medieval 2 felt like it was an amazingly huge game when I first started playing it, that may be because it allows you to play as one of a number of countries during this era of western history from Britain, down past France and Spain to the top of Africa, across to Jerusalem and up to Russia, which constitutes the entire map.
So, when you first start you get to choose from a small subsection of the countries, after having completed a short campaign and finishing the objectives (Or a long campaign if you want to play as a starting nation) you can go through again and choose who you want to play as, almost to the extent where it feels a bit like FIFA where you can play as a 1st division team and try and get in to the premiership.
Ruling your kingdom is relatively streamlined, there are a few bits of micromanagement, for example you need to do taxes and the like, but only if you have a general in the city who can rule as a duke/baron, but if you don't then it will just go to auto tax unless you change it, which is nice because it allows you to just focus on building your empire or building your army, if that's your thing.
Moving on from the army, we can navigate directly to the combat, which actually functions like a real battlefield and army manager and simulator, for example, if the battlefield is covered in snow then your troops will get cold, move slower and the like, if it begins to rain then you will not be able to use archers as effectively and so on, which makes choosing the correct battlefield and correct weather to attack just as important as choosing the right troops.
This means that you can use the environment to your advantage, like positioning your archers on top of a hill whilst your enemies try and climb it whilst your light cavalry attacks from the flanks, which feels incredibly satisfying when done correctly.
Your troops also get tired, for example sending a unit of dismounted feudal knights running and screaming in to close combat like football hooligans on a night out might sound like the best form of attack, but you have to make sure that you haven't left too big a distance between you and the enemy so your men aren't shattered by the time they close the distance and hit like pensioners on sedatives.
Now, I understand that some people might prefer to do a campaign as the Romans, or the Oda clan from Rome or Shogun respectively, but to be fair, those 2 games have annoyed me, and secondly I am a big fan of medieval Europe, massively so, which is why, regardless of how long it has been since I last played it, I can slip back in to Medieval 2 and play as someone like Portugal easily, almost like slipping on a pair of comfortable shoes.
However, to the bad parts.
I hate the religion part of the game....that might just be a personal quibble but it's a pretty big one, but it can develop a major thing for you if you become excommunicated by the Vatican or have a jihad placed upon you, especially if you have a lot of generals who view being pious as a disease that needs to be destroyed.
The AI from the enemy can be at times a little dim, I.E. sending a unit of horsemen around the flank and hitting the enemy in the rear can be amazing, but only if the AI picks up that it is having it's face torn off and responds accordingly, not standing around picking it's noise as my horsemen smash them in their faces with maces.
But those are the two small niggles that I have for an altogether fantastic title that I have been playing for years and will continue to.
Pros and cons:
Pro's
-Fantastic Battle System
-Great management system for your empire
-Moving around the map without actually doing anything can be a pleasure due to the gorgeous map
-The TBS part where you move around the map has FOW, which is really nice to have.
Con's
-I hate the religion system because I hate religion in general, but that's just me, I want to walk around a kick someone's teeth in without worrying if they have been invited to afternoon tiffin at the Pope's gaffe.
-AI can be thick on occasion.
