Civilization - Review

Author: Nanaki_Xii Date: May 08 2005 - 17:52 Score: 50 points

Throughout time, there are games we never forget. Civilization fits into that category, it's just a fantastic game. Despite the fact that the game made thousands of gamers lose sleep and sanity, it was also Sid Meier's masterpiece that elevated him to the status he holds today.

Right from the get-go, you'll realize the graphics aren't anything special, not even for when it was released. Dismissing that, the interface is clean and smooth, making it easy to navigate. The game's grid-like map world only makes it much easier to understand exactly where you're telling your peons to go. The world you explore looks much better than your units and cities, detailed markers and graphics let you know where everything is and more importantly, what it is. The more interesting aspect is that of your rivals' or friends' portrait. Whenever you engage in diplomatic discussion, a profile will popup along with the text that shows the emperor/king/queen/czar's feelings. It isn't exactly beautiful but it gets the job done.

Sound... well, first of all, don't expect much. You're going to be treated to occasional confirmation beeps and blings. Along with those are a few warcries and "battle sounds" that sometimes go along with combat. Cheesy MIDI music plays at times, but it isn't horrible enough that you'll want to turn down the sound. Overall, sound seems more like a supplement to this game that lets you know something happened, somewhere, somehow.

Now, this is where the game shines, - of course - this game is addicting beyond belief, although not as life threatingly fun as Civ II, it still manages to draw you in screaming back for more. The game's pretty simple, build cities, negotiate with other empires, fight, trade, etc. All the basic strategy/sim game elements. But that's exactly what draws you in. The turn based combat system is smooth and never gets repetitive. Civ encourages you to think things out, certain units counter others i.e. a pikeman will impale cavalry, but he'll be defenseless against archers. Building your city is much more fun than it should be. A simple interface lets you decide what you want to construct or what kind of unit you wish to train, select what you want, and wait the appropriate amount of turns. Movement is decided by the arrow keys, each unit can move a set amount of spaces depending on their type, i.e. cavalry can go two, while footmen can only go one. All these rules infuse into your brain so easily, providing the building block for the sweet addiction that is Civ. Trading/negotiating is simple as well (Isn't everything?) You engage into conversation with another empire, you ask to trade, and they voice what they're willing to offer. Sometimes the A.I. is a bit inane, they threaten you for technology, but when you decline and afterwards attempt to trade it to them, they decline. There's very little that tarnishes this great game.

What now? If you actually finished reading this review, then press the little download button. Every serious, or even casual, gamer should try this gem at least once, and if you're a strategy fan that hasn't tried it already, we know something's wrong.

	Title / Type	Submitter	Date
	Review	Nanaki_Xii	May 08 2005

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