For the last few years, there’s been a not-so-quiet war brewing over the Civilization series. On one side; the strategy series’ purists craving the depth and formula they’ve known for years. On the other, the fans brought in by the series’ first console iteration; Civilization Revolution, which featured a much more streamlined and approachable interface for casual fans. The game’s upcoming fifth iteration would surely be the breaking point for fans on either side as developing veteran Sid Meier choose and 2K games had to choose which side to embrace. Or did they?

Civilization V takes the best parts from each version of Civilization and rolls them into one glorious ball of strategic fun. Purists, everything you love about the franchise you’ve invested so much time into is here, just with that little extra. Oh, and don’t let all of the talk of becoming more accessible scare you away — Civilization V is everything you’d expect it to be — and more, it’ just easier for everyone to enjoy.

Like all of its predecessors, Civilization 5 is all about player choice, and each of these choices has an impact on just how your game plays out. Let’s start with the most basic of choices — which civilization you’re going to play as. Each is led by a different historical leader, and offers different challenges and benefits. Play as a world power and you’re sure to have all of the latest technical advances, but you’ve also got so much more under your watch then if you were to play as a smaller nation in the process of building itself up. Offering even more depth, Civilization V offers players the ability to change the era in which they’re playing, which completely changes the experience. Playing in one era, the world powers are different, and you’re going to have a whole new set of challenges to finish.

It’s this, above all else that serves as Civilization V’s greatest asset — you’re going to want to play it, and play it…and play it.  There are a wealth of options throughout Civilization V, and you’ll find that you’re going to spend a lot of time tweaking them to ensure you’re playing the game that’s best for you. Civilization V is about creating stories, and there’s no one here to hold your hand and tell you just how things have to be. Take my play through as the Aztecs for instance, I was able to take them from nearly dying out society to a thriving futuristic empire ahead of any other. That’s where most are going to find they’ll spend the most of their time with Civilization V, crafting alternate takes on the world’s history.

The maps in Civilization V are crazy big

Even the most dedicated Civilization players would have to agree that the series was in danger of becoming a little bit too complicated. Yeah, get rid of your gamer bravado and you’ll see it too. The latest installment does a great job stripping away some of those elements, and while they’re sure to be noticeable to those who really invested their time into Civilization IV, they improve the game’s pace dramatically. First, now only one unit is allowed per hex on the battlefield, which evens the playing field dramatically. You now have a clear vision of just what you’re up against, and your opponent won’t be able to hide their units and sucker you into a battle that you have no idea in unwinnable.

Another key change is the fact that there’s a ton less micromanaging required in Civilization V. Now, some may not find this as a negative, but I found that it makes the game much more approachable and much easier to dig in to. Since you’ll spend a lot less time in the menu system, you’re going to spend a lot more of it in the game proper, and be better able to manage your entire civilization at once. Of course, some of the choices here are lessened in favor of the new system, like the lack of religious options, but when a system works this well, it’s excusable.

The Blast Factor: The Civilization series needed a revolution of its own, and say what you will about it, Revolution was it. Now, Civilization V takes the best aspects from the long running series, and combines them with a more approachable interface to create what could be the best version of the franchise to date. Though it falls short of a masterpiece, even the most hardened players are sure to fall in love with the series all over again.

2K Games today announced the latest in the epic strategy game franchise, and revealed it’ll be played on a hex grid instead of the previous square.

Next month’s GamePro issue is devoted to Civilization V and inside its pages will be pages full of details on the game and why you’re going to love it.

A handful of details on the game already trickled out and include the aforementioned hex grid (as opposed to the previous square), fully rendered leaders who you’ll interact with for diplomatic negotiations, and siege units will be able to fire from multiple tiles away ( a first for the series).

More info in next month’s GamePro.

Source: GameInformer

This review of one of the best games ever appeared on Reviewcenter.com in 1999.

Your adventure begins in the year 2100. Your job: colonize a hostile and unforgiving planet and save the future of mankind.

The problem: six other factions are out to stop you at any cost.

In Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri, you play as one of seven ideological factions, battling against six others. Choose from The University of Planet, a science and information related faction, or Morgan industries, a faction bent on economic issues. You can also play as Gaia’s Stepdaughters, an ecology related faction, or the Spartan Federation, led by a great military power. You can also be the Lord’s believers led by Sister Miriam, the Human Hive, or the Peacekeeping forces of Brother Lal.

Every faction has its strengths and weaknesses. You really have to find your niche in this game, and that can take time. In Alpha Centauri, the follow up to Civilization II, Sid Meier has created the ultimate colonization and battle game.

We’ve never seen graphics as stunningly good as these in any game. The 3D rolling terrain is awesome. The military units are well shown, and the videos are just as good. Each faction fights for technical superiority, and we’ve never seen a tech-tree as cool as this one. All the technologies are based on ones today. Make your way up the tree, as you concentrate research in different areas. You reach your peak when you make Transcendence: The next step in human evolution.

This game is infinitely playable. There are so many variables available. You can choose from one of many levels of difficulty, randomized terrain and map sizes. You can pick your faction and even design your own map. I think that this game is difficult, yet fun. It offers a challenge to all those who get bored playing typical build and conquer games. Games can last lots of time. I found myself immersed in a game for over ten hours one day. This game is truly a step above and beyond typical games.

Another good element to this game is Diplomatic Relations. You must maintain a constant balance between friends, choosing allies and enemies carefully. You must vote on different planetary issues, including the UN Charter, planetary governor, and whether to salvage the ship you crashed on. This element of the game is very difficult, and makes the game even more interesting.

The units in this game are simply amazing. They range from simple conventional troops with conventional weapons to specially trained amphibious marine troops that can drop out of the sky that carry chaos guns. You can choose from infinite variables to design and implement your own troops or naval units. Use these troops to crush your opponents or defend your borders.

I totally recommend this game, for those who own high-end Pentium based computers. Although I did play this game on my minimal P133, I recommend at least a P266. The graphics are infinitely better, and the game play is much faster. You should also have a computer stocked full of RAM. I again recommend at least 32 MB.

There is only one true gripe I had with this game. You could only quit when it was your turn. This leads to waiting a few minutes before you can quit. If you have your own PC, great, but if you share it with a family, they’re bound to get mad at one point or another. But, in my experience, I have never seen a better build and conquer game than Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Ye Olde System Requirements

• Pentium 133 MHz
• 16 MB RAM
• 60MB hard drive space
• 2MB video memory