When I was a yound lad, I came upon a video game called “Sid Meier’s Civilization”.* I played the shit out of it. I then played the shit out of Civilization II. I then kept my shit-playing-out-of tradition alive with Civilization III. By the time Civilization IV came around, I had less playing-the-shit-out-of-things time available, so I was only able to gently peruse the game. Suffice it to say, Civilization and I have a history. You can imagine how excited I was, then, to find Civilization: Revolution on the Xbox 360.
Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution removes some of the extreme micro-management aspects of Civilization IV and makes the game more accessible for Civilization virgins (Civilizirgins, as I like to say). While the extreme detail is easier to manage on PC, due to the interface, etc., it would have been a bit much to manage on a console. So while the game seems like a step back in functionality, I think it is actually an excellent decision considering the limitations of the console platform when compared to the PC (flamesuit, on?).
Civilization Revolution allows you to choose from 16 civilizations (compared to 14 in Civilization, 21 in Civ II, 16 in Civ III, and 18 in Civ IV). Each civilization has a different set of unique attributes. These attributes include cost benefits, unique units, gameplay aspects, and more. Once you choose your civilization, you are placed on a randomly generated world map with four other competing civilizations. Your goal is simple: rule the world. You can do this in a few different ways. You can defeat your enemies economically, by amassing 20,000 gold pieces and building the World Bank. You can embarrass your foes technologically, by building a colony ship and colonizing Alpha Centauri. You can trounce your competition culturally, by gathering 20 Great People, Wonders of the World, or converted cities and building the United Nations. Last, but certainly not least, you can crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women to win by domination.
Civilization Revolution is a great addition to the Civilization series. Not only does it provide a very easy and graphically appealing entry point for Civilizirgins to first experience Civilization, it creates a Civilization game that even the most die-hard Civilization fan can enjoy, and on a console, no less! This is definitely worth a purchase. It has an amazing amount of replay value, and will easily devour your free time.
-[insert revolutionary thinking here]
*This first sentence was written, and the draft was saved, at 2:06pm on August 28, 2009. I just now decided to finish writing it and publish it. This post took me almost FOUR MONTHS to write. That’s how you know I care.
