Sid Meier’s Civilization IV Genre: Turn based Strategy Publishers: 2K Games Developers: Firaxis Platform: PC Few games come along that are exceptional in initial concept, design and even replayability. There are even fewer games that allow for an addiction so great; they may take over your life. Games such as World of Warcraft and Oblivion are examples of games that really engage most players and some even get so captivated, they are willing to pay more money to purchase the collector’s edition of a game they already have. Don’t get me wrong, these behaviors are not absurd, but natural in our ‘gaming’ community. Civilization IV falls into both these categories as it so easily makes you eager to play it, but it is also so engaging and player-friendly that you sometimes wish there were more hours in the day. Readers, I urge you to follow me into the world of Civilization IV. Build city. Form pact with neighboring country. In three turns declare war on said neighbor. Form alliances to win the war, goodbye neighbor. Take over their lands. Welcome to the game known as Civilization. You now now what it feels like to form an empire. Sid Meier continues to improve upon a game that captivates you like a baby to a new toy. Veteran gamers, you need not to worry, this revamped version of Civilization does incorporate some of the same basic controls and features as the previous games. The return of Civilization marks a threat to other turn based games, not only because of its deep gameplay and awesome connection to the gamer; it now has better graphics and more options to choose from in-game and outside of it. With all the new features and options available such as choice of religions and new types of building materials, you will really feel the power of forming and controlling your new empire. The first thing you notice is the big splash entrance of the publishers: 2K Games. Continuing in the intro, it transitions into a great scene of creation, to war and the crowning of a king to his new empire. Not only are the graphics exceptional here, but the way the camera flies through each of the scenes is only complemented by the authentic and traditional African background music. The tone is already set from the intro movie that this game is truly different from all its predecessors. Not only in terms of graphics, but the overall feel is very polished and controlled as you enter the slick look of the menu screen. Several options are presented to you, which include: Multiplayer, hall of fame and the Single Player campaign that most people gravitate to naturally. Crisp graphics make the city look amazing The Civilization series has always been known for its massively intriguing Single Player Mode, where you take on the task of creating your empire, forming alliances and pacts, emerging victorious from wars and venturing beyond the borders of scientific genius and artistic brilliance. This time, you may choose to be one of the many famous leaders in history, including Julius Caesar (Roman Empire), George Washington (American Empire) and Montezuma of the Incan Empire, to name a few. As usual, the units that originate with your game are always a troop of courageous warriors and a settler unit to start your city. Upon the creation of your city, the name window appears. Based on who you chose as your leader, the screen will display the most prominent city for that leader’s empire. For example, Caesar first city would be named Rome. However, you need not have to name the first city Rome, you could name it whatever you want. In addition to having the character choice screen, there are now 9 different skill levels available to be played. So if you are new to the series, it would be best to start out with the settler or chieftain levels. Likewise, if you deem yourself great enough, you can tackle the immense difficulty of deity. Between the character screen and the difficulty setting is the map selection screen. I believe Civilization has greatly improved in terms of the availability of options. On the left of the window, there is an option to set the climate of the world. Climates range from cold to temperate and to warm. On the right of the window are the sea level settings which include high, low and moderate. In the middle is the Earth selection screen, where you can select the type of land the Earth has. For example, you can have the original continents on the map, or you may choose to play on Pangaea and Gondwana. Lastly, at the bottom of the window, the option to make the Earth larger or smaller is controlled by moving a little icon on a scale. As said earlier, this is a revamped version of the past games. Some improvements include the battle concept. Unlike previous versions, the camera zooms in to view the ensuing combat, which I must say looks fascinating in full motion as opposed to the still movement of the ancestors. Grouping has been refurbished somewhat. You can now stack several attack groups on the same tile to lead a full frontal attack on the enemy, or to defend your town/city. Also available to the groups are ‘leveling up’ abilities, where after defeating an enemy, you may choose to heal the unit or increase their stats. Each unit has their own special stats that are available to be improved upon and each prove critical in battle. Another amazing revision is the tile system. To see what resources are available to the tile is as simple as moving the mouse over the tile. Teh treez are swaying!! or you can't really tell, can you... Let’s talk about graphics for a second. Or rather the few seconds its takes for you to read this. If you have played the game, you know exactly where this is going. If you haven’t, here you go. Everything in the game, landscape, buildings and units are in 3-D for starters. There are a variety of colors that are visible on the screen and they easily bring to life the object of its affiliation. Furthermore, adding to the effect of 3-D is the object shadowing. Though it is not as prominent a feature as expected, it is utilized well for its small usage. I must say that I am very impressed with the character detailing. Musketeer units have clearly distinguishable clothing and weapons from Explorer units. The rendering of objects also are worthy of mentioning as I did not see one misplaced pixel. This can be especially seen when zooming in on your city, using the mouse wheel, it has various structures that look marvelous and sharp against the game’s predecessors. Without this, most games would be nothing. Can you guess what it is? It is sound. And Civilization IV has plenty of it. Almost every action in the game is coupled with a corresponding sound that is easily identifiable. Some of the smallest but necessary sounds include: the tinkering of making a Mine by worker units, the gunfights between several attacking units, various watercrafts and their respective noises and even when playing on a climate that is very cold, the wind is heard throughout all the gameplay. Lastly the sound that is most interesting is only available when zooming into a city. You can tell if a city is really happy with your actions as ruler by how ‘nice’ the music sounds. ‘With great power comes great responsibility’. I’m sure we all know where it comes from, and it does apply to Civilization IV very well. I would caution you from waging war against more than two other empires at the same time, as it can get really nasty, really fast. On the other hand, if you form enough alliances and are on good terms with the other leaders, you may be able to persuade or rally them to turn against your enemies. The AI in this game will be very unforgiving, no matter what the difficulty. It will kill your random Worker units outside the city limits, it will sink that random Caravel out in ocean, it will send troops to pillage your city, its an advanced thinking machine that wants to take over the virtual world. With all the new and improved little aspects available and introduced into the game, there are still a few problems. For one, the camera angle does not change, unless you have zoomed out to a particular level, one that does not allow you to easily see your units. Another admissible hitch is that the screen skips a couple frames to try and catch up with your movement. For example, when you are spinning around the world really fast. Other than these two, I have not really found anything else that warrants mentioning. With great power comes great responsibility.... screw responsibility Scores: Presentation: It’s a Sid Meier’s game. You know its going to be something special once it’s from him. Civilization IV lives up to its name and series by easily keeping the same type of gameplay, but also introducing some unique game techniques and applications. 9/10. Graphics: Well, for a strategy game, you can’t expect super duper graphics. Or can you? I don’t have a clue what Firaxis games did, but they turned this game upside down: from 2-D to 3-D, great shadowing effects, character movements and climate look very realistic, I couldn’t be more prouder. 10/10 Gameplay: I like strategy games, and I especially like how the Civilization series takes strategy games to a whole new level. With just the controls alone, you could tell this game is special. It’s easy to use, simple and sharp, worthy of praise. The computer is challenging and engaging, much like a human being. 9/10 Sound: I told you before and I’ll tell you again, music is the key to almost every game. The music blends in seamlessly with the various actions in the game, they are all just perfect. Problem is, there could be a bit more, but hey, it serves its purpose. 9/10 Lasting Appeal: Unlike most games there are some sweet perks after the game. Firstly, there are about 7 different ways to ‘win’ the game, but it doesn’t just stop there. You can purchase or ‘acquire’ the other expansion pack (Civilization IV: Colonization; where you assume the role of the pre-American colony) that I must say is pretty damn impressive. Multiplayer is not as awesome as you think as it can eat up hours of your life, but its still a nice addition into the mix of things. Finding all the World Wonders are gonna be a pain though, unless you cheat...9/10 Total: 46/50. You’ll love this game trust me. Beautiful setup, nice and slick designs, and many modes to keep you occupied. Won’t leave you wanting anymore than this. For Anandjones's reply Closing Comments: I’ve been reminiscing this game for the past three weeks that I have written this review. I miss playing it, and I decided to play it again after trying to clear my schedule. This game is on a new level of strategy gaming, it compiles a realistic and logical thinking AI program coupled with the intrinsic design of both the graphics and organization of music. A simply stunning game for its genre and its time of release. It is a game of legendary status. Happy gaming! - dmac154 Look out for my reviews on Fallout 3 and FIFA 09, both for the PC in about 2 weeks, Thanksgiving time. See ya then! P.S: I hope you are satisfied grimsim
Thanks Anand. For our current standards, the graphics don't look that good, but for 2005, it looks pretty impressive for a 4 time strategy game.
Haha, about time Great review dmac, you know what's funny? I was actually researching this game and thinking of buying it but didn't know much about it. So your review comes at a perfect time Game looks great, graphics are good for the 2005 release but graphics don't usually bother me. I'm more into gameplay. If it's a revamped version of the older games I'm keen to play it. Just a note, I couldn't help but noticing your screenshots...your gold...were you cheating??? : lol Funny thing #2 - I'm actually keen to buy Fallout 3 so waiting for your review on that too. I just hope it is different from Oblivion as not a big fan of that game. Oh and want to see what you thought of FIFA because I personnaly prefer the Pro Evolution Soccer games. Anyways great comeback mate!!
Ah yes Civilization! The fun of Blowing up a rival Civilization who is still in the middle ages in terms of technological advancements using cruise missiles & tanks, indeed the epitome of pwnage ;D Awesome review dmac
1. Yes, I was cheating, just a bit... 2. Go buy it (Fallout 3). And yes Pro Evo is way better than FIFA, just not this year. Thanks grimsim, and I'll try to get those reviews out very soon. I know, did that in this save game I have. Its so much fun, just bashing away the enemy. Good times
Well I have to admit, when it comes to Civilization games, I'm a natural terrorist. See my strategy is this, get high up on technology than the rival civilizations, steal their land leaving them just one capital each. Basically I conquer the world & leave them just on city to live in. Then I'd surround their city/ies with heavy artillery units so they know their place. From time to time I'll scare them with a fake skirmish then I'd meet with their leader/s then demmand tribute money so I won't attack. Naturally I break the treaty then demmand more money 'til blood came out of their pockets ;D
Haha, we'd all be in trouble I kinda like to do that tactic too, but the AI in this game will attack you if you are in their territory, assuming you are at war with them.
Its been out for about three years now. There will however, be a Civilization V, but as to when, it is unknown to me
