Sid Meier's Civilization: Revolution
Score: 88% ESRB: Everyone 10+ Publisher: 2K Games Developer: Firaxis Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Turn-Based Strategy/ God Games/ Strategy
Graphics & Sound: Sid Meier is known for his deep and complex Civilization games on the PC and he is back for his first game built exclusively for consoles. Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution is available on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and the Nintendo DS. The DS version of the game is far and away the most addictive and uses the DS's strengths to create a dangerously time-consuming gaming experience. Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution presents itself extremely well in a 2-D environment. All of the sprites are very detailed and the battle scenes are animated to great effect. The use of vibrant color helps to tell all of the civilizations apart and the world map looks just like screenshots from Civilization 2, so it works really well. The most interesting thing to note is that all of the infantry troops in the game are void of any facial features. It is a little off-putting at first, but as time goes on, it sinks in that these are the faceless metaphors for an empire. A civilization is only as good as the backs of its citizens in which it was built upon, after all. The sound and audio department really worked hard to make everything sound imperial. Trumpets and war drums are used frequently but effectively. If an empire declares war, it adjusts to become a much more somber tone, but if peace is flourishing then it plays a more upbeat melody. The ambient noises that play within each turn also help during each phase of the civilization to create an atmosphere appropriate to the era.
Gameplay: For those uninitiated in the world of Civilization games, the basic premise is simple. You assume the role of one of sixteen world leaders and you have to lead your empire through a few thousand years of history. The main difference in Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution and the other Civilization games is that in the newest iteration, it is all about the big picture. The past games were very deep and micro managing all of your resources was a necessity and a hassle. The process is really streamlined for Civilization Revolution and it makes for multiple play sessions to see how else you can conquer the new world. Victory comes in four flavors this time around. You can either win by an Economic, Technological, Cultural, or through a Domination victory. An Economic victory means that your empire has saved up enough money to start the first World Bank. A Technological victory is only achieved by colonizing your people near the closest star, Alpha Centauri. Building the first United Nations reaches the Cultural victory and old fashioned military might ensures a swift Domination. The real fun is managing all of the resources together and attempting multiple victories in a single play through. The game eases the player into the roles of a leader by starting with just one city. The capital city will be the central hub until enough research and resources have been accumulated to either establish new cities or commandeer the nearest one. There are many Advisors along the way that specialize in a different area of civilization building. A Science Advisor handles all of the scientific research and the gruff Military Advisor is somehow always assured of victory. There are also Domestic and Cultural Advisors to help with decisions throughout the game to better inform their leader. But they can all be ignored with the right type of government. Civilization Revolution proves to be very flexible in play style with many different types of government with pros and cons for each. If you want complete control and want to fire nukes at the nearest offender on your planet... you can. Does the nearest civilization have the edge on you technologically? Then start a peaceful relationship and trade goods with them until you are more powerful and then take their capital city by force. It really is possible to play this game in an innumerable amount of ways.
Difficulty: As fun as Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution can be, it can also be just as frustrating under certain circumstances. There are five different difficulties and it is recommended to start on the first in order to get the bearings of the gameplay. The main single player campaign generates a random world map and places your leader in the new world. Since it is random every time, geographic elements play a major role in how simple or difficult expanding your empire may be. The plains that were there last time may be replaced by a range of mountains, and getting around them may take a few hundred years to develop ships. For the challenge seeker, there is another single player mode called Scenario where there are certain rules and stipulations that must be adhered to in order to win. Some might force rulers into an all naval warfare, while others will be colonizing the nearest planet with all of the sciences and techs maxed out in order to focus on sustaining the colony. Ten different scenarios as well as a weekly online game that is the same for everyone in the world keep you coming back for more.
Game Mechanics: Being on the DS, Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution has one major advantage that the major consoles don't have and that is a touch screen. The touch screen for Civilization Revolution proves that it can be used in very promising ways, but also that there are rough spots around the edges. Moving troops and units is as easy as sliding the stylus across the screen, but sometimes it isn't as effective and it causes the units to be placed in the wrong spots. Another thing that is a little unfair is how there isn't an option to undo a move or action. Because of a simple stylus mistake, it would be easier to just press undo instead of waiting another hundred years for their next turn. Civilization Revolution allows for complete stylus control, or absolutely none at all. I have found that using a stylus to move units and make important decisions and use the face buttons to build armies and settle cities work best. The shoulder buttons are used to cycle through different units and cities and the select button brings up a diplomacy screen to communicate with fellow leaders in the world. Everything runs at a fairly quick pace, but when there aren't any movements to be made or structures to be built, the game just assumes there isn't anything more and skips your turn. That becomes annoying when an invading army encroaches on your borders, but you can't take the offensive because all of the available units are resigned to defending their spots. However, careful planning and smart strategy overcomes that annoyance every time, but you just have to look for it. Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution is an easy sell to any gamer that likes strategy and depth. It is even an easy sell to any gamer that just likes a pick up and play kind of experience. Sid Meier has crafted a remarkable game that has a few loose ends that can be overlooked for the big picture. Having a Civilization in your pocket just works.
-HanChi, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Hanchey
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