|
A worthy upgrade for Civilization fans. Civilization IV successfully updates many aspects of the Civilization formula, so if you were a fan of it before you’ll go absolutely wild for this version of the game. It doesn’t revolutionize the series but the series is hardly is need of such a change.
In Civ 4, as in previous Civ games, you’ll play as a world leader as you try to take over the world. You begin in the Stone Age and end up in the Space Age over a number of turns. You can do this by conquering neighbors, creating an advanced society, and researching to have the best and most up-to-date weapons available. The different leaders have traits that constrain how they manage. They’ll have a number of goals to accomplish their dreams but everything is manageable and fun. The game includes three speeds: normal speed (which is pretty quick), quick speed (you gain resources at a much faster rate), and epic speed (much slower).
The game includes a number of improvements to the series. The game’s combat system is more intuitive this time around. The units can earn upgrades as they level up and gain experience and the more advanced units have a clear advantage over the more archaic ones. Some of the units have been tweaked to create a more balanced but not necessarily more complicated game. Diplomacy is another key part of the Civ series and another part that has been improved for Civ IV. You’re able to trade good and manage stable relations with the other nations, though they’ll remember if you close your borders to them or don’t help them when they’re in need. You can now try to influence other countries to declare war or make peace with another country. The game also includes a brand-new religion system. The religions are actually pretty similar though seven are included though they do culminate in a unique building and help the cultural score of your country. Winning by having the most cultured society is something that has been greatly improved in this version of the game.
Civ IV encourages strategic planning more than micromanagement. Units have more skills to decrease the micromanagement. For instance, worker units can now do a lot more including building pastures to herd animals and farms to produce food. You’ll still use the many cities to get units or build structures by using the production points. The game doesn’t let you exploit these points as you were able in previous games since you can’t switch production once you get started. The AI has been made more realistic and the difficulty level remains manageable.
The game’s multiplayer component is solid. You can play a number of ways including full Internet play, LAN play, and play-by-email. The game includes a number of scenarios and fan-made mods to add additional replay value. You’re also able to tweak a number of variables to keep things interesting. If you were addicted to previous Civ games, there is a really good chance that the same thing is going to happen this time around.
In order to make the game more accessible to newcomers, it includes a tutorial narrated by Sid Meier. This is particularly helpful since the game does get a bit hectic as you progress through it. The game also includes a Civlopedia, which includes an encyclopedia of sorts with a bunch of information at your disposal.
The game’s visuals are pretty good. The game’s environments are fully 3D, with plenty of color and a completely zoomable engine running the game. The portraits of the historical leaders are great, with excellent animations that really bring those characters to life. The presentation is pretty good, too, though some of the concept art sketches that are found throughout the game could have been of better quality. The game’s audio performs well, too. The most interesting portion of the audio is the narration by Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy. The lines are a bit repetitive, but all sound well and are kept in line with the historical aspect of the game.
Civilization IV is a very rewarding and satisfying strategy games. It will be perfect for fans of previous Civilization games, but if you’re interested in strategy games or even history, there is a lot to like in the game. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Dec 7, 2005
|
