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Almost the classic that PC gamers have known
posted by Droppo (HOUSTON, TX) Jul 8, 2008
Member since Dec 2006
159 out of 180 gamers (88%) found this review helpful
This latest iteration of the Civilization series has a few minor annoyances that keep me from giving it a 10, but it is every bit as addictive as the PC version. It will keep you playing much longer than you intended to because you have to be able to stop saying to yourself "Just... one... more.. turn...!" before you can turn it off.
The same build and conquest concepts are here that have been the point of the whole series for the last 15 years. I have always enjoyed the turn based nature of the game because you don't have to worry about a small army attacking you while you are checking out the details of your capital or setting up build orders in your cities. You take care of all the details you want to take care of and then when your turn is done, the game makes its moves. The game AI is smart enough to make it very challenging, but with practice, you learn how to approach certain battles and what works best. I'm already finding certain leaders that I look forward to wiping out.
The problems I have with this version are small. I find the cartoony graphics to be good except in the case of the advisors. They annoy me every time they pop up. That's disappointing because I've always enjoyed checking the advisors. In this case, they don't sit back and wait for you to see what they're thinking. They pop up constantly speaking in a jibberish that sounds like baby talk. I was ready to never see them again after the first five minutes.
Problem two is the control. Console people that have not played this series before might think it's great. It's actually not too bad considering you have to play with a gamepad. But giving directions takes more time than it should. The map sometimes scrolls too fast and sometimes too slow. The accuracy of giving unit directions becomes just a tad annoying sometimes. Just enough to make me occasionally ask myself if I'd like to fire up my copy of Civ 4 on my PC and do things much faster and easier there.
Also, no overview map?
The same build and conquest concepts are here that have been the point of the whole series for the last 15 years. I have always enjoyed the turn based nature of the game because you don't have to worry about a small army attacking you while you are checking out the details of your capital or setting up build orders in your cities. You take care of all the details you want to take care of and then when your turn is done, the game makes its moves. The game AI is smart enough to make it very challenging, but with practice, you learn how to approach certain battles and what works best. I'm already finding certain leaders that I look forward to wiping out.
The problems I have with this version are small. I find the cartoony graphics to be good except in the case of the advisors. They annoy me every time they pop up. That's disappointing because I've always enjoyed checking the advisors. In this case, they don't sit back and wait for you to see what they're thinking. They pop up constantly speaking in a jibberish that sounds like baby talk. I was ready to never see them again after the first five minutes.
Problem two is the control. Console people that have not played this series before might think it's great. It's actually not too bad considering you have to play with a gamepad. But giving directions takes more time than it should. The map sometimes scrolls too fast and sometimes too slow. The accuracy of giving unit directions becomes just a tad annoying sometimes. Just enough to make me occasionally ask myself if I'd like to fire up my copy of Civ 4 on my PC and do things much faster and easier there.
Also, no overview map?
Good Civ for the Console
posted by DaMikeSC (COLUMBIA, SC) Jul 19, 2008
Member since Jul 2007
57 out of 67 gamers (85%) found this review helpful
After a terrible port to the PS1 years ago (try and fathom how bad of an idea that is), we are seeing one more attempt at producing a good Civilization game on the console. The obvious technical problems porting one of the most deep and complex strategy games on the PC to a console with an input system that is not as robust as the PC is an obvious problem in trying to bring all of the complexity of the game to the home.
Fortunately, Firaxis tried something different. They made a game that is a significant departure from the PC game. They streamlined a lot of the more monotonous activities and produced, instead, a more "big picture" strategy game. You don't have to assign workers to do things like build farms --- resources are automatically used. No real fudging with the tax rate or how much of the economy you use to provide your citizenry entertainment. Now, I did like some of those things in the PC classic, but I'll be darned if they did not manage to make this game amazingly fun in spite of it.
The game also tends to be shorter. Games take, maybe, an hour (some scenarios go as quickly as 15 minutes). And you won't really miss the lack of input options. Everything is actually mapped to the controller exceedingly well.
The game is an absolute blast in every sense of the word. You can find special locations and get bonuses. You can unlock great people and get bonuses. You can find hidden artifacts and get bonuses. The game constantly rewards you for doing anything. ButAnd, unlike in the PC titles, it is nigh impossible for a low-tech unit to defeat a high-tech unit. Pikemen, no matter how many fights they've won, are not terribly likely to actually defeat tanks.
It was a daring choice to not try and do a port but, instead, to produce a unique game with some similar features, but with significant difference from its namesake. It is one of the more playable titles on the 360. A game you owe it to yourself to try.
Fortunately, Firaxis tried something different. They made a game that is a significant departure from the PC game. They streamlined a lot of the more monotonous activities and produced, instead, a more "big picture" strategy game. You don't have to assign workers to do things like build farms --- resources are automatically used. No real fudging with the tax rate or how much of the economy you use to provide your citizenry entertainment. Now, I did like some of those things in the PC classic, but I'll be darned if they did not manage to make this game amazingly fun in spite of it.
The game also tends to be shorter. Games take, maybe, an hour (some scenarios go as quickly as 15 minutes). And you won't really miss the lack of input options. Everything is actually mapped to the controller exceedingly well.
The game is an absolute blast in every sense of the word. You can find special locations and get bonuses. You can unlock great people and get bonuses. You can find hidden artifacts and get bonuses. The game constantly rewards you for doing anything. ButAnd, unlike in the PC titles, it is nigh impossible for a low-tech unit to defeat a high-tech unit. Pikemen, no matter how many fights they've won, are not terribly likely to actually defeat tanks.
It was a daring choice to not try and do a port but, instead, to produce a unique game with some similar features, but with significant difference from its namesake. It is one of the more playable titles on the 360. A game you owe it to yourself to try.