This may be the most expensive version of Civ yet. You see, a few weeks back a broken bottle cut across my knuckles, severing a tendon. After having my splint removed yesterday, I was told to keep my hand as flat as possible and be careful. If I take care of it, I won’t need surgery.
5 hours of Civ V later, my hand was bent in the form of my mouse, and is in terrible pain. My gut feeling is that I should quit, but my brain is telling me that I won’t be able to do that, and I should just accept the surgery thing.
My 10 year old son, who I got hooked on Civ IV last month, is pretty psyched. First time I’ve been able to share something like this with him.
Now, I’ve only played part of a game, but I have a few thoughts.
The Good
City States- What a cool mechanic. Instead of Barbarian villages, you have City States. City States offer your empire something of value. For example, a Maritime city state might offer one food per every city you own, as long as you’re friendly with them. Here’s the twist….to become friendly with a city state, you must accomplish a mission for them, such as destroying a near-by Barbarian encampment. You can also choose to bribe them instead, but my experience is that this is pretty costly. Great addition to Civ.
Combat- Without a doubt, this is the most satisfying and fun combat I’ve ever seen in a Civ game. The difference between range units and mele units really force you to work out your war strategy. Without the ability to stack, it’s a whole new experience.
Civic Virtues- Another great addition. As your culture grows, you gain culture points that allow you to unlock different branches of a civics tree. For example, you can choose “freedom” as a virtue that allows you to build settlers faster. If you start going down the “freedom tree” you can gain more benefits unique to that virtue. The great thing is that it makes you really consider what exactly it is you want your civilization to be. No more swapping back and forth between a militaristic theocracy and an environmental free thought culture with universal suffrage. Your society evolves continually, and you have to plan for it.
The Bad
Losing my religion- That’s me in the spotlight. The best thing about Civ IV was the addition of religion. It was a dynamic that changed so many things for the better in the game. Now it’s gone? Blech.
Graphics- Don’t get me wrong. The game looks incredible. The only issue is that it’s not that much better than Civ IV. Think about every new version of Civ. The graphics were a revolution from the previous look and feel. This game is more of an evolution instead. Is it worth the new demands on my computer? Don’t know.
Hidden Numbers- It seems like a number of the games base mechanics are kept concealed from the player. This makes for a cleaner interface, but it also annoys the inner policy wonk in me. Throw me a bone here, guys.
How does this rank with other Civ games?
Don’t look at me. I haven’t played long enough to tell. Perhaps after 60+ hours of game time I could give you an answer. It’s a great game, as all Civ games are. Is it better than Civ IV? Ummm……not a clue. If, however, past history holds true, I will learn to love this game, and the previous version will collect dust.