Consolation Prize

Going back a few years I used to be a fan of Sid Meier, from the early flight simulators like F15 Strike Eagle and F-19 Stealth Fighter to his more strategic games like Railroad Tycoon, Colonization and of course the renowned Civilization. Eventually I just stopped following what Meier was developing but I’ve always remembered his name and his legacy.

I’ve been keeping an eye on how this console centric version of Civilization was progressing with keen interest, and over the last couple of days I’ve been playing the demo, trying to decide if I actually like the game or not and if it’s worth purchasing.

Well, after a shaky start I’ve warmed to the game. To begin with I wasn’t that enthralled; the cartoon-like art design didn’t immediately appeal and the random gibberish spouted by your advisors in place of a verbal language is very irksome. Maybe I was comparing it to the Civilization from old which I remember as being quite a hardcore resource management strategy game where cartoon characterisation and comedic advisors certainly didn’t have a place.

In the demo you can play as one of two civilisations allowing you to pick from either Ceaser if you want to start as the Romans, or Cleopatra if you prefer the Egyptians. Each faction has certain starting benefits, for example the Egyptians will start the game with an ancient wonder of the world whilst the Romans begin the game with both “Republic” and “Code of Laws” technological advancements.

All the core mechanics and the feel of Civilization remain intact. There’s the usual dose of resource management, city improvements, exploration, diplomacy and of course combat. It has all just been tweaked, simplified where necessary, and wrapped up in a more visual and flamboyant suit to appeal to the console user base.

One of the best aspects of Civilization was the extensive scientific and technological advancement tree. Guiding your fledgling race from barbaric roots to an advanced society was always a pleasure, especially if you possessed technologically superiority compared to your opposition. Crushing triremes with battleships, or chariots with tanks never gets old and thankfully Civilization Revolution still has an extensive research tree to pursue. I’m not sure how this compares to the later games of Civilization but from a personal point of view there is plenty to keep me happy here.

Of equal importance to scientific advancement is city resource management and improvements. It’s handled really well via the management screen, accessed by pressing the left shoulder button. From here the player can allocate workers to resources (food, production, science), build defensive or attacking units, city enhancements, or wonders of the world. The screen is nicely laid out and it is easy enough for the player to choose production options or view city improvements from a couple of button presses on the controller.

Combat is a straightforward matter of activating an attacking unit and selecting its target. A helpful summary screen simply shows the overall strength of attacker versus the defender once bonuses have been taken into account and declares the probable victor. If you wish to continue the attack then the units actively duke it out, but you do have the option of retreating if the tide of battle isn’t going your way. Three units can be combined to become an army, giving as you’d expect, three times as much firepower and units can also become veterans after three victories, or even elite units after six victories. I particularly liked the “elite” status which awards units with a specific ability like “infiltration”, giving an additional +50% attack bonus against cities.

The controls are fine once learned and map well to the controller. They’re not completely intuitive but there’s a tutorial on hand to guide you through the basics if you can put up with the constant “suggestions” of the advisor.

Once over my initial revulsion of the advisors I actually grew to quite like the way their appearance changes as your civilisation advances and how they barge past other advisors and bicker when summoned into your presence. I’m still not completely sold on the overall look of the game, but I’m happy enough with how the game actually plays to be convinced there’s a good strategy game bubbling under the surface.

I’ve been meaning to try this demo since the day it came out and I still have not gotten to it. Maybe tonight I will. It sounds pretty fun to me.