In the fast-changing world of videogames, few titles are worth more than several hours of attention, fewer are remembered after a couple of months and fewer still become genuine classics.
Even among the classics, the original Civilization stands out. As an undisputed wonder of the videogame world, it did much to establish the reputation of creator Sid Meier as a prophet of the digital era. For long-time PC gamers, the thought of an old 286 running the original Civilization evokes nostalgic adoration more appropriate for the Temple of Solomon. Now, Sid has spoken again with Civilization IV, another solid title sure to satisfy new converts and franchise-faithful alike.
For the gentiles out there, Civilization (or simply Civ) is a turn-based strategy game which purports to give players the power to mold human history by guiding an empire from its pre-historic infancy to the space age and beyond. Players have the chance to manage cities and economies, religion and government, war and diplomacy, over the course of more than 6,000 years.
The game is not made for historical purists, however, as Civ abstracts history and society into a numbers game. Discovering the technology of Polytheism founds the Hindu religion and also opens the path to researching Monotheism, which founds the Jewish religion. Building Mt. Rushmore, which requires the Fascism technology, decreases war unhappiness by 25 percent. Adopting the Slavery economic system allows you to rush construction by sacrificing a city's population. Try explaining that to a history major. But take Civ IV for what it is and you will uncover a game of depth and variety.
The changes from Civ III are substantial. Every aspect of Civ's core gameplay has been expanded to present more strategic choices to the player. City management has been drastically changed. City upkeep has been retooled to make expansive empires much more feasible now. And city maintenance no longer takes away from a city's production but simply costs your treasury. Having a worldwide empire is no longer a liability.
Government has also been tweaked in a way similar to Alpha Centauri's Social Engineering model. Instead of a few government types to choose from, players will now be able to choose different "civics" for each aspect of their civilization's social structure: government, law, labor, economy and religion. The options are huge and have a decisive impact on your success.
City sieges are also a whole different ballgame. Culture now has a role in combat as well: High cultural development in a city adds to a city's defensive value. Artillery and air bombardment can be used to reduce the defensive value of a city, but they are no longer as effective at actually damaging units inside a city. Fighting a war in Civ IV might not impress Sun Tzu, but it will certainly challenge your strategic thinking.
The most stand-out addition to Civ's core game, however, is religion. To avoid controversy, the game designers have made no specific bonuses for each specific religion. Which religion you adopt, however, has great consequences on both your domestic affairs and diplomacy. Players will discover that religion affects their finances and population happiness. Relations with other civilizations are also heavily affected by religious similarities or differences. Managing religions, religious buildings and missionary activity adds a whole new layer to the game.
Civ's presentation has also been updated. Civ IV is the first 3-D Civ, and while demanding in terms of raw computing power, the results are gorgeous. Players can zoom all the way out to see the globe or zoom in to see a city in its gory detail. The map is animated and feels alive. The upgraded graphics help to draw players into the whole experience.
Finally, when you're done stroking your ego beating up on computer opponents, Civ IV is the first Civ game built with multiplayer in mind. The game comes with built-in Internet play capability, so you can go online and start new games with other Civ players or take over empires in games already in progress.
The full list of changes is too much to fully cover here, but to make a long story short, Civ devotees will find that Civ IV is a whole new game. With improved computer opponents and increased strategic depth, new players may find a higher learning curve, but Civ IV is well worth it.
Buy Civ IV today, stop sleeping and learn to love it.
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