These sequences can be skipped but we actually found them to be brilliantly tense and absorbing.ĭiplomacy is also a satisfying and rewarding feature and whether you are playing against the CPU or human opponents you will have to make some very canny judgement calls. Combat is simply a case of moving into the same space occupied by an enemy unit and watching an animated sequence to see who emerges triumphant. Indeed, we would have no qualms about recommending this even to people who usually find strategy games a little overwhelming.Įverything works via turns, so each of your units gets to move its allotted distance and you can also tweak the production in your cities before your competitors get their go. There's a good hand-holding tutorial in the early rounds (which can be switched off) and as there are five difficulty settings you should find the game as challenging as you want it to be. Though the strategy is deep, developer Firaxis has done a fine job of keeping the menus streamlined and the command interface uncomplicated. In fact, one of Civilization Revolution's most endearing features is watching as one empire's traditional resources get crushed by another modern technology: catapults getting pummelled by bombers, Hoplite centurions pitifully defending themselves against World War II fighter planes. You will need to strike a fine balance because another civilisation may easily out-flank you by focusing on tech then batter you later on with only a few units, but ones that take advantage of modern science. While it's possible to go around bludgeoning other empires with your military might in the early phases of the game your focus on war units will be at the expense of your cultural and technological progress. This engenders a startling level of strategic thought as defeat can always be snatched away from the jaws of victory – every civilisation will be attempting to reach the end goal by a different means. Along with military dominance, you can win the game by becoming the greatest culture (by accumulating enough great people and wonders), through economic means (amassing 20,000 gold in the treasury), or finally, via a technological victory (learning enough techs necessary to launch a space ship to Alpha Centauri). But the beauty of this game is that muscle is not the only route to success. In principle the goal is simple: you must become the greatest empire on earth by expanding your dynasty and out-smarting the other civilisations vying for world dominance. Believe us, time will have no meaning once you begin a Civ campaign – there's always one more army to build, one more defensive unit to put in place or one more technology to perfect. But games like Civilization come around rarely they are so absorbing that they make a mockery of Einstein's general theory of relativity. Sure there are addictive games around, games that have that 'one more go' factor and games that will make you want to replay them several times. Expect to stay awake well past your bedtime expect to be late at least once if you begin a new campaign. Serious trouble because while you're playing it the time slips away at an alarming rate. What's more impressive is that Civilization is as startling and ambitious now as it was nearly 20 years ago when he first dreamed it up among the soap suds (or wherever he was at the time).īut before we get into the nuts and bolts of how Civilization Revolution works on DS we should point out from the outset that this game is going to get you into serious trouble. Yes, that should keep me busy for the next few months."Īnd so it was: Sid Meier pretty much invented the most ambitious video game ever conceived. "No," he probably said to himself, "what I'll do is encompass the entire span of human history, from the dawn of humanity to the colonisation of space, include politics, diplomacy, technology trees, combat, empire building, strategy and the ability to win the game under various conditions. Or what about a futuristic strategy title based broadly on Star Trek? Nah, been done before. How about a fantasy game with orcs and goblins? Too clichéd. We like to imagine a young Sid Meier, before he became a mega famous video game designer, sat in the bath with his toy ducks and submarines trying to come up with a new game concept.
0 kommentar(er)
