All that heavy strategy stuff, the micro management of workers and land tiles, is still in there, but can on the whole be ignored. The game’s graphical shortcomings however, don’t prevent that ‘one last turn’ addictive quality that has kept the series selling well over the last decade. In the end actually watching the combat becomes an afterthought. Why not utilise the power of the ‘next gen’ consoles by making the battles more interesting and more impressive? For a Civ that is so combat heavy, this would seem like an area of focus. The camera will zoom in slightly, the individual character models will circle each other, attack and defend until there’s no one else to kill. ![]() Battles between units are distinctly underwhelming. The game has a distinct lack of next-gen sheen too. Yes it’s cute, and initially has a degree of charm to it (your advisors will push each other out of the way as you switch between cultural, military and scientific orders), but we reckon that Scooby Doo-ing a game’s aesthetic isn’t the only way to make it more accessible. The cartooney graphics and the mumbo jumbo Telletubbies-esque speech of advisors and rival civilisation leaders grates for us. Tied in with the new feel is a fresh, more cartoon-like look. Sometimes you need to switch it to wide in order to see more of the playing field. It’s kind of like only being able to play PES on the short camera view. And despite the world being tiny, it’s sometimes hard to get an overview of what’s going on because the camera’s distance to the action is fixed in place. ![]() It seems like an oversight that the game doesn’t allow players to generate custom maps that are bigger. As we said the world map is small, but at times it feels way too small. This is Civilisation streamlined, and, dare we say it, more efficient. Every menu, from city screen to diplomacy to who’s winning, allows you easy access to the rest of the game. If you want you can move around the world map yourself, you can with the right thumb stick. The camera swiftly and deftly (bar some slowdown when there’s lots to compute) moves from unit to unit, from city to city as and when things require attention without the player’s input. Admittedly, with Civ Rev being a turn-based game it’s an easier job than solving the console RTS riddle, but the execution is no less impressive. You’ll need to answer all of these questions before the Countdown-esque clock ticks down and everyone’s turn is automatically ended.ĭeveloper Firaxis’ greatest achievement is that Civ Rev on consoles simply works. Do you declare war on Tokugawa’s Japanese or offer your hand in peace? Do you go for a swift domination victory or hang back and aim for the cultural win? Do you concentrate on diplomacy, perhaps offering Literacy in exchange for Bronze Working with Lincoln’s United States, or ignore everyone and do your own thing? No time for dithering. The luxurious time afforded to early decisions in previous versions of the game has been stripped away for a more arcadey and streamlined experience. ![]() Because the world map is so small contact with other civilisations, whether they be controlled by the computer or real people, is almost instantaneous. Expect a single game over Xbox LIVE or PSN to last at least an hour and a half, as each player watches the turns pass and their cities pump Warrior units out for exploration.īut that doesn’t prevent Civ Rev from being the quickest, most action packed Civilisation game ever. While hardened fans of the PC version of Civilisation might turn their noses up at Civ Rev, slamming it for ‘dumbing down’ the pure hardcore strategy experience, for a console game it’s positively pedestrian. ![]() At a time when pulsating fast paced shooters Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 regularly fill the top two spots on Xbox LIVE, and every second game released on the ‘next gen’ consoles shows muscle bound marines splitting grotesque mutants in two, Civilisation Revolution, the console re-imagination of Sid Meier’s classic PC strategy title proves to be a refreshing antidote.
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