It helps keep the series both fresh and familiar but has caused a few teething issues from time to time.Ĭiv VI on PC when it first released, was not a game I particularly liked, and as a result, I did not play much of it, so coming in here was almost like playing it for the first time, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why I did not love it when I played it on PC. Specifically, that each entry should in equal measure contain a) new ideas and systems, b) refined or improved mechanics from the previous games, and c) some of tried and true that fans love that should not be touched. However, his commitment to evolving the series, while remaining true to its core identity is absolutely at the heart of Civ VI. This is not only because of the new control scheme which I will talk about later but also because Sid Meier’s design ethic for this series remains in place despite his hands likely not touching much of the later entries and almost certainly very little if any of this one.
I don’t think I’ve had this much fun in a Civilization game in well over a decade. Still, surprisingly that curve was not as steep as I had expected. I hadn’t played Civ VI since it first released a few years ago, and even then I did not play much of it, and coming back I was expecting a daunting learning curve as I came to grips with mechanics both old and new in this latest entry in the series. Hell, even returning fans could potentially find the tidal wave of information too much to navigate when jumping in again. The turn-based gameplay, numerous multi-tier menus, and seemingly limitless options to explore can be daunting for someone starting their first civilization. The near-limitless replayability of this series is one of its defining strengths.Īll of this depth and the expansive toolset can be perceived as a massive hurdle to newcomers. How you go about growing and evolving your society is completely up to you, and there is no absolutely right way to do it. Every outcome is an adventure, failure or success seldom dictates how much fun the hours or days you spent to that point have provided.
Every misstep is a learning opportunity, and every defeat provides insight that can be utilized in future games. But that really is part of the fun of a 4X game, and Civ in particular. Your civilization may flourish, or stagnate and diminish, it may even die horribly, either slain by enemies, killed by incompetence, or act of God. From humble beginnings as hunter-gatherers, through advances in cultivation, and later diplomacy, warfare, trade, and scientific research. You begin proceeding in the same way you start pretty much any game in the genre by controlling a primitive tribe and slowly evolving and growing them into an advanced culture. Being essentially the Godfather of the 4X genre (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate), it in many ways defines the genre, at least in what many purists consider the genre to be, for better or worse.Ĭiv VI is certainly no different. It’s been part of the gaming landscape for so long it is iconic even for those who have never played a mainline Civ game, or even one of its many spin-offs, reskins, or ports. Your civilization may flourish, or stagnate and diminish, it may even die horribly, either slain by enemies, killed by incompetence, or act of God.Ĭivilization is one of those titles that most gamers know about in one way or another. And while that is a substantial absence, the final product has in many ways made up for its time away by being about as good a Civilization game as it could possibly be. That being said, it has been over 20 years since the PlayStation has seen a mainline entry. Civilization has a long history on console and on the PlayStation in particular, with both Civ 1 and 2 seeing solid if somewhat clunky ports back in the 1990s. And in the case of Civilization, the perception that Civ is a PC-bound franchise has actually never been true. But the tired PC vs Console sniping is out-dated and as this exceptional console release demonstrates the distinction between platforms has very little actual meaning in modern gaming. I could start this review with a very obvious joke about the peasants being given the keys to the kingdom now that the console bound masses are finally getting a full-fat serving of the formally PC-bound Civilization franchise.