Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution

Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution

Guiding a group of people from their tribal, Neolithic beginnings through the trials of antiquity and right up to the triumphs of modernity seems a premise too large for a mere videogame. But this is just what the Civilization series has been asking of PC gamers since its debut in 1991: assume the role of a God/ immortal national leader and take your civilization through history in a race against other nations for glory and acclaim.

Designed by master game maker, Sid Meier, Civilization Revolution is the first full-scale title bearing the Civilization name for console players, a release that promises to take the best elements from all four previous mainline titles to create something unique.

At the start of the game you must choose one of 16 historical nations to play as, assuming the role of one of their most beloved or notorious leaders. You begin far back in history when technology was a spearhead and dinner was what you caught in the forest. From this starting point you settle and build cities, defend your growing borders, invest in culture, technology and military might while harvesting resources, birthing great inventors, heroes and taking on any rival nation who would seek to threaten your people.

There are four ways to win the game. Domination, when you’ve taken over every one of the other five nations on earth; Economic, when you’ve created the world bank and amassed a fortune in gold; Cultural, when you’ve established the UN and, finally, Technological, when you’re the first nation to take to space and land on Alpha Centauri. The road to these goals is long but, with four different endgames you’re free to choose what kind of leader and nation you’re going to be: a diplomatic people group that pursues culture and avoids conflict, or an aggressive military force grasping at science and technology to upgrade your troops and research ever more powerful ways to eliminate your enemies.

Civilization Revolution plays in a similar way to a board game, with turns during which you can move all of your units once around the globe-like board and place orders with the cities you’ve built (or stolen from other nations) for more soldiers, settlers, tanks, planes or buildings. Everything you build takes time (measured by number of turns) and money (generated by harvesting resources) and the road to globalisation is difficult. You choose what kind of government to employ from a monarchy to communism to fundamentalism (each of which has its own benefits and drawbacks) and, as your cities increase in culture and renown you’ll attract famous historical names (everyone from Aesop to Confucius) who add bonuses to your Civilization.

The game’s undergone some trimming and simplification in the move from PC to console and the emphasis here is on fast-paced, just-one-more-turn gameplay. With the promise of extensive and compelling multiplayer modes and enough depth and intricacy to keep you playing for months to come, Civilization Revolution is clearly looking to make some history all of its own when it arrives early next month.