…players can trace the rise of their own civilization in a single evening and still have time to watch, say, Birth of a Nation.
Have you adopted a pseudonym for your Variety reviews, Tom?
Unfortunately, someone at Variety put the wrong byline on the review. I’m looking into getting that person fired and exiled from California where he or she can no longer use the words perf, boffo, and helmed.
-TomYou forgot to refer to CivRev as a vidgame.
Am I missing something, or is there only one page to the review?
It’s a non-gaming publication. That review is long for them.
Instead an of numerous potential army improvements popping up
And in this sentence, William Shatner wrested control of the keyboard from Tom Chick. Irreparable harm was done to the language, but the indomitable Chick soon returned to the fore.
I mostly blame the editor for mistakes like that. There were a couple of others like that in that review too.
Not really the first adaptation of Civ to consoles…(Civ 2 hit Saturn/PS1 and Civ 1 hit SNES with Mario Paint mouse support even!) But in terms of overhauling the core game specifically for us ADD-addled console masses, then yea I guess it would be the first adaptation.
Oh and I’ll try the demo tonight, haven’t played a Civ game since part 2.
There’s something to be said for not finishing a Civ game.
For me, that late game tedium seems to come much earlier when playing a hyper-fast version.
On the computer, I tend to play Epic Turns/Huge Map. I guess I don’t particularly enjoy winning the game, instead I like building up a sizable nation, competing for the uncivilized continents, vying for control of a few major resources or strategic points. Wiping out the map is just tedious, and getting a cultural/economic/science victory seems no more satisfying than simply turning off the game at a given point and starting a new one.
So it’s definitely a great option for people who like to achieve the end game and get through a session quickly while on the go … But perhaps for those who prefer more sandboxy, long-term nation-building, it is somewhat less fulfilling. Which I guess should be expected from a convenient DS version, but I’d hoped for something more in-between.
My real question about CivRev is this: Is it sufficiently different/interesting/good enough to buy if I already have Civ IV? Or is this really geared at console newcomers to the franchise?
There’s a demo, see for yourself.
It’s definitely geared towards console crowds or people who prefer to be in the living room instead of at the desk, say. I sure don’t feel that it brings anything to the table that can’t be found better in Civ IV, unless you’re really into advisor/leader animations, or want it mobile on the DS.
The demo didn’t let me play a full game, so it was hard to judge.
I’m primarily a console gamer and I love CivRev. It’s fun without being laborious, though i do wish it was possible to play on larger maps with some more unexplored continents. I would definately recommend this to anyone looking for a change of pace from all the shooters. Also it’s a great play while listening to podcasts, finally something other than skate for Sat. am.
Sorry, but I had to quote that one.
Well, you know what I mean. It’s hard to judge how a Civ game plays out when you only see the first little bit.
Do people really spend 20+ hours on games of Civ? I can generally get through a CivIV game in 4-6 hours on standard settings
I like exploration more than anything else, but yeah, I often just skip the later game, when it bogs down.
I played a little CivRev the other night. I think I went about 3 steps before discovering another Civilization (which I conquered more or less immediately). I haven’t played enough to have a definitive opinion, but … no buy for the moment.