By Frank Johnson
August 22, 1998

note: This is The Column, a part of Apolyton where Markos and Dan write whatever we want . Well, not just Dan and me. The Column is open to everyone. If you feel like writing submit your article to us.

With Activision's "Civilization: Call to Power", Sid Meier's "Alpha Centauri", and Microprose's "Civilization: Test of Time" all coming out on the heels of the much delayed "Multi-player Gold Edition" will Civ2 fans ever have the one true sequel they were waiting for? Their Civ 3?

My answer? Probably not! I don't think anyone of these games will ever be accepted as the true Civ 3. The Civ2 community, which is clearly the targeted customers of these three games will play and probably enjoy all of these games however, unless one clearly sticks out as the best I don't think the Civ2 world will ever be the same. Since Civ1 there was Microprose with Sid Meier making it. It was the same setup with Civ2. Now we have a Hasbro-owned Microprose that is Sid-less, an opportunistic Activision, and Sid at his new home with Firaxis Games. Now tell me, who has the right to make the true Civ3? I personally would like my Civ3 aspects a lot better if Sid was back at Microprose hacking away at an undisputed Civ3, but isn't going to happen anytime soon.

None of these games has the true Civilization smell to it. CtP just seems like too much of a rip-off. They worked with a technicality and tried to grab the title of one of the greatest computer games of all time, a series they have had no influence on and never touched. Would you buy a Super Mario Brothers game made by Sega? A Final Fantasy game made by someone other than Square? Forgive me if you don't know these titles and companies, but the point I'm trying to make is, it just doesn't feel right. Activision will probably make a great civilization-like game, but it won't be Civ3.

Test of Time is still in it's early stages, but it already wreaks with the smell of Microprose's lemons the Civ2 addons, "Conflicts in Civilization" and "Fantastic Worlds". CiC has a useful macro system, but the scenarios in my opinion were not worth the cost. FW's scenario editor is seriously flawed and the scenarios are of the same slow quality. As far as I'm concerned Microprose without Sid is 0 for 2 when it comes to Civilization. I don't know what plans Hasbro has for ToT, but they will have to do better than before to make the real Civ3.

Firaxis has Sid, but is Alpha Centauri a Civ2 Sequel? The game takes place on the goal world of Civ2, but the situation reminds me of the game called Outpost. The game has a Civ2 like interface and has the creator of the first civ game, but the game abandons the original idea and situation. Right now this one seems to have the most Civilization-like qualities, but seems more like a Civ 2 continuation than a Civ2 sequel.

Those are our current choices and I doubt these three are gonna kiss and make up for a united Civ3. It's sad to see a series as good as this spilt like this, only to be a shadow of its former self. Even if one company comes out ahead, and the Civilization line is re-established, it will be a long time before this series is back to it's old self and there's only a rare few games that will ever be as great as Civilization.

Frank Johnson is an avid Civ2 player and a co-owner of CivLeague for the upcoming MGE. Frank also enjoys fencing, and is learning to program in C++.

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It is just the personal opinions of the writer.