Reviews

[Locutus]

With the game now out, the reviews of CivRev are starting to roll in. We'll collect them here. First, some from last week (courtesy of our news team):


Eurogamer reviewer Alec Meer has posted his review of Revolution, rating it 8 out of 10.

He comments much greater emphasis on competitiveness: I tend to be a pacifist in these things. [...] Civ Rev thus takes some getting used to. It`s simply not possible to play it like that. This is inescapably a competitive game - one in which you`re nose-to-nose with your rivals at all times. [...] You can`t play Civ Rev like Civ. The underlying systems are the same but [...] [i]f you try to sleep, you`ll be eaten alive.

However he doesn`t condemn this move but praises it .[T]his pushiness makes perfect sense, and is really the only way to ensure a match comes to a satisfying conclusion within a couple of hours. [...] My concern is that its audience doesn`t in fact exist, that it`s an unnatural middle-ground between veteran Civ players and folk who run screaming from the very concept.

In his own words, Revolution`s biggest failing is its size. While becoming really good at the game will take some time, the array of possible options and outcomes are almost all revealed after just two or three 1-3 hour sessions. He does note that it makes it ideally suited to multiplayer.

He concludes that [t]his slick new Civilization may be more reduction than Revolution, but it`s easily one of the most distinctive games on 360 and PS3.


Gameplanet Jon Valjean has posted his review of Civilization Revolution. He rated it 9.0 out of 10, simply awesome. His review reminds the readers of the 1999 Civilization II which was nothing stopping a desperate grab for cash with a shoddy port.

Regrettably, gone are the terrain modification options [...][and] the ability to do any great terraforming projects[.] [...] Instead, the gameplay is kicked into the next gear, with most of the food and production requirements taken care of by the AI. The result of this is that you`re literally thrown through each epoch with reckless abandon, chasing technology after technology and concentrating on expansion and war far more than trade and roads. He points out game depth, challenging play, character animation, quick rounds and excellent interface as strong points of the game while listing arcade like (impulsive) AI and the lack of a mini-map as weak points.

All in all, Civilization Revolution is an absolutely fantastic game which has lifted all the best attributes of previous Civilization titles, and left behind the majority of the bad.


Kotaku has reviewed the the Civilization: Revolution which is still awaiting US release.

The review is mostly split into a Loved segment and a Hated segment. The loved segment is split into four points beginning with It Works and saying that the game has seen radical changes and but at its heart, this is still Civilization. It still feels like Civilization, it still plays like Civilization. Next is Charm saying that Not since the full-screen portraits of the very first Civilization has the game managed to present your opponents and advisors as actual, in-game characters as opposed to AI mouthpieces. Third on list is Streamlining. This segment is about how well the streamlining works and how certain features have been been shrunk to more sensible, manageable sizes. Last on the Loved is Controls/Menus which is about how 2K decided against simply mapping keyboard commands to the control pad.

The Hated segment is split into 4 parts. First is Whoops which is about how certain features seem to have been overlooked or which just don`t seem right. Next is Too Small which is about how The map is tiny, and you only ever compete against five civilizations. This leads to third point, Too fast, which is about how Because the map is so small, games are played out very quickly. Last is Little Rough saying, Maybe the framerate`s better on 360, but the PS3 version I played often slows to a crawl.

The Review is finished off with the following summary, For the most part, they`ve made the right calls. Sure, the game can be too short, and too small, and in some cases a little rough, but what Firaxis needed to do if this game was to ultimately succeed was take that core Civilization experience – the discovery, the advancement, the combat, the diplomacy – and ensure that even a streamlined version of the game still had you up at 3 in the morning, telling yourself you`ll just have "one more turn". Which it does.

Read the entire review at Kotaku


WorthPlaying has released a preview for Civilization: Revolution which is nearing release in countries it yet to be released in.

The Preview starts off by describing the addictiveness of Civilization to World of Warcraft to those poor souls which have never heard of the series. The author then goes into a very detailed description of the core features of the Civilization series and how they work in this new version of the game.

After the very detailed description, the author comes to the following conclusion, Civilization Revolution is Civilization. While it`s a bit simplified for consoles, it`s still the same game that caused so many people to spend days of their lives trapped at their computers, to the point where they actually published scholarly articles on Civilization addiction. It`s easy to learn, difficult to master, and incredibly fun. The simplified controls may actually make it easier for new gamers to pick up, while the quick and easy interface allows players to jump from unit to unit with ease. If you`re a fan of strategy games, you owe it to yourself to give Civilization Revolution a try. Just be warned that you may look up and find out that you`ve been playing for three hours when you just intended to try a few quick turns.

To read the entire preview and to look at many wonderful screenshots, click here


Pocket-Lint has recently reviewed Firaxis` game Civilization: Revolution which is to be released July 8th in North America and has already been released in most other places.

The review is relatively brief description of the Civilization Series and how the changes are made to work it into a console. Chris Pickering`s, the author, final verdict is,

Whether or not you find the streamlined idea of Civilization Revolution intriguing, fans of console-based strategy titles deserve to give this one a go. It has enough to keep you hooked, but not too much that you ever feel overwhelmed, or need to spend a week simply learning the game’s mechanics.

Toss in a fantastic online multiplayer option, and Revolution immediately becomes the best console-based strategy title on the market. Long time fans might baulk at the idea of so many omissions, but if you posses a strategic mind, Revolution is certainly for you.

Chris also gives it an 8 out of 10. Read the full review, here


Civilization: Revolution, which is Firaxis` recently released game unless you live in US where it won`t be released until July 8th, has recently been reviewed by Digital Life.

The review is relatively short description of the game and reassures PC gamers that Civilization has lost little of its strategic depth: it was not "dumbed down"

A good summary of the review would be this paragraph,

The "Revolution" moniker does not signal a radical departure from the much-loved formula but rather a welcome new focus on accessibility suited to the console audience. The game was streamlined and is far less intimidating and much pacier than recent PC versions, with matches typically lasting a couple hours - perfect for those who have less leisure time.

Click here for the full review.


Video Games Reloaded has reviewed Firaxis` Civilization: Revolution, whcih has been released in most places outside of the US.

Adam Waddilove, the writer of the review, gave CivRev an 8 out 10 on presentation, an 8.5 on gameplay, a 7 on audio, and a 7.5 on visuals. The final verdict is, Civilization Revolution does plenty to give fans what they want, but it does little to impress non-fans of the strategy genre. It provides a lot of content and ways to claim victory and is charming with its graphic style, that won’t be to everyone’s tastes but if you can look past that then you’ll find an engaging and compelling strategy game that you will enjoy time and time again. Overall he gives it a 7.9.

Read the entire review here


NZGamer has recently reviewed the recently released, but still upcoming if live in North America, Civilization Revolution.

Sam Waldron, the writer, describes the game as a rethink, rather than a dumbing down. Later he describes it as too much of a compromise. He gives it a 7.5/10 on both gameplay and graphics, and an 8 on both sound and visuals. Overall, he gave it 7.5.

Read the full review at NZGamer


Civilization: Revolution, which has been released everywhere except North America, has been reviewed by Gameslave`s Craig Laycock.

Laycock says on the changes made to the game: Civilization Revolution is essentially Civ without all the boring bits that 95% of gamers ignore. Gone is the tedious micromanagement - this is frenetic non-stop Civ action. But does the game lose something for that? Well, no. The fanboys would argue that a layer of intricate strategy has been removed, resource management snatched from their grasps. I would argue that instead, the strategic experience has been refined, purified and brought to the boil in a high-tempo all-action saucepan. They sell them at Tesco.

He gives the following summary: I wouldn`t hesitate in recommending Civ Rev to anyone. If you love the Civ games, you really should buy it regardless of the fact that it`s a bit more accessible - it`s still great fun and, at its heart, Civ through and through. If you`re new to the series, there`s no better place to get stuck in and learn the mechanics of the game and find out what you`ve been missing out on all these years. Civilization Revolution is an absolute stand-out title on the Xbox 360 and I applaud Firaxis for bringing Civ to a wider audience. Sold out? You must be joking.

And remember: if you fail at Civ Rev, only you can carry the can. If you succeed, the knowledge that you`ve pulled something off against the odds is exhilarating. It`s why I love strategy.

He lists three things under Good Stuff: Easy to get into, Rule the world, and Still Civ through and through. Laycock also lists two things under Not So Good Stuff: Brilliant animations sometimes wasted and Fast paced action won`t suit the more laid back Civ players.

To read the full review, click here


Platform Nation`s Steven Artlip has recently reviewed Civilization: Revolution, which has been released almost everywhere except North America.

Artlip gives it an A- on graphics, B+ on sound, A- on gameplay, B on controls, B on Replay/Multiplayer, and a B- on value. Overall he gives it a B.

Click here to read the full review or watch the video review below:

[Locutus]

Independent: Not Pretty, But Fun

The United Kingdom newspaper The Independent has posted a (very brief) review of Civilization: Revolution, giving the game 4 stars out of 5. The full review:

Here`s a welcome console makeover of Sid Meier’s epic, world-conquering extravaganza. Its evolution from the PC to the PS3 et al has made Civilization Revolution more accessible than before and it’s been boosted by extra features, such as easily downloadable features, cool online play and voice and vision chat. As ever, gamers get to play God, making decisions that will have world shattering consequences. It might not be pretty, but it sure is fun.

[Locutus]

GameSpy Review: 3.5/5

GameSpy editor Gabe Graziani has posted his review of Civilization: Revolution, giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars. While he thinks the game generally does a good job of converting the gameplay from the PC classic to the console and lauds the user interface as terrific, Graziani`s chief criticims include a linear AI, limited multiplayer options and transparant and predictable gameplay mechanisms that make the game less enjoyable in the long run. On the AI, the reviewer says (among other things) the following:

But Civilization Revolution`s AI-controlled civs all seem inherently warlike, and although they will always offer you peace on a first meeting, they sour both quickly and easily. In fact, most games played on the tougher difficulty settings seem to force a domination victory as the only feasible means of conquering the world due to the hostility displayed by your opponents.

You can read the full two-page review on GameSpy.

[Dale]

Re: Reviews

Originally posted by Locutus
With the game now out, the reviews of CivRev are starting to roll in. We'll collect them here. First, some from last week (courtesy of our news team):

Dude, we've had CivRev on the shelf for almost a month now. Except the DS version.

[UnOrthOdOx]

Metacritics has it at 83. http://www.metacritic.com/games/plat...tionrevolution


It's easy to pick out which reviewers are new to the series, describing it's incredible depth from those who are old Civ vets complaining they wish it had more depth.

[Locutus]

Originally posted by Dale
Dude, we've had CivRev on the shelf for almost a month now. Except the DS version.

You want me to start gloating every time Australia gets a game 3 months after the rest of the world and at twice the price?

[Locutus]

GamesRadar: Surprising Depth, 8/10

PlayStation World UK editor Ian Dean posted his review of Civilization: Revolution, which is available online through gaming site GamesRadar. Dean states that the PlayStation version of the game does away with all the pesky micro-management, macro-management or any kind of grouping that in his opinion plagues the PC versions.

Instead, the clutter has been brushed away and what’s left is a simple strategy game where the depth and interest build from trying to second guess your opponents rather than negotiating more menus than your local five star eatery.

The reviewer does consider the game a little fiddly, fast-paced and not very sexy, but overall it's easy to get into and he believes it will appeal to a mass console audience. The game gets an 8 out of 10 rating for its surprising level of depth and lack of micromanagement. Read the full 1-page review on GamesRadar.

[Locutus]

Tweakers.net: Has Issues But Addictive

Dutch technology site Tweakers.net has posted a comprehensive review of the latest console incarnation of the Civilization series. Editor Paul Hulsebosch provides a detailed description of the gameplay, in which he points out that the fast-paced gameplay forces players to choose a winning strategy early and that maintaining a sizable army is unavoidable regardless of your desired path to victory, as the hostile AI makes maintaining peace in the long run impossible.

The biggest achievement Sid Meier accomplished with Revolution is that the game works, that it's fun to play and that it causes the same addiction as its predecessors on the PC. The game is guaranteed to invoke the classic `one-more-turn` feeling. The controls will take a bit of getting used to but soon you'll forget that you're playing on a console rather than on a PC.

As downsides Hulsebosch cites the lack of diplomacy, trade and city micromanagement, although alternatives to a domination victory are still viable. He also laments the small maps and lack of camera controls, as well as the difficulty of selecting units, especially enemy units to attack. Other gripes include that it's sometimes hard to see which unit has won a battle and that luck plays a large part in deciding combat results. On top of that the graphics are unimpressive -- the advisors and enemy leaders look alright but especially the units have low-quality textures, which the author finds especially disappointing as the game can be played in HD. The game is also laggy and tends to freeze from time to time, with the turn times on the PS3 version (on which the game was reviewed, the XBox version wasn't tested) sometimes being quite long.

Despite that the gameplay is very fun, addictive and well-balanced. Hulsebosch describes multiplayer as the best part of the game, which is extra exciting because of the turn timer. In the end he lands on a score of 8.5 out of 10. You can read the full 4-page review (in Dutch) on Tweakers.net.

[Locutus]

GameSpy On CivRev DS: 4/5

GameSpy editor Gabe Graziani posted his review of the Nintendo DS version of Civilization: Revolution, rating it 4 out of 5 stars. It describes the game as robust, with intuitive controls and packed with content from the console version, but it criticises the unbalanced difficulty levels and muddy graphics.

Like the console version, Civilization Revolution suffers a bit from overly hostile AI, but the smaller stage truncates the feel of the entire experience into a brief yet volatile skirmish between ambitious rivals that doesn't necessarily detract from its enjoyment. The world map is smaller and the graphics more closely resemble those of the original PC Civilization, so Civ Rev is like a tiny blast chamber that seems ideally suited to no-nonsense warlords who just want a quick taste of victory during a bus ride.

To read the full review, head on over to GameSpy's DS section.

[Locutus]

1UP Wants One More Turn

1UP's Andrew Pfister has reviewed Civilization: Revolution and gives the game a B+ (which roughly equates to "good" on the American school grading system which ranges from A+ to F). He applaudes how well the game is designed to help newcomers to the Civ franchise as well as the intuitive controls and colourful graphics. The sound and music are Civ-like, although intermittent and poorly balanced at times. On what was cut from the PC version of the game:

I still wasn't sold on the cuts that Revolution chose to make for console newcomers. The scenarios are entertaining, but I still would've liked some more options for terrain variance and map size, instead of predetermined continent layouts on a smaller-though-proportional map. Though the average game may not be long enough to accommodate 'em, naval and aerial combat omit fun units like aircraft carriers and helicopter gunships. The diplomacy mechanics took a minor hit, too, with the lack of defensive alliances among the warmongering world leaders -- which is pretty important when most heads of state in Civilization don't hesitate to declare war on you within three turns of first contact.

The article points out that as the gameplay is very fast-paced, one must choose a victory condition to pursue very early. The reviewer's biggest beef is actually a complement to the game's addictiveness: he would like to be able to continue playing after the game is won, which isn't possible in CivRev. You can find the full article, including some notes on the differences between the console and Nintendo DS versions, on 1UP.com.

[Locutus]

IGN Editor's Choice

IGN editory Ryan Geddes has posted that gaming network's review of Civilization: Revolution and given it an Editor's Choice Award. As biggest differences with the PC version Geddes cites the shorter games, lack of map customisation options and reduced complexity in gameplay. Overall though it makes for a great introduction to the genre for the uninitiated and a satisfying console experience for practiced PC players who want a (relatively) quick console fix. The multiplayer part of the game is quite important and works well, says the IGN editor:

Barring few initial hiccups getting connected during our tests, we found Civ Rev online to be lag-free and smooth. Voice chat is fully supported, and there's even a handy private chat function that can be implemented directly from the diplomacy screen. So if you're in an online match and are being harried by a pesky friend, just open a chatline with a mutual enemy and play them against one another. Oh, the possibilities.

The article briefly describes some of the scenarios in the game and concludes that it's a great balance between hardcore and casual gameplay, although it does mention some performance issues particularly when using the advisors. In the end Geddes rates the game as 8.8/10. Read the full 2-page review on IGN.

[Will9]

Civrev gets an 8.2 from Strategy Informer

The recently released Civilization: Revolution has recently been reviewed by Strategy Informer`s Joe Robinson. He thinks that despite the flaws, such as some flaws in "the combat system" and and that "the civilisations themselves lack a certain degree of diversity", the streamlined version of Civ is an overall success.

In summary, he says: "All in all, Revolution is a worthy addition to the 360 roster. It’s fun, addictive, and easy to play. It may be a but hollow compared to the previous games, but it’s right at home on the consoles. Newcomers will find it easy to get into, and addictive to play, whilst old hands might need a little adapting to get used to the lack of micro-management. Either way, Meier’s done it again."

Read the full review at Strategy Informer

[Will9]

USA Today: "strategy games aren't just for computers"

USA Today has reviewed the recently released Civilization: Revolution. Dylan Fawcett, the writer, mostly describes the goal the of civilization in general, but he does point some flaws in the game. These include the difficult civilipedia interface and the fact that "archers can actually destroy fighter planes with their arrows."

He writes the following in conclusion: "What Civilization Revolution loses with minor interface issues, it certainly makes up for with graphics and the ability to play the game hundreds of times with unique outcomes. While it won`t be a favorite of advanced players like the former Civilization titles, it`s definitely worth buying for the gamer new to the Civ universe."

Overall he gives it an 8 out of 10. Read the full review here

[Will9]

Team XBox on CivRev: 9 out of 10

Firaxis` recently released Civilization: Revolution had recently been reviewed by Team XBox`s Andy Eddy. He ranks the game on five categories: Gameplay, Graphics, Audio, Longevity, and Innovative. He gave the following rankings in each category: 8.8, 8.4, 8.9, 9.6, and 9.2 respectively.

Eddy writes the following in summary: "As I’ve said before, I’ve been in the game industry a long time, yet never really took the time to play a Civ game before this, but CivRev is showing me in quantity what I’ve missed. And, in fact, my immersion in the gameplay experience is a good part of why this review is going up a bit later than planned. I often had a tough time pulling myself away from the playing to write this up. That might have slowed up the posting of the review, but it’s ultimately a tribute to the game’s attraction. Frankly, I’m looking forward to getting a final copy of the game and, after next week’s E3 show is finished, spending some time playing it just for fun. Isn’t that how a good game is suppose to make you feel?"

Read the 3 page review at Team XBox

[Wiglaf]

These include the difficult civilipedia interface and the fact that "archers can actually destroy fighter planes with their arrows."

Good to know Firaxis finally got around to not fixing this. Revolution indeed.