Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution

"Sid Meier Finally Got the Console Strategy Game Right"

Those who have played any Civilization game, especially Civilization 4, and even some who haven't know of the game's notorious legacy for being somewhat complicated. So when you hear about Civilization Revolution you probably think of a game that is extremely complicated and then you hear that its on the console and think, oh great another attempt at a console strategy game its going to suck. Well, in most cases, you would be right, but not for Civilization Revolution. Astonishingly, this is an excellent game and it looks like someone finally got the console strategy game right.

Graphics: The graphics in this game are excellent and very well done. The seemingly-cartoon atmosphere really helps you enjoy the game and ensures that you never get bored.

Sound: The sound is expertly done and really aids in the enjoyment of the game. You may not notice all of the sounds in the game but the ones you do hear will undoubtedly give you a lot of enjoyment

Music: The music in this game is good; the only problem is that you never notice it, as it just fades into the background way to often. You can hear it if you really look for it and when you finally hear it's pretty good, but you just don't notice it while playing.

Story: This is a topic that really doesn't seem to be prevalent in the game. By that, I mean that it's not there at all. You could say that it's a game in which you make your own story with the different win conditions but, unless you consider that, there really isn't any story at all. However this isn't a big deal and it definitely shouldn't be counted off at all for this because it's dang near impossible to put any kind of story into this kind of game.

Playability: Besides the music, this is the only section of the game that I found any major flaw with. Overall playability is excellent, especially for a strategy game on the console. The cities can usually be easily managed, the map is extremely easy to navigate, and the unit controls are fairly simple. The only two flaws that I found was selecting and managing your units. It seemed that every time I went to select a unit that was idle the A button wouldn't work. I don't know if it was the game or my controller but it got to the point where I would have to find a stack of units and cycle through them to get it working again. The problem of managing your units didn't really come about until you had a bunch to deal with. The fact that the highest grouping that you could put your units in was nine people per unit got really annoying. Once you start getting a lot of units it got really hard to find and manage them. There is a simple solution to this problem, just make it so that you can group more units together making it a whole lot easier to know what they are doing. Other then those flaws this game was really easy to play and control.

Gameplay: The gameplay of CR isn't that complicated, it's not too hard on the lower difficulty level, and it's not drastically new. You're probably thinking “That's the kicker: it's what makes the game bad.” Well, you're wrong. It may not be new but, hey, why change a proven formula. The idea's simple: take a randomly generated map, add four computer-controlled players, and try to dominate each other. The idea may seem simple, but the execution is what complicates things. You can win by one of four ways: domination, technology, economic, or cultural victory. That may not seem hard, but when you add in a slew of technologies, endless city management, and four other players ready to win at any cost it can get pretty difficult. The maps get a bit repetitive, even though they are randomly generated. But, come on, it's a strategy game for crying out loud. The concept itself is acceptable and if you don't like it, the game obviously isn't made for you.

Fun: Now this is undoubtedly where the game shines the most. This game tries to be fun and in my opinion succeeds. The game is enjoyable in all aspects, from the animations of the people to the gameplay itself. I have never had a dull moment while playing CR, and I doubt you will fare any differently. Just the atmosphere of the levels puts you in a good mood and invites you to have fun while playing.

Overall, this is an excellent game, though it does have some flaws. I recommend this game to anyone that likes strategy games, or thinks they might, and anyone that likes the Civilization series should definitely play this game. If you've never played a strategy game this is absolutely the one you should start with even though it has a semi-steep learning curve you can get the hang of it before you finish the first game. So, even though it's easier then some strategy games, it is still definitely one of the best.

This rating scale is complementary of Stcb (or Btcs on Gamefaqs)

Graphics: 5/5
Sound: 5/5
Music: 3/5
Story: 4/5
Playability (Control): 15/20
Gameplay: 35/40
Fun: 15/15
Tilt: 5/5
Total: 87 = 87/100
Final Score: 8.7

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/02/08

Game Release: Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution (US, 07/08/08)