Sid Meier's Civilization

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Game Review

Sid Meier's Civilization is one of the most popular strategy games of all time. It was created by Bruce Shelley and Sid Meier, alongside MicroProse. The game was released in September 1991 for MS-DOS, Amiga, and Atari ST.

Right from when it appeared on the market, people and critics were excited to play it. At its core, this was a turn-based strategy 4x game where you would be the one in control of a civilization over the course of millennia. Your focus in Sid Meier's Civilization was to ensure your civilization's survival while also opposing anyone who would not see things your way.

One of the main reasons why Sid Meier's Civilization stands the test of time and still is a successful franchise is that it was incredibly innovative right from the start. The developers took inspiration from the board game market and their previous games, and they created an enormous game world where players could venture and conquer as they see fit. The game also had revolutionary mechanics when it comes to turn-based gameplay. They created a great AI that was actually a threat or of great help. Sid Meier's Civilization also had an excellent diplomacy system that only got better during the years.

Sid Meier's Civilization took many ideas from Railroad Tycoon; one of them is that you would have multiple smaller systems working together at once. The player would be able to manage the economy, diplomacy, and military aspects of his faction. It was the only game at that time that would actually make you feel like a real ruler of a civilization. Every decision you would take in Sid Meier's Civilization brought a lasting impact on your country.

Another great innovation in Sid Meier's Civilization is that every nation would not be stale. Instead, it would be able to evolve and grow through the ages. While the player could advance to a new era, so could the AI. That brought in many exciting challenges to the table since you couldn't just stay at the same age as you tried to defeat your enemies. You had to grow while also doing your best to interact with the enemies.

The game also integrated wonders of the world, which would offer various advancements for your civilization. There was also a technology tree, where you could research everything to uncover new buildings, armies, and other ways to surpass the enemies.

Of course, Sid Meier's Civilization also had a military aspect to it. The exciting thing is that you could first use your armies to explore the map, and you weren't forced to engage anyone in battle. The diplomacy aspect would work very well if you expected to create great, powerful connections with large or smaller civilizations. There was also the option to just try and conquer everyone. That means you had to rely on creating an economy powerful enough to fuel the creation of a large military force. So yes, Sid Meier's Civilization allowed you to play in any way you wanted, and that brought infinite replayability. That was something rare during its time when most games were relatively finite.

Sid Meier's Civilization managed to receive a lot of sequels with a vast range of content options. However, if you are nostalgic or want to play a simpler version of the newer titles, Sid Meier's Civilization still holds up very well. It shows where the 4x strategy game started, and it does stand out with its fantastic gameplay and replay value.

If you are one of the few that never played this game, but you are looking for an exciting, diverse, and fun strategy game, then Sid Meier's Civilization is definitely worth a shot!

Review by: Adam
Published: 22 January 2021 4:06 pm