Gonna start a revolution?
Porting a strategy game to console is always going to be a huge challenge for any developer, but when that title is one of the pioneers in the turn-based strategy genre then it really has got its work cut-out.Nevertheless, that hasn’t prevented Firaxis from stepping up to the unenviable challenge and mammoth task of bringing Civilization, a franchise that has been doing the rounds on PC for the last 15 years, to console.
It has tried and failed before with a shabby port of Civilization II on PSOne almost ten years ago, but that as they say is history, and now it’s back hoping to take advantage of the power of next generation consoles and showcase its award-winning strategy game to a legion of new fans.
Civilization Revolution isn’t a port of any previous PC version of Civilization. It’s a standalone title that been built from the ground-up for console. It’s a dumbed-down version of the PC game, which has been simplified to make use of the game-pad control. It also sports a stream-lined interface making navigation through the menus more manageable.
The premise though remains the same, with players needing to construct an empire from scratch using military and management tactics to turn a primitive tribe into an omnipotent world power.
Click for larger imagePlayers can choose from 16 civilizations, represented by famous leaders, including India’s Ghandi, America’s Abraham Lincoln and Rome’s Julius Caesar, all of which appear as a cartoon-styled caricature throughout the game and speak in a fictional language similar to that employed in The Sims games.
Starting off in the Stone Age, with a small plot of land, the aim of the game is to build an empire that will stand the test of time, right up to the space age. Through domination, technological advancement, cultural change and economic growth, you win the game by moulding your empire into a supreme ruling power.
If you’re new to the Civilization franchise, the game may initially seem overwhelming due to the barrage of information that’s thrown at you and the amount of paths you can potentially follow in order to build your empire. However, the developer has done a fine job of simplifying things, with clear tutorials that come in the form of on-screen advisors and also the comprehensive encyclopedia, dubbed the ‘Civilopedia’, which provides detailed information on every aspect of the gameplay
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