Win with Science, Culture, or Napalm

In case you're wondering, yes, I did shamelessly take that line from a BrentalFloss song (and if you're not familiar with it, you can listen here). So I was looking around Steam today, and I noticed that their weekend deal is 66% off Civilization 5 (viewable here), which is quite a sale considering it still normally sits at a $50 price tag. In honor of this event, I've decided to write a review for the latest installment in Sid Meier's popular turn-based strategy series.

I received a copy of Civ 5 last Christmas after not having played since Civ 2. Needless to say, it had been awhile. It wasn't that I didn't like the game; I loved it, but fate conspired to keep a copy out of my hands until recently. Here's a look at some of the major features and how they have changed (get ready - this is a long one).

One major feature that has changed since the last time I played is the government and religion system. Unlike before, there are no set government styles for you to choose from as you research new technologies. Instead, you now enact various policies associated with ten different styles of governing. And you're not forced to choose policies from just one track; you can mix and match between the policy trees as much as you want, with a few exceptions.

For example, you cannot have policies from the Freedom and Liberty tracks active if you choose any policy from the Autocracy line. Similarly, you can't mix the Piety (religious) and Rationalism trees. This brings me to another important point: the only aspect of religion in the game is the policies in the Piety track. This basically boils religion down to "Is your civilization religious or not?"

Now, this does remove some of the depth from the game, such as religion affecting your relations with other countries. But I think this 'simplified' system is actually good. I, for one, enjoy being able to adapt my government from a variety of policies, all mixed together in a way that fits my play style. And I can take on new policy trees without having to wade through that troublesome anarchy period.

Another interesting feature is the absence of unit stacking. No longer can I mix together infantry and cavalry on one space. Each unit must occupy its' own tile on the map, and can fight each other unit or city only on a 1v1 basis. This increases the importance of flanking bonuses and policies that increase military effectiveness (unless you want to try playing completely peaceful - be warned, the AI will come for you). I personally feel that minimal unit stacking, such as allowing a maximum of 3 units per space, would have been fine and still allowed for interesting tactical situations, but the focus here is clearly more on individual units.

As a further example of this, let me point out the "leveling system". Each unit gains experience points through battle, and will progress through various levels, each one bringing a choice of a few upgrades. Do I want my modern infantry to be able to move one extra space per turn, or do I want them to have +25% defense from ranged attacks? (Our very own Sanevin once had a level 9 destroyer that could travel nearly half the world in a single turn!)

The last feature I'll talk about here is city-states. As far as I know, these haven't been implemented in previous Civ games, but they add an interesting strategic element. City-states, as you might guess, are one nation countries that simply aren't trying to win the game. They don't care what happens as long as you're nice to them. Allying with one of the city-states will give your nation a bonus depending on the city-state's type, as well as allow you to share their strategic and luxury resources. And if you free any city-state that has been captured by another civ, they will instantly ally with you.

Whether you are amazing enemies with your glorious scientific progress, impressing them with your rich culture, or simply crushing them beneath your unstoppable war machine, Civilization 5 has something for all would-be rulers. To date, it has given me 117 hours of enjoyment, and I definitely recommend picking it up, whether during the sale or sometime after.

-Arcthos