Rewrite history, your way with 2K’s Sid Meier’s Civilization VII.

In rich graphic detail and developed by Firaxis, three distinctive historical classes await you as you begin building up your Empire.

Civs veteran’s will be in familiar territory and for new comers, well, this is probably the one of the best in the series to start out with.

It’s fluid and easy to navigate menu’s leave no confusion within gameplay and before you know it your very own ‘civilization’ will be making a mark on history as you see it and direct it.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is a strategy simulated game where you build out and take on a small village, map out your village, through to town… then city and eventually Empire hex by hex.

Generally the folk in your growing world will live out their existence, providing you give them the means to do so.

You’ll have the ability to literally re-write human history as you want and as you progress you will unlock more resources.

In prior Civilization titles you have generally had to select one class or race, or similar and stuck with that for as long as you play the game. Which can be for an eternity. Civilization games are real addicitive.

Civilization VII lets you select a specific leader from an option of three and these are split into three eras; Antiquity, Modern or Exploration.

Being that I love to explore the world in any video game, Exploration was for me.

Naturally this will affect the resources that you have to start with as well as what you eventually unlock, as any new items or resources are within the time era, or class, that you selected.

This also offers up it’s various challenges. If you think the easy road is selecting a modern era, think again. Each era (or class) with their own attributes most definitely throws up some decent challenges.

As your townsfolk, or civilization, emerges from the basic human era new cultures will be unlock.

And before you know it, you’ll witness your own history in the making via split cultures either living in harmony or warring with each other.

But here, as I mentioned you can mix up history – and have Romans hanging out with Mongols. It’s entirely up to you – and is based on the selected leader and era you choose.

Graphically the game is amazing. Game options see Diplomacy as more of a currency by accruing and spending influence points. This in my view is actually more streamlined and you’re not needing to have convoluted negotiations.

The game sets you with goals, to grow your population and as your world grows, it will spread across the map.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is a change from prior editions. It’s almost a full rewrite infact. But it gives players a more fluid, entertaining play with mostly shorter wait times for your population to enact out a sequence.

Stunningly detailed whether in isometric view or zoomed in to see your created world in 3D. It’s also best played on a larger screen.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is so far the pinnacle in the series. Easy to get a grasp of for newcomers, yet challenging, rewarding and satisfying for veterans.

The post Sid Meier’s Civilization VII (PC) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Your Empire awaits, but first you need build up a successful civilization.

2K Games’ is releasing Sid Meier’s Civilization VII on February 11th, 2025 and we at STG were honoured with an early code for preview on PC.

While there is a lot I cannot and will not say (so, there won’t be any spoilers), I can tell you that Civs veteran’s will be in familiar territory and new comers, well, this is probably the one of the best in the series to start out with.

In a strategy simulated game you take on a small village, map out your village, through to town… then city and eventually empire hex by hex.

Generally the folk in your growing world will live out their existence, providing you give them the means to do so.

You’ll have the ability to literally re-write human history as you want and as play you will unlock more resources.

In prior Civilization titles you have generally selected one class or race or similar and stuck with that for as long as you play the game. Which can be for an eternity.

Civilization VII lets you select a specific leader from an option of three and these are split into three eras; Antiquity, Modern or Exploration.

Naturally this will affect the resources that you have to start with as well as what you eventually unlock, as any new items or resources are within the time era that you selected.

This also offers up it’s various challenges. If you think the easy rod is selecting a modern era, think again. Each era (or class) with their own attributes most definitely throws up some decent challenges.

As your townsfolk, or civilization, emerges from the basic human era new cultures will be unlock.

And before you know it, you’ll witness your own history in the making via split cultures either living in harmony or warring with each other.

But here, as I mentioned you can mix up history – and have Romans hanging out with Mongols. It’s entirely up to you – and is based on the selected leader and era you choose.

Graphically the game is amazing. Game options see Diplomacy as more of a currency by accruing and spending influence points. This in my view is actually more streamlined and you’re not needing to have convoluted negotiations.

The game sets you with goals, to grow your population and as your world grows, it will spread across the map.

Civilization VII is a change from prior editions. It’s almost a full rewrite infact. But it gives players a more fluid, entertaining play with mostly shorter wait times for your population to enact out a sequence.

Stunningly detailed whether in isometric view or zoomed in to see your created world in 3D. It’s also best played on a larger screen.

And that’s where I’ll leave it for now. Stay tuned for the upcoming full review!

The post Civilization VII (PC) Preview appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Rise and Fall does what a Civilization expansion should do, it seamlessly adds to the core mechanics in a fun and interesting way that adds depth without making the game feel overly complicated.

It also brings with it a bunch of new content to further assist in providing a revitalised experience.

One thing to make clear is that this expansion doesn’t overhaul the game experience. Instead, it adds to what is already there in a way that both fits naturally in with the existing content and adds more strategic depth to the game. If you ultimately didn’t like the base game, Rise and Fall will be unlikely to change your mind.

To me, the most noticeable and beneficial new gameplay system introduced is what is referred to as Great Ages. This system effectively provides an ongoing scoring and ranking system. As notable things happen to your civilisation, such as building wonders or obtaining great people, you earn Era Points. At the beginning of each Era, your civilization will enter an Age, e.g. a Dark Age or Golden Age, depending on the points you earn. Based on the Age you enter, you gain certain penalties or bonuses.

This new system proves to be a wonderful addition to the core mechanics of the game by providing a consistently rewarding experience and by making previously pointless events suddenly become meaningful. Events such as converting cities to your religion or circumnavigating the world are now rewarded through Era Score. It also means you are constantly striving for short term objectives to achieve these rewards to try and avoid entering that dreaded Dark Age.

If you are wondering why Dark Ages are such a bad thing, that is all thanks to the new Loyalty system. Each city now has its own loyalty which is calculated based on many factors, most significant though is pressure from nearby cities. The pressure each nearby city exerts is based on the number of citizens multiplied by a factor depending on the type of Age that civilization’s is in. Once loyalty drops to Zero, the city rebels and becomes independent. The city can then be picked up by a nearby civilization if they are exerting enough pressure on the city.

As you would expect, this new system adds a new layer of strategy to both locating a new city and taking over an enemy city. If you attack the right enemy city, you may be able to sufficiently lower the loyalty pressure on other nearby cities to the point that they will soon join you of their own volition. I found the system works against you about as often as it works for you which can be frustrating at times.

Nearby cities aren’t the only way to gain loyalty, among other things, you can install a Governor there for a small but often times necessary loyalty boost. Governors are another new thing introduced in this expansion. As you progress, you will unlock Governor Titles which can be used either hire a new Governor or upgrade one of your existing ones. The abilities Governors can unlock are quite varied, impactful and generally work in well with specific playstyles.

Rise and Fall also includes 8 new civilizations and 9 new leaders to play as. The most notable civilisations are the Scottish, Zulu and Mongolians. Most of the new civilizations and leaders have fun and interesting new abilities and bonuses to use. I was a bit underwhelmed by the Mongolians led by Genghis Khan who I was hoping would have more significant and fun warmongering abilities. Maybe my expectations were just too high.

Other content has been added including new resources, wonders, units and policies which fit well into the game. There is also an improved Alliance and new Emergency system introduced. Both of these offer an improved experience that doesn’t quite live up to its potential.

The enhanced Alliance system allows you to gain bonuses when in an alliance with someone. I find the AI too fickle for alliances to be the viable long-term option required to fully take advantage of the improved system.

Emergencies are events that trigger which theoretically allows players to band together against a threatening civilization. I really like the idea behind this but the AI doesn’t seem to actively try to complete these objectives. There are some great bonuses for winning but ultimately it feels like you are the only one taking it seriously.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Rise and Fall proves to be an excellent expansion to Civilization VI. If you didn’t like Civilization VI, this expansion likely won’t sway your mind. If you did enjoy the base game however, the new gameplay systems provide additional depth that fits in naturally with the base game yet provides an overall improved experience.

The price tag at the moment feels a little bit too high for an expansion but may be well worth it for the Civilization VI enthusiasts.

The post Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Rise and Fall (Expansion) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

2K and Firaxis Games are excited to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Civilization series by announcing that Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, the next entry in the award-winning turn-based strategy franchise, is currently in development for PC. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI will offer players new ways to interact with their world, expand their empire across the map, advance their culture, and compete against history’s greatest leaders to build a civilization to stand the test of time.

“Sid Meier’s Civilization games hold a reputation for defining the 4X gaming genre for the past 25 years,” said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. “We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the silver anniversary of our longest-running franchise than launching the eagerly anticipated Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, which will provide the most detailed, beautiful andcomplete experience ever featured in a Civilization game.”

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI sets another milestone in the Civilization franchise, which has sold-in over 34 million units worldwide and changed the gaming landscape by bringing the strategy genre to unparalleled heights. In Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, cities will physically expand across the map to create new, deep strategic layers, active research in technology and culture will unlock new potential ways to play; and the large variety of leaders will pursue their own agenda as based on their historical character traits as players race to achieve victory however they choose to play.

“Sid Meier’s Civilization VI builds on the firm foundation of the Civilization franchise, and we’ve added many exciting new elements,” said Ed Beach, lead designer at Firaxis Games.“The visual presentation of the game is inspired by the maps and tools of the Age of Exploration, and we’ve made several key gameplay changes such as expansive cities and active research that makes Sid Meier’s Civilization VI an entirely unique experience while remaining true to what makes the Civilization series so special.”

Key features of Sid Meier’s Civilization VI will include expansive Empires, a dynamic diplomacy function and an enhanced multiplayer.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is not yet rated, but is available for pre-order now on Windows PC, and will be released worldwide on October 21st, 2016 for AUD $89.95 / NZD $99.95.

Expand your empire further with the Civilization VI Digital Deluxe Edition, which includes the full base game, the 25th Anniversary Digital Soundtrack, and access to four post-launch DLC packs that will add new maps, scenarios, civilizations and leaders for a bundled discount.

The post Sid Meier’s Civilization VI Announced! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.