In Civilization, players strive to become Ruler of the World by establishing and leading a civilization from the dawn if man into the space age waging war, conducting diplomacy, discovering technologies, going head-to-head with some of history’s greatest leaders, and building the most powerful empire the world has ever known.
GenreTurn-Based Strategy
Platforms pc
DEVELOPER Firaxis Games | PUBLISHER Codemasters | RELEASE DATE
Civilization V Reviews pc
joystiq.com review
Whether you’re a veteran of the whole series, a convert from Revolution or someone totally new to the franchise, understand this: Civilization 5 is a game that needed to happen. For a game so very, very large, it delivers everything in an easy to understand package no matter what route you take to playing it. The core Civilization experience is still there, but it’s like an efficiency expert came in and streamlined everything that had gotten clunky with the series.
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g4tv.com review
Civilization 5 is a fantastic turn-based strategy game that retains the same addictive gameplay the first Civilization brought to PC gaming almost 20 years ago. Accessible, beautiful, and full of new concepts, Civ 5 is a solid sequel that should appeal to both new and old players alike.
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giantbomb.com review
Firaxis offers a hardcore turn-based strategy experience that nearly anyone can approach, without sacrificing any of its wildly addictive appeal.
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escapistmagazine.com review
I was surprised that after playing through Civ V about ten times that I usually won a conquest victory by destroying all the capitals of the other civs out there. Historically, I built a spaceship and won that way. It's a testament to the combat system in Civ V that I had way more fun building units and attacking my neighbors than I did with previous versions.
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gameinformer.com review
As a hardcore strategy gamer who is no stranger to planning out my empire’s production dozens of turns in advance, I’ve already turned to Civ V for my world-conquering needs – but at the same time, if anything is going to rear a new generation of strategy gamers like the very first Civilization did for me, it’s this.
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nowgamer.com review
This is, quite easily, the quintessential Civilization experience that – despite the tweaks – will appeal to every type of Civ player, as well as dragging in a few of the uninitiated. Everything about it is considered, clever in a simple kind of way and – dare we say it – perfect. Highly recommended.
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destructoid.com review
Civilization V makes huge advances to the series that do nothing but enhance the essential experience. Improvements to the user interface and AI at all levels result in it being more approachable for newcomers without losing any of the strategic depth that long-time fans crave.
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gametrailers.com review
No Synopsis Available
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PC Gamer [MAG] review
This is more of an equal that exists in parallel, offering a fresh and invigorating style of play with more emphasis on combat.
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pcgamer.com review
Civ V isn’t simply a rehash of what came before with better graphics (though it has those, too): it’s a whole new world with a whole new set of rich, intricate rules to master. It’s also impossible for a strategy fan to resist picking up … or to quit.
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gamesradar.com review
And speaking of cultural victories, most of the core concepts from Civ IV are still pretty much intact in Civ V: you win the same ways, either by dominating on culture, military, diplomacy, or science. And the technology tree works pretty much identically, as well (minus Leonard Nimoy to speak the quotations associated with each technological advancement). Apart from the hexes, the game mechanics are largely the same this time around, too: certain tiles have valuable resources which may be required for building certain types of troops or buildings – the difference is that this time, a single instance of a resource won’t give you unlimited ability to make things with that resource. One iron deposit will only give you enough iron for a certain amount of troops, so you need to make hard decisions about what to construct and what to trade for… and what to try to take over by force. This adds a valuable layer of realpolitik to the game world, and helps make you feel like you’re genuinely at the head of an empire.
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videogamer.com review
I’m just skirting around the edges of Civ V, giving you a few insights into the way I play and some of the things I’ve come across in the past couple of weeks. You’ll get something different out of it. Everybody will – the random elements involved in generating a map ensures that each game will always have its own flavour, bringing various permutations of events and squabbles to the mix. I can only show you bits and pieces from my time with it, while trying to illuminate a set of catch-all differences that run through the game as a whole. But, really, it’s those individual moments that make it so special, and you’ll have to get those by playing it yourself. Who knows, maybe Catherine won’t always be such a pain in the arse to you.
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gamer.nl review
No Synopsis Available
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metro.co.uk review
Strategy gaming's grandmaster gets the biggest overhaul in its history as conquering the world and creating the perfect society becomes easier and more fun than ever.
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telegraph.co.uk review
Civilization V is one of the best strategy games released all year, and once it's installed be prepared to lose many hours of your life to the quest of global domination.
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eurogamer.it review
No Synopsis Available
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ign.com review
Civilization V is one of the best turn-based strategy games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. Whether teaming up with my friends for some multiplayer, or simply losing a whole night of sleep to the game’s endlessly replayable single player, this is one game that any strategy enthusiast, or, hell anyone strat-curious should check out. Sure, I miss some of the deeper inter-civilization relations that the more defined religion and government setup brought in Civilization IV, but that’s nothing anyone new to the series will even think twice about. With all the tips, advisers and tools in place, this is the first Civilization for PC that I feel is worth just about every person’s time. Go forth and create, subdue, and exploit. Do as Firaxis has done, and bring Civilization to the masses.
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actiontrip.com review
Another change comes in the form of how your cities and their cultural influence affect the space around them. In Civ 4 the territory around cities would spread larger and larger as your city and its cultural influence grew. The area of influence your city covered granted you control of the resources within those borders. In Civ 5 this expanding area of influence does not happen as rapidly. Granted it still does grow, but if there is a hex that has a resource you could use, you have the option of buying it with gold, thereby adding it to your control. Acquiring these resources is important because there is a finite amount of each resource type available on the map. So if you have a unit that requires horses, you can only build a certain number of those units based on your supply of horses you control. This makes city placement, resource management and proper management of your troops that much more important.
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gamespot.com review
But those are tiny irritations in a fun and complex game bursting with joy and constant rewards. Sid Meier’s Civilization V sucks hour after hour of your day away, giving rise to plans of global conquest and thoughtful tactics. Of course, you could say the same of Civ games of the past, but what makes Civilization V a praiseworthy successor is how it changes up key elements of the franchise. The game’s core values–expansion, exploitation, exploration, extermination–are as strong as ever. But the newer tactical combat and addition of city-states give strategy veterans new ways of tackling their goals, while a friendly interface and expansive Civilopedia help newcomers get up to speed relatively quickly. There are a few aspects of Civilization V that could have used a bit more attention, but even as is, this is yet another classic edition to a series that consistently rewards and renovates. If you have even the remotest interest in worldwide domination, you owe it to yourself to get lost in one of the most rewarding turn-based games in years.
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strategyinformer.com review
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gamervision.com review
For newcomers to the series, or those just recently initiated by Civilization Revolution, Civilization V marks a wonderful introduction into the robust, epic gameplay of the core series. To wily vets, the newest iteration may lack depth in the diplomacy and cultural tracts, but the additions of hexagons and advanced warfare should help to lessen the blow. Civilization V will more than likely have its weaknesses addressed by DLC and expansion packs (not to mention the vast modding community, which Civ V supports in some exciting new ways), but it is far from a paltry offering in its current state. This game has nearly everything you could ask for in a world conquest simulator, and if you plan to dive in it may be best if you let your loved ones know you are going to start writing a novel. Or training for a triathlon. Just pick something that takes a really long time and sounds hard. You’re going to be busy for a while.
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gameplanet.co.nz review
No longer able to put twenty tanks on one tile and simply ‘tankenstein’ my way across the map, I was initially bereft of strategic cunning. Once used to it however, I saw the light. In order to accommodate tile unit limits and hexes, I learned that diversity in units and strategy paid dividends. Ranged units are especially useful, damaging melee opponents long before they can reach your front line. Carefully choosing an army that has range and melee strengths is essential, but equally so is how you choose to place them. Attacking a city on a peninsula is far more realistic, as you realise the single tile is fast becoming a bottleneck. Your infantry units are taking heavy bombardment from the city, while your artillery can’t get within range because your front line has to attack single-file.
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gamestar.de review
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computergames.ro review
Just like Total War, it’s impossible to make it all perfect when there are so many options involved, with so many nations on the same map. So, because what problems I encountered weren’t that big, I was able to put them aside. And for those who want realism, control and micromanagement, there are MODs which will surely be created by the community, whether it’s only maps or even gameplay changes and customized campaigns.
So don’t go running, because Civilization V has its iron fist well hidden inside a fine velvet glove. From beginners to veterans, each will feel at ease remodelling the world’s civilizations.
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gamingtarget.com review
Civ V’s modern graphics and substantial production values make it the new series standard by default. For the most part its gameplay tweaks feel natural, a refresh of the core Civilization gameplay. After twenty years, there is still something very addictive about clicking “next turn.†For a gamer, Civilization is a standard, an essential. It’s like having a Monopoly set, you never know when you’ll want play, and it’s just a fun thing to have around the house. V’s introduction of broad Social Policies, and failure to evolve its multiplayer, will undoubtedly have some fanatics sticking with their copy of IV, but less opinionated players will be satisfied. Whether to unleash your inner fascist or ambassador, there’s never been a better time take the reins of a civilization.
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yougamers.com review
There are several ways to ultimately win the game. You can excel trough science and industry and be the first to research and build an interstellar spaceship, or become the de-facto ruler of the world through culture or diplomacy. You can also simply apply liberal amounts of brute force and eliminate the competition through conquest. Should no civilization manage to complete one of these victory conditions by 2050 (500 turns on standard speed), whoever has the largest and most advanced civilization wins as determined by score. One game can be expected to last anywhere from 3-4 hours up, depending on the victory route, size of the map, number of opponents and game speed.
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gaming-age.com review
I just wish… that I didn’t know people who played it online– with Steam, especially. If it wasn’t already a giant boardgame with the computer AI, it’s about to be two people enabling each other to keep playing. If it weren’t buggy with lag and long waits between turns, I may be in even more over my head. The only way I think I’ve made it this far is thanks to Civ 5 crashing on me occasionally putting me off from playing it for a while until I want to go back and give it another shot. Kind of like right now. I’ll be truly screwed when Firaxis starts patching the game up, which is really holding it back from what it could be in a fully fleshed out form. That’s all I got for this one; Ghandi is being a bastard anyway and I’ve got to take care of that.
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gameshark.com review
Civilization 5 remains a threat to my productivity and household happiness. Though not quite the complete triumph it could be, Firaxis has shown how a twenty year old design can still be tweaked and improved in the hands of a team unafraid to break things in the interest of progress.
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1up.com review
Some of these problems are minor, but they’re the sorts of things I’d expect from a rookie developer scrambling to meet a deadline. What are they doing in 2K’s flagship strategy game, under the brand of one of the greatest game developers we’ve ever known? In many ways, Civilization V is an admirable game, bolder and sexier than the average strategy game, and sporting some nice innovations that will make it hard to go back to Civilization IV. But in other ways, it’s a disappointment that needs a lot more work before it earns its place as the successor to Civilization IV.
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