Metareview (Euro Edition) -- Civilization Revolution (Xbox 360, PS3)

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 24th 2008 at 1:00AM }

Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution is out in the PAL lands and reviews on the "accessible," console-centric interpretation of the epic franchise are coming in. The common thread running through many of the reviews (for better or worse) is that Revolution isn't a console port of the PC's excellent Civilization IV; a point the developers have been incessantly repeating since Revolution was first shown last year. The Xbox 360, PS3 and DS versions of Civ Rev will be available in North America July 8.

Xbox World 360 (85/100): "Away from the main single-player campaign you'll find a number of scenarios to tackle, there's the promise of a free downloadable 'game of the week' and the Live multiplayer options are comprehensive. While far from as deep as the PC games, Revolution is a fine achievement, extremely accessible and great fun to play."
Eurogamer (80/100): "Unfortunately, I'd be lying, as the many punches Civ Rev pulls means its exhilaration is so often followed by slight dissatisfaction. An 8 may not be enough to convince cynical minds to suck it and see, which is a terrible shame. This slick new Civilization may be more reduction than Revolution, but it's easily one of the most distinctive games on 360 and PS3."
NZGamer (75/100): "For new players, it may be a stepping stone to true greatness. Fans of the older Civ games may enjoy it for nostalgia. It may also serve as a 'nicotine patch' for megalomaniacs; a healthier alternative to wasting whole days taking over the world. The serious Civ fans, however, should keep to their PCs: this one isn't for them."

Tags: civ-rev, civilization, civilization-revolution, metareview

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

horngreen @ Jun 24th 2008 1:12AM

I tried the demo and decided these types of games are not my bag. I saw the three bombers flying around in little circles and I couldn't take it. I've always had a need for things to be in scale with objects around them which I guess makes me a little insane. As soon as I saw things were not in scale I deleted it from my hard drive. Well off to the shrink for me!

Korova of the highlands @ Jun 24th 2008 1:26AM

I like the reviews, especially the NZ one is spot on. Dont like the scores.

I sank landfills worth of time into all Civ iterations and I enjoyed the demo immensely. The game hits that thoughtful and engaging strategy spot that no other game can reach. SimCity is too much building, RTS is too much action. Civ is just right.

I will buy day one, rain or shine.

Halwende @ Jun 24th 2008 1:26AM

As usual, NZGamer are on the mark - I tried the demo and while it's not a bad game I'll stick to Civ IV on my PC thanks... but kudos to Sid Meier for managing to get the game onto a console in the first place, A+ for effort!

BigD145 @ Jun 24th 2008 1:48AM

I too will stick to my PC versions and the endless mods. Revolution is dead to me.

Civ has been on consoles before. I guess Sid decided the PS3 needed Civ II again after backwards compatibility was dropped.

Ghen @ Jun 24th 2008 7:19AM

One of the greatest features of Civ is the ease of modding. There's no way I'd buy a Civ game without the community's support.

Cleric @ Jun 24th 2008 2:30AM

I read two reviews they said nothing about customizing your game, is that possible? Can I pick land mass types, player amount, victory conditions, other options?

Yuccadude @ Jun 24th 2008 2:37AM

Oh man, I have been playing the hell out of the demo and counting down the days to July 8. Me and a couple of friends will be playing this instead of TF2 for a couple of weeks at least.

Dark Archon @ Jun 24th 2008 4:16AM

I didn't like it at all. You can't customize the map (even the map size), can't choose opponents (you always battle against a set number of them), can't even save game on some game modes (none of the multiplayer ones and the single player 'map of the week'). The game got too simplistic and because of that any given two playthroughts are very similar. It has none of the original civ games variety. I'm very disappointed.

Christian @ Jun 24th 2008 7:38AM

I got the game on my PS3 and I am enjoying it. The game seems somewhat buggy though, not the kind of bugs that ruining gameplay, but the AI seems a bit underdeveloped at times and I have found at least one crasher bug in the trophy room.

I do recommend the game as it is a lot of fun, although a very different experience than 'normal' Civilization. Lets just hope Fireaxis releases a patch to make this game the true gem it has the potential of being.

FOXHOUND @ Jun 24th 2008 9:37AM

I loved the PS3 demo almost to the point of becoming a cackling megalomaniac; but I'm a bit wary about buying the game given what I've heard thus far... especially since I wisely held off on THE ORANGE BOX and got the PC version instead(it's now the brightest case on my desk due to the orange plastic x_X).

Haggard @ Jun 24th 2008 11:30AM

Good choice too, nobody plays TF2 on the consoles compared to the thousands on the PC servers (and you get free updates)

KilgoreTrout XL @ Jun 24th 2008 10:09AM

I thought that the demo was great- a really nice change of pace.

Matthias @ Jun 24th 2008 10:12AM

Not sure if I will be buying this, as I already pump enough time into Shivering Isles right now, but what I can say is that I have never played any demo on Xbox live as long as the Civ demo, so there must be something to this game :-)

I think I played it 4 hours straight and was so disappointed that the demo ended when I was about to crush my last opponent. Oh well, another time.

Vcize @ Jun 24th 2008 10:20AM

I haven't tried the demo yet but I've heard nothing but good things, so I was expecting to see more scores around the 90 range, not that it really matters.

Player1 @ Jun 24th 2008 10:24AM

Needs more raised eyebrows.

Odog4ever @ Jun 24th 2008 10:39AM

So the only knock against the game is that it's not Civ 4? That's good then, since I never played Civ 4. I've played the demo at least 10 times and will be picking this up day one.

Nitescape @ Jun 24th 2008 11:22AM

I tried Civ 4 on PC and didn't really care for it.
I was more an Age of Empires 3 kinda guy.
After trying the Civ Rev Demo on XBOX Live I will definently be getting this on opening day!
This game rocks! It is so much fun to play while still being challanging. I love the crazy animations as well.

juju187 @ Jun 24th 2008 11:57AM

i like this civ because now older with kids and a yob i cant sink the time and thought into a full civ game. yes its civ lite but a revolution on the fact that its a fun, not overly complicated, sim on consoles.

Ed @ Jun 25th 2008 4:24AM

My situation entirely - with a young family, I just don't have time to spend days playing Civ 4 on the PC. Civ Rev is a good way to get a simple Civ fix in limited time.

For diehard Civ fans, its clearly no replacement for Civ 4, and I'd be surprised if it is being marketed as one [I haven't seen any ads, so I may be wrong]. For more casual players, I think it has been put together very well - the controls are easy to get to grips with and it encompasses much of what is good about Civ, whilst doing away with lots of the micromanagement.

Yes, it's not perfect (mini-map, anyone? more customizable worlds?), but it's not bad!

Ian @ Jun 24th 2008 12:56PM

People seem to be missing the point of this game. This isn't supposed to replace Civ 4, and is not supposed to BE Civ 4. Its a gateway to Civ for people that don't have the time to invest in a full fledged Civ game, or people who never experienced Civ 4 and would be overwhelmed by it at this point. Gamers have become more and more attention span limited to games with the rise of consoles, so this speaks to a different market than then normal, full Civ games.