The official website for the upcoming console game Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution is now up and running. Civ enthusiasts might want to check it out; the site has a lot of new information on all sixteen civilizations, specifically on their rulers and the unique bonuses each civilization will receive. One interesting news bit is that each civilization not only gets one bonus throughout gameplay, but will get a different bonus as the game progresses into a new age. This brings better balance to more ancient civs in the latter stages of the game and vice versa.

Another revealed detail about the game is the confirmation of downloadable content such as multi-player maps and scenarios for the PlayStation Network. Also there are unlockable maps, scenarios, and mods to be found offline as well.

If you're a big fan of the Civilization series, but too much of a traditionalist to accept having the next game on a console, then you're missing out. Revolution looks likes it's going to be a worthy addition to the series; it's visually on par with Civilization IV and from what we're hearing thus far, it sounds like it's improving on the tried-and-tested formula. If you're interested in seeing more on the game, check out the official website.

2K Games continues to emphasize that the console-centric Civilization Revolution is a totally different branch from the PC's Civilization franchise by telling MTV's Multiplayer that Revolution will "never" come to PC. It's a similar thing to what we were told at E3 last year when we got our first chance to see Revolution.

Jason Bergman, a producer for 2K Games, tells MTV that the game was designed from the ground up to be played with a gamepad. Since the game was announced, many PS3 owners have asked if the game will support a mouse and keyboard. Bergman says, "The answer is no ... The game has not been designed for that [controller]." He highlights again that Revolution is not a port, but an entirely new game. We kinda feel bad for the guy, it sounds like he's been repeating the same defense for the title over and over again since last July.

Click for high-resolution image.

Sid Meier's Civilization series is one of the most renown turn-based nation-building sims on the PC, but the next title in the franchise won't be going to the platform of its roots. Instead, the latest game, Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution, will be hitting up the PlayStation 3 and other systems. If you want to play the next Civ game it's time to get a PS3; you'll have to get one soon because Civilization Revolution is expected to make its way to retailers by June 3, 2008.

It's not the first time for a Civilization game to make the crossover to the console arena, but Civilization Revolution is the first to be made solely for it. Firaxis built the game from scratch, and have given the control schemes a streamlined interface in order to make Civilization Revolution more console-friendly.

For those unfamiliar with the Civilization series, the goal of each game is to choose a civilization, build it up, and eventually conquer the world either through brutal warfare or cultural influence. To see how it all actually goes down, check out the new screenshots down below.

It's no surprise that Civilization is great -- it's been being great for decades. But what is nice to hear is that our very own DS version of Civilization Revolution is turning out well. IGN's Steve Butts calls it "essentially just a portable version of the game you're getting on the home systems," in that the game design is unchanged aside from obvious graphical scaling-back and the addition of touchscreen controls. Sid Meier assured us of much the same thing, but we prefer to get confirmation from somebody whose name isn't on the box.

As for details -- well, if there's pretty much anything you want to know about Civilization Revolution, this exhaustive preview has it. For example, the discussion on technology. While you can't set your research on autopilot in order to go directly to a certain technology, you can arrive at many of them via multiple paths. If a technological breakthrough has multiple prerequisites, achieving any of them will qualify you for the new tech. And you get a bonus for being the first to discover a certain technology.

If you're already thinking about historical discoveries that would totally rule in-game, and the previous discoveries that led to them, you should consider checking out the full preview.

See also: 2008's Biggest Blips: Civilization Revolution

At first, it was coming, and then it wasn't, and then it was ... and now, once again, Civilization Revolution is a no-go for Wii owners. An unnamed spokesperson for 2K Games confirmed to IGN that the Wii version has been put on hold indefinitely, and a poster by the name of Jason2K at the 2K forums reports that it's a simple matter of manpower. According to said poster, Firaxis didn't have the resources to work on four different versions of the game at once, and it looks like the Wii title, already set to release several months after the others, drew the short straw.

We can only hope to see Firaxis revisit the project in the future, as the Wii (and DS) are spectacular choices for the long-running franchise, considering that their control schemes can closely mimic that of the mouse. The title was set to feature online multiplayer and several features that are being implemented for the new console versions.

[Thanks, mian!]

While DS development for Civilization Revolution continues (and progress on the Wii version, uh, un-continues), we can't say it's looking too great based on the initial batch of released screenshots. Check out this janky image on the right; it's almost as if someone tried to mash together Fire Emblem with Age of Empires: Age of Kings, but somehow messed it up.

Of course, no one plays Civ for its graphics, and, according to a recent interview with IGN, Firaxis made sure to leave in the strategy title's core mechanics. The DS release will, for the most part, have the same mechanics as the 360 and PS3 versions, except with a mostly 2D presentation. You'll still have 16 civilizations to choose from and a robust online multiplayer experience with two-player head-to-head, four-player free-for-all, and team battle modes. End your turn and head past the break for a couple more screenshots.

Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword (PC)

Please, make the addiction stop! Civilization IV: Warlords, the first expansion for Civ IV, made my "Best of the Rest" last year and Beyond the Sword tops this year's list. The funny thing is I'm not a Civ fanboy, nor am I even that great of a player (Full Disclosure: I still play on Noble level), but Civ IV is a game I can come back to over and over again. Beyond the Sword added much-needed mechanics for culture-prone and passive-aggressive players, with enhancements in espionage and other concepts "beyond the sword." Oh, and just to keep last year's tradition going: Firaxis (2K, Take-Two), please get the rights to Alpha Centauri back from EA and give us a sequel!

We spent yesterday going through the big releases that've been announced for next year so far -- Smash Bros. Brawl and/or Wii Fit likely topping your personal "must get" list -- but what about the second-tier games that don't usually receive much press or attention?

Though we haven't forgotten about the low-key releases, we've collected a selection of games and media to ensure that these titles stay on your mind too! Read on for our top ten list of awesome 2008 games that you totally forgot about!

While long-time Nintendo fans might not be all too familiar with the franchise, Civilization has managed to constantly impress and push the envelope iteration after iteration. And, it should have came as no surprise that once it was revealed for the Wii, we were immediately smitten (the inclusion of online play helped). But, this isn't your grandpa's Civilization title, now is it?

During an interview with CVG, Firaxis's Tim McCracken points out that this is a totally new Civilization game, built from the ground up for consoles. It should be noted that there is no shortage of nations on the consoles, either, as Time points out players can play as 16 different nations. From "Alexander the Great, to Bismarck, to Cleopatra - you can play as them and against them." Also, the addition of army creation (where the player takes three of same type of units, places them into the same square, giving that particular army three times the power of the single unit alone). Sounds great to us!

That's not to say some of the other aspects of the franchise didn't make their way into Revolution, as players can still win by making it off the planet to Alpha Centauri, as well as through this blogger's preferred method of victory: global domination.

Are we alone in our extreme enjoyment of the Civilization franchise? Well, we're probably not alone, since it's a big seller, but we mean here. Are you guys on the boat, especially now that we know it'll offer online play? We've played console versions before and have been less than impressed, but we can't help but hope that this time, it'll be as smooth as, say, snot on glass. Which is pretty darned smooth for such an icky image.

News comes straight our of the Leipzig oven that Civilization Revolutions, the console port of the immaculate PC franchise, will have some features you might not expect. For one, the gameplay will not be altered for the Wii at all. So, it'll be the same game (just about, we imagine) you know and love. Also, we won't be getting the game until late in 2008.

But, the best bit of news to come out for the game is that it will utilize Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connect service, allowing players to compete online. This .. couldn't make us happier. We had to towel down our keyboard several times contructing this post, as tears of joy erupted from our face over and over again. There's even a possibility for downloadable content!


[Via Go Nintendo]

Of all the webcomics made for Firaxis' Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword, Tim Buckley of Ctrl+Alt+Del had his pair of comics voted most popular by a closer-than-usual margin. The strips played on historical anachronisms and World Wonder rule sets. We're really hoping voters didn't choose the strip for the Buttsylvania line.

Second place goes to Dueling Analogs' Steve Napierski (our favorite), and third place to Scott Kurtz of PVP Online. Thanks to everyone who voted, and since we're returning to our usual routine next week, be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week (and last week, too).

Here at Joystiq, we pride ourselves on being like that father who always made his kids compete for his affection. Except these aren't our kids, so it's even crueler. Firaxis joined forces with a handful of webcomics to create strips based on Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword. So it's with an evil but loving grin that we throw all the participating webcomics we could find (if we missed one, let us know and we'll throw our hands in the air say "oops!") and have our beloved readers vote on who did the best job with the source material.

	Fashion Faux Pas
	Technological gaps
	Deal or no Deal (also: there can only be one)
	"We've got pointy sticks."
	Self-referential three-parter (Zero, One, Two)
	Starving, indeed

Firaxis, devlopers of the upcoming Civilization Revolution, has given a statement to Eurogamer to explain why there is going to be no PSP version. Put simply, they simply don't have a big enough team. The entire development staff is currently working on versions for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS. They have even delayed the Wii version to Autumn 2008, while the other versions are out in the Spring, because of resource shortages.

Firaxis seems to be very proud of the fact that the game is being developed in-house. The only way a PSP version would be possible would be if they "farmed it out", which they are seemingly unwilling to do. Barry Caudill, of Firaxis, made sure to defend the handheld, saying that "it's not like we're dissing the platform - I use a PSP. We put Pirates out on it." The official word, then, is that there will be no PSP version. However Caudill's wording certainly leaves room for that to change in the future.

While talking with Firaxis about Civilization: Beyond the Sword and its space scenarios, it had to be asked whether we'll ever see the return of Alpha Centauri and its cast of characters bent on controlling the living planet. Producers from Firaxis and some representatives from 2K weren't opposed to the idea.

Yes, Brian Reynolds (Big Huge Games), who designed the original game with Sid Meier has moved on and then there is the tricky issue that EA owns the rights. However, the Firaxis crew said if EA wouldn't be opposed to giving that up, there might be an opportunity for a sequel. It's the best and only chance for Firaxis to ever return gamers to Alpha Centauri. One producer for Firaxis turned around and said, "We could make 'Sid Meier's Space-something,' we have a great group to do that, but it just wouldn't be the same." No, it really wouldn't. Come on EA, it's not like you're doing anything with the series, work out a deal.