Published by: 2K Games

Are you familiar with the name Sid Meier? Don’t feel bad if you’re not. Sid isn’t the most famous of console programmers. But if you play games on the pc, then you likely laughed at my question since Mr. Meier is one of the best known designers in the game. The visionary behind the iconic Railroad Tycoon and Pirates! franchises has been pumping out hits for 26 years. But without a doubt, his most successful franchise to date is a series of games known as Civilization.

Now in its fourth incarnation, Civilization Revolution is the console version or reinvention of the classic strategy game, featuring updated graphics, a completely reworked interface and a streamlined gameplay structure to cater to the needs of the console gaming crowd.

You begin the game by choosing from one of 16 different civilizations, each with a legendary ruler lifted directly from your high school history books. Players can choose to play as Genghis Khan, Abraham Lincoln, Mohandas Gandhi, Queen Elizabeth I, Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte just to name a few, and each ruler starts the game in their own part of the world and with their own special abilities.

The simple aim of the game in Civ-Revo is to claim victory over the other civilizations. You can achieve this in several different ways. You can completely destroy them with military force; you can be the first civilization to develop the technology to reach Alpha Centauri; you can attract and assimilate opposing populations with cultural magnetism; or, you can develop a powerfully profitable empire that eclipses all other nations.

While much has changed since Civilization III, thankfully the game is still turn-based and the underlying strategic nature of the game play remains mostly intact. You still need to choose the optimal terrain to harvest the resources you need to develop your cities; you still have to make important decisions -- such as funding and developing the right technologies, and building the right structures to support economic growth and a fertile population.

Visually, there's much to appreciate in Civ-Revo. The new look developed just for consoles is very easy on the eyes; with an isometric 3-D take on the action viewed from an overhead perspective. The highly stylized character art and detailed environments have an accessible look to them with some great incidental animations, while the highly legible font and well-written content is both informative and easy to understand for beginners.

Civ-Revo has a wonderfully implemented multi-player gaming option with support for one-against- one, two co-operative players versus two players or four individual players against each other over Xbox Live.

Online play is overflowing with fun, even though the pacing can often become a tad painstaking at times. However, the rewards for patient gaming can be boasted on the online leader-board for all to see.

Most importantly, Civilization Revolution has that magical "just one more turn" feel that was the defining hallmark of the very first game in the franchise. The addictive design of Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution makes it almost impossible to put down. Once you finish one game, you’ll immediately be thinking “I know what to do next time”.  So now that you know what to do go out and get this game. At least give it a rent and see what all the pc gamers have enjoyed for years.

+ Nice updated graphics to the Civilization franchise.

+ Addictive gameplay keeps you coming back.

+ Great online multiplayer modes.

Final Score : 9.0

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