Sid Meier's Civilization V Video Review

You need to know two things about Sid Meier's Civilization V: it's fun, and it'll keep you up really late. No surprise there to fans of the series, though there are many changes that fans will notice. One of them is that this turn-based strategy game takes place on a hex grid rather than squares. Another is the way combat has changed to become more tactical, and more enjoyable. There are other improvements, changes, and interface adjustments too, of course. But what matters most is how Civ V manages to be both friendly for newcomers and complex for veterans. Whether you want to micromanage or focus on the big picture, you'll be glued to the screen hours upon hours of thoughtful fun. There are a few annoyances here and there, such as how the game makes military victory easier to achieve than more peaceful brands of success. But small quibbles aside, Civilization V is yet another fantastic iteration in a series that has constantly exuded quality at every turn.

If you're new to the franchise, here's what you need to know about Civilization V: you select a civilization from one of nineteen choices, and turn by turn, you lead it from one era to the next with the goal of achieving global domination. There are four ways to win: by defeating your enemies using military might; by a cultural victory in which you have set the greatest number of social policies and accomplish the mysterious Utopia project; a scientific victory in which you are the first to fly to the stars; and diplomatic victory, in which other Civilizations and city-states vote on their support in the United Nations. Well, there is a fifth victory condition as well--to have the highest score when the timer runs out. Each leader gets a bonus from the beginning which supports a particular style of play. Russia gets resource bonuses; Rome gets production bonuses; the Iroquois get movement bonuses; and so on. From here, you use this bonus to your advantage as you build up territory, build military units, send workers off to collect resources, and enhance your cities with structures that further boost other aspects of the game in progress. You need to think about gold production, trading luxury items with other civilizations, barbarians that roam the lands, the happiness of your citizens, and a lot more. Everything is intertwined with everything else, and you always need to think a few steps ahead. There is a lot to keep track of, but Civilization V's interface makes it easy to stay on top of things. When attacking, you get a preview of how successful your attack will be. A single button takes you through each necessary action within each turn so you never lose track of units, which is really helpful late in the game. You can automate your workers and set your citizens to focus their efforts on a particular goal, like gold or culture. Some of the interface could have done with a bit of cleaning up, such as the diplomatic overview, where you have to indentify the little icons to figure out which luxury resources other civilizations are harvesting.

But whether you are new to the series or an old veteran, it's snap to keep track of things so that you can focus on the big picture. Of course, if you prefer to get your hands dirty and command your workers to build every road and every farm without any automation, you can do that too. The AI does a pretty good job of making decisions, and your advisors are always there if you need a bit of guidance. The main AI issue is the way units set to automatically explore will think nothing of wondering into the territory of neutral territory. Doing so damages your relationship with other civilizations and city-states, which are another new addition. In any case, while the semi-closed borders are a nice middle ground between the closed borders of Civilization IV and the open borders of prior Civ games, it would have been nice to toggle whether or not auto exploring units should enter neutral territory on their own.

If you've played Civ before, the two most noticeable changes are the switch to hexes instead of squares, and the inability to stack your units. If you fear change, don't worry: these are both positive changes that give movements more flow, and make battles more tactical. With these tactical battles layered onto the strategic map, you need to be more conscious of your units' weaknesses and strengths and consider your location and weapon range. Furthermore, units level up and you can grant them terrain bonuses, range of sight bonuses, make them more effective against certain types of units, and so on. Conversely, you can also fully heal a unit upon leveling, which can come in mighty handy if the timing is right. Additionally, many units can fortify until healed if you're able to move them to safety. All of these additions make for fun and sometimes tense tactical battles in which you must constantly be aware of which units you are sending to which hexes. And it's a good thing using brawn is always so enjoyable, since even seemingly peaceful Civilizations will attack if they perceive you to be any kind of threat. Typically aggressive nations like China may go from being ally to enemy quickly, and simply defending yourself from invasion might prompt other friendly nations to attack you because you are a threat to them--all this when you were focusing on a peaceful victory. Cultural and other less-bombastic wins are certainly possible, but the AI skews to the domination side, which can make your less aggressive plans ring a bit hollow.

The addition of city-states is an interesting one. These individual AI-controlled cities function like mini civilizations with limited diplomatic options. By gifting them with gold or doing tasks for them like defeating nearby barbarian camps, you will come into their favor. Once you are allied, they may gift you with units, and they will fight at your side if you go to war. On the other hand, you could royally tick off a competing civilization that has become allies with a particular city-state if you aren't careful. And if you are particularly aggressive against these regions, all of the city-states might rise up against you, which also means you will have major civilizations breathing down your neck. City-states have a more subtle effect than you would hope for at first. In the early game, for example, the gold expense to befriend one just isn't worth it because your relationship will dissolve quickly. But in mid- and late-game, they can become a greater help, taking pressure off of you and casting votes in the United Nations if you are hoping for diplomatic victory. For what it's worth, religion is gone, and you could argue that city-states have a similar role in the overall scheme of any given game. Not always essential, but different enough to add flavor and have subtle but noticeable effects if you use them to your advantage.

There's so much to talk about in a big game like Civilization V. It's wonderful to look at, and your fellow leaders that appear on the screen look fantastic and have a lot of character. Leonard Nimoy no longer provides the voice-over, but the narration still strikes the right serious but soothing tone. Wonders, banks, gunships, hoplites, submarines, elephants, incense--these all have a place in a typical game of Civilization V. For more information, check the written review, because it gets into more detail than I can here. But know this: Civilization V is another impressive turn-based strategy landmark that will keep you clicking from one turn to the next, only to glance at your watch and discover that what felt like an hour turned into six. That's the mark of a special game. Of course, previous Civ games have had the same effect, but what makes Civilization V worthy of the series is that it retains that addictive nature without simply resting on its laurels. The result is fresh and exciting, and a game that will delight newcomers and experts alike.

Review Scores

Platform	GameSpot	Metacritic / User Score
PC Review this game	9.0	90 8.1
MAC Review this game	- -	- - 8.2

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Find out if Kevin VanOrd can be the first to fly to the stars in this video review for Sid Meier’s Civilization V.

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288 comments

Newest | Oldest

boixwunder

Whats up free demo off Steam. I need a hands on test.

PetJel

2 Like

Played this game for 14 hours straight the first night I had it. I hadn't done that in YEARS and YEARS. :O

dzimm

1 Like

Coincidentally, I played this game for about six-hours last night. Didn't even notice the time flying by.

MrDoNotDefyMe

I like this game. It is put together very well and polished up nicely but there are times that the game.... just.... drags.... on...

jayjay444

8 Like

i lost a girl friend thanks to this game.... by saying just 1 more turn babe and it turned into about 400 turns. for anyone thinking of buying this game dont! u wont have a social life. P.S 10/10 amazing game

stailcookie

Wow, Civ V is older than I thought, or KVO lost that weight insanely fast. Just picked it up for $4 from Amazon (activates on Steam) and I was wary about the bad reviews. GS has me eager for the DL to finish now.

taofsf

1 Like

Crashes a lot - I think I need a faster pc. Working with 2k support but it is very slow going.

danbolivar

@taofsf Never crashed for me.. of course I'm not trying to play it on a hand held calculator like you.

Adelana

1 more turn please

Adelana

cool game. love it.

ajthelegend

I wish towards the end of the Review's they would show the score.

imacy

just got this of amazon cant wait to play it!!!

Tokugawa77

@jasonjannajerry It does run smoothly with maxed settings on high-end systems... It just sounds like you need a new processor.

iThinkApple

1 Like

I really like this game, but sometimes I just like Civilization IV better!

Tokugawa77

I just miss religion. It has shaped human history so profoundly that I have no idea why it was taken out.

jasonjannajerry

Did this reviewer even play the game? He acts like he hasn't played it, just being payed off for a good review, repeating the advertising blips that sold the game to us suckers. Something you would expect from gamespot. Quality? I think not. Also, how the hell are they running this game smoothly on high quality? This is deceptive, it makes it look like the game actually runs smoothly, much less quickly on a high end system. Yet another way to sell more games, just like the marketing execs wanted. Worthy of the series? It needs to work a hell of a lot harder than just being the half finished game I bought to be "worthy of the series."

williebazerka

I tried to play CivIV but was never able to understand it.I'm dying to try this out as I heard it's pretty noob friendly.Anyone have suggestions where I can learn to play easier?

pcxcado

I've played the xbox 360 version and its so addictive. Thinking of buying this

it009x9281

After 400hrs of play i still love it.

gamerboy4283

No offence to the people who like this game, but from my prospective this game looks like it will get boring after the first 4 or 5 plays.

holtrocks

Love the series need a new comp mine is crap can't run this still playing revolution on the 360 and IV on my old POS pc

jurcking

[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

amin7224

it is cooooool

707107

just AMAZING

Kontax

JUST ONE MORE TURN PLEASE!!!!!!! I love this game!!

DarthOro

@PCgamer420 Show off much?

PCgamer420

Just picked this up from Target, had a $40 gift card so it only cost me 14 bucks total. I have never played the Civ games before so I hope I like it, seems interesting! I just hope my 4ghz i7 and my crossfire 5850's can handle it!

darkassassin911

In my opinion, this game totally deserved a 9.0. This is a really good TBS game, this is what got me hooked with TBS. I don't really mind the AI, a few ore playable characters wouldve been amazing but im fine with it as it is. I only wish that there could be a setting where you would stat off you civilization where it started from. For example, if you pick Gandhi, you start off in India, not North America. All in all I like this game

metalkid9

this game does not deserve anywhere near a score a of 9, it feels stripped to the bone!!

VisuVeri

The game is really good.

shawise

[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

advanracer

Toysoldier34 :: Cheers to that mate :) I'm going to try out AMD this year I've been using nvidia products for years; So I'm gonna start off with a Radeon 5770. I gona try something new this year. "To find the Ultimate Mid Range card that does Crysis on High and everthing else (RTS wise) on High/Ultra." The GTX 460's perfect man, ah..but isn't SLI'ing that thing tempting? hehe..good times.

Toysoldier34

@advanracer I just got a GTX 460... Let me just say I can never settle for medium settings again.

anthonettex

after hex i can never go back to boring square grids

Joser15

Friend got this for me pretty stoked about it never played Civilization b4, Approx. 3 more hours yeee!

SuperYeti22

This music in the backround review, isn't it the same backround music used in the Demon's Souls review?

yoyou225

This was worth going through hell so I could play this on my Mac.

zoran_red

[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

Silvis121

The game is really good minus the few bugs and AI issues. Big Civ fan and this is a game that has more potential later on then right now I think. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys good strategy games.

advanracer

-- I see what you mean julius_deific. Shogun 2: Total War's also going to be good. But hey, to each their own in regards to their chosen Gaming PC Build. Factory or Home, either way if all the parts work in the end its a Win. Regarding Side Note: That's what I was wondering about..when I came to check out the game. Everyone's writing their History dissertation here in a Video Game Website. LOL. good times. good luck on your build.

julius_deific

I haven't been a Civilization fan in the past but this looks great, I just wish I had a better PC. @advanracer I wish I had the knowledge or the time to build my own PC. I will need one for when Shogun 2: Total War comes out as well as this game. I'm sure its a whole lot cheaper than buying one. Side Note: What's with all the political crap in this forum...I thought this area was for discussing the game. Take that junk somewhere else!

advanracer

My First Game...for my "i built it" i7 980x Custom PC Mwahahhahahhaha!! Stoked!! 6 Cores, 8 Gbs, and 1 GTX 260 (ooops typo..that's 460 Superclocked..i mean) Video Card.. easily eats this game with ease. =] Build your own PC!! That's the way to go. =]

KingJduro

Release for Mac Already!!!

CircleEnix

i have never played a civ game but this looks amazing! its a shame my pc cant handle it!

ahmed822

nehahahahhahnehahhahahahahahahahahaha

Anti-Skub

What going on at 3:43, when did the Russians invent the cow catapult? But yeah, they've pushed the boat out with the combat in Civ 5,but they seem to have slacked on almost everything else. I mean it's good enough but there are so many little niggles all over the place. For example the multiplayer isn't actually turn based, it's a weird half real time set up where everyone takes their turn at once. A typical situation would be where you are facing off against some knights with some crossbowmen. The enemy knights have moved into range of your crossbowmen in the previous turn which would mean that if it was actually turn based then your next move would allow you to shoot the knights before they reached you. Unfortunately, because it's simultaneous turns it is down to who clicks fastest, meaning the knights are able to attack you before you've managed to get them to shoot. This is compounded further as the knights can move after they've attacked which means that not only can the other player attack you out of turn, he can then move his units out of range again before you retaliate. On top of that, there is no way to turn off the camera snap which automatically focuses the view onto your next available unit. This can lead to situations where you lose multiple units in a turn because your camera snaps to an idle worker instead of military units that are about to be attacked allowing the other player to kill your units and run away while you are trying to find your units

kidvenom2001

I am just gonna say that I am living well. I got what I need in life. I got food on the table, clothes on my back, roof over my head, job to make money, health plan, dental plan, a car....well 2 cars, beautiful wife, kids that go to school, kids that get what they want from me when they want from me, good friends, places to go to for enjoyment, etc. I can go on and on. I seriously don't get why these non-american people keep downing us when MANY of us live the same or better then others. If you not living well, then i am sorry, but I hate uneducated people poking jabs at americans, but none of them lived an any of our shoes. News-flash people there are well off people and there are people in a bad state. Don't go flexing like you better then anyone. Who gives a shhh! Be happy you alive and stop hating!!!!

savagetofu

@NeilCardiff @Curzad I have found that both Republicans & Democrats are playing the same game. The name of this game is "It is all you"! Many relationships have this same problem as well. Each partner blames the other & changes nothing about their own selves thus keeping things in constant turmoil. You cannot change anyone. You can only change yourself. The blame game is destructive & nobody really profits from them except for the people like Glen Beck & Hillary Clinton who make a ton of money selling their books. In the meanwhile, we the people suffer. It is disgusting that people make money dividing the country. The worst part is that most of us (including myself) buy into this line of thinking that it is ALL them. The problem with this thinking is that it does not allow one's self to change because they are blaming others for the problem. We need rational thinking in Washington & not 2 sides blaming the other. A kingdom divided cannot stand.