Civilization 4 DVD-Rom (Mac) – Customer Reviews

What else can one say.My PowerBook is barely a year old and this game drags it to a complete halt.Very sad.

10/7/2006 12:00 AM | Rating:

In late 2002, I took a second job at a major electronics retailer and decided to use my employee discount on what looked like a cool game: Civilization III.That game changed my life... in the gaming sense.It was everything I ever thought a computer game should be: turn-based strategy with multiple avenues to test my ego and self-promoted genius.Above all features of Civ3, however, my most favorite was the customization of the game through the map editor and the wonderful online resources of the Civ community.(I've downloaded more Civ3 files than MP3s.)This allowed me to express my self-proclaimed genius with new rules, technologies, and units (and all the accompanying chronologies and requisites) at my discretion.Nothing could get any better, I had thought.

When Civ4 was being talked about, however, I couldn't imagine on what grounds they could improve - except perhaps making the game even more customizable and thorough.Well, you've already read about the differing features of the game: less micro-management, more diplomatic and trade features, new technology trees, enhancing popular mechanics found in previous Civ titles, and of course, going 3D with it all.

When playing Civilization IV, you sense an overwhelming POTENTIAL to be a really great game.In my mind, that potential has not been fulfilled, and I hereby advise you to purchase Civ3 Complete instead and forego Civ4 if you haven't chosen so already.If you have already purchased Civ4, let's send a message to Firaxis Games that they need to do better - let's stop purchasing Civ products until they are actually without so many bugs, that aren't rushed to be released for the holidays, and that don't insult our intelligence by requiring expensive "expansion packs" which merely add content that should already have been included in the original release.

Here is a list of comparative reasons to only own Civ3 and not Civ4 and boycott future Civ titles until something changes for the better:

1.There is no map editor in Civ4.Instead, they included a "World Builder" which is so awkward and strange.It is not like Civ3's map editor where you can set starting positions, resources, civilizations, and terrain BEFORE you play the map.The "World Builder" of Civ4 only allows you to alter scenarios from the installation or randomly generated maps.You cannot create maps from scratch - you can only change what has already been created within predefined parameters.

2.Who needs 3D graphics for a turn-based strategy game?Civ4 is not fully 3D; it merely allows a tilting view from ground level to overhead.That can be cool, but consider the offset: it is unnecessary for this genre, it diverts computer resources from other cool and more thorough features, and it makes the game extremely difficult to modify.For Civ3, there are well over 1,000 things you can either download or make yourself and put right into the game.You don't have to know XTML or Python programming languages as you would in Civ4.Civ4 requires advanced education (like a graphics design or computer science degree) to simply alter things like governments, units, buildings, and game rules.Waiting for others to design them (like the amateur online community or the professional expansion packs) isn't so fun anymore.

3.Expanding content for more money?This was a problem with Civ3, as well - its first expansion pack was a total waste of money because everything was later put on the second expansion pack.People bought the first expansion pack because they loved Civ3 so much and didn't know it was a waste.(Many video game makers are taking advantage of gamers in this way, not just the Civilization makers.)My point here is to fight back.We already know what they are going to pull: Civ4 has an expansion pack out there titled Warlords.It basically includes elements intentionally left out so as to somehow formulate a "new" product.In the base version of Civ4, you have the Great People: artists, scientists, merchants, and prophets.Hmmm... now we get the warlords, eh?Oh, and a few other civilizations and buildings left out from before.Nice try...Boycott this type of marketing out of sheer principle.Play Civ3 Complete until Civ5 comes out if you have to.Maybe Civ will be less of a cheap shot then.

4.The last reason why you should be content with Civilization III and completely forget that Civilization IV was ever made is the most simple.Purchasing Civ3 Complete right now (1) will cost you less than half of Civ4; (2) is fully expanded while Civ4 is still looking to make more money off of us; and (3) Civ3 has the very same level of addictive game play as any other Civilization title.If you have already dropped the cash for Civ4, simply do not support Civ4 any longer.In fact, uninstall it and put it in your drawer as a sad chapter of shameless marketing.Yes, Civ4 is fun, but it is does not live up to its potential in most ways.Playing Civ3 will take up your time quite nicely until they release a REAL title that doesn't take advantage of us so blatantly.

To conclude, my overall point to stick with Civ3 and forego Civ4 is this: without an easy, efficient, and overwhelmingly powerful customizing interface (like an awesome map editor that allows FULL customization), we are simply asking for "re-tread" products.The fact that Firaxis did not include a kick-butt map editor proves in my mind that they expect us to wait for their "expansions" to come out and spend at least $150 each before they move onto Civ5.Hold out with Civ3 Complete and wait until Civ4 goes away.

8/21/2006 12:00 AM | Rating: