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Civilization IV

User Rating:

ESRB: Violence
Publisher: 2K Games
Genre(s): Strategy
Home Page: http://2kgames.com/civ4/home.htm

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By: Aaron Barnes Jul 31, 2007

Legal addiction for the masses

Sometimes, it just doesn't work out in the end. If only I learned how to spell 'potato'.

It's clear that Civilization IV is a complex beast. The sophisticated relationships between each aspect of the game can be difficult to grasp, particularly for a casual gamer. Only the most devoted of players have the time to invest in understanding the inter-working relationships and tech-tree prerequisites. But is all this complexity justified in the end result? In other words, is the game any fun? Without a doubt, the answer is unequivocally affirmative.

Happily, the game gives plenty of gentle nudges along the way, and the many difficulty options and game speed choices mean that any level player can find a scenario that suits their ability. The robust multiplayer and talented modding community - supported by tools from Firaxis - give the game a replayability that no other Civilization title has even seen.

With Meier's pet project Railroads now a bona fide success, Firaxis has a Civilization focus for the foreseeable future. Civilization IV has two expansions, and the highly anticipated Civilization Revolution will be making it's way to consoles and handhelds in early 2008. With Sid Meier back in the designer's seat for Civilization Revolution, it's a safe bet that gamers can expect great things from the king of PC simulations. For now, though, we can bide our time playing Civilization IV, and by no means is that a bad thing.

Summary of YouGamers Hardware Testing

The publisher of this game state the following specifications for their minimum and recommended requirements:

Component	Publisher's Minimum	Publisher's Recommended
Processor	1.2GHz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon processor or equivalent	1.8GHz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon processor or equivalent/better
Memory	256 MB	512
Graphics Card	64 MB Video Card w/Hardware T&L	128 MB Video Card w/ DirectX 8 support
Graphics Card Example	GeForce 2/Radeon 7500 or better	Not specified
Free Disk Space	1.7 GB	1.7 GB
Net Link	N/A	N/A

To learn more about how YouGamers performs its hardware testing, click here. Through our extensive gameplay and hardware testing across the full spectrum of PC configurations, YouGamers suggests that one should use the following guidelines for an appropriate minimum and recommended setup:

Component	YouGamers Minimum	YouGamers Recommended
Processor	AMD Athlon 64 2800+ / Intel Pentium 4 2800 MHz	AMD Athlon 64 3800+ / Intel Pentium 4 570
Memory	512 MB	1024 MB
Graphics Card	ATI Radeon 9550 128MB / NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 128MB	ATI Radeon X800 XL 256MB / NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 256MB
Free Disk Space	2 GB	2 GB
Net Link	Broadband (for multiplayer)	Broadband (for multiplayer)

Scores

To learn more about our scoring methodology, please click here.

Gameplay	90	Complex but always fun, the game offers a gentle learning curve and near-infinite options for experienced players. This is the Civilization you've always wanted to play; just be prepared to spend some time mastering the basics.
Graphics	78	Very good overall, with little room for improvement. Great-looking art assets across the board are only offset by low-polygon animations and basic camera controls. Terrain is accurately depicted and unit animations are well-done. More detail, particularly when the camera is zoomed in, would make the visuals stand out though.
Audio	90	Excellent all around. Audio often gets minimal resources, but that's not the case here. A full soundtrack and voice-over by Leonard Nimoy complement the great sound effects.
Technology	75	Even a moderately powerful system is left with CPU and GPU cycles to spare. Positional audio support is nice, and the built-in voice chat is commendable. Firaxis deserve credit for wholeheartedly supporting the mod community with tools and documentation.

OVERALL

It's Civilization for the masses. Novices, masters and everyone in between will find plenty of entertainment. Despite the inherent complexity, the game remains fun from start to finish. The high-quality production value throughout the game make this another Sid Meier classic with years of replayability.

If you would like to comment on this review or discuss the game further, please head over to our discussion board - please click here (registration not required).