Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth

 PC
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1084 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 343 out of 1084
  2. Mixed: 374 out of 1084
  3. Negative: 367 out of 1084
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  1. atomsk1911
    Nov 16, 2014
    6
    this game isn't too bad but it is lacking in content. you have almost no diversity once you start down your path. wait until the expansions come out and buy a bundle pack by then it should be good.
  2. gatheck
    Nov 15, 2014
    9
    It's not Civilization V and it's not Alpha Centauri, when you realize that you'll love this game :) But first you have to play several games, not turns! And I'm sure that this game will become better and better.
  3. psybient
    Nov 14, 2014
    1
    Made an account here just to warn people about this game. Do not buy. It is an overwhelmingly mundane and even boring experience. The game doesn't make you care about the world at all. The different faction leaders have no personality and compared to SMAC the game is an absolute let down. Being Australian I paid almost $100 for this game and feel completely ripped off. Also the game hasMade an account here just to warn people about this game. Do not buy. It is an overwhelmingly mundane and even boring experience. The game doesn't make you care about the world at all. The different faction leaders have no personality and compared to SMAC the game is an absolute let down. Being Australian I paid almost $100 for this game and feel completely ripped off. Also the game has issues on some PC's (even top model PC's with latest specs) and keeps crashing on my main gaming rig before I can even load a map so I've been playing it on a laptop.

    The game looks nice (as long as you don't choose an Arid climate otherwise even the graphics are dull) but there is so substance to it whatsoever. It is a mashup of popular sci fi concepts with the very heart and soul ripped out of them leaving you clicking your mouse doing repetitive tasks and not really caring what happens to your civilisation. Winning the game on hardest difficulty is very easy if you just always max out trade routes. It's a shame when you have more than 5 cities you spend half your play time clicking just to manage the trade routes.

    Judging by the difference between user reviews here and critic reviews I can no longer trust big gaming website's reviews: they are obviously just in bed with the developers and were paid to write glowing reviews of a garbage game. Play SMAC instead and I've just purchased Pandora as I've realized that might be the game I've been looking for all along.

    Don't pay full price. Wait for the mods and the patches and get it on sale if you're going to spend your money on it at all.    … Expand
  4. Woopya
    Nov 14, 2014
    5
    This is a tough 1 for me. I have been playing Civ games for a long time and while I do think this game is fun to play, I just do not feel it is different enough from Civ 5 to be considered a new game and not just a mod to Civ 5. They try to give it a sci fi feel to it, but it kinda fails because we are stuck playing as the same old rearranged human factions with new names. 1 of the keysThis is a tough 1 for me. I have been playing Civ games for a long time and while I do think this game is fun to play, I just do not feel it is different enough from Civ 5 to be considered a new game and not just a mod to Civ 5. They try to give it a sci fi feel to it, but it kinda fails because we are stuck playing as the same old rearranged human factions with new names. 1 of the keys to success, as well as the most difficult aspects to sci fi genres is the aspect of lore. This game has a backstory, but it isnt really a lore. We are not really given any reason to want to play any particular faction nor are we given any reason to dislike any particular faction. That is what the historical aspect of the regular Civ games gives us that this game lacks. There are some new smallish features changed or added , but nothing that really grabs me. So I find that I do play it, for now but it doesnt consume me the way new Civ games usually do. In truth it just feels like an "inbetween "release, or an expansion to Civ 5. But in truth, in just a couple days I found my desire to play Civ was greater than it was to play this game.… Expand
  5. sebbby
    Nov 13, 2014
    6
    When I first heard of Beyond Earth, I wasn't exactly hyped. For me, the Civ series has always been a historical series, not a futuristic one. Nonetheless, I quite like many of the features in Beyond Earth. The quests system is quite nice. The art style is quite nice and the upgradable military units is a cool feature. By far the best thing added, is the new tech web. It allows for yourWhen I first heard of Beyond Earth, I wasn't exactly hyped. For me, the Civ series has always been a historical series, not a futuristic one. Nonetheless, I quite like many of the features in Beyond Earth. The quests system is quite nice. The art style is quite nice and the upgradable military units is a cool feature. By far the best thing added, is the new tech web. It allows for your colony to be what you want it to be.

    But, Beyond Earth is far from perfect. It is built upon the same engine as Civ V and it shows. Some of the wording makes little sense, as if they copy and pasted from Civ V. There is also a major lack of Civilizations. There were also a plethora of bugs when I played from crashing and disconnecting, to issues with multiple monitor setups.

    All-in-all, its a decent game. Definitely not worthy of being a sequel to Civ V. I hope that Beyond earth is a distraction while Civ 6 is being developed.

    6/10    … Expand
  6. Archontos
    Nov 13, 2014
    6
    Civilization 5 with graphics mod. These two or three additional features are much much smaller than any DLC to earlier Civ games. Classical rip-off, nevertheless just as good as normal Civ5. If you have Civ5 - don't buy. You already saw 95% of the game and new graphics can be watched in demo version on Steam.
  7. Ragotag
    Nov 12, 2014
    1
    Civ5 caused me to loose faith in the Civilization franchise; with Beyond Earth I've now lost all faith in Firaxis and Sid Meier. What a huge disappointment.
  8. flemieux
    Nov 12, 2014
    0
    A 50$ mod and an ugly one at that. I am a Civ fan. Played Civ 2 on my 486 for days.... Loved Civ 4 for ages, have learned to enjoy civ 5 since.

    But BE dissapoints on so many levels.... I have finished the game several times in several several ways. I gave it a go, gave it a chance, hoping my initial impression was wrong, that it wasn't just an oversimplified Civ 5 with ugly graphics.    A 50$ mod and an ugly one at that. I am a Civ fan. Played Civ 2 on my 486 for days.... Loved Civ 4 for ages, have learned to enjoy civ 5 since.

    But BE dissapoints on so many levels....

    I have finished the game several times in several several ways. I gave it a go, gave it a chance, hoping my initial impression was wrong, that it wasn't just an oversimplified Civ 5 with ugly graphics.

    It is.

    It is now shelved and will remain shelved.    … Expand
  9. Boras
    Nov 12, 2014
    4
    Is this game Bad? YES! definitely. I felt so disappointed when I saw that this was another Civilization 5 with new graphic, a stupid techtree and a meaningless Victory.

    They tried to add narration with Quest System, it could work, but why there is no conclusion at the end of the Game? no explanation, no story, nothing, you go back to the main menu and that's it... so contraddicting    Is this game Bad? YES! definitely. I felt so disappointed when I saw that this was another Civilization 5 with new graphic, a stupid techtree and a meaningless Victory.

    They tried to add narration with Quest System, it could work, but why there is no conclusion at the end of the Game? no explanation, no story, nothing, you go back to the main menu and that's it... so contraddicting

    no new mechanics, it is Civilization 5 with new graphic, nothing more.    … Expand
  10. masterhoodwinke
    Nov 11, 2014
    6
    Missed opportunity here in Beyond Earth. I've played and loved all previous Civ games. This one just feels rushed, like a re-skinned Civ 5 Mod. Yes the Tech tree is new, and a step in the right direction, but I found it almost boring. The space age technologies are so incomprehensible that it takes the joy out of technological progress. What the hell are half of these technologies...Missed opportunity here in Beyond Earth. I've played and loved all previous Civ games. This one just feels rushed, like a re-skinned Civ 5 Mod. Yes the Tech tree is new, and a step in the right direction, but I found it almost boring. The space age technologies are so incomprehensible that it takes the joy out of technological progress. What the hell are half of these technologies... why should I care? Is it just me or was researching gunpowder before any other players in Civ 5 incredibly satisfying? Nothing in BE can come close to that.

    Setting is interesting, but shallow and unremarkable in many ways. There is really no difference between any of the civilizations so replay is hindered. There is little to no lore in this Civ BE universe...

    Bottom line is this game is a missed opportunity and not worth the price. Not enough innovation or experimentation to justify a full new title. It will feel almost exactly the same as Civ 5. Yes I still love the Civilization franchise and I'll be there for the next game. With that said my trust in Sid Meyer as a innovative "Elon Musk" of Strategy video games is shaken.

    Try out Endless Legend if you want a really fresh innovative take on 4 x strategy games. I'm loving it.    … Expand
  11. rebi
    Nov 11, 2014
    6
    Horrible user interface and color selection, otherwise solid game. Seriously lacks replayability but some concepts in game are really promising. This game needs a lot of polishing but it has the potential to be a great game. Needs 1-2 expansions to catch Civ 5 Beyond Earth tough.
  12. phishyphishy
    Nov 10, 2014
    8
    Play If: You love civilization games. It's as fun as all the rest.

    Don't Play If: This is your first civilization game. Pick up Civ V and treat this as a sequel.
  13. MrM2014
    Nov 10, 2014
    4
    The core game itself is adequate. It is not anywhere near as complete as Civ V, but is enjoyable enough. The new tech tree does feel genuinely innovative and the alien world very much comes to life. The affinity system also feels fresh and new.

    However, other than this it's really CIv V with a different coat of paint and some things are worse. Trade Routes are a complete nightmare to    The core game itself is adequate. It is not anywhere near as complete as Civ V, but is enjoyable enough. The new tech tree does feel genuinely innovative and the alien world very much comes to life. The affinity system also feels fresh and new.

    However, other than this it's really CIv V with a different coat of paint and some things are worse. Trade Routes are a complete nightmare to micro-manage, and the diplomacy feels very limited.

    Now with all that alone, I would consider giving this a 7. It gets a 4 because this game was released unfinished with insufficient QA. There is a widespread problem preventing users playing full screen when their monitor reports more than 48 resolution/refresh rate combinations available. This is a very simple bug which can be resolved with a Registry Edit, yet after two weeks Firaxis have failed to produce a patch or even any ETC. Secondly, another widely reported bug is a failure to start - I suffer this with AMD Mantle mode despite the supported hardware configuration. As a result I have had to game in a window so far in the standard DX11 mode.

    There's some promise here, but don't buy until the game is on discount and a patch is released. Following this I will not be purchasing any Firaxis game on release again.    … Expand
  14. cgmcnama
    Nov 9, 2014
    6
    SUMMARY: The core game foundation is great but needs a lot of tweaking in the balance department. Wait a year for a Steam sale when all the patches and updates are done and I think you will be delightfully pleased.

    This game deceptively appears to be a re-hash of Civ V but is actually a completely different game and has a lot of fun concepts like aggressive Aliens and Affinities. It    SUMMARY: The core game foundation is great but needs a lot of tweaking in the balance department. Wait a year for a Steam sale when all the patches and updates are done and I think you will be delightfully pleased.

    This game deceptively appears to be a re-hash of Civ V but is actually a completely different game and has a lot of fun concepts like aggressive Aliens and Affinities. It has a lot of potential and really implemented a strong Culture system where all the trees are viable.

    However, it just isn't balanced right now and multiplayer is broken. There are frequent crashes and game concepts like trade routes are insanely strong and broken. Because they are broken and have no limits like Civ V, you end up micromanaging each route every 25 turns unless you modify the Asset file or install a mod.    … Expand
  15. boompow
    Nov 9, 2014
    8
    I have no idea why this game is getting so much hate. Perhaps it has to do with expectations. Personally I have been waiting for a new Alpha Centauri for ages and this game has completely satisfied this desire. Beautiful graphics, a lot of the great parts of Civ 5 and finally the interstellar expansion scenario I love. The new affinity system is fantastic and adds a neat personal twistI have no idea why this game is getting so much hate. Perhaps it has to do with expectations. Personally I have been waiting for a new Alpha Centauri for ages and this game has completely satisfied this desire. Beautiful graphics, a lot of the great parts of Civ 5 and finally the interstellar expansion scenario I love. The new affinity system is fantastic and adds a neat personal twist along with the customization through virtues which we already know from Civ 5 as policies. The aliens are only disappointing because they stop being anything but a minor inconvenience fairly quickly. I would love to see them be more of a wild card that grows along with your power unless you go harmony. Other than some performance issues there is not much to complain about in this game. If you enjoy Civ and are looking for a more futuristic setting then you will not be disappointed.… Expand
  16. Yyrkroon
    Nov 9, 2014
    5
    I hate to pile on, but this game deserves it. I'm a long time fan of the Civilization, going back to Civ I on the Atari ST. This is by far the worst of a great franchise. It isn't a horrible game - nothing like M003, but it isn't really worthy of the Civ, or Sid Meier, moniker either. It is very lack lustre and lacks the famous, "just one more turn" digital-crack addiction of its siblings.I hate to pile on, but this game deserves it. I'm a long time fan of the Civilization, going back to Civ I on the Atari ST. This is by far the worst of a great franchise. It isn't a horrible game - nothing like M003, but it isn't really worthy of the Civ, or Sid Meier, moniker either. It is very lack lustre and lacks the famous, "just one more turn" digital-crack addiction of its siblings.

    Had this game arrived side-by-side with Civ 5 in 2010, it might have been received better, but it hasn't really brought much more to the table than a semi-ambitious fan mod of Civ 5. The 4x genre has evolved in the last 4 years, and new comers such as Endless Legends really put this to shame.    … Expand
  17. AlphaAtom
    Nov 9, 2014
    1
    Unfortunately, this game is pretty bad. This game isnt cooler than CIV5, but its very expensive. 1299 Rubles is very expensive for this game. And it isnt interesting and isnt beautiful.

    Gameplay is 3/10 - very stupid gameplay and thats all. and tech tree and techs at all is pathetic. Graphic is 2/10 - ugly graphics, thats all. all others is the same as in CIV5 but this game is    Unfortunately, this game is pretty bad. This game isnt cooler than CIV5, but its very expensive. 1299 Rubles is very expensive for this game. And it isnt interesting and isnt beautiful.

    Gameplay is 3/10 - very stupid gameplay and thats all. and tech tree and techs at all is pathetic.

    Graphic is 2/10 - ugly graphics, thats all.

    all others is the same as in CIV5 but this game is most expensive and very expensive and its too much.

    my rate is 1/10 becouse this game isnt good for this price. 30 $ its too much for a such bad game. CIV5 is better and cheeper. Play CIV5 and dont buy this game!    … Expand
  18. croc
    Nov 9, 2014
    0
    can't score higher than 0 because game is broken, 2k is happy to take our money (yet again), charge it as it was full new game (it is nothing more but civ5 mod, bad one on top of that) and once they got our money they think it is ok to treat us like dirt, major bug preventing people to run at full screen unless you run low resolution gone unfixed for 2 weeks now, any other even sloppycan't score higher than 0 because game is broken, 2k is happy to take our money (yet again), charge it as it was full new game (it is nothing more but civ5 mod, bad one on top of that) and once they got our money they think it is ok to treat us like dirt, major bug preventing people to run at full screen unless you run low resolution gone unfixed for 2 weeks now, any other even sloppy company would have it patched asap but they think its ok to take money for faulty product and act as nothing is wrong.… Expand
  19. Smellfire
    Nov 8, 2014
    6
    Disappointing and feels shallow and pretty lifeless after playing Civ V. Has lots to recommend it but also, lots not to.

    Visually its not stunning. I expected an alien world to look fun and funky, but besides a few plants and buildings, it doesn't. The cities while building up don't look spectacular either. The aliens are mostly a bland green. The Buildings are many and interesting    Disappointing and feels shallow and pretty lifeless after playing Civ V. Has lots to recommend it but also, lots not to.

    Visually its not stunning. I expected an alien world to look fun and funky, but besides a few plants and buildings, it doesn't. The cities while building up don't look spectacular either. The aliens are mostly a bland green.

    The Buildings are many and interesting as are the new ways for skill ups like the tech web. Its really not clear what your doing in the beginning but sorts its self out after a few games. I can't say how much I like the Tech Web, but its a lot!

    The other major problem I have with the game are the victory conditions. Except for Domination, they are far to easy to get in any of the first 4 difficulty settings. After that it becomes harder, but no more interesting. Spying is also completely over powered in those difficulty settings.

    Voice over is also terrible and lacks any charisma at all, as do about a 1/4 of the playable characters. Yet another bug bear is the inane sayings that have been put in. Where as Civ 5 you had passages from Shakespeare, Washington, Dickens, Ghandi etc you get some barely cohesive drivel about nothing in particular. Quotes from the like of Jules Verne, Asimov, PJ Farmer etc would have been far more enjoyable and immersive.    … Expand
  20. CalmDown
    Nov 8, 2014
    0
    what a disaster.. I normally don't make reviews and just created an account to write this one.. This game had so much potential to be good. First off we have NO fullscreen for 144hz monitors.. a good amount of gamers run 144hz monitors that's just madness. The game has no innovation, shows no shine, has nothing new but different atmosphere. The game overall is just a mess, and its a shamewhat a disaster.. I normally don't make reviews and just created an account to write this one.. This game had so much potential to be good. First off we have NO fullscreen for 144hz monitors.. a good amount of gamers run 144hz monitors that's just madness. The game has no innovation, shows no shine, has nothing new but different atmosphere. The game overall is just a mess, and its a shame because it could of been SO good. I guess money means more then releasing good content now adays..… Expand
  21. Reiver1
    Nov 8, 2014
    1
    I have specifically signed up to this site just to warn others how bad this game is. Civ 5 has a lot of flaws, this is a re skinned version of the same game.
    I played it for a day - then bought Alpha Centuri and spent the rest of the week playing that! So i suppose that's where the score of 2 comes from.
  22. Timmah
    Nov 7, 2014
    0
    I have spent 1000's of hours on each and every Civilization since the first one, well until you guys took 5 bloody years and decided to charge $50.00 on a game that could have been sold as a mod to Civ 5 for a few dollars. I really hope lots of people were fired over this game. Why in the world would Cid Meier put his name on this steaming pile of monkey Crap!

    Take Civ V, strip away 80%    I have spent 1000's of hours on each and every Civilization since the first one, well until you guys took 5 bloody years and decided to charge $50.00 on a game that could have been sold as a mod to Civ 5 for a few dollars. I really hope lots of people were fired over this game. Why in the world would Cid Meier put his name on this steaming pile of monkey Crap!

    Take Civ V, strip away 80% of the content, slap a coat of Sci-Fi paint on it and ship it out the door.

    Very disappointing. Beyond Earth should have been sold as a Civ V mod for a fraction of the price. This game has slightly more content and replayability than the Steampunk DLC released for Civ V.

    There are only 8 civs to choose from, but that doesn't matter because they are effectively identical anyway.

    There are only about 8-10 units in the game, and it's the same 8-10 units regardless of which civ you choose.

    The landscape is crowded with features and resources that have very little purpose. You can comfortably set your Workers on auto and ignore them.

    All 5 Victory Paths are Science driven, making everything else largely irrelevant. Even the Domination Victory depends heavily on the Science resource in order to unlock the automatic upgrades for the 2 or 3 units you will need to win.

    Trade is crucial to success, but very tedious and not fun at all to manage. Every turn, I would get 1 or 2 messages from Trade units asking me to confirm that I still want it to keep doing what I told it to do the last 20 times it asked.

    Diplomacy is irrelevant. All other Civs can be safely ignored unless you feel like conquering them. Other leaders will frequently harass you with pointless offers or empty threats, though, and that gets annoying fast.

    Exploration is largely pointless and unrewarding. The whole world is one homogenous smear of resources. Clear out your own little plot of land and don't bother going anywhere else.

    Seriously, I want my money back on this one    … Expand
  23. Parragu
    Nov 7, 2014
    4
    Lets be frank here Civilization:BE was really a disappointing game. Basically a expensive re-skin of civilization 5 there is no new content. In the beginning it's awesome to see new units, new civs and worlds. But after a few hours of game play, the game becomes uninteresting. Following the same plot every game, along with same quests. This game had the potential to be an awesome game butLets be frank here Civilization:BE was really a disappointing game. Basically a expensive re-skin of civilization 5 there is no new content. In the beginning it's awesome to see new units, new civs and worlds. But after a few hours of game play, the game becomes uninteresting. Following the same plot every game, along with same quests. This game had the potential to be an awesome game but 2k and Firaxsis kinda screwed it up. I feel like this game we a major let down for a Civ player like myself and I would not recommend it to huge Civ fans.… Expand
  24. Kriss_A
    Nov 7, 2014
    0
    Little more than a mod, being sold for full price. Absolutely disgusting and immoral. I don't understand how anyone can get behind this and support practices like this.
  25. vandana
    Nov 7, 2014
    4
    I should start this review by saying that I love Civilization and I have played all games in the series since Civilization II. Although the vanilla version of Civilization V was rough, I loved that release as well - one unit per hex combat, new graphics and leaders full of character were refreshing enough to bear with the game until the expansions made it truly great (especially Gods &I should start this review by saying that I love Civilization and I have played all games in the series since Civilization II. Although the vanilla version of Civilization V was rough, I loved that release as well - one unit per hex combat, new graphics and leaders full of character were refreshing enough to bear with the game until the expansions made it truly great (especially Gods & Kings). I believe Beyond Earth is somewhere at the stage where Civilization V was at the release gameplay-wise (much to be improved, but can be easily achievable with expansions and patches). At the core design level however, affinities (affinity decides the way you play the game - it is a philosophy deciding your path of progress and victory) have been separated from leaders and that is something that took all character from the game away. The leaders and writing are generic and dull, lacking any emotional connection known from previous games. Moreover, I believe this core flaw cannot be fixed unless many more affinities were introduced and linked to leaders somehow which I simply cannot see happening at all. The result is a bland game, with potential for growth mechanically, but lacking character and because of design decisions simply not capable of getting anywhere near the legendary status of Alpha Centauri, of which the game is supposed to be a the spiritual successor. I hope I am wrong and the designers will find a way of making this game alive but right now it is a pretty space game, with marvelous music, unpolished gameplay that will be fixed in expansions and zero character. Not worth £30 and not a must play. I'll wait for the expansions and I regret not buying it on sale. I guess most people buying this game wanted another Alpha Centauri and this is not it and probably never will. Even comparing to Civ5 with expansions, already cheaper bundle, this game simply cannot stand its own and such comparison is inevitable when the engine is basically the same and the game plays like a glorified mod.… Expand
  26. a20012322
    Nov 6, 2014
    2
    Disappointing game. Nothing like alpha centauri other than it is sci-fi theme.

    1) Turns are slow, actually everything is a bit slow and it gets worse as the game goes on (Worse than Civ5 when it clearly is using the same engine, so there is some regression in their optimization that is for sure). 2) Boring, there is very little to differentiate anything everything comes from the base    Disappointing game. Nothing like alpha centauri other than it is sci-fi theme.

    1) Turns are slow, actually everything is a bit slow and it gets worse as the game goes on (Worse than Civ5 when it clearly is using the same engine, so there is some regression in their optimization that is for sure).

    2) Boring, there is very little to differentiate anything everything comes from the base set of units and just has a skin that changes with alignment.

    3) Three alignments are basically the same thing, wonders are useless, and so on...

    Terrible, seems like a mod of Civ5 not a full price game.    … Expand
  27. Pahvlor
    Nov 5, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I personally think Beyond Earth has the chance to be a big game in the civilization franchise. However, there are a few minor problems that prevent it from being a outstanding game.

    First, people need to stop comparing BE to the finished product of Civ 5 Brave New World. Civ 5 wasn't perfect when it came out, but with time it became a great game. There are a few areas of the game that feel like a re-skin of Civ 5, but there are also lots of new concepts.

    The civilization games have been based on history. You know who the leaders and can associate them with events in history and can understand their personality. In BE, you don't know the leaders of the sponsors because it is set future. The leaders of the sponsors also don't have much personality.

    However, the lack of history behind the game also gives you the tech web. This may be confusing at first, but after you get use to it the web design it is way better than the tech tree.

    The victory types are new with the exception for domination. The way the victories tie in with the strategic resources can make the game play in a different way every time.

    The beginning of the game provides even more variation. When setting up you have options besides choosing the map type. You can choose bonuses that will help you throughout the game.

    The user interface could use some work. The city screen is cluttered, butting is not unbearable.

    I know this game will be better in the future when DLC come out. You know there will be some because some countries are unaccounted for. There is no civ tied to Great Britain. the Middle East, minus Pakistan, is left out for now. Finland, Sweden, Norway and some other European nations don't appear to be in the game. Those are at least three more possible civs. I believe Great Britain will be implemented rather soon becaus ethereal are no civs tied to naval combat or ocean trades or anything water related. (Sorry for the speculation)

    This game is solid for what it is. People need to stop comparing it to Civ 5 Brave New World. Civ 5 was also a little underwhelming when it first came out. But with patches and expansions it became an amazing game. Beyond Earth is going to pan out the same way. With that said, it still is a good game that is worth your time. It is just as addicting as any other Civ game that makes you feel like you want to play just one more turn.    … Expand
  28. Truth_
    Nov 5, 2014
    5
    It's about what I, and so many others, were expecting: A Civ V reskin with little to offer than Civ V had, and taking nearly nothing from its inspiration, Alpha Centauri.

    There was quite the crowd of complainers that Civilization V was lacking compared to IV, however, an at least somewhat valid excuse was that Firaxis had to design and create a new engine as well as update all the    It's about what I, and so many others, were expecting: A Civ V reskin with little to offer than Civ V had, and taking nearly nothing from its inspiration, Alpha Centauri.

    There was quite the crowd of complainers that Civilization V was lacking compared to IV, however, an at least somewhat valid excuse was that Firaxis had to design and create a new engine as well as update all the graphics. What was the excuse this time? It is the same engine, and the graphics and art style have not been changed. It looks like many assets were slightly altered and plugged back in, too. So what did we get in exchange for this time savings?

    Exploration, aliens/barbarians, the tech tree, factions, and unit upgrades were changed. But the exploration is still largely bland, the aliens are uninspired and otherwise in fact worse functionally than barbarians, the tech tree is refreshing yet convoluted and seemingly random (as opposed to Endless Space's themed branches), the factions have no character, and unit upgrades are simple, boring, and unbalanced. Adding in quests like Endless Legend and a bit of story was nice, but the choices are the same every game and lead to nothing in the future.

    Additionally, the strategic resources were made irrelevant until the late game, luxury goods were removed, health was made easy to manage, and the UI is missing critical options and information (that existed in Civ V). Finally, the AI is incredibly passive and dumber than a sack of potatoes. Again Civ V's removal of the Giant Stack of Death meets its flaws: inability to move armies and attack cities as well as the AI's inability to functionally attack in most instances.

    I wrote a large essay on another website that exceeds my limit here, and plenty of other reviews go into detail about many of my points and more. All I would like to add is that although I was not expecting much, Civilization: Beyond Earth is still a disappointment. It is somehow worse than its predecessor, Civilization V, takes nothing from Alpha Centauri (a game lauded by a loving fanbase), and puts no effort into a truly interesting and fun science-fiction setting (no creativity in units, aliens, resources, terrain types, map effects, map design, factions, or mechanics).

    Ultimately the game is okay from an objective, stand-alone perspective. But when I know it's from a long-standing series and was inspired by Alpha Centauri, and now has competitors like Sins of a Solar Empire, Endless Space, and others... I can't help but rate the game poorly.

    I have little doubt interesting things will be sold later as DLC, but it disheartens me greatly to think we must pay extra to get a game we wanted in the first place. Perhaps next time, Firaxis... but I doubt it.    … Expand
  29. Cyberlion
    Nov 5, 2014
    5
    After the initial few hours of euphoria exploring a new alpha centauri game, I realized there were no significant innovations since its predecessor. All the factions, aliens and planets look and feel the same. After the first few hours, I realized there are no new gameplay mechanics. Graphics, sounds gameplay all mediocre. I built up a colony, explored the map, built a few units andAfter the initial few hours of euphoria exploring a new alpha centauri game, I realized there were no significant innovations since its predecessor. All the factions, aliens and planets look and feel the same. After the first few hours, I realized there are no new gameplay mechanics. Graphics, sounds gameplay all mediocre. I built up a colony, explored the map, built a few units and realized I have as much desire to continue playing as I do to replay Civ 5.… Expand
  30. Jthecrazed
    Nov 5, 2014
    7
    Still one of the best strategy games out there, rivaling the total war series for years and that series making a decline in grades, this one remains steady. It can still get some improvements but it's a great game overall.

    However this expansion is in my opinion not worthy of the game itself and thus 7/10
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Awards & Rankings

57
#57 Best PC Game of 2014
21
#21 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
4
#4 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 78 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 78
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 78
  3. Negative: 1 out of 78
  1. CD-Action
    Jan 9, 2015
    90
    Cancel all your plans and fill up the fridge, because once you launch Beyond Earth you will not want to leave your home. [13/2014, p.46]
  2. Worth Playing
    Dec 23, 2014
    85
    Passive AI and lackluster online support from the community isn't enough to make Civilization: Beyond Earth a total wash. If you've enjoyed the series over the years, you'll likely spend many hours with this entry as well.
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  3. Games Master UK
    Dec 21, 2014
    80
    Prepare for tech tree troubles, but the amount to discover and overall quality wins out. [Christmas 2014, p.64]
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