Sid Meier's Civilization V

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2963 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,247 out of 2963
  2. Mixed: 454 out of 2963
  3. Negative: 262 out of 2963
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  1. Thomaswiden
    Oct 6, 2016
    1
    A friend convinced me to buy this crap game. I had read that it was dumbed down but I let myself be persuede i deeply regret that. I loved Civ 4 this is an insult to all the fans. The game took forever to play a round and that they had removed all the micro manegment. 2 hours play was enough for me. Hated it so much that I deleted it of steam. They have a lot to do to make up for thisA friend convinced me to buy this crap game. I had read that it was dumbed down but I let myself be persuede i deeply regret that. I loved Civ 4 this is an insult to all the fans. The game took forever to play a round and that they had removed all the micro manegment. 2 hours play was enough for me. Hated it so much that I deleted it of steam. They have a lot to do to make up for this **** hope civ 6 can save the series… Expand
  2. godunow
    Sep 19, 2016
    7
    Great game, most of the changes (unstacking, switch to hexes) turned out good.

    Maybe policy system was bit better in Civ 4, and I will miss Leonard Nimoy saying "Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know what leads you forward and what holds you back and choose the path that leads to wisdom."
  3. dogii
    Aug 7, 2016
    10
    Pretty much one of the best and most addictive civilization games I've ever played. My first game was a 2 on 2 with my friends and I was instantly hooked. The gameplay, strategy was so fluid you just couldnt wait for the next turn. Although its not its full form without the expansion packs its still filled with amazing replay-ability and makes you eager for your next Civ sesh.
  4. R77
    Jul 23, 2016
    9
    It isn't the greatest 4x game ever made, but with all its expansions and DLC in the mix, it's definitely one of the most fun.

    The Good: - The classic 4x mechanics are all here: you can explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate freely at your leisure. Gameplay is easy to pick up, but still deep and difficult to perfect. - While the war mechanics aren't perfect (more on that - and    It isn't the greatest 4x game ever made, but with all its expansions and DLC in the mix, it's definitely one of the most fun.

    The Good:

    - The classic 4x mechanics are all here: you can explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate freely at your leisure. Gameplay is easy to pick up, but still deep and difficult to perfect.
    - While the war mechanics aren't perfect (more on that - and diplomacy - later), combat is still at its most tactical and interesting in some time. The hexagonal map, along with the limited stacking available to units, leads to engagements that require thought and planning.
    - The style and look of the game gets a 10 out of 10, and comparatively the aesthetics are the best in the series (not counting Alpha Centauri). The art deco theme throughout the game is refined, but not too pretentious, and the cohesive feel of the menu screens and UI (particularly with all the expansions installed) helps everything come together.
    - The variety of different victory conditions and game settings make it possible to extensively tailor your experience, something I loved. While not all the Civs feel distinct or innovative, there's still enough variety and flavor to keep each new game feeling fresh and surprising. Just make sure you take out Gandhi before the Manhattan Project gets built.

    The Bad:

    - Diplomacy, even after two expansions, still feels like it got tacked on at 11:45 the night before the game went gold. You can trade resources, but otherwise it's all superficial. AI civs also stay mad about warmongering for way too long - I get that taking out my closest neighbor just cause I wanted his Pyramids was bad, but that was thousands of years ago! I've changed, and I want to be able to make fair trade deals again.
    - The religion system is fine, but the neverending stream of missionaries flooding my borders and making me waste religion points on inquisitors is weak. It's like the pollution mechanic from Civ 3, only with priests instead of orange nuclear waste.

    Civ 5 isn't perfect. The game has its flaws, but it's still an absolute blast - I feel like those 875 hours were well spent.    … Expand
  5. BigDegs29
    Jul 20, 2016
    10
    I'm highly anticipating Civ VI's launch in the Fall, so thought I'd give it's predecessor a short review given how obsessed I've been with it.

    I had never played any of the other Civs before this, but one boring afternoon I thought I'd pick up my first: Civ V. 8am the next morning I was left wondering what the hell just happened! I had literally played the game 16 hours straight!!    I'm highly anticipating Civ VI's launch in the Fall, so thought I'd give it's predecessor a short review given how obsessed I've been with it.

    I had never played any of the other Civs before this, but one boring afternoon I thought I'd pick up my first: Civ V. 8am the next morning I was left wondering what the hell just happened! I had literally played the game 16 hours straight!! That was the first of many marathon sessions with this game.

    I'm almost at 1000 hours recorded on steam in the last three years. That's insane to me. I think probably my second most played game after Civ V was Age of Empires 2 way back in the day, where I maybe put 400 - 500 hours into it. But no where close to 1000 hours. That's half a work year! No game is so addicting as this....

    While the game is damn near perfect with the BNW expansion, and a few tweaks with mods make it even better.

    Fair warning, don't pick up this game unless you want an extreme time sink!    … Expand
  6. JustSomeGamer
    Jun 30, 2016
    8
    This game is in my opinion somewhat overrated, but still pretty good. This strategy game is about nearly all aspects of empires, from trading and economy to city building, war and even religion. This is a pro as well as a con in my opinion. The diversity is fun but it lacks some depth comparing to other strategy games, esspecially if you don't own the expansions.
  7. chayshirin
    Jun 25, 2016
    8
    A good strategy game is one that makes you lose your job, find yourself divorced, and hated by those around you.
    This does not exactly reach those heights, but you'll certainly be poorer after you're done with this game.
  8. RavenThunderfal
    Jun 10, 2016
    9
    I have played Civilization since they started adding numbers to each new version. I love Civilization V, for a few reasons. The graphics are beautiful..2 The graphics are beautiful...3 The graphics are beautiful..4 Nice spread of world civilizations. And 5 Nice graphics. *laughs* That being said. I would like to behead ALL of my brainless workers. What makes me go totally mad, is when II have played Civilization since they started adding numbers to each new version. I love Civilization V, for a few reasons. The graphics are beautiful..2 The graphics are beautiful...3 The graphics are beautiful..4 Nice spread of world civilizations. And 5 Nice graphics. *laughs* That being said. I would like to behead ALL of my brainless workers. What makes me go totally mad, is when I use the 'road maker' where you can, or are supposed to be able to start at one point, have them make a road to end point. Sounds simple right. NOT. They will go back 50 miles UP the road they just built, to go further down the map as I assign them. I want to pull out MY hair and there heads. Is there NO way to fix this idiotic mess?????… Expand
  9. RamaMan
    Jun 2, 2016
    0
    Civilization, more like UNcivillized, because of terrible characters, boring game play, badly paced story, an unlikable main character, and dull set pieces.
  10. goldenelk
    May 16, 2016
    9
    The vanilla version of this game did seem a little bland, but the DLC they added greatly improved the game as a whole. There are also plenty of mods available that can further enhance game play as needed. I have spent around 1800 hours on the game so far and enjoyed almost every minute of it.
  11. Dal_ReviewedDat
    Mar 17, 2016
    10
    Lol - some people rated Civ5 a ZERO. Who are these morons?

    So... a perfect 10. Well... it's not a perfect 10 on it's lonesome, but hold out for a steam sale and get ALL the DLC, and you will have that perfect Civ experience you've craved since you were a 10 year old boy playing the original CIV. Maybe just me, but hey. I think one issue I'd always had with Civ was time itself.    Lol - some people rated Civ5 a ZERO. Who are these morons?

    So... a perfect 10. Well... it's not a perfect 10 on it's lonesome, but hold out for a steam sale and get ALL the DLC, and you will have that perfect Civ experience you've craved since you were a 10 year old boy playing the original CIV. Maybe just me, but hey.

    I think one issue I'd always had with Civ was time itself. Always starting 4000 BC and finding that by 0 AD you are mostly struggling to keep up with where science would be in real life, mainly because the game goes in huge chunks until it slows down in the 18c. Civ5 addresses this by slowing time right down (optional!) to a snails pace. This makes early exploration and warfare so much more interesting and unlike previous versions whereby I would rush to gunpowder to blow the enemy away, I now can take on other civs much easier with early combat units, and it's great fun!

    I found in my early play through's that I was consistently running at negative gold. Civ5 is a lot more rewarding than any predecessor come micro-managing. Never before has time spent on controlling workers yourself or manually doing city resources so effective. On the harder two settings, I find it near impossible to build an early wonder first without using workers to clear forests for extra production towards it. This feels more credible and stops the player running away with all the benefits come the medieval era.
    Trade reminds me of "Call to Power" slightly, in that you build the caravan from a city as you normally would, but you can't control them as normal units, instead you send them from a city on a trade route. The benefits of trading with other civilisations and especially city-states is hugely beneficial. This means I rarely have a play through whereby I'm at war with everyone at once. Balance feels a great deal more strategic than before.
    The culture element I still love. By increasing your culture, you move your boundaries out. Also, once enough has been accumulated, you can take up social policies. Instead of having flat governments, Civ5 gives you all the policies for all the governments and you can build up and unlock as you go, and develop them further in time. It works really well. Also, it affects the desire to build as many cities as you can. Instead, it maybe much more beneficial to have just 4 cities with high culture than 30 cities with rednecks in.

    Unlike previous versions, Civ5 rewards players for playing the hand their dealt. Often I would find on older versions that I tend to follow the same path and same achievements to get to any given end goal. In Civ5 this really doesn't pay off. Early research is much better to be aimed at resources and the land you've found yourself on. More than this though, Civ5 requires you to plan ahead. Decide early (by 2000BC at least!) what goal you wish to achieve, how you wish to win and then pursue it using all the elements. I love Civ5 for this. It's much more rewarding playing a 40hour game where the final 30hours have been pre-planned like a masters game of chess.

    My steam account shows I've put in nearly 1100 hours into Civ5. I think this says it all. A masterpiece I can always return to. For fans, it may take a little adjusting, but once you get the hang of it you will love it as I have. The DLC does add a lot more to it - but I won't go into that now    … Expand
  12. LilBaggins
    Mar 8, 2016
    10
    "Im gonna play this game for an hour" said no one who has ever played this game. Oh great and powerful gandhi please spare my city your... up nope, nuked me anyways!
  13. Arendelleawesom
    Feb 4, 2016
    10
    Out of all the RTS games i have played this is my favorite think of a complex take on the board game Risk and you have Civ V. The character animations are great looking, little armies and cities on each hex are very fun to look at. The graphics themselves aren't any Crysis or Battlefield 3 but they are nice and relaxing to look at. Where this game really shines is its soundtrack eachOut of all the RTS games i have played this is my favorite think of a complex take on the board game Risk and you have Civ V. The character animations are great looking, little armies and cities on each hex are very fun to look at. The graphics themselves aren't any Crysis or Battlefield 3 but they are nice and relaxing to look at. Where this game really shines is its soundtrack each empire has its own soundtrack(my favorite is probably Japan). Gameplay wise like i said above imagine a complex take on the board game Risk and you have Civ V. It has an incredible amount of depth to it with the tech trees and the unit upgrades and diplomacy. Not to mention that later on in the game there is a world congress(i think that's what it's named) that you use to consult with other Civilizations with and it really adds depth a type of warfare without guns begins here. The one bad thing i can think of is that it takes forever for matchs to end i think that i have only ever actually finished one match and that was against an AI(The AIs aren't bad but they aren't exactly great either)

    Over all great gameplay great soundtrack great game.    … Expand
  14. sandutter
    Jan 30, 2016
    0
    I loved Civ 1 (yes, 1). After that, things started to go wrong. I've tried several later versions, but to me, the 3D view is horrible. It just doesn't give you the overview that makes it enjoyable. Another thing with Civ5 is that it's so SLOW. I spent 2 hours trying to capture a tiny city-state with like 8 cannons. I think it must have been a bug, but what does it matter. It's a lousyI loved Civ 1 (yes, 1). After that, things started to go wrong. I've tried several later versions, but to me, the 3D view is horrible. It just doesn't give you the overview that makes it enjoyable. Another thing with Civ5 is that it's so SLOW. I spent 2 hours trying to capture a tiny city-state with like 8 cannons. I think it must have been a bug, but what does it matter. It's a lousy game. And oh yeah, you can no longer control your city's economy, i.e. relocate tile production. The whole thing is boring, slow, confusing, idiotic, completely forgettable...… Expand
  15. mevsthevoices
    Jan 22, 2016
    9
    Having put in atleast a thousand hours, well qualified to tell you, this game is great. Whatever the price is now, it's a steal.
    Maybe this sort of game isn't for everyone, but if you are a turn based strategy fan, then this is one of the best there is.
  16. paranoid77
    Jan 20, 2016
    10
    As a fan since CIV 1 (1991), CIV5 is very good in every way. I ll write a short review.Gameplay and AI at their top. The best game in its genre and dont beleive a better will come.
    Play in deity difficulty level, you will have much fun. Worth every cent given.
  17. Lich_Master
    Jan 8, 2016
    8
    Good ideas were wasted here.
    Hexes and 1upt cover the fact that this game was released as CIV for dummies - and even after 2 expansions it is screaming STREAMLINES! STREAMLINES EVEYWHERE!

    Good game on it's own
    Bad step for series
  18. dualbunny
    Dec 31, 2015
    10
    One of the best strategy games for the PC Master Race platform. This is my first Civ game, after playing it I couldn't get into previous games in the series. I think it gets so much hate here only because it's different from the previous entries in the series. It's just more streamlined and easier to get started.
  19. SL539
    Dec 26, 2015
    9
    Civilization V is probably one of the best turn based strategy games I've played. If you don't have it you should probably pick it up, especially since it's pretty cheap on sales. Every minute you play you'll have fun and it's pretty addicting (maybe too addicting) with a "one-more-turn" eventually turning into a hundred more turns. Mods greatly enhance the fun and diversity of this gameCivilization V is probably one of the best turn based strategy games I've played. If you don't have it you should probably pick it up, especially since it's pretty cheap on sales. Every minute you play you'll have fun and it's pretty addicting (maybe too addicting) with a "one-more-turn" eventually turning into a hundred more turns. Mods greatly enhance the fun and diversity of this game but none are necessary as base-game is just as good. Every match you play will be different in some way. The only downfall to this is that it takes up a lot of time in the sense of research, expanding, exploring etc. Some single matches can last up to a month, so if you don't really have much patience it may not be the best experiance, you can make the game go faster but even then it still can drag on up to a month.

    Highly Recommended.    … Expand
  20. pokrishka
    Dec 7, 2015
    8
    It's a very strong entry to the series of a well-deserved praise. I rate Civ V as a whole game with all the expansions so you might wish to buy some sort of golden edition for a complete experience since expansions add a lot.
  21. Robobob
    Nov 28, 2015
    10
    I've been playing Civilization games since the first in the 90's and I can say after must deliberation that this is the best one, though I love Civ 4 almost as much.

    What is better? The hex maps and halt to unit stacking are genius. This allows so much more strategy where before the bigger stack (usually) won. They finally got range combat down and after the expansions and updates it    I've been playing Civilization games since the first in the 90's and I can say after must deliberation that this is the best one, though I love Civ 4 almost as much.

    What is better? The hex maps and halt to unit stacking are genius. This allows so much more strategy where before the bigger stack (usually) won. They finally got range combat down and after the expansions and updates it is finally balanced. There are a plethora of Wonders to build so there's a good chance each civ can build at least one and I like that some have prerequisites so that the AI doesn't seem to spam them instantly so I have a greater chance of completing them. The resources system works great and encourages trading and diplomacy. Just one of my favorite games of all time.    … Expand
  22. zigazaga
    Nov 27, 2015
    2
    Having played a previous version of Civ, I thought this one might be an improvement. Sure, the graphics are nicer, but it still gets very boring very quickly. Build monument, build granary. Settler. Worker. Click - build, click - build. Annex city. Build armory, harbour, barracks etc. This unit is out of moves. Discover same technologies as last time. Picture of half naked man. He'sHaving played a previous version of Civ, I thought this one might be an improvement. Sure, the graphics are nicer, but it still gets very boring very quickly. Build monument, build granary. Settler. Worker. Click - build, click - build. Annex city. Build armory, harbour, barracks etc. This unit is out of moves. Discover same technologies as last time. Picture of half naked man. He's angry. I promise not to settle in your lands. Oh, no! It's war. Upgrade artillery unit. Hexagons. Wait your turn. Yawn. Exit to windows. Uninstall.… Expand
  23. Negativvv
    Nov 16, 2015
    0
    I've played Civilization since 1 back in the 90's. Played 2 to death, and quite a bit of 3 and 4 too.

    Sid Meier needs a real job, rather than living off the back of a board game and re-skinning exactly the same game year after year. The idea is great but it's time to let it die and slip into history. Maybe I'm just jealous as I'd do what Meier does if I could make money with that    I've played Civilization since 1 back in the 90's. Played 2 to death, and quite a bit of 3 and 4 too.

    Sid Meier needs a real job, rather than living off the back of a board game and re-skinning exactly the same game year after year.

    The idea is great but it's time to let it die and slip into history.

    Maybe I'm just jealous as I'd do what Meier does if I could make money with that level of imagination and effort...    … Expand
  24. NoWorries
    Oct 28, 2015
    9
    Having played every installment of Civilization since the first one, for me getting Civilization V was a no brainer. Initially, I thought the new graphics and approach to units (i.e., eliminating stacking) was a little off-putting. But I grew to like it. Together with all of its expansions, Civilization is one of the classic games which every aficionado of strategy games should have inHaving played every installment of Civilization since the first one, for me getting Civilization V was a no brainer. Initially, I thought the new graphics and approach to units (i.e., eliminating stacking) was a little off-putting. But I grew to like it. Together with all of its expansions, Civilization is one of the classic games which every aficionado of strategy games should have in their video game library, even if it seems to nod a little much toward a console friendly point of view.… Expand
  25. TsukasaHiiragi
    Oct 9, 2015
    7
    Civilization V is the the best Civ game to date and its my favorite in the series, however that being said, there are some highly negative aspects to the game, and that is mainly because the A.I is programmed to cheat at higher difficulty settings instead of being programmed to adapt to player strategies, and this has been a problem since the very first Civilization games and hasn'tCivilization V is the the best Civ game to date and its my favorite in the series, however that being said, there are some highly negative aspects to the game, and that is mainly because the A.I is programmed to cheat at higher difficulty settings instead of being programmed to adapt to player strategies, and this has been a problem since the very first Civilization games and hasn't really improved that much - okay, at least the AI doesn't spawn/teleport nukes next to your cities in this one....but still....

    I'd really hope to see a really decent AI in a future game, something that is a challenge to the player, but without getting insane bonuses, or spawning instant units or more or less breaking the rules that the player is forced to follow - such as having extremely large armies whilst ignoring caps, happiness and upkeep or instantly building wonders when you have 1 or 2 turns left on building them yourself.

    Playing at higher difficulty settings the cheating starts to become obvious and heavily lets the game down - we've all witnessed it, there isn't any denying it. Even Firaxas themselves have openly admitted it that is just easier to program AI with bonuses and 'unseen' abilities working in the background to give the player more challenging gameplay, this is fine when its hidden and not openly obvious, and that is where Civilization V fails the most, because it is that obvious.

    Sid Meier//Firaxas - I openly dare you to create a proper adaptable AI for Civilization VI without resorting to these cheap AI tricks of the trade. Give us something that can best Civilization V -

    For new players to 4X games - Civilization V is the best of the best, but just be warned on its infamous AI.

    + Best turn-based strategy
    + Best in class 4X
    + Classic and loved franchise
    + High replayability

    - Poor AI
    - AI cheats at high difficulty settings    … Expand
  26. jelikey
    Sep 10, 2015
    9
    A fantastic addition to the Civ franchise. My greatest complaint with previous Civ games, which I've been playing since 1991, was that large armies were extremely unwieldy and frustrating to manage. Sea transportation logistics were also a frustrating time sink. Both of these problems have been solved with Civ V. Everything about the game screams polish and it runs like an absolute dream,A fantastic addition to the Civ franchise. My greatest complaint with previous Civ games, which I've been playing since 1991, was that large armies were extremely unwieldy and frustrating to manage. Sea transportation logistics were also a frustrating time sink. Both of these problems have been solved with Civ V. Everything about the game screams polish and it runs like an absolute dream, haven't had a hitch yet which is becoming so rare with new releases.… Expand
  27. Derringer
    Jun 28, 2015
    1
    You ruined this game!

    Its almost impossible to reach the scientific victory from the Prince difficulty & above, Also the 2050 Time Victory (If nobody achieve any kind of victory the one who has more points instantly win at turn 300) is a F***** BS! Besides, You cant manage your culture and religion like CIV IV. You cant trade maps or technologies with other players. So tell me exactly    You ruined this game!

    Its almost impossible to reach the scientific victory from the Prince difficulty & above, Also the 2050 Time Victory (If nobody achieve any kind of victory the one who has more points instantly win at turn 300) is a F***** BS! Besides, You cant manage your culture and religion like CIV IV. You cant trade maps or technologies with other players. So tell me exactly how this game could have the merit to call itself "The V game of the franchise" if it is worst than the others?    … Expand
  28. ThePCGamer101
    Jun 24, 2015
    10
    A wonderful strategy/simulation game, this is what strategy game should be and Civilization V shows us the true and classical feel of strategy. One of Sid Meier's best Civilization game!
  29. habibitheimpale
    Jun 23, 2015
    10
    My leader was Julius Caesar so therefore I named my first city Caesar Salad. Currently losing to the french

    Best game of the Year, every Year.

    10/10 IGN
  30. Azuth
    Jun 9, 2015
    9
    Excellent in every way, one of the best strategy games I have ever played. Armies are more manageable than ever and the policies add an interesting meta. (It would have been a 10 with the xpack included)
  31. Zeeshan-Abid
    May 29, 2015
    0
    I have been playing Civilization series since 1998. Didn't play Civ 1 too much, but since Civ 2, I stuck to the game. I even played Call to Power by Activision (which were deviations from Sid Meier games, but had the same game concept). I bought Civ 3 twice. Civ 4 became my most favorite game. For Civ 5, I bought a new computer, and had a new graphic card. Honestly, I could never believeI have been playing Civilization series since 1998. Didn't play Civ 1 too much, but since Civ 2, I stuck to the game. I even played Call to Power by Activision (which were deviations from Sid Meier games, but had the same game concept). I bought Civ 3 twice. Civ 4 became my most favorite game. For Civ 5, I bought a new computer, and had a new graphic card. Honestly, I could never believe that I would be writing a bad review for a Sid Meier's game. I loved almost every game by them. And I tried very hard to like Civ 5, but I could not. This game is simply not the usual 'Addictive' tag that all the civilization games had.

    Civ 5 is not a game of the series, made for the fans of the series. Off course, it can be fun for many others. But the people who enjoyed 'Strategy' in terms of empire management, this game is a simple piece of trash. In Civ games you usually made the decisions based on the situation. In this game, you would have to build a simple chain of tactics, and once you would have that, you would be repeating that for almost every game. It's all based on the gaining 'Bonuses' by selecting different options. Once you know which bonuses are better than others, nothing would be anymore 'Optional'. No strategy, no tactics.

    The only place this game tries to excel is the war tactics. However, even in that it fails miserably. In the early game it gives you a feel of fun to play one unit on a hex tile. But after middle age, and mainly in late ear, when you have enough troops, managing them becomes a real problem. The game gets too boring if you're not at war. And if you're at war, it becomes simply irritating. With civilization game, I want to play an empire building/management game, and not a war tactics game. I can play lots of games much superior on war tactics.

    I know most of the Civ fans would not listen to me and would still try this game. But in the end, they will also quit the series. So sad, as we all all loved this series greatly.    … Expand
  32. jeanphilt
    May 27, 2015
    6
    Background :
    I bought the complete edition with all DLCs on the Humble Bundle store for about 15$. Younger, I played similar games a little but I've not played any since years. I played the default game mode using all default settings (difficulty beginner). Usually I rarely rush a game but this game feels more like work than entertainment so I rushed it like I would rush finishing a task    Background :
    I bought the complete edition with all DLCs on the Humble Bundle store for about 15$. Younger, I played similar games a little but I've not played any since years. I played the default game mode using all default settings (difficulty beginner). Usually I rarely rush a game but this game feels more like work than entertainment so I rushed it like I would rush finishing a task and it took me 2 days (16 hours) to finish the game.

    Review :
    I'm pretty new to Civilization so obviously I don't review it like a fan would. Personally, I think that they should change the default settings to make the game simpler/shorter and more fast paced. Despite the in-game tips provided, the complexity felt overwhelming. I know you can somehow change the settings but I would like the default settings to be more "user-friendly". I'm a programmer and I hardly see how a casual gamer can start being interested in this game, except a kid with tons of hours in front of him. Personally, I would prefer a game where the focus is more on the war and less on culture/religion/faith/science/happiness.    … Expand
  33. sbuenger
    May 25, 2015
    10
    Without a doubt one of the best games I have every played (if you download all the expansions). Vanilla game was fun, but the expansions make it worth the money. Definitely get this game!
  34. Masakillercz
    Apr 29, 2015
    10
    This is the best game of its genre in the world, combining both the historical facts as well as a very high variability game of Civilization 5 which makes super game and especially with dlc is almost perfect, graphic design is a wonderful mode, so plenty to suit all tastes.
  35. edibleshrapnel
    Apr 25, 2015
    8
    PROS
    Extremely addictive, but radically different. I can honestly say after wasting 32 hours of my life on this game, it's pretty good. They changed the tiles to hexagons, which I think is unnecessary. But, good graphics, inter face, luxuries, interesting happiness system, I love the BNW expansion, and good gameplay in general.
    CONS Nobody plays Multiplayer, and after actually    PROS
    Extremely addictive, but radically different. I can honestly say after wasting 32 hours of my life on this game, it's pretty good. They changed the tiles to hexagons, which I think is unnecessary. But, good graphics, inter face, luxuries, interesting happiness system, I love the BNW expansion, and good gameplay in general.

    CONS
    Nobody plays Multiplayer, and after actually managing to find one, They quit on you, lose connection, Lag, Ping spike, whatever. Messed up. There are a few civ's that are superior to other, Assyrians, nuff said.    … Expand
  36. IllusivemaN7
    Apr 24, 2015
    9
    Solid 9!!!! The only thing keeping it from being a ten is some frustrating occasional bad AI. It's a lot better now though than it was at launch. There's still some bogus, like every other country conquers and kills a dozen cities but you take one and everyone starts shaming you and some other things will not be forgiven or forgotten by other nations. You spied on use 276 years ago?? LetSolid 9!!!! The only thing keeping it from being a ten is some frustrating occasional bad AI. It's a lot better now though than it was at launch. There's still some bogus, like every other country conquers and kills a dozen cities but you take one and everyone starts shaming you and some other things will not be forgiven or forgotten by other nations. You spied on use 276 years ago?? Let us hold that over your head forever now even though we did far worse to you. Other than that, this is the pinnacle of massive replayability!!… Expand
  37. Dusty_Hayes
    Apr 21, 2015
    8
    If you are going to buy Civ V or new to the series get Sid Meier's Civilization V: Complete Edition instead, since this is the the best and the definitive version of Civ V with all the flaws ironed out.
  38. RazorEye
    Apr 20, 2015
    9
    While more simpler and straightforward than other entries in the Civilization series, Civilization V, despite possessing an overwhelming sense of something missing, is a fun and enjoyable game nonetheless. A game that seems more tailored to newcomers to the franchise, Civilization V pays great respect to presentation, with a more alive and animated gameplay that Civilization IV had leftWhile more simpler and straightforward than other entries in the Civilization series, Civilization V, despite possessing an overwhelming sense of something missing, is a fun and enjoyable game nonetheless. A game that seems more tailored to newcomers to the franchise, Civilization V pays great respect to presentation, with a more alive and animated gameplay that Civilization IV had left mostly to the imagination, bringing new life into the world that players have been running around in for the past two decades.

    While experienced Civilization players may find emptiness in the many removed and replaced features and aspects compared to Civilization IV and previous entries in the franchise, others can find elation and waste countless hours with a game that, on it's own, proves to be one hell of an experience. What contributes mostly to the game's attractive atmosphere are the opponents you play against. In Civilization V, all leaders that you compete alongside have been given such rich personalities through vivid animation and luscious voice acting, giving new strategy to gameplay that isn't necessarily a physical aspect of the game, but rather an emotional one. For example, Caesar's passive-agressive attitude and Wu Zetian's consistently defiant personality gives weight to the player's actions against these particular people, deepening the fog of war and giving a new dimension to the gameplay.

    While Civilization V is undoubtedly better with the Gods and Kings and Brave New World expansion packs which have been released in the years following the game's original release, the original "vanilla" release is still a great game on it's own. Having played it bare for five years, I still think Civilization V is one of the best PC games on the market. Bold and beautiful, it's definitely a game you must play at least once before you die. Or twice. Or a hundred times.    … Expand
  39. domadordepollos
    Apr 18, 2015
    9
    A work of art. A freaking work of art. II dont understand why isnt there a copy in the cosmopolitan museum. Stupid jokes apart. This is an extremely immersive turn-based strategy game which keeps up fun till the end. I´ve dived 65 hours in it and still want to play at least another 60. Tons of civilizations, and if theres sme missing, you can always go to the workshop and find what youA work of art. A freaking work of art. II dont understand why isnt there a copy in the cosmopolitan museum. Stupid jokes apart. This is an extremely immersive turn-based strategy game which keeps up fun till the end. I´ve dived 65 hours in it and still want to play at least another 60. Tons of civilizations, and if theres sme missing, you can always go to the workshop and find what you want, lots of unit types, challenging in higher difficulties, extremely fun in singleplayer, let alone multiplayer... It pays attention to detail and its two expansion packs really improve gameplay. Try to get them as well as they are essential. Very good graphics and soundtrack as well. Even though Beyond Earth is out, I still find this game much more fun. I guess its because BE needs expansion packs. Religion is amazing, trade is amazing, diplomacy is amazing, war is amazing. The only thing I would improve is the fact that when you have a big empire it is extremely tedious to assign building contructions to each of your cities. Some automation is also needed. It would also be nice to create your own civiization.

    +Good graphics
    +Nice soundtrack
    +Extremely immersive
    +Challenging
    +Religion and trade are amazing
    +Lots of civilizations
    +Tons of fun
    +Mods
    +Extremely long and replayable
    +Diplomacy with lots of options

    -Tedious building construction in late game
    -Needs automation of unit-building
    -No option to create your own civilization

    "Just....One...More......Turn....."    … Expand
  40. Jumbles69
    Apr 14, 2015
    6
    CIV1 was the best game ever made! Until CIV2, then CIV3 and CIV4 (however I miss my throne room and palace from the earlier iterations.
    CIV5 looks great, however lacks the single biggest facet of realism, that all the previous iterations provided. Distance. There are so many different civilizations on our planet and they are brilliantly diverse. By allowing every nation to travel across    CIV1 was the best game ever made! Until CIV2, then CIV3 and CIV4 (however I miss my throne room and palace from the earlier iterations.
    CIV5 looks great, however lacks the single biggest facet of realism, that all the previous iterations provided. Distance. There are so many different civilizations on our planet and they are brilliantly diverse. By allowing every nation to travel across water in Civ5, so early and so easily in the game, there is no diversity. Everyone grows and learns at the same rate.
    The early Mayans were one of the most advanced cultures on the planet and then the Greeks and romans, further down the tracks the English where it was said the sun never set on the empire.
    All of these were achievable in all earlier versions of the game. Now, you cannot, in any way provide the single greatest part of being human, diversity. In CIV5 its everyone, at the same technological level (or ridiculously close to it), for eternity. No religious path, no progressive path and no dark ages.
    While the game is pretty, has nice no stacking dynamics and makes even the fastest system chug under its behemoth of calculation, there is no way to be any different to any one else.
    I've clocked hundreds of hours playing each version of Civilization, though after 40 playing this, I wish I'd never bought it. I've tried so hard to enjoy it, but once you've played it once, nothing ever changes    … Expand
  41. RRRay
    Apr 4, 2015
    1
    I'm never playing this game again! Super boring. Very aggressive and plentiful barbarians. Stupid and greedy city states. Super slow game play. Cannot stack units. Uninstalling...!
  42. RyukosYlithrien
    Mar 24, 2015
    8
    I enjoy playing this games, though it does get on my nerves quite a lot. That one wonder you really want to build, and have spent x amount of turns building... yeah, some AI will build it one turn before you finish building it. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't key to my success and I'd rushed it, but oh well.

    Also, the not being able to stack Units to create armies can get very    I enjoy playing this games, though it does get on my nerves quite a lot. That one wonder you really want to build, and have spent x amount of turns building... yeah, some AI will build it one turn before you finish building it. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't key to my success and I'd rushed it, but oh well.

    Also, the not being able to stack Units to create armies can get very annoying. I preferred the Combat in Civ IV where you could stack units, whack a great General on top, activate its ability and boom, everyone gains experience. Now your Great General has a tendency to take the most dangerous route possible if you don't manually direct him every step of the way. Not very "great" if you ask me.

    I have the two expansions and they really did make the game deeper. overall, i suggest getting the game, however be prepared for frustration, annoyance and anger, but also joy, relief and celebration.

    p.s. there is a bug that when ever i get to around 1000 AD the game crashes. Every time. So make sure you save... often...    … Expand
  43. Kazek7
    Feb 24, 2015
    8
    Civilization 5 is responsible for me going to sleep at 5am on numerous occasions. This game is highly addictive, and endlessly fun to play. Each of world leaders have their own personalities, and methods of victory, Such as Shaka for domination, Babylon for Science, and France for culture. It is far more enjoyable however to cause chaos and war, and of course nukes. The AI is smart atCivilization 5 is responsible for me going to sleep at 5am on numerous occasions. This game is highly addictive, and endlessly fun to play. Each of world leaders have their own personalities, and methods of victory, Such as Shaka for domination, Babylon for Science, and France for culture. It is far more enjoyable however to cause chaos and war, and of course nukes. The AI is smart at higher difficulties and may backstab you, or just attack your empire while it's weak. This game will have you forget about the time, which as stated previously can make you stay up all night. The game also supports mods, so you can get more entertainment out of that.
    My main major complaint against this game is the Multiplayer. Laggy, with no unit-animations, Which makes it completely boring. The AI also are unwilling to make a fair trade with you late game, and often when you have a large military it gets annoying to command 30+ units each turn.
    This game is definitely worth its cost. Civilization 5 will consume all your time, your social life, and your soul.    … Expand
  44. davskal
    Feb 6, 2015
    9
    I never really was into the genre of strategy games and I would probably never get into it, if it wasn't for Civ 5. For me, as a total newbie in the genre, it blew my mind. I stayed up for 2 nights in a row and played that well known "One more turn". Thanks to this game I openned my mind to the new horizons and to be honest, this openning was hella fun.
  45. FrogDataMiner
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    I did think it's boring, but I was wrong. I just want to play this game some before sleeping, but it's already 2 a.m.! Okay, i need to sleep, one more turn... (5 minutes ago) AW! It's already 5 a.m.! Okay, next turn and going sleep... (5 minutes ago) 8 a.m...
  46. mcfry
    Feb 2, 2015
    9
    I think this was the best Civ game when it came out - IF there weren't these small AI bugs that essentially made it unplayable without either addons or mods to fix these. Well, aside from that:

    Part 5 featured changes to the gameplay that made it generally much *more* playable than its predecessors. The interface got improved a lot, which is crucial with this type of game, and you could    I think this was the best Civ game when it came out - IF there weren't these small AI bugs that essentially made it unplayable without either addons or mods to fix these. Well, aside from that:

    Part 5 featured changes to the gameplay that made it generally much *more* playable than its predecessors. The interface got improved a lot, which is crucial with this type of game, and you could pass turns very efficiently. Many said that CIV 5 lacks depth, and I want to comment on that: - I think its complexity is enough and not too little for time-limited people.

    It must be a subjective rating, and for all the hours that I've played Civ titles, I should give each one a 10 - but can't with a good feeling, and this, too, is only a 9. Main reason: The mess-up mentioned in the beginning, and the long turn times when you play on large maps with much AI going on. This might be due to the nature of the game, but it excludes mid-end machines from playing large maps.    … Expand
  47. Nepharos
    Feb 2, 2015
    9
    Though I have never played this game when it first came out or before the DLC's came out, I do like to give my review of this game.

    I have to say: thoroughly enjoyable. Though the game-play is very very slow, the depth of this game is incredible. On strategy games, this is fantastic. You can play numerous strategies to achieve the same goal (Scientific, Cultural or Warmonger    Though I have never played this game when it first came out or before the DLC's came out, I do like to give my review of this game.

    I have to say: thoroughly enjoyable.
    Though the game-play is very very slow, the depth of this game is incredible.

    On strategy games, this is fantastic. You can play numerous strategies to achieve the same goal (Scientific, Cultural or Warmonger Victory).
    City Management and Great Person management create an extra dimension in this game, while you try to find the correct spot to expand your empire.
    Politics have a great influence on AI players or people players.

    This game is slow and long, I have played multiple multi player games with friends and had a lot of fun doing so. Even when we had to quit, because someone had to leave.

    However, there are a few downsides on this game.
    For instance, I feel not every civilization is evenly matched in strength. Some civilizations have completely useless traits, others are really good for every type of victory.

    Another downside is that the AI is either very hard, or very easy to beat. And they are kinda random in politics.

    And... it takes so very long to finish a single player or multi player game!

    But due to it's great depth in strategy, politics and technology (!which is really great in this game) AND a high replay value.
    This game deserves to have a 9.    … Expand
  48. PhoenixEX
    Jan 24, 2015
    9
    i'm going to go back a few of years to a time where I was obsessed with strategy games like Plants VS. Zombies and Bloons Tower Defense. While shopping, I have come across Civilization Revolution and immediately got hooked. I saw that you could build a gigantic empire and have epic troops destroy others and I practically fainted. Playing the game got me obsessed. I was so immersed everyi'm going to go back a few of years to a time where I was obsessed with strategy games like Plants VS. Zombies and Bloons Tower Defense. While shopping, I have come across Civilization Revolution and immediately got hooked. I saw that you could build a gigantic empire and have epic troops destroy others and I practically fainted. Playing the game got me obsessed. I was so immersed every time I would play it. Eventually I became a pro at that game. While shopping again I saw that they had a whole series of games and I got a little excited inside. I got one of the games, which I forgot which one, and had no clue what the heck I was doing. Eventually the game became boring and now I will never find it ever *cries*. Coming back to December 2014 was the Steam Holiday Sale. I had quite a bit of money for Gaben so I decided to look at all of the games. I saw that Civilization V with all of the DLC was 50% off and I decided to get it. I then remembered all of the memories I have had with Civilization Revolution. While playing the game I had a lot of fun although I so far hadn't played it much. It was kind of hard getting back into the Civilization franchise, but eventually I was back in it and I was having a lot of fun. In this game you play as one of the world's leaders of pretty much most of the countries. Your goal is to build an ultimate civilization (duh) and to be the best in technology and some other stuff. The game can be quite addictive because you may get into some long points of heavy thinking like wars and such, but when it is hushed down then the game may be a little boring and hard to get back into seeing as how it is a turn based game and you are going to have to wait quite a few turns for something to happen. Otherwise, this game is a fantastic game and deserves a 9.3.… Expand
  49. TheCoinFlipper
    Jan 8, 2015
    10
    it`s amazing. i was blown away immediately i started playing. Very good graphics!! Game play is so good!! Every strategy gamer will love this game!!it`s amazing. i was blown away immediately i started playing. Very good graphics!! Game play is so good!! Every strategy gamer will love this game!! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!… Expand
  50. Alex767
    Jan 2, 2015
    0
    Super boring....... such a waste of time and money, I heard from my friends that it was a good game, so I gave a shot , but it was so boring, Total war it is so much better....
  51. CoreDave
    Dec 18, 2014
    9
    Fantastic installment in the series, at launch there were a lot of issues and the multiplayer was all but unplayable but over the years the various expansions have massively enhanced and improved this game into the utter gem it is today. Great single player, great multiplayer, probably the best turn based strategy game I've ever played. Love it.
  52. maximgorky
    Dec 11, 2014
    1
    Wow, what a complete snoozer. I really enjoyed the earlier versions of Civ which at least had the virtue of moving right along but this one, OMG, how utterly slow and un-fun. When I first started playing Civ it took me a couple of minutes to figure out how to get started and then to have fun while learning how to play. This sluggish piece of dreck took forever to do anything. I gave up,Wow, what a complete snoozer. I really enjoyed the earlier versions of Civ which at least had the virtue of moving right along but this one, OMG, how utterly slow and un-fun. When I first started playing Civ it took me a couple of minutes to figure out how to get started and then to have fun while learning how to play. This sluggish piece of dreck took forever to do anything. I gave up, let it gather dust and resurrected one of my old 32 bit machines so I could use that to play earlier versions.… Expand
  53. BrightShadowA
    Nov 19, 2014
    5
    Let's be clear, I've been a fan of this franchise for a very long time now. I am a great fan of strategy games and relish playing against others. This game, despite being fascinating at first (It's a big change from civilization 4, whether that's a good thing or not will be discussed later in the comment) but very quickly, the only thrill you'll recieve from civilization 5 is from mods andLet's be clear, I've been a fan of this franchise for a very long time now. I am a great fan of strategy games and relish playing against others. This game, despite being fascinating at first (It's a big change from civilization 4, whether that's a good thing or not will be discussed later in the comment) but very quickly, the only thrill you'll recieve from civilization 5 is from mods and multiplayer.

    Multiplayer is fun, I've poured more than one thousand hours into it and quite enjoyed it. But it's sub par, and there is an extreme lack of innovation. Most reviewers usually review the single player game, and since that's the case I'll cover that segment first. Single player get's boring quick, the AI doesn't become much smarter in later difficulties and just cheats with higher perks. The game is unbalanced as hell and you can basically win any war against the AI no matter what difficulty or scenario. In the base game, there is no religion, no spying and relatively boring social policies (By the way, some of it is just poor thinking, there is absolutely NO reason why you don't grab some then the other). The game, at a glance is fun and quite friendly to new unexperienced players, but if your looking for a decent game as a down to heart civilization fan you will be disappointed.

    The DLC mongering is terrible, there are so many DLCs (some even demanding you pay 5$ for one civilization) Regrettebly, if you want to play with religion, tourism, spies, and so on you need pay over 60$! Don't even get me started by the "map packs" which are for some reason client side when it comes to multiplayer(Yes, if the host has a generation configuration that the players don't have, you can't play the game... It's not like the maps offer any new content that would make those who don't have the DLC incompatible)
    Diplomacy is shortsided, it's not much better then civilization 4, but there should be more innovation on civilization 5's part. City states can be useful in singleplayer, but sometimes actually get in the way of expansion. Speaking of which, I love the new city bombardment and health, but the health is way too overpowered. In late games units can't even touch a city, even when the city is completely surrounded.
    Now on to multiplayer; the multiplayer is basically what you should play for, the AI is blunt and uninteresting but even the multiplayer experience has it's own flaws. For one thing, when playing against others does the inbalances in the game show, some civilizations are overpowered, you can win early game wars by spamming ranged units (Yeah, warrior versus archer. Archer wins!) which completely defies strategic logic. Some resort to what we players call "turtling" and "wonder hoarding (the less vulgar version of the term) to address those who sit on their corner of the map with 1-2 cities and take all the wonders (Buildings that can only be built once in the world that give large bonuses) and beeline technologies. In the end, the people who just turtle and hit next turn win over those who actually try to play the game. Granted, turtling can be done legitimately (With none of the exploits or anything) but most don't really care about everyone else's game. There are many glitches, one that hasn't been fixed launch until AFTER their "Sid Meier's Beyond Earth" is released. The particular glitch I'm talking about was the "trade glitch" were people can basically demand and accept anything from another player (Pretty much everything they had) without the other player even having a say in the whole matter. That's just one of many glitches that Fireaxis appearently doesn't care about, as they fix that ONE glitch after the next game has been released (Thanks Fireaxis). The community on multiplayer, though some are legit, are mostly trolls, kids who are drawn by the increased simplicity, exploiters and those who will quit on a minutes notice. City states are abused, exploits are used... and I almost forgot... no MULTIPLAYER MOD SUPPORT. This angers me because independent modders have been able to do this unofficially, Firaxis has done this in the past and since mods fix and enhance the game it seems insane that they don't allow us multiplayer users to play with mods without a third party program. Even with DLCs (You pay more then double the price for original game for these) multiplayer and singleplayer is below average. Now, let me remind you, I love this game and I have played multiplayer vigorously but I am tired of the DLC mongering, the catering to simplicity, the lack of innovation, none of these problems EVER being addressed. I rarely ever finish a multiplayer game because people crash left and right late game (and sometimes early game), sometimes games freeze up randomly and other times the game crashes when one person experiences difficulty. To sum up, this game is not worth buying without mods or the overpriced and numerous DLCs. If you are new to the franchise I recommend you buy previous titles first.    … Expand
  54. noobyboymax
    Nov 16, 2014
    10
    This is in the running for the best game ever. I've played over 600 hours of this because the whole "One More Turn" thing is real. You cannot stop playing this. Once you really get your Civilization up and going you started to feel like you're finally getting somewhere and competing with friends is sensational.
  55. fsujoseph
    Oct 25, 2014
    10
    One of the greatest games ever made. It was one of my first purchases 2 years ago when I picked up PC gaming and I haven't looked back! Every DLC addition adds to an already great game and with all the DLC it's just perfect. Such a fun game, worth every penny.
  56. ully
    Oct 25, 2014
    6
    This game is alright. It lacks the complexity of the full Civ V with all DLC. This means it will improve with DLC which will be really expensive so thanks 2K
  57. redmike
    Oct 24, 2014
    2
    If you enjoyed Civ 4, this game is... not good. It continues the painful trend from Civ 3 of making you focus on smaller civilizations. Happiness is hard to understand, the units look all the same, and the game is slow... Stick to Civ 4.
  58. thethethe
    Oct 20, 2014
    10
    4 years and I still find new things to do. 4 years and i still play regularly. I think that I have to give it a ten at this point because it clearly is amazing if its the only game I've played continuously for 4 years.
  59. srdavidhoney
    Oct 15, 2014
    9
    So I’ve played civ iv and I’ve got to say that the game is a lot different from civ V, are some things dumbed down yeah sure but I would say that the game is unbelievably fun I’ve got over 400hours into the game and for the people that say the games easy or that it simplified they probably never played past the first 100-200 turns, **** just try to get a domination victory in this gameSo I’ve played civ iv and I’ve got to say that the game is a lot different from civ V, are some things dumbed down yeah sure but I would say that the game is unbelievably fun I’ve got over 400hours into the game and for the people that say the games easy or that it simplified they probably never played past the first 100-200 turns, **** just try to get a domination victory in this game it’s a freaking mind screw, the stacks of doom were ridiculous in civ iv making things a little cheap and gay. people that say civ v is boring in comparison to other civ games need to realize that this is not the same as those games they are not civ v and if they hate the game because it doesn’t play like civ iv or civ 3 or 2 they should just play those games, hell sometimes I want to pick civ iv up but I won’t because it’s kind of outdated so yeah.… Expand
  60. Dozmo
    Oct 14, 2014
    6
    Oh dear. While the graphics have improved, many core gameplay elements have been changed from prior versions of the Civ series, and not typically for the better. For example, you can now only put one unit on each tile - which makes moving your army a massive chore compared to previous games. City-states also require a lot more micromanagement than previous games where you dealt only withOh dear. While the graphics have improved, many core gameplay elements have been changed from prior versions of the Civ series, and not typically for the better. For example, you can now only put one unit on each tile - which makes moving your army a massive chore compared to previous games. City-states also require a lot more micromanagement than previous games where you dealt only with the big empires. All in all, it feels like the game has been dumbed down, with too much focus on graphics over gameplay, relative to the previous titles in the series. If you haven't played strategy games before, you can try it. If you have, though, you're better off with Civ 4, or one of the older games in the series.… Expand
  61. smilzoboboz
    Oct 6, 2014
    9
    I'm no turn-based strategy games fan and Civilization V is actually the first one I ever play of this kind.
    Still I have to say I enjoyed playing this game.
    Just one thing I found quite off, it seems like other countries ASK to get burned down to the ground, I found the diplomacy part quite hard to understand, or I actually didn't understand it at all, because everyone was angry at me    I'm no turn-based strategy games fan and Civilization V is actually the first one I ever play of this kind.
    Still I have to say I enjoyed playing this game.

    Just one thing I found quite off, it seems like other countries ASK to get burned down to the ground, I found the diplomacy part quite hard to understand, or I actually didn't understand it at all, because everyone was angry at me even if I did nothing to them...

    Anyway, really good game or, better, a really good game if you get a package with all DLC contents, because I don't even wanna know what was this game without its 14 DLC packages (14 it's a lot, probably too much).    … Expand
  62. pierrem
    Sep 28, 2014
    6
    This game series needs some work. They seem to try to do the same game over and over, and this one gets boring quickly. Not much to tell against it, it is clearly not bad, but it is not fun either. Hex & no stack is a good feature (for combat units, for others it is not), but otherwise, what changed since the first of the series? 6 is a bit harsh, but punishes the lack of improvements &This game series needs some work. They seem to try to do the same game over and over, and this one gets boring quickly. Not much to tell against it, it is clearly not bad, but it is not fun either. Hex & no stack is a good feature (for combat units, for others it is not), but otherwise, what changed since the first of the series? 6 is a bit harsh, but punishes the lack of improvements & the DLC politics.… Expand
  63. Rome
    Sep 28, 2014
    0
    Civilization V was pure crap when it was released in 2010. And despite all it's expansions and pointless DLC's it is still utter crap.

    Civ 5 is a dumbed down arcade game. As the game progresses you find that nothing interesting really ever happens. Turn after turn of pointlessly pressing the end turn button. Every design decision seems to come from the developers wish to do stuff    Civilization V was pure crap when it was released in 2010. And despite all it's expansions and pointless DLC's it is still utter crap.

    Civ 5 is a dumbed down arcade game. As the game progresses you find that nothing interesting really ever happens. Turn after turn of pointlessly pressing the end turn button.

    Every design decision seems to come from the developers wish to do stuff differently and cater to the casual masses. The results is the mentioned dumbed downed piece of turd, which is no doubt loved by casual gamers around the globe.    … Expand
  64. The_Butcher
    Sep 24, 2014
    8
    Nice graphics / sound / music
    Improper balance of heroes ... some pretty useless
    a bit slow at start and turn very fast once you reach industrial era... i believe it should be slower.

    DLC should be free...
  65. TheMorbidMole
    Sep 13, 2014
    8
    a strategy fans dream come true. This game is simple to learn and reaches for that oh so hard to reach gigantic scale that strategy fans crave. also has an extremely high replay value. My only complaint is that it is puzzling that the game wasnt released with the content found in brave new world and gods and kings, I guess its a good money making trick.
  66. XenonGTX
    Sep 9, 2014
    7
    It feels rushed. A lot of hardware compatability issues. Over all a unique experience. Great mods and scripts available. Features many civs and map choices. Pushes your CPU to the limit though.
  67. shallahan
    Sep 8, 2014
    10
    This review is a bit late considering Civilization Beyond Earth is being released in about a month but I feel it necessary to do anyway. Civilization V is THE best strategy game by far that I have ever played, watched, and heard of and that is an honest opinion. I have clocked in over 350 hours of game play utilizing every feature the game has to offer from each civilization, eachThis review is a bit late considering Civilization Beyond Earth is being released in about a month but I feel it necessary to do anyway. Civilization V is THE best strategy game by far that I have ever played, watched, and heard of and that is an honest opinion. I have clocked in over 350 hours of game play utilizing every feature the game has to offer from each civilization, each difficulty, each scenario, and each map type multiple times. I have all of the downloadable content and I do not feel as if a penny i spent on this game was wasted. I wholeheartedly recommend this absolutely amazing game and all it has to offer from Gods and Kings to Brave New World and every civilization and map pack in between, I can not wait for Beyond Earth to be released so I can spend 300 more hours exploring it. This game is truly worth a good review.… Expand
  68. DaveAus
    Sep 3, 2014
    5
    While Civ V is a great game, and probably the best turn based 4x game out, that is mostly because it has no competition. It has a lack of unit and civilization diversity, with poor patching and performance issues.

    The AI is as dumb as ever, despite it apparently focusing on winning the game, rather then just role playing a country. Some AI civs will go for a cultural, or diplomatic    While Civ V is a great game, and probably the best turn based 4x game out, that is mostly because it has no competition. It has a lack of unit and civilization diversity, with poor patching and performance issues.

    The AI is as dumb as ever, despite it apparently focusing on winning the game, rather then just role playing a country. Some AI civs will go for a cultural, or diplomatic victory, completley ignoring their military, and being invaded by a neighbouring civ. Even offers to join the war on their side, or ask for open borders, to help defend them, has them ignoring you and not accepting, until they are eventually conquered.

    It also requires steam to install and patch, whether or not you purchase a physical copy of the game. A major let down.

    But like I said, it is still the best game of it's type.    … Expand
  69. ausgebombt85
    Aug 31, 2014
    9
    I've never played a Civ game before. And from screenshots, reviews and lets play videos, this seemed like the most boring video game ever. But I was looking for good games I haven't played and decided to give this a try. At first, I sucked bad, got bored and just Retired when I pissed off every other nation by invading a city-state and then tried to invade Portugal with a few brawl units..I've never played a Civ game before. And from screenshots, reviews and lets play videos, this seemed like the most boring video game ever. But I was looking for good games I haven't played and decided to give this a try. At first, I sucked bad, got bored and just Retired when I pissed off every other nation by invading a city-state and then tried to invade Portugal with a few brawl units.. On my second day playing, 7 hours went by without me even realizing it. I'm making progress and I can't stop thinking about what to do next with my session.

    This game has a steep learning curve, and it might not even be "fun" in the traditional way; but once you grasp the basics (something made very simple with a very thorough in-game tutorial system), then you can easily spend countless hours building your Civ and never realizing it.

    I don't know if this is the best Civilization game out there or not, nor do I care; this game is like a drug.    … Expand
  70. Overtake
    Aug 18, 2014
    10
    I play Civilization games since the 1, and liked every and each one. But the 5 is certainly my favorite. Graphics are great, sounds are great, AI is great (even if there is a big difference when the map is small islands, much easier to win then). The freedom to have mods developed is also great.

    But what makes me like it above the others is how Culture is treated. This gives the game a    I play Civilization games since the 1, and liked every and each one. But the 5 is certainly my favorite. Graphics are great, sounds are great, AI is great (even if there is a big difference when the map is small islands, much easier to win then). The freedom to have mods developed is also great.

    But what makes me like it above the others is how Culture is treated. This gives the game a great new side, you can make a civ that doesn't attack the others and still win the game. (Note: you need all the DLC installed for this to be true)

    The no pile up rule is also a welcome aspect. In Civ4 it was easy to lost account of how many pieces you had on each square, so no more of this problem now. I only wanted the map scale to be bigger, so we could still have more pieces in battle at the same time, and more detail on pieces abilities on terrains.

    Anyway Civ5 is great and I really like it. So much I already play it for 725 hours. And still struggling to win all the time on level King!    … Expand
  71. LongSlayer
    Aug 6, 2014
    9
    Sid Meier's Civilization V can be summed up in one word: addicting. I find it extremely difficult to pull myself away from this game at most times, and I end up playing for hours upon hours. It's exhilarating to choose a civilization and try to dominate the other opposing civilizations. Whether winning by cultural, domination, diplomatic, or science victory, it's all really fun. It's aSid Meier's Civilization V can be summed up in one word: addicting. I find it extremely difficult to pull myself away from this game at most times, and I end up playing for hours upon hours. It's exhilarating to choose a civilization and try to dominate the other opposing civilizations. Whether winning by cultural, domination, diplomatic, or science victory, it's all really fun. It's a great experience to see your civilization explore the area, meet new civilizations and city-states, and fight off barbarians, as they grow and technologically advance from ancient times to modern times. Multiplayer can be really fun, but it's almost impossible to finish a game because either the random people you get paired up with leave the game right away or everyone gets disconnected, so it can be frustrating at times. This is a fantastic game but also addicting so beware.… Expand
  72. DeusXCom
    Jul 31, 2014
    7
    My first Civilization experience and I must admit that all the stories of it's addictive nature (just one more turn) were absolutely spot-on. Even though it was my first run ever and I was still learning as I went along, just during my first game I poured about 30 hours of non-stop gameplay into it and that speak for itself more than anything. In the role of Alexander the Great I conqueredMy first Civilization experience and I must admit that all the stories of it's addictive nature (just one more turn) were absolutely spot-on. Even though it was my first run ever and I was still learning as I went along, just during my first game I poured about 30 hours of non-stop gameplay into it and that speak for itself more than anything. In the role of Alexander the Great I conquered the world with my Greek army, destroyed Napoleon, Washington, and once I invented proper technology to cross the seas I massacred the Germans and China hiding behind The Great Wall (praise the siege cannons). Enjoyed it thoroughly, but one the other hand I must admit that one time was probably enough, especially since Civ V lacks any sort of continual campaign with story mode that would engage you and take you on the adventure through time and evolution perhaps, in the Age of Empires style. In this format, it's basically just a randomly created sessions, so there's not much motivation to go on playing for me, but for what it is, it's really good. 7/10… Expand
  73. usproblogger
    Jul 26, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I like the game. Was not a first time played. Got addicted. But if you take it a little at a time it is all fun. here is a lot of cool features and other good stuff… Expand
  74. Tastycakes
    Jul 17, 2014
    10
    Phenomenal, honestly. If you're a fan of 4x, poltics, management or strategy games this is truly a staple. Customization, replayability and incredibly addicting gameplay keep people playing this for hundreds and thousands of hours. The game has one major flaw, and that's if you get the base game with no expansions, packs or DLC then it can feel empy, which is a flaw. Though, at this pointPhenomenal, honestly. If you're a fan of 4x, poltics, management or strategy games this is truly a staple. Customization, replayability and incredibly addicting gameplay keep people playing this for hundreds and thousands of hours. The game has one major flaw, and that's if you get the base game with no expansions, packs or DLC then it can feel empy, which is a flaw. Though, at this point with all the bundle sales if you can get anything along with it it feels fleshed out and is probably one of the best games on the market for your money considering how many hours of gameplay it gives.… Expand
  75. lordT
    Jul 10, 2014
    9
    As someone who always loved history, never touched a strategy game, but always wanted to: This is the game that started my love for the genre. And i can say that i was lucky to start with the best of the best.

    This game has almost all the things you would need to be a leader of a civilization, Diplomacy, Anarchy, Economy and of course Total wars.
  76. TFORPULLONE
    Jul 6, 2014
    9
    REVIEW UPDATE---The best strategy game in gaming history. It's so addicting that you can play this like 16 hours straight easily. Excellent make this also it's mods. It has so many good mods in Steam Workshop. Only reason why this game is a 9/10 cause of it's multiplayer sucks. Lobbies are hard to join. Saving is almost impossible. Also and well you see when play this game. Then u knowREVIEW UPDATE---The best strategy game in gaming history. It's so addicting that you can play this like 16 hours straight easily. Excellent make this also it's mods. It has so many good mods in Steam Workshop. Only reason why this game is a 9/10 cause of it's multiplayer sucks. Lobbies are hard to join. Saving is almost impossible. Also and well you see when play this game. Then u know what i'm taking about. 9/10.… Expand
  77. Leftyxdd
    Jun 27, 2014
    10
    When 2 Civilizations build a Wonder in the same turn, the first player that entered the room in Multiplayer will build it, and the other player will just lose it. Frustrating.
  78. Ecresis
    Jun 24, 2014
    6
    I play Civilization since the Civ II, and this is another great game. It is even more awesome with other human players, where diplomatics are involved.

    I would love to give it more points, but unfortunately, I'm sick of the DLC system. If we look at it without knowing there are DLC's (Gods and Kings, Brave New World) and out of context, we could say it's a 9/10. So if you're new to Civ,    I play Civilization since the Civ II, and this is another great game. It is even more awesome with other human players, where diplomatics are involved.

    I would love to give it more points, but unfortunately, I'm sick of the DLC system. If we look at it without knowing there are DLC's (Gods and Kings, Brave New World) and out of context, we could say it's a 9/10. So if you're new to Civ, it's worth your money. Now I highly recommend buying the full pack on Steam with the DLC's, which is now very cheap, because it adds so much to the game, that you can't go back to the normal one after that.

    There goes my negative point. Why the hell didn't they put those add-ons in the first place ? I know the answer is "money" but for Civ-addicts like me, this is an insult. I managed to get the extension for a minimum amount of money but Gods and Kings was over 30€ when it came out, this is ridiculous for a bunch of options that could have been put in the early game.

    The Civilization franchise has always been good, we enjoy the new combat system, not allowing you to stack 1 billion units like it was in Civ IV, we enjoy the new culture system (replaced in Brave New World). I miss the cultural expansion of your cities, sometimes swallowing other players cities if your culture was massive, but let's say they needed to make it different, it's not a bad thing.

    Conclusion : With the DLC's it's much better, if you buy it, buy it all, but try to get in on sale, because the full price is exaggerated.    … Expand
  79. theDumb12
    Jun 22, 2014
    10
    Civilization V is one of those rare games that takes a time tested and well liked system, changes it, and manages to create something even better than it had before. The new hex grid setup provides new ways to move and build, the change to unit stackability makes defending and attacking territory much more strategic, and the new additions that come along with the DLC make the whole gameCivilization V is one of those rare games that takes a time tested and well liked system, changes it, and manages to create something even better than it had before. The new hex grid setup provides new ways to move and build, the change to unit stackability makes defending and attacking territory much more strategic, and the new additions that come along with the DLC make the whole game more fun, and really make you want to take that one more turn.

    It seems that most of the negative user reviews for this game either deal with release bugs, fanboys **** about the changes, or a "lack of content" in number of Civs, City States, Tech Tree, etc. There are plenty of Civs in the base game, and what with the fantastic DLC and the Steam modding community, you can expand to a huge number of playable Civs, many times more than Civ IV.

    The bottom line is that while maybe on the release date, Civ V was a 7.7 because of release bugs, now, in 2014, with player content and two great DLCs, Civ V should easily be a 9 or even a 10    … Expand
  80. TKBuffalo
    Jun 21, 2014
    9
    The Civilization Series continues to deliver high quality products! Bravo! Just need more actual civilizations to begin with. Dont try to bleed the consumers with add on after add on like the Sims Series. Other than that, the game is great. Play it over and over!
  81. whitepawn
    Jun 19, 2014
    5
    A classic example of trying to make up for lack of depth with high level graphics. So, it's pretty. Then what?

    CONS: Dumbed down, bigtime. Another example of catering to the post BC WoW crowd that whine about stuff being too hard. Like the foregone conclusion of helicopter mommies and the bubble wrap generation where kids now are raised to get everything for almost nothing, cuz    A classic example of trying to make up for lack of depth with high level graphics. So, it's pretty. Then what?

    CONS: Dumbed down, bigtime. Another example of catering to the post BC WoW crowd that whine about stuff being too hard. Like the foregone conclusion of helicopter mommies and the bubble wrap generation where kids now are raised to get everything for almost nothing, cuz they're special, right? Don't give my kid a markdown on her paper cuz she has excuses for the late turnin creates monsters. These monsters are affecting gaming in a bad way. /rantoff Seriously, CIv III and IV fans are going to cry after playing this game.

    No religion, corporations, fine tuning, etc.

    Culture on takeover doesn't make sense. I did breathe a sigh of relief on seeing the borders unchanged, but such a thing doesn't make sense. City flipping by culture is gone. Again, doesn't make sense.

    Diplomacy makes no sense. You can have good relations with someone only to have them scream at you the next turn for no known reason.

    Loss of discovery on mining sites. The mined resources are set, they don't deplete, ever, and you can never discover anything new elsewhere. Doesn't make sense.

    No armies. There is room here for the old 3 stack on a general, I think. Could add some complexity.

    PROS:

    Ranged combat. Done right.

    Non-stackable units. Allows for real tactics over, for example, China showing up with 70 endgame units on a single tile to attack a city in a single turn.

    City defense: Common sense addition. Adding structures like walls adds more to these defenses. A garrison, more defenses. Again, you cannot stack 70 units on a single tile, though one could argue more than 1 for the city, you have an option for 1. The inherent defenses of the city compensate for this though...and the city itself can fire a ranged barrage every turn.

    Navy: A powerful navy can take over coastal cities without any need of land units. Adds balance.

    REPLAYABILITY: Honestly, couldn't play a game through until the expansions. I got bored, even with an audiobook running. With III and IV losing half a day wasn't uncommon, this was a drag.    … Expand
  82. Sivus
    Jun 5, 2014
    7
    This game feels like it's about half the quality of the previous and famous Civilization 4. It looks better than 4 but it should, it's a newer game. I feel like many of the streamlined changes from "revolution" found their way into 5, as in many of your actions lack depth. Still, hundreds of hours of play has to count for something and it's certainly enjoyable despite being shallow.
  83. jlg28429
    May 28, 2014
    1
    The game itself is awesome... Maybe a 9/10. Unfortunately it is ruined by STEAM, like most PC gaming nowadays. This was the first and last game I will ever buy that forces me to use STEAM. Adios PC gaming.
  84. Fonzy
    May 28, 2014
    7
    The latest installment in franchise games can often be the victim of their own previous success and it appears that Civ V is no exception.

    Taken by itself, Civ 5 is a solid game. In a vacuum, I would say my biggest gripes are that the city-state system feels a bit unloved and leaves a lot to be desired. Additionally, diplomacy is a bit of a black box that's difficult to wrangle with.    The latest installment in franchise games can often be the victim of their own previous success and it appears that Civ V is no exception.

    Taken by itself, Civ 5 is a solid game. In a vacuum, I would say my biggest gripes are that the city-state system feels a bit unloved and leaves a lot to be desired. Additionally, diplomacy is a bit of a black box that's difficult to wrangle with. Plus sides are the level of complexity that allow for different playstyles and paths to victory that provide a lot of replayability.

    Compared to the other Civ games, I feel like the updates are a wash - things have become less complex, but I really appreciate the removal of the infamous stacks of doom we saw in Civ 4.

    Bottom line is, if you're a Civ freak, you might be disappointed with Civ 5 if you compare it to the previous installments. If you're a casual Civ fan, or have little-to-no familiarity with the series, you'll find Civ 5 to fun and engaging and offer you many hours of enjoyment.    … Expand
  85. thehumangerm
    May 26, 2014
    8
    Great game but you will want to pick up the first expansion at a minimum to truly enjoy the game. Brave New World really fixes almost all of the game mechanic issues found in this series. Combined they are a 10 in my book.
  86. barbie
    May 25, 2014
    10
    Love the game, the maps are varied and massive, the sheer number of different victories possible is awesome. the large number of different difficulty settings challenge and accommodate all player types. and the whole game has that addictive, "Just one more turn!" quality. Only grievance, is that there are too many Native American/South American Civilizations, and as typical of all games,Love the game, the maps are varied and massive, the sheer number of different victories possible is awesome. the large number of different difficulty settings challenge and accommodate all player types. and the whole game has that addictive, "Just one more turn!" quality. Only grievance, is that there are too many Native American/South American Civilizations, and as typical of all games, they assume the only great Indian is Ghandi (completely ignoring others such as Ashoka, Shah Jahan, and 101+ more)… Expand
  87. alguemff
    Apr 28, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is very good, totally addictive and I can even say the best strategy game I know. I've always been a fan of this franchise and only in Civ. V have 17 hours of game-play, always more fun, became more simple and fun this release, and the expansions is even better, I have nothing to say to ruin this game, I follow the franchise since the Civ. III, has changed a lot, became less complicated and more fun, on-line mode is great, I always play with my friends, the matches are long and fun, to pass the time having a great time. Woe is my avaçiação about this game, I recommend to everyone!… Expand
  88. asfj
    Apr 18, 2014
    6
    Not replayable. Why? because, except for their leader appearances and city overviews, all civs are almost the same, same improvement, same policy, same research, same army... After knowing this fact, you will know how hollow this game is and no any desire to play the game again using other civs.
    In addition, the battle part is indeed the game's weakness, you have to control every army one    Not replayable. Why? because, except for their leader appearances and city overviews, all civs are almost the same, same improvement, same policy, same research, same army... After knowing this fact, you will know how hollow this game is and no any desire to play the game again using other civs.
    In addition, the battle part is indeed the game's weakness, you have to control every army one by one and see their laggy animations. When in later game, this is more disturbing so that I just gift most of them to city states.
    IMO, This game is about parameters balancing (you play with numbers), mainly food, culture, science, gold and fairy. you control them by actions, mainly building, diplomacy, research and policy. And you enjoy how wonderful values you can achieve.
    So, if you prefer more direct stimulation like graphics diversity in many RTS games, Civ is not for you. In graphics, Civ looks very repetitive. The difference between civs are distinct parameter enhancing.    … Expand
  89. Antonious
    Apr 14, 2014
    10
    I've played all CIV games, on all platforms that are available. I would've said Civ. 3 was the best, now I would say,Civ. 3&Civ 5 are the best.Yes,they've had a lot of ,"bugs"'but I expect that. I'd say it was well worth the money, and would recommend it strongly to people, that I know, who play these kinds of strategy games.
  90. DaveAllDay8
    Apr 11, 2014
    9
    Probably my favorite strategy game in my library. It's one of those games I don't play every night or even every week, but when I do sit down to play it, I get engulfed for hours trying to conquer lands and be a world leader.
  91. Velia
    Apr 10, 2014
    0
    More crashes and more money spent on my computer trying to prevent crashes than any game I've ever played. I will never buy another game from this company, ever. As far as gameplay it's poor to fair, but the fact that it crashes every other turn (literally; this is NOT an exaggeration) prevents me from enjoying the gameplay. At first I loved the no unit stacking. I thought it was aMore crashes and more money spent on my computer trying to prevent crashes than any game I've ever played. I will never buy another game from this company, ever. As far as gameplay it's poor to fair, but the fact that it crashes every other turn (literally; this is NOT an exaggeration) prevents me from enjoying the gameplay. At first I loved the no unit stacking. I thought it was a wonderful improvement over the Civ 4 unit stack of death. But it's not. It's hugely tedious to escort a settler, and don't quote the phrase "two ships passing in the night" because two ships can't actually pass each other. With two expacs, you think they'd fix the simple stuff, but they never did. (As an aside, I like hexes better than squares, but that is this game's ONLY redeeming feature.)… Expand
  92. ronan17
    Mar 13, 2014
    10
    Despite it rocky start civ5 with the brave new world expansion must now surely go down as the greatest civ title of all, with the introduction of mechanics like, tourism, world congress and the new trading system it all leads to a very challenging and rewarding strategy simulation.
  93. Cemossunal
    Mar 10, 2014
    5
    I quite mixed up, when I first play this game. That's because I saw good quality of the pixels, soundtracks and interface is wonderful. However, there's a huge failure of Sid meiers' and it is called the absence of religion! When I saw this I was shocked. There're a lot of social policies (which are good) and there's a religion related policy too! It is good that they improved the cityI quite mixed up, when I first play this game. That's because I saw good quality of the pixels, soundtracks and interface is wonderful. However, there's a huge failure of Sid meiers' and it is called the absence of religion! When I saw this I was shocked. There're a lot of social policies (which are good) and there's a religion related policy too! It is good that they improved the city management, but they removed the health level that was In civ 4. For example, I missed the natural disasters, vermin etc and especially vassal states. My another disappointment was the espionage system. Additionally, civ leaders and negotiations are improved. To sum up, i still recommend this game to you, but with dlc's. You can purchase this game with brave new world expansion p, it suffisticates me with additional benefits, such as trade routes. Have a nice game :) I lstill ove all the series… Expand
  94. Isten
    Feb 26, 2014
    8
    I played the hell outta Civ3, skipped Civ4 and play a lot (like 400 hours +) of Civ V.

    It is a great casual time sink that still captures the spirit of the Civ experience. We joke it is spreadsheet empire creation, but really there are a lot of ways to win. I do miss world effects like Pollution, greenhouse, planting trees etc. I also think that the last expansion are Weak. Brave    I played the hell outta Civ3, skipped Civ4 and play a lot (like 400 hours +) of Civ V.

    It is a great casual time sink that still captures the spirit of the Civ experience.

    We joke it is spreadsheet empire creation, but really there are a lot of ways to win.

    I do miss world effects like Pollution, greenhouse, planting trees etc.
    I also think that the last expansion are Weak. Brave New World, not worth it. Culture / Tourism is awful and dull. Stick with Gods and Kings.

    Stacking armies I can take or leave. For me the effort it takes in Civ V to PROPERLY surround and take entrenched enemies / cities is a PERK not a down side.

    It does run a bit rough over the Multiplayer (I often switch to Grid view) later in the game as it tries to keep up with all the renders, AI actions and fights.

    Solid game. Just don't expect Civ 3 (or I guess 4)    … Expand
  95. Zahrada
    Feb 24, 2014
    6
    The original game is fun to play and it delivers what the modern iteration of Civ franchise should deliver. The biggest flaw are bugs and technical issues, which were resolved later. They were significant however. As time went, many things were fixed and added in the expansions, but the start wasn't smooth. If you want to play this game, I would therefore recommend getting it with theThe original game is fun to play and it delivers what the modern iteration of Civ franchise should deliver. The biggest flaw are bugs and technical issues, which were resolved later. They were significant however. As time went, many things were fixed and added in the expansions, but the start wasn't smooth. If you want to play this game, I would therefore recommend getting it with the expansion packs. As the original "vanilla" version, the game has many problems and my impressions were mixed in the beginning.… Expand
  96. Hack-Man
    Feb 21, 2014
    9
    Hands down a GREAT addition to the Civ series! Even if this is your first Civ still buy it! You can buy the new Gold Edition on Steam for a very good price for he time you get out of it. Each game is around 4-6 hours long and is very exciting every second! A must it!
  97. Hall7718
    Feb 21, 2014
    9
    I've never had a turn based game made me lose track of time the way Civ V has. You would think a turn based game could get old... but after spending almost 100 hours in the game... I keep coming back for more. Great game.
  98. eMDeX
    Feb 20, 2014
    10
    Premise: I own and played every single Civ game since Civilization (1991) and I played over a thousand hours Civilization V. That doesn't mean I'm a good player, but it means that the longevity and replayability are priceless and unbeated.
    The first iteration of Civilization V was awful: easy, absent AI, bugged and unbalanced. The expansion Gods & King added religions and espionage,    Premise: I own and played every single Civ game since Civilization (1991) and I played over a thousand hours Civilization V. That doesn't mean I'm a good player, but it means that the longevity and replayability are priceless and unbeated.
    The first iteration of Civilization V was awful: easy, absent AI, bugged and unbalanced. The expansion Gods & King added religions and espionage, cleaning bugs (MANY) and finally building AI worth the challenge. The last expansion, Brave New World is really awesome: trading, united nations and ideologies and some good victories condition revamps. To this level, Civ 5 is really the best Civ I have ever played, obscuring even Civ 4 Beyond the Sword.
    Only two things missing: random events and pollution.    … Expand
  99. Skulb
    Feb 13, 2014
    4
    In the fine new tradition of dumbing classic franchises down to appeal to the blind, the mentally impaired and people who hate gaming, Civilization takes a nosedive in the horrible fifth installment. Tons of stuff that made Civ IV timeless has been removed, including map trading, vassals, religions, flexible civics, unit stacks and attrition to name a few things. Meanwhile dubious thingsIn the fine new tradition of dumbing classic franchises down to appeal to the blind, the mentally impaired and people who hate gaming, Civilization takes a nosedive in the horrible fifth installment. Tons of stuff that made Civ IV timeless has been removed, including map trading, vassals, religions, flexible civics, unit stacks and attrition to name a few things. Meanwhile dubious things have been added like global happiness ratings which makes it pointless to make big empires (In a Civ game. It`s true) and city states that reposition your camera on them every time they have some pointless task for you to perform.
    The worst part is that some of it had been tried out in Civ 3, which was the least impressive installment until this release, and removed for Civ 4 because it made the game dull and uncool.
    So compared to Civ 4 there is less complexity, less freedom, much hand holding and worthless fluff, poor diplomacy and many many questionable design features. It is slow, boring and unexciting. The economy doesn`t work properly, there are no active trade routes like in Civ 4 but just automatic ones when you build roads and harbors. And to top it all off there is basically no AI anywhere.
    I just played a game as Persia and had 10 workers on auto. By the year 1100 AD all these workers had built 0 roads. None, zip, nada. Presumably they were waiting until all the forests had been cleared and every possible resource tile and farm had been finished before starting the roads. In other words the automation is pointless and you have to manually build roads if you want any.
    The less said about the enemy AI the better. It is unpredictable, stupid and never improves at higher levels. It just cheats. Give this turkey a wide berth and go get the real Civilization (Civ 4. hell even Civ 2 or the original DOS game is better than this.) immediately.
    Casual gaming at its worst.    … Expand
  100. Memburg
    Feb 10, 2014
    9
    I would make a short, snappy, funny review, yet it needs to be 150 characters long, so I'll just fill it up with nonsense. qijnfkongfangfj;naf;jnal;jfn;aljfn;ljafnajf'o[iqwjhvfio'jhq3woithq[0t0[qhfo[uihqofhq;ofhaqhf;oiaushf;iuabhsf;iuahwfi;uahfi;uahfihbafjhaifbaoifioauhfiafhiauf. THERE WE GO! This is the best game I ever played. 7.

    -IGN
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PC Game of 2010
5
#5 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
3
#3 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 70 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 70
  3. Negative: 0 out of 70
  1. Thunderbolt
    Apr 3, 2011
    90
    Despite my gripe with the animations in multiplayer, Civilization V is the perfect entry for the series' debut in the current generation of gaming.
    Read full review
  2. games(TM)
    Jan 20, 2011
    80
    We're just a little bit disappointed that this Civ evolution isn't as polished as we'd expected. [Issue#102, p.108]
  3. Eurogamer Spain
    Jan 15, 2011
    80
    An old franchise that knows who to evolve to adapt to modern times. Its latest new ideas might not be perfect, but serve the purpose of making the game even more interesting.
    Read full review
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