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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Drakan
    Mar 21, 2011
    2
    In one word: boring.

    A complete letdown for a long-time Civ fan (since Civ II). Abundant technical problems mar gameplay causing huge lags between turns that allow you to peacefully read Tolstoy's War and Peace and even finish it in between turns. Huge lags just firing up the game FGS! Continuous CTD ( I must have suffered easily over 200 CTD) litter gameplay killing off immersion. And    In one word: boring.

    A complete letdown for a long-time Civ fan (since Civ II). Abundant technical problems mar gameplay causing huge lags between turns that allow you to peacefully read Tolstoy's War and Peace and even finish it in between turns. Huge lags just firing up the game FGS! Continuous CTD ( I must have suffered easily over 200 CTD) litter gameplay killing off immersion. And yes my rig is high-end so I shouldn't be having these problems but I do. In fact I even upgraded specifically it for its release. What a sucker. Now let's talk gameplay. The biggest change by far is the one-unit-per-tile rule, which although opens up a bevy of new strategy paths and may seem interesting on paper, in practice kills all the fun and addictiveness the game is renowned for. Lack of movies on winning, lack of statistics, INDIVIDUAL DLC's for each and every additional civilization (WTF!! you have to be kiddin's us) at 7 USD the pleasure...I must have "rich civ sucker" tatooed all over my forehead and the list goes on and on. On the positive side, undoubtedly the most beautiful graphics and sound a civilization game has ever been graced with. But then again, strategy games are NOT about pretty graphics (SMAC I'm looking at you). If I want them, I pick up Crysis 2 instead. Strategy games are about gameplay. Let me write that gain, "gameplay". You know, immersion, fun, addictiveness (one-more-turn), wife yelling at me, playing until the wee hours of the morning with a coffee. That sort of thing. Let me just add the civic tree is a great addition that spices up the game.

    I hope the Civilization franchise has not been killed off as a result of this disaster.

    Conclusion:

    It feels dumbed down from Civ IV and I wasn't even a great fan of the latter mind you. Hey, I LIKE MM my workers and fielding huge armies with hundreds of units you know...don't remove these things, make them optional at most.

    My advise, wait until they release the GOTY edition and see if it's been patched up or something. Although the biggest killer, the one-unit-per-tile rule, cannot be fixed with a patch. Pick up Shogun 2 Total War instead. It crashes from time, but compared to Civ V it is "stable" and runs smoothly; worth every penny.    … Expand
  2. Levarneus
    Apr 2, 2011
    2
    Lets start with the good.
    I'm not necessarily a hardcore Civ fan. I only started playing at 4, and in comparison with 4, 5 is quite fun (imo). I never liked the stacks of doom that the ai packed tons of, and I feel what they did with the combat was a huge improvement. The flanking bonuses/ability to fend off dozens of units with 3-4 well placed ones is a really awesome concept.    Lets start with the good.
    I'm not necessarily a hardcore Civ fan. I only started playing at 4, and in comparison with 4, 5 is quite fun (imo). I never liked the stacks of doom that the ai packed tons of, and I feel what they did with the combat was a huge improvement. The flanking bonuses/ability to fend off dozens of units with 3-4 well placed ones is a really awesome concept.
    Unfortunately, the AI are duuumb as anything and instead of realizing they have no hope, they'll move to stupid places and get slaughtered. The worst of all is when you have a naval unit by the coast and they embark right next to it, free kills >.>
    I've clocked over 300 hours playing it, and its an alright game. I haven't tried multiplayer, because like yahtzee I believe a game should be judged by its single player. But I've heard it's crap.

    I *would* have given this game a 9/10 if there was hotseat, which would counter the necessity of stupid ai by allowing me to play for them =D
    But 6 months after this games release, and 6 months of promises have passed, and hotseat is not here. Hotseat isn't a big deal for some people, but paying 50 bucks to support a company that makes false promises isn't worth it in my books.    … Expand
  3. ozumaro
    Apr 16, 2011
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I may surprise some of you, but waiting more than15 minutes to download an install a game when I actually bought a CD rom is just disgusting. I would not even comment on the game. How come I cannot score it as less than 4?… Expand
  4. DeadlyCornbread
    Jul 12, 2011
    9
    I am new to Civ. I never played the old ones, only seen them played, so I'm fresh to the series, since I only recently acquired a PC capable of playing decent games. Civilization V is one of my favorite games in recent memory. I've spent well over 30+ hours playing it, and I am not tired yet. Each race and location adds an exciting change and it's fun to attempt a victory in the manyI am new to Civ. I never played the old ones, only seen them played, so I'm fresh to the series, since I only recently acquired a PC capable of playing decent games. Civilization V is one of my favorite games in recent memory. I've spent well over 30+ hours playing it, and I am not tired yet. Each race and location adds an exciting change and it's fun to attempt a victory in the many different ways you can in this game. But as I mentioned, I feel the game is well worth the money you spend, but I am also new to the series and have nothing to base this game on other than the fun I get from it. And from my perspective, this game is an instant classic.… Expand
  5. maettsook
    Jul 19, 2011
    1
    Played Civ on the playstation, then moved to PC for II,III and IV. Loved IV and spent many many hours playing it. Installed Civ V, what a dissappointment. It's very slow, no fun, ultimately tedious. I'm back on Civ IV these days and Civ V sits on the bookshelf gathering dust, they won't catch me out again!
  6. Janov
    Oct 23, 2011
    5
    this game is absolutely overrated!
    i am not the typical strategy gamer but still i am a good stategy gamer ;)
    but civ 5 was a pure waste of money. ok, graphics and sounds are nice. but everything else is realy bad. this game simply has NO working KI. it feels like there are only a few scripts are working and waiting in the background. "attack the player at time x" "ask him for contract"    this game is absolutely overrated!
    i am not the typical strategy gamer but still i am a good stategy gamer ;)
    but civ 5 was a pure waste of money.
    ok, graphics and sounds are nice.
    but everything else is realy bad.
    this game simply has NO working KI.
    it feels like there are only a few scripts are working and waiting in the background.
    "attack the player at time x"
    "ask him for contract" (even if the have never seen you)
    "battle with player y" (but no results are seen)

    my resume: :(    … Expand
  7. hit_doctor
    Mar 5, 2012
    0
    bought the game hours ago, disc just prompts a steam install requiring a key, key worked fine, steam install DOES NOT WORK. very poor steam customer support, email only, no replies, not to mention no solutions for other people with my problems. game is probably great, but if you're trying to buy it legitimately, you're going to get screwed.
  8. 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
  9. HLB
    Oct 10, 2010
    3
    Simplistic game. Nothing special graphical or in gameplay. Use of DX11 is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. I uninstalled the game already because I don't intend to spend even more time with work-arounds for the bugs. They obviously spend more money on marketing then on game development.
  10. mpr
    May 29, 2011
    7
    Sure, the game may be too dumbed-down for the experienced Civ. fans, but for newcomers like me, this game is good. I've already played more than 50 hours and I'm still enjoying it.
  11. Ramus
    Dec 13, 2010
    3
    Having been there in the days of Civ 1 I look forward to each new game with bated breath. But the latest effort has left me wheezing and coughing. Hex grids? Why? 8 directions of movement with squares, 6 with hexes..... doesn't make sense. And the graphics do not seem to fit in the hexes either, trading posts apparently require wading a mile out to sea?? There are so many glitches theyHaving been there in the days of Civ 1 I look forward to each new game with bated breath. But the latest effort has left me wheezing and coughing. Hex grids? Why? 8 directions of movement with squares, 6 with hexes..... doesn't make sense. And the graphics do not seem to fit in the hexes either, trading posts apparently require wading a mile out to sea?? There are so many glitches they cannot be named here but here's just a few : missing textures, animations that don't play, graphics that do not disappear when they should, UI corruption, and so on. The decisions the AI makes seem to be just dice rolling (I rolled a double 5 that means I'm at war with you). Diplomacy is non existent . And whenever I get to about 1950 EVERYONE goes to war with you at the same time?! WHAT? WHY? Very disappointed in this. Needless to say I shan't be holding my breath for Civ 6. I'm going now to put Civ 4 on.… Expand
  12. Rawrthas
    Sep 22, 2010
    10
    Firstly and most importantly: I have never played a Civ game before. Secondly, the first time I sat down and played Civilization V, I played for almost 8 hours. Consecutively. The game is THAT addictive, and I haven't had that kind of hook on a game for years. There are many ways to play and ultimately be the best civilization. The game might look unappealing and boring to some, but theFirstly and most importantly: I have never played a Civ game before. Secondly, the first time I sat down and played Civilization V, I played for almost 8 hours. Consecutively. The game is THAT addictive, and I haven't had that kind of hook on a game for years. There are many ways to play and ultimately be the best civilization. The game might look unappealing and boring to some, but the game is really easy to understand, yet extremely deep at the same time. I'm mostly an FPS person, but this game is some of the most fun I've had playing a game, ever.… Expand
  13. Orlandu84
    Sep 23, 2010
    10
    I have played every Civilization games since CIV 2. I only slept 5 hrs last night due to Civ 5, and it was worth it! The move to hexagons was a brilliant decision when combined with the removal of stacks. A slightly simplified tech tree and the new the social policies also reduce the micromanagement of the game. My first game still took me over six hours, but the turns went by so muchI have played every Civilization games since CIV 2. I only slept 5 hrs last night due to Civ 5, and it was worth it! The move to hexagons was a brilliant decision when combined with the removal of stacks. A slightly simplified tech tree and the new the social policies also reduce the micromanagement of the game. My first game still took me over six hours, but the turns went by so much faster. Pretty graphics are always nice :)

    Now, does the AI have problems? Yes. Does the AI always have problems? No. Does it usually have problems? Yes. The AI is not a lost cause, but it will probably take some time to get right. While I am ranting let me make one further remark. The longer you play, the better you get at the game. It should not be surprising then that the AI will lag behind the player. That is why there are different difficulty levels. I never got beyond Noble, however, because the micromanagement started to weigh the game down for me. I think that I will be going a lot longer now. Back to actual problems, I did have to rename the CIV 5 DX 10 App as the Civ V DX 9 app to have DX 10 graphics. Check the steam forums for tech support if you having issues - some very smart people are there.

    I know that some older players will miss some of the features and will also miss some of their strategies not working. They deserve to speak their minds. As do I. As I mentioned I think much of my enthusiasm comes from a streamlined experience. If that sounds like your kind of Civilization, you will be in luck. If you want the complexity that is Beyond the Sword, you might want to wait till the inevitable expansion.    … Expand
  14. Jinglepants
    Oct 3, 2010
    0
    Unplayable due to lock-ups. Game freezes after an hour or so and the only way to shut it down is with the Windows Task Manager (ctrl+alt+delete). The problem is well documented on the Steam and 2K forums. Needs to bake for a few more patches. Might be worth picking up on sale in a few months.
  15. TheNoobifier
    Jan 8, 2011
    9
    A great CiV game, regardless of some minor bugs or issues, a must buy for any Strategy gamer.
  16. flipkin
    Aug 27, 2011
    0
    Big fan of the franchise, but this game sucks. Big pet peeve of mine is when the AI opponent is able to do moves the human player is not. Lot's of bugs. Very slow loading. Slow in general. Hangs. Obviously rushed out before it was done.
  17. jadeia
    Sep 27, 2010
    10
    Civ 5 lives up to all of my expectations and continues with the strong traditional "just one my turn" game play. They have made some good tweaks to the game mechanics that I was hoping for and the graphics overhaul is very nice.

    Definitely one of the most addictive games on this planet - beware!
  18. GoneFishingX
    Sep 26, 2010
    9
    Civilization 5 is a great game and out does its previous installment in every way except for an iffy diplomacy system. The tech tree feels much more streamlined without dead end techs that feel worthless its less complicated but it's much better more often than not simpler is better. Lack of espionage, religion, and unhealthiness makes the game function better and I don't miss them. TheCivilization 5 is a great game and out does its previous installment in every way except for an iffy diplomacy system. The tech tree feels much more streamlined without dead end techs that feel worthless its less complicated but it's much better more often than not simpler is better. Lack of espionage, religion, and unhealthiness makes the game function better and I don't miss them. The combat system and map has improved the game fantastically and now warfare is actually fun which is a first for the series that alone is enough to overlook a few other flaws like a bland city state interaction system and rather wild and unpredictable AI (they play like a crazy human guy). Also the new culture use is genius and the new civics system is so much better than CIV 4. This isn't going to convert people who don't like the game but as it is its better than CIV 4 when it first came out and with expansions it will be the best in the series.… Expand
  19. Hubert
    Sep 29, 2010
    10
    Sid strike again and this time he nails it out of the park. This is one of those games that come along oncin a blue moon. The amount of time I put into this game is unruly. It's a beautiful game crafted son well any artisan would admire it. Some people have said the game is dumbed down, that is just not true. When I first played it I did not like it. My eldest son told me to play it againSid strike again and this time he nails it out of the park. This is one of those games that come along oncin a blue moon. The amount of time I put into this game is unruly. It's a beautiful game crafted son well any artisan would admire it. Some people have said the game is dumbed down, that is just not true. When I first played it I did not like it. My eldest son told me to play it again and this time it shone like a diamond. This baby is great, I should know, I own almost 300 games.

    The combat in the game is superb and I love getting domination victories.

    If your system can handle it, give it a whirl. Trust me you wont be displeased.    … Expand
  20. SeverinHansen
    Jan 3, 2011
    3
    I really have been looking forward to this version of the Civilization series. It had taken my a while to get used to Civ IV from Civ III, but it had become the game that controlled my time. It's almost impossible to write in words the disappointment I fell when I first played the game. Just the lack of stacking units at all frustrated me unbearable. Even that was enough for me to lay downI really have been looking forward to this version of the Civilization series. It had taken my a while to get used to Civ IV from Civ III, but it had become the game that controlled my time. It's almost impossible to write in words the disappointment I fell when I first played the game. Just the lack of stacking units at all frustrated me unbearable. Even that was enough for me to lay down the game. Now everything they removed from the old games, and everything they changed. For me it seemed like Civilization wasn't the head master in strategy anymore. The game that could make you stay all up night just to conquer the world. The game that made you feel something, you never have or will feel in any other game. The feeling og control, uprising, nationality. The feeling that made Civilization the best game for me. Now they just changed everything into an arcade game. It doesn't even feel the slightest realistic anymore.

    So Sid, why?    … Expand
  21. ludd_gang
    Sep 22, 2010
    10
    So many annoying things have been streamlined without dumbing the game down. No more counting out 2 tiles away from your city, your boundaries are more fluid. Wonder limits appear to be tossed out, which was an annoying strategy-lite factor to track in IV . (I noticed lots of well-placed streamlining... I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention some.)

    I cannot understate how much better combat    So many annoying things have been streamlined without dumbing the game down. No more counting out 2 tiles away from your city, your boundaries are more fluid. Wonder limits appear to be tossed out, which was an annoying strategy-lite factor to track in IV . (I noticed lots of well-placed streamlining... I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention some.)

    I cannot understate how much better combat is in V. Ranged combat, no stacks, hexes, all for the better. Frigates can kill stuff on land.

    Game balance seems better so far. Last night I tried a theologically-based "happy citizens" approach that seemed to pretty successful, though that was on Chieftain setting.

    The communication of why things happen isn't so esoteric "It's too crowded!!!!" comments are now clearly quantified. Civic options are a bit more fleshed out as "policies". They follow a more formal tree, but have relevance throughout the game. AI is cool too. During one war I was winning, my AI opponent offered a great peace deal. Unfortunately he whisked in a defensive pact. Silly me, I didn't think about it until he started killing one of my city state allies and quipped, "I'm beating up on your buddy. What you gonna do about it?" It's like any later edition of a game: Modern game design is simply more sophisticated nowadays. Some folks will dislike the differences, but in the case of Civ V, I like what they did to it.    … Expand
  22. MTR
    Dec 19, 2010
    4
    Muy por debajo de los anteriores civ a nivel jugable, lleno de bugs, la IA tanto enemiga como propia (automatizar unidades) es bastante pobre. Sistema de evolución tecnológica OK, copia de los anteriores. Nuevas opciones como el mapa táctico que hacen recordar al alpha centauri. Conclusión: o esta saga se reconduce bien, o poco mas le queda.
  23. Jumper_351
    Oct 4, 2011
    4
    What a disappointment! This game is basically a dumbed down version of Civ 4, with slightly better graphics. The AI is a joke. The cutscenes are gone and the game gets very old quite fast. With the removal of religion, civics, espionage and meaningful diplomacy, Civ 5 represents what is wrong with the gaming industry. Namely, "dumb it down and add shiny graphics - but not cut scenes orWhat a disappointment! This game is basically a dumbed down version of Civ 4, with slightly better graphics. The AI is a joke. The cutscenes are gone and the game gets very old quite fast. With the removal of religion, civics, espionage and meaningful diplomacy, Civ 5 represents what is wrong with the gaming industry. Namely, "dumb it down and add shiny graphics - but not cut scenes or movies when you win, because that is hard." Lame.… Expand
  24. nicktaste
    Aug 7, 2011
    0
    The fact this game was given such high reviews by so many critics and sits now at a "90" is a testament to the lack of credibility of many professional critics. I played civilization 4 as well as other previous civ titles and I can easily say this game is a huge disappointment. The game is simply boring, tedious, and not fun. You can not stack units and the AI is far inferior to the AI ofThe fact this game was given such high reviews by so many critics and sits now at a "90" is a testament to the lack of credibility of many professional critics. I played civilization 4 as well as other previous civ titles and I can easily say this game is a huge disappointment. The game is simply boring, tedious, and not fun. You can not stack units and the AI is far inferior to the AI of Civ4. This game simply does not live up to its predecessor.… Expand
  25. Denta-80
    Oct 23, 2010
    9
    I already played on the Amiga Civ1 and can regard thus as a veteran. CIV became from everyone part appeared in my opinion worse. The play remained always equivalent only ever more unimportant things implentiert which I does not need and which obscure the play to have made (politics with different parties are not sowas of unnecessarily straight in the today's time where 90% of the people inI already played on the Amiga Civ1 and can regard thus as a veteran. CIV became from everyone part appeared in my opinion worse. The play remained always equivalent only ever more unimportant things implentiert which I does not need and which obscure the play to have made (politics with different parties are not sowas of unnecessarily straight in the today's time where 90% of the people in politics to interestâ… Expand
  26. R1911
    Dec 7, 2010
    10
    Civilization V was probably my most anticipated game of 2010, and I have to say, after playing it since release, that it is a magnificent game. Graphically speaking, Civ5 is absolutely beautiful particularly if you can get to the higher end of its flexible graphical capabilities. The leader screen was a little bit lower than what I was expecting but they are still wonderful to look at andCivilization V was probably my most anticipated game of 2010, and I have to say, after playing it since release, that it is a magnificent game. Graphically speaking, Civ5 is absolutely beautiful particularly if you can get to the higher end of its flexible graphical capabilities. The leader screen was a little bit lower than what I was expecting but they are still wonderful to look at and I sometimes find myself taking just a little time to appreciate the environment. It should be noted, though, that this games Direct X 10 and Direct X 11 features have a few issues. You might have to update your OS and update the DX from the games files in the SteamApps, and after that launch it from the Steam Store to work, but I did manage to get it to work (though it was a little more annoying than it should have been). The game also can have an issue of loading the landscape after you are already in the game which is a little annoying when you first jump in, but it isn't a great issue. With regards to the sound, the sound effects are about as good as a game of this nature can have. Sure, it isn't absolutely fantastic by other genre standards, but for a strategy game it is top-notch. The voice acting is also well done and you can definitely hear at least traces of emotion unless you are talking to maybe Hiawatha who tends to be a little more calm and emotionless. The soundtrack on this game is also terrific, though, I would say Civ4 had a better one. Now, when you get into the actual gameplay, you will notice a few (or, maybe better to say a lot) of changes have been made to Civ4. There no longer are religions in this game nor are the civics (both of which are disappointing to lose). Civics are replaced with Social Policies, though, which do affect the game like civics, but the way the system works just isn't as enjoyable. There are city-states which can slightly affect the game (and plays a huge role in the diplomatic victory) and (when playing against the AI) can affect relations with other civs, but not to the magnitude religion sometimes would in Civ4. The diplomacy screen has also had some minor changes (ex. you can enter research agreements but can't trade technologies) and has taken a more psychological turn rather than the useful turn (ex. Pact of Cooperation and Pact of Secrecy don't do much to the overall game except maybe affect the way you look at a civ and the way they look at you). However, this game isn't a complete downgrade to Civ4. The accessibility of in-game options is made much easier with the new interface and that makes the game a little more enjoyable when working the smaller details of running your civ and the game options. The game also runs a little slower than Civ4 which, while this may annoy some players, it actually seems to help you immerse yourself more in and enjoy the experience of working your civ. The combat, also, has been seriously upgraded. While the developers might have gone a little extreme in removing stacks (a few discussions among the community would have preferred it if they allowed three to five stack caps), it still is enjoyable and tactical not to mention that now ranged units are actually, well, ranged units. They can fire over numerous tiles (generally two). The game also encourages taking tactical advantages on the terrain and organizing attacks (particularly against cities) much more than the previous Civ games. Now, I will say that the AI of this game is really poor right now (currently Firaxis is working on improving it). They don't really settle new continents (sometimes they do, but generally not) and they also aren't very good at stopping you from securing a diplomatic victory on any difficulty level. This is probably the greatest problem with the game's actual gameplay. Now, one thing I must mention before I close is that the modding right now in this game is having a lot of bugs with a lot (if not most) mods not working at all. Not many people know if this is a problem with the mod itself or with the game, but most have confirmed it is not a problem with the person downloading it. Just a warning in case you are getting this strictly for modding (though it will probably be fixed). In the end, I would probably give Civ5 anywhere between a 9.5-9.7. It isn't perfect, but it definitely isn't worth a bad review in my opinion. If you are a long-time Civ fan, then I would definitely advise this. If you are new, then I'd try out the demo (though you might want the full game to know more specifics of how to play). If you have any doubts (and considering some might be disappointed with this game after Civ3 and Civ4) then I would definitely download the demo on Steam and at least give it a try.… Expand
  27. Caobei
    Oct 20, 2010
    1
    Beautiful graphics and some nice changes, but this game took a turn for the worse and seemed to feed off the PS3 version more than the PC games. I highly anticipated this game and feel quite let down having been a player of Civ I on up, the lack of depth in diplomacy,no espionage, homogenized leaders and countries. I do not recommend this game if you're a big fan of the PC games. If youBeautiful graphics and some nice changes, but this game took a turn for the worse and seemed to feed off the PS3 version more than the PC games. I highly anticipated this game and feel quite let down having been a player of Civ I on up, the lack of depth in diplomacy,no espionage, homogenized leaders and countries. I do not recommend this game if you're a big fan of the PC games. If you enjoyed the style of PS3 version this is an upgrade and quite enjoyable at that level.… Expand
  28. Jerik02
    Oct 4, 2011
    3
    Having enjoyed each Civ game, this was a total let down. Civ 5 is a giant step backwards in terms of complexity and is not even worth the $15 I paid for it as a steam special. Once you get past the new graphics - which I'd happily do away with for greater game complexity - Civ 5 feels hollow and dumbed down. It is obvious which game review sites/magazines are paid off for positive reviewsHaving enjoyed each Civ game, this was a total let down. Civ 5 is a giant step backwards in terms of complexity and is not even worth the $15 I paid for it as a steam special. Once you get past the new graphics - which I'd happily do away with for greater game complexity - Civ 5 feels hollow and dumbed down. It is obvious which game review sites/magazines are paid off for positive reviews as the user reviews are resoundingly negative and disappointed. I agree with comments stating how the AI is poor, diplomacy is neutered and practically meaningless. The new civics program doesn't gel well with the historical policies of civilizations. It is also virtually impossible to maintain a large army due to special resources being required for certain units. Please tell me why I need aluminum to build modern armor or a missile cruiser, when neither use aluminum in the "real world". Overall the game is poorly designed and rushed to the market. It is a crappy product hidden in a nicely wrapped box. I want my money back.… Expand
  29. Industrial
    Nov 4, 2010
    8
    An excellent game. I haven't played civilization since CIV2, and it really is quite fun. It was easy to get into the game and start playing, etc. I haven't had any performance issues, crashes, etc. It got a little boring around 1300 AD for me, but quickly got interesting again.
  30. c87
    Dec 8, 2010
    3
    It seems like a good game, but it just keeps on crashing in the middle of a game. Get the problem fixed and it would be a decent game. I wouldn't recommend anyone buys the game until this problem is fixed, as it's just a waste of money at the moment.
  31. shinerboy
    Jan 6, 2011
    9
    One of the worst things about the gaming industry these years, specifically PC, requires you to have a much better system. Civilization V is one of those things that just requires a better computer. If your system is not up to date, well, Civ is going to be tough to play.
    Civilization is a wonderful game, etching out the grand scale of empire across millennia. It's your road, and your    One of the worst things about the gaming industry these years, specifically PC, requires you to have a much better system. Civilization V is one of those things that just requires a better computer. If your system is not up to date, well, Civ is going to be tough to play.
    Civilization is a wonderful game, etching out the grand scale of empire across millennia. It's your road, and your decision. Each civilization is complete in it's own, the worlds greatest superpowers (well, somewhat - never understood why the Songhai Empire was there when the Spain and Portugal were left out) are melded to your command. As time passes you will be attached to the empire you created. It is relieving. It wastes time. It is quite the game.
    Immersing game play is not short in Civilization V, you will go to war and you will live through peace, you will race to construct magnificent wonders that bolster your culture and other key importances. I will admit it was probably the poorest release game I've ever heard of, but the updates came (more may come) and the game is just golden for me. It's definitely a keeper.    … Expand
  32. Mantriur
    Jan 14, 2011
    3
    First of all let me say that it is a bit unfair to rate a game 0, just because you had specific expectations it did not match. :P

    That being said, Civilization V is most obviously not a sequel to what we have come to know as the Civilization series. Yes, there are similarities on a very shallow level, but comparing Civ IV with Civ V is like comparing a Ferrari with a compact car. Yes,    First of all let me say that it is a bit unfair to rate a game 0, just because you had specific expectations it did not match. :P

    That being said, Civilization V is most obviously not a sequel to what we have come to know as the Civilization series. Yes, there are similarities on a very shallow level, but comparing Civ IV with Civ V is like comparing a Ferrari with a compact car. Yes, they are both cars. The latter isn't useless and does get the job done, but it's no Ferrari.

    Civ V does introduce very few interesting concepts, which could have improved the series overall. But it fails to deliver any depth whatsoever. It is a decent strategy game, but also suffers from quite a few bugs and performance issues, which spoil the little good it has going for it.

    Waiting between 20 seconds and two minutes for one AI turn, when you don't have anything to do during your turns anyway, is pretty much the last straw. It just leaves one wondering how Civ IV manages to deliver a much better AI in a much more complex environment much faster. Design is a matter of taste, but code quality is a hard factor, and the coders for Civ V were exceptionally bad.

    All in all, this isn't more than a 4. It does have the potential to be a 6 or 7, if all issues can be ironed out, but that is rarely the case with any game.

    If you are new to the franchise, have an obscenely overpower CPU (AI load is mostly on one core), and too much time, go for it. If you are a hardcore Civ fan, don't waste your money.    … Expand
  33. dismuter
    Feb 15, 2011
    4
    I've played all the Civilization games since the first one came out. I like the gameplay changes in Civilization V like hex tiles and not being able to stack units. It makes sense, and it's probably something I'd be missing if I played earlier games. It's a shame to lose civilizations and gameplay features such as religion and espionage which were in Civ4 BtS, but the game can definitelyI've played all the Civilization games since the first one came out. I like the gameplay changes in Civilization V like hex tiles and not being able to stack units. It makes sense, and it's probably something I'd be missing if I played earlier games. It's a shame to lose civilizations and gameplay features such as religion and espionage which were in Civ4 BtS, but the game can definitely be fun without them and I can understand that they need reasons to release expansion packs or DLCs for Civ V too.
    What I find totally unacceptable is how rushed out the game seems to be. I only started playing it 5 months after its release and even with the patches released in those first five months, the multiplayer experience is still abysmal.
    First, there is no button in the interface to manually save the game, you have to either rely on auto saves, or know and use the shortcut : Ctrl+S. This is probably the single most stupid thing in the game. But it gets worse because if you decide to load the game later, you can only choose from the auto saves! You can circumvent that by manually moving your manual save in the auto save folder, but it's still very stupid.
    So that was the most stupid problem, now let's move on to the most annoying:
    After a good number of turns, when you get to the medieval times, it takes ages for anything you want to do to actually happen. If you give out any command (moving units, setting a construction in a city, requesting a deal with another civ, *anything*), you have to wait a significant number of seconds before the games acknowledges it, and in the meantime it looks like it didn't get your command and needs you to repeat it. For example, when you move a unit, the unit just stays where it was, as if it completely ignored what you just asked it to do. The game doesn't hang, you can continue doing other stuff (which will also be temporarily ignored), then after a few seconds the unit suddenly decides to obey your instructions and move.
    Another annoying thing that comes to mind is when a worker is automated at the beginning of the turn it asks for instructions, but then figures out that it's automated.
    It's not even a problem with computer performance or network bandwidth, as neither was maxed out on my system and those of the friends I tried to play the game with. It's simply bad programming.
    I don't have time enumerate everything which defines the game as hardly beta-quality, but I can assure you that if you plan on using the multiplayer part of the game, you'd better wait to see if the publisher releases a patch which makes it playable.
    And for those who already bought the game, you can boycott the DLCs and expansions until they get the basic game fixed.
    I give 7 points for the acceptable single-player experience (which apparently was also bug-ridden when the game came out) and subtract 3 for treating gamers like beta-testers. I do hope they fix the multi-player, but I'm not holding my breath.    … Expand
  34. los_majklos
    Oct 27, 2012
    3
    Well this game brought some genuine graphics and UI design. But it did not succeed in many areas. The AI is way too aggressive and at higher levels you often end up being declared war by 5 out of 7 AI opponents. What a frustrating experience. Also everything is taking still very long, you cant complete game in decent number of hours, it will be like 5 or more hours to win. I think it'sWell this game brought some genuine graphics and UI design. But it did not succeed in many areas. The AI is way too aggressive and at higher levels you often end up being declared war by 5 out of 7 AI opponents. What a frustrating experience. Also everything is taking still very long, you cant complete game in decent number of hours, it will be like 5 or more hours to win. I think it's possible today to make it faster and save you from all the tedious activities, deciding what to build on every single hex in every single turn. You should be able to set your typical path through the tech and build trees and reuse those. The final spoiler is, that anything you do, you will end up in war. Even if you try to be polite and nice, there is no peace alternative in real game, it is only theoretical. I managed to win peacefully once from like 30 attempts and it was by mere luck anyway. So this game does copy typical american colonial consumeristic philosophy - expand, fight, kill and consume. More means always better. What a disappointment.… Expand
  35. Duncan922
    Mar 9, 2011
    4
    I've played ALL the Civilization games, including Alpha Centaury, and this is the first time that I've been disappointed by Sid Meier! Let's get the obvious out of the way first.... The game is gorgeous! But Civ games have never been about the graphics anyways, so focusing on that is like reviewing a Ferrari for it's interiors. First and foremost... The loading times! JEeeezz... TheI've played ALL the Civilization games, including Alpha Centaury, and this is the first time that I've been disappointed by Sid Meier! Let's get the obvious out of the way first.... The game is gorgeous! But Civ games have never been about the graphics anyways, so focusing on that is like reviewing a Ferrari for it's interiors. First and foremost... The loading times! JEeeezz... The code-monkeys behind this atrocity should be whipped! Perhaps in supercomputers with a Core i7 with liquid-cooling and 16Gb of Ram the game plays smoothly, but in down-to-earth specs, the wasted time between loading and turns is just inexcusable. Then there's the new interface. Can someone please tell me how the heck do I figure out which of my cities is producing the most "production" so I can tell it to build a wonder? Or what type of luxury resources and how many do I hold so I can make proper trade agreements BEFORE I go into a trade agreement? A strategy game is all about information so you can... believe it or not... build up a strategy. But this incarnation of Civilization is dumbed down to cater to a new audience, which boggles my mind! The Civ franchise has always sold well... Why did they need to mess up the formula? If it ain't broke....… Expand
  36. jarnold
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    I am sorely disappointed. I love the old civilization games, and was looking forward to this game for quite some time. The graphics are hardly better than Civ 4, and there are loads of glitches. The lag is horrible, and there are fewer choices of people or options. They dumbed it down. This may be fine for an introduction to the Civilization series, but I wanted a step forward, notI am sorely disappointed. I love the old civilization games, and was looking forward to this game for quite some time. The graphics are hardly better than Civ 4, and there are loads of glitches. The lag is horrible, and there are fewer choices of people or options. They dumbed it down. This may be fine for an introduction to the Civilization series, but I wanted a step forward, not simplification.… Expand
  37. kruelgor
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    The game was designed by a young novice, John Shaffer. The end result is an unfinished and unpolished mess. The game itself is okay. The mod tools that came included are extremely user unfriendly and are bug ridden. Very poor game.
  38. Repper
    Mar 17, 2011
    3
    If I were to sum up this game using just one word I'd use the word "Disappointment." They've conjured up a great deal of new ideas to revolutionize this game, but in combination with all the flaws this game isn't worth it at all. If you are a fan of previous Civ games that liked the created depth of the game, that liked having multiple ways to win the game, that liked better diplomacy,If I were to sum up this game using just one word I'd use the word "Disappointment." They've conjured up a great deal of new ideas to revolutionize this game, but in combination with all the flaws this game isn't worth it at all. If you are a fan of previous Civ games that liked the created depth of the game, that liked having multiple ways to win the game, that liked better diplomacy, espionage, religion, and cooperations, then stick with Civ 4.… Expand
  39. gianfrc
    Mar 19, 2011
    4
    There is no comparison with Civilization IV, it has less features and and major flow in politics and in expanding your territory. War is no fun any more. Civ V just has cool graphics and, nah that is all. Since i bought Civ IV each time I played I spent 5 -7 playing. In CIV V i get bored at the first hour.
  40. andreaskarlsson
    Mar 27, 2011
    0
    The game runs very poorly on my new macbook pro i5 with SSD. In addition to this the game crashes after playing only a few minutes. The graphics have to be set to the lowest quality for the game to run at all and thus are awful. A purely horrible experience and such a disappointment that I had to make an account here and express my opinion. I would gladly take my money back for this one!
  41. WookieInHeat
    Oct 26, 2011
    1
    as a long time fan of the civ series, this one was a massive disappointment. it seems they've removed or "streamlined" many aspects of the civ formula that made all the predecessors to this one great games.

    by far the most glaring issue is the AI. the AI in civ games was always a weak point, but in this one the stupidity of the AI players is on a whole new level. small empires with no    as a long time fan of the civ series, this one was a massive disappointment. it seems they've removed or "streamlined" many aspects of the civ formula that made all the predecessors to this one great games.

    by far the most glaring issue is the AI. the AI in civ games was always a weak point, but in this one the stupidity of the AI players is on a whole new level. small empires with no army will declare war on huge empires with massive armies, friendly empires will denounce you for having too many units in their territory after you've just rescued them from being conquered and returned their cities, declaring war on too many other civs will cause friendly civs to denounce you as a "war monger", even if all the civs you declared war on were attacking your friends, etc.    … Expand
  42. Incogntiodies
    Nov 6, 2010
    6
    A good but simply incomplete release. This is an overhauled version of civ, there isn't much remaining of the previous game's finely tuned mechaics. So as you might expect there are some aspects that work well, and some that make you scatch your head. Overall the game makes a refreshing change from its predecessor, and still retains that addictive civ feeling. Why 6/10 then? Simply put,A good but simply incomplete release. This is an overhauled version of civ, there isn't much remaining of the previous game's finely tuned mechaics. So as you might expect there are some aspects that work well, and some that make you scatch your head. Overall the game makes a refreshing change from its predecessor, and still retains that addictive civ feeling. Why 6/10 then? Simply put, the AI is atrocious. It has absolutely no idea how to fight a war, and engaging in diplomacy is both confusing and frustrating. The only way to play a decent game against the AI is to give it ridiculously large handicaps on the highest difficulty settings, which just feels stupid (and it's still not that hard). Multiplayer is OK. Barebones, but it works. Frankly if you haven't bought civ 5 yet and are thinking about it, I would wait 6 or 12 months for the game to be fully patched up before considering it again.… Expand
  43. Scanton
    Apr 20, 2011
    6
    This is a fantastic game to play when it works a buggy, laggy frustrating mess of a game when it doesnâ
  44. 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
  45. ghostknight
    Mar 12, 2012
    4
    A big disappointment. I'm a big fan since Civ 1. A year ago i was still playing Civ 2 on my laptop from time to time. The only thing i liked was the combat system. Game is pretty shallow for a civ game and lacks lots of things previous games had. Policy system is a joke, probably taken from tabletop it's not suitable for a computer game. I can only recommend this game to people who areA big disappointment. I'm a big fan since Civ 1. A year ago i was still playing Civ 2 on my laptop from time to time. The only thing i liked was the combat system. Game is pretty shallow for a civ game and lacks lots of things previous games had. Policy system is a joke, probably taken from tabletop it's not suitable for a computer game. I can only recommend this game to people who are novice to turn based games or casual players who don't want to spend too much time for a single game.

    The fact that this game had a high score from the critics is another joke in my opinion.    … Expand
  46. vasek45
    Jun 2, 2012
    1
    The single player is good and works fine. The games itself is not as deep as previous games but that's not the worst thing for me. The worst thing is: my 3 friends and me have bought this game on steam last weekend to play multiplayer. It's been like 1.5 years since realese, right? But it's still incredibly unstable. The "please wait" bug is ridiculous. For each 100 turns we reloaded theThe single player is good and works fine. The games itself is not as deep as previous games but that's not the worst thing for me. The worst thing is: my 3 friends and me have bought this game on steam last weekend to play multiplayer. It's been like 1.5 years since realese, right? But it's still incredibly unstable. The "please wait" bug is ridiculous. For each 100 turns we reloaded the game around 6-7 times. And after the second time our save became corrupted and we couldn't make it to the next turn because of the bug, we simply deleted the game. Multiplayer is simply unplayable. Also, typos in russian version are horrible. 1C-Softclub just as usual did their awful job.
    If not for multiplayer, i'd put it 6/10, because despite the lack of religion and other cool things previous parts had, it's still a rather enjoyable game. But the multiplayer just doesn't work properly for us. Therefore => 1/10    … Expand
  47. dsacedon
    Jun 9, 2012
    0
    I can`t play, I waste myI can`t play, I waste my time.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................… Expand
  48. toad_svk
    Jul 29, 2012
    3
    Boring game, nice but boring. Same thing than Civilization 3 (the only other one I played): play a couple of games when you're really bored then put back in its box where it belongs.
    Couple of things that annoyed me:
    - no real information accessible (like: how many happiness this town is generating ? from what ?) so you never know what to do when you capture a new city - stupid, dumb,    Boring game, nice but boring. Same thing than Civilization 3 (the only other one I played): play a couple of games when you're really bored then put back in its box where it belongs.
    Couple of things that annoyed me:
    - no real information accessible (like: how many happiness this town is generating ? from what ?) so you never know what to do when you capture a new city
    - stupid, dumb, irrational AI ever: I am at war with some Civ, we make peace, another Civ crushes them, I liberate them, they're on guard towards me (despite the liberation..) then 20 rounds later, when they spawn one pikeman, they decide its a good thing to declare war on me (with my numerous tanks and foreign legion, good going AI!)
    - advisors interface completely designed by indian staff (yes offense): like 10 pages saying the same thing about which city is best to develop military units (instead of putting it on one page...)
    - talking about the advisors: they're high, and I mean real high: I am at war with a more powerful CIV (at least I guess in term of number of units) and Im kicking their asses (like 13 victories on 15 battles -> resulting in destruction of enemy units) and still the military advisor tells me the war is going bad.
    - nasty scrolling bug when you click on next turn: if you go on some side of the screen, it will scroll forever until the end of opponent actions
    - automatic selection of unit horrible: like you manually select an unit at some critical place in the game (like a big fight), it will then go somewhere else completely (despite the fact you actually shown interest for THIS specific place), ok maybe there was a setting for that, I didnt look for it.
    - there is no automatic focus on enemy / ally movement sometimes so you might miss what is happening (not when it involves you - thanks god)

    If you want the rolls of management game, try Anno series, if you want the rolls of Turn based strategy / fighting game (well the fighting is more deep so it might not be the best choice for you), try Total War series...    … Expand
  49. Qgal5kap
    Mar 8, 2013
    2
    As a kid, I remember waiting for the original Civilization to come out. I don't know how many times I read the review and how much I waited. The actual experience was amazing. I've played every single Civ game since then, and I've always been a huge fan of the franchise. I feel the quality of it all, started to fall with civ4,
    and came to it's climax with Civ5. It's almost like a    As a kid, I remember waiting for the original Civilization to come out. I don't know how many times I read the review and how much I waited. The actual experience was amazing. I've played every single Civ game since then, and I've always been a huge fan of the franchise. I feel the quality of it all, started to fall with civ4,
    and came to it's climax with Civ5. It's almost like a derivative of the music industry. They make cool bands play crap songs, in order to sell more records.

    Civ 5 was massively dumbed down, in order to reach a broader audience. As so many others have said,
    the lack of proper politics, tech trading and the likes, just makes this a very boring experience.

    I am not going to mention the bugs in this review, but the game is full of them!    … Expand
  50. braeden
    Jun 25, 2013
    9
    Probably the best Civilization game thus far especially for anyone looking just fun strategy gaming. The game looks gorgeous and features some new features like hex-tiles and social policies (get to select civilization bonuses when culture grows enough).

    Can't say if this is the best CIV game (or not) for all you hardcore strategy nuts since I'm not that hardcore myself. I do think that    Probably the best Civilization game thus far especially for anyone looking just fun strategy gaming. The game looks gorgeous and features some new features like hex-tiles and social policies (get to select civilization bonuses when culture grows enough).

    Can't say if this is the best CIV game (or not) for all you hardcore strategy nuts since I'm not that hardcore myself. I do think that the current user score (7.2) is unfair. If this was was non-civilization game, the score would easily be around 8 or 9.    … Expand
  51. Zlegoguy
    Jul 10, 2013
    10
    Very great and fluid running game. enhance that experience by getting at least the major 2 addons as they offer vast amounts of new content for your money. If you love strategy games, this ones for you.
  52. 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
  53. contract
    Nov 6, 2013
    10
    Graphics 10/10 The games runs very smoothly and was everything I come to expect from an next gen strategy game

    Game play 10/10 Quite possibly the most addictive game I've ever played. There is so much replay value, I know I will be playing this for years to come.
  54. 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.
  55. 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
  56. 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
  57. 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.
  58. 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
  59. 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...!
  60. 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.
  61. FRONKENST3IN
    Sep 26, 2010
    10
    Some minor things prevent me from giving Sid Meier's Civilzation V the 10/10. There are some minor glitches, but in the end I cannot agree with people saying "It's the same old game ..." - yes, it feels still like Civilzation but the new tactical aspects, i.e. hex cells and no more piles of death make the game much more enjoyable for me.

    You can easily spend 15-20 hours on a Standard    Some minor things prevent me from giving Sid Meier's Civilzation V the 10/10. There are some minor glitches, but in the end I cannot agree with people saying "It's the same old game ..." - yes, it feels still like Civilzation but the new tactical aspects, i.e. hex cells and no more piles of death make the game much more enjoyable for me.

    You can easily spend 15-20 hours on a Standard sized map, not to talk about the bigger versions. The KI seems to be Ok, but again - here are some minor glitches. To give you an example, after freeing the capital city and handing it over to the old owner again, they should be pretty happy with you (and it's even mentioned they will be grateful forever ...), but they are not.

    It will eat your time, be warned. It is the same old game ... just one more move, and then I will eat something. Usually the next time you will have a look at the clock is hours later. ;)    … Expand
  62. MeenChawitTH
    Oct 1, 2010
    10
    Super addictive game, despite that I am new to the series, the game doesn't require me too much time to pick up the pace as much as I expected from this deep strategy game. The game is extremely accessible while retaining its micro-management. Each of the civilization have its own uniqueness equally and balanced to me. Some says that the game doesn't innovate anything new, I say: would youSuper addictive game, despite that I am new to the series, the game doesn't require me too much time to pick up the pace as much as I expected from this deep strategy game. The game is extremely accessible while retaining its micro-management. Each of the civilization have its own uniqueness equally and balanced to me. Some says that the game doesn't innovate anything new, I say: would you rather see a risky experimental game on your (well-known) favorite title? Some also says that there are too few civs, I say: 18, few? you mad? How much do you want? hundred?. Only minor let down of this game is languages, while enjoying listening to another civ leaders speaks their own language to use, if you speak one of those language you can notice that: their speech doesn't exactly match the translation it's only something related to it, and I heard that some of civ leaders speaks wrong language, on top of that It is creative idea, wishing for more though… Expand
  63. Doublecross
    Sep 3, 2011
    1
    Wow, what a load of disappointing crap. If this game would just have the exact same graphics and the same game mechanics CIV 4 had, this game would be already better lol. But they dummed it down that my dicks dick could be my advisor in the game. Very dissapointed and sad :(
  64. chris999
    Oct 7, 2010
    0
    Great graphics, very beautiful to play, a lot of potential here. But it is like a great car ... that keeps stalling on you. This game has such a huge crashing problem that it is virtually unplayable, unless you stick with small maps and only 3 or 4 civilizations ... and you turn everything down to low, etc ... so what is the point then of all the eye candy then? Play Civ 4 instead.Great graphics, very beautiful to play, a lot of potential here. But it is like a great car ... that keeps stalling on you. This game has such a huge crashing problem that it is virtually unplayable, unless you stick with small maps and only 3 or 4 civilizations ... and you turn everything down to low, etc ... so what is the point then of all the eye candy then? Play Civ 4 instead. This game has to be seriously patched. Oh, the problem won't show up right away (usually), but just try playing a large map with lots of stuff happening ... and then see if you can actually win the game ... be prepared for big pauses, sloowwww map scrolling .... and then a total freeze up. Did the company release a beta or something?
    ... Until it is patched, make sure you turn everything to low or medium, make sure you have a powerful system (quad core, high end video card, etc.). Doesn't seem to make any difference whether you are running XP or Vista or Windows 7, the game game still crashes. Especially when you play a large map with many civilizations. After a while, it's like your PC just can't cope - indicates a big memory leak problem in the game. Type into Google "Civ 5 crashes" and you'll get the picture. I have a Core 2 Duo 2.16 with 9800GT and 4 gigs Ram, XP sp3. I have the latest nVidia drivers (256) .. and none of my other PC games crash like this baby. Hopefully firaxis can fix what should be an incredible Civ experience.    … Expand
  65. Rambow
    Sep 23, 2010
    10
    I always was a fan of the Civilization series and every-time they never disappoint me! A absolute genius game that will keep you playing forever! And that wasn't sarcasm :)
  66. TheHamster
    Sep 24, 2010
    10
    In previous Civ's, the AI was either too random or too smart for itself and created predictability. This time, its closer to realism. I have logged several hours in the last three to four days and the challenge is finding enough time to learn the nuances of the game. Do not let yourself jump to conclusions about how the game has muddled the depth of control that existed in previousIn previous Civ's, the AI was either too random or too smart for itself and created predictability. This time, its closer to realism. I have logged several hours in the last three to four days and the challenge is finding enough time to learn the nuances of the game. Do not let yourself jump to conclusions about how the game has muddled the depth of control that existed in previous editions! With the expanded level of units per hexagon, the stacking mechanism is no longer relevant. Also, if we are trying for realism in a turn based game, how many soldiers can actually occupy a single space? The answer is 1 of course! It's the little things that set this game apart such as the advent of marine capabilities (a realism where a unit may construct a very small raft that allows them to shuttle across a peninsula without a resource cost but simply a turn cost), the unique AI, the extensive cultures available, and of course everything else I havent discovered yet.

    In versions of old, building natural wonders in the right place at the right time usually guaranteed victory. In this version, there are many possibilities including the discoveries of natural wonders, which can tilt your experience the right way. The best way to start this game, if you are a longtime fan, is to bite the bullet and just start with the training wheel. Read the instructive tutorials and use an open mind. Soon, you will find yourself immersed and it's no longer about about brute force and numbers, but an expressive mix of strategy, position, resource and military positioning that wins your games.

    The rest is up to you to explore- and you must be willing to accept the fact that every game will truly be different than the previous while playing Civ V. You cannot simply expect the AI to roll over with a set combination of negotiation tactics, sometimes it will- sometimes it wont- and sometimes when you think you have your enemy over the barrel, you will attack, and then an ally you were playing footsie with will declare war on you and crush you from the left.

    This game is a buy- and one of my favorites of 2010    … Expand
  67. Randomname90293
    Oct 2, 2010
    10
    Easily the best Civilization game to date. Trims most of the unnecessary bloat from previous versions (espionage, troop transport over water, unwieldy armies, religion) and streamlines the game to make it the most accessible Civ without removing any of the strategy. The game runs beautifully even with the superb graphics set to max. My only complaint is with the presentation, I missEasily the best Civilization game to date. Trims most of the unnecessary bloat from previous versions (espionage, troop transport over water, unwieldy armies, religion) and streamlines the game to make it the most accessible Civ without removing any of the strategy. The game runs beautifully even with the superb graphics set to max. My only complaint is with the presentation, I miss the wonder videos and would love to see the palace or treasure room back, but these have no effect on the fantastic game play. Throw in steamworks and never having to dig up your game disc again and this is a complete package not to be missed by fans of the series or first timers looking to find out what all the fuss is about.… Expand
  68. Damon
    Oct 17, 2010
    9
    I played Civ 1 through 3 but unfortunately missed 4 due to World of Warcraft. I'm glad I waited for Civ 5, what an upgrade on every level. Amazing graphics, combat is vastly superior, the interface is much improved and easier to use. I also haven't experienced a SINGLE glitch, crash or problem - its been SOLID. If you could name your multiplayer saves and if they had included end gameI played Civ 1 through 3 but unfortunately missed 4 due to World of Warcraft. I'm glad I waited for Civ 5, what an upgrade on every level. Amazing graphics, combat is vastly superior, the interface is much improved and easier to use. I also haven't experienced a SINGLE glitch, crash or problem - its been SOLID. If you could name your multiplayer saves and if they had included end game videos, I'd give it a 10 for sure. Great job Sid, glad you're still at the top of your game.… Expand
  69. CarinWinters
    Oct 26, 2010
    9
    As a gamer whose played a few Civ games off and on, this iteration of Civ had me hooked from day one. Yes, there are some bugs, and some graphic issues but if you can look beyond that, you have a great game. Combat has been revised to be more strategic, no more stacks of death, you'll form lines, use range attacks and consider how you move your army. City-States add a new layer to theAs a gamer whose played a few Civ games off and on, this iteration of Civ had me hooked from day one. Yes, there are some bugs, and some graphic issues but if you can look beyond that, you have a great game. Combat has been revised to be more strategic, no more stacks of death, you'll form lines, use range attacks and consider how you move your army. City-States add a new layer to the game, city management is made much easier through a better clearer interface and strategic resources become a catalyst towards waging war, rapid expansion, or trade. This is probably the most accessible Civ game to date but still retains the core of what makes Civ fun. Enjoy!… Expand
  70. CmdrSoCal
    Nov 9, 2010
    3
    another incomplete rip off video game that got rave reviews from moron review sites. out of the box this game has bugs, crashes and apparently the ai is either very poorly made or just was not finished. the diplomacy/ai part of civ games is the most important part for single player. if you dont yet own i would 1) wait for it to get cheaper than 50$ and 2) check the forums to make sure theanother incomplete rip off video game that got rave reviews from moron review sites. out of the box this game has bugs, crashes and apparently the ai is either very poorly made or just was not finished. the diplomacy/ai part of civ games is the most important part for single player. if you dont yet own i would 1) wait for it to get cheaper than 50$ and 2) check the forums to make sure the ai fail and the bugs have been fixed before bying. otherwise try proven strategy games over this junk. oh and its only playable through steam as well.… Expand
  71. dddd2
    Jan 28, 2011
    1
    Dumbed-down version of Civ 4, very dissapointed, the only reason i spent 2 weeks playing it was because the everytime I pressed end turn it took up to 5 minutes for the next turn to start.
  72. Pandalicious
    Feb 2, 2011
    2
    This is a game that seems great at first but loses its shine once you dive in. The deep strategy that's been the hallmark of the Civ series just isn't there. It feels like all the years of stored up wisdom and lessons learned that had culminated in Civ 4 were thrown out the window for this one. The game is just boring now. The AI utterly sucks at combat and is schizophrenic when it comesThis is a game that seems great at first but loses its shine once you dive in. The deep strategy that's been the hallmark of the Civ series just isn't there. It feels like all the years of stored up wisdom and lessons learned that had culminated in Civ 4 were thrown out the window for this one. The game is just boring now. The AI utterly sucks at combat and is schizophrenic when it comes to diplomacy (and there's not much you can do through diplomacy anyways), so there's just not much in the ways of interesting gameplay. Huge disappointment.… Expand
  73. Serinde
    Feb 2, 2011
    1
    I was so looking forward to this game, but it was a waste of money! I have loved and played all the Civ games as well as Alpha Centauri, yet with this game I have yet to get past the 1700's due to repeated crashes. I hope it is patched soon as this is absolutely ruining the franchise for me.
  74. Bootsy1
    Feb 15, 2011
    3
    Like many have mentioned, Civ5 is a big disappointment. The main reason I give the game a barely 4 rating is because the game is very unstable and buggy. It has dozens of glitches and a big memory leak. After an hour of playing the game runs at 1.8Gb memory which is insane and shows how bad optimized it is and how rushed the game has been released. I waited to buy the game (50Euro's)Like many have mentioned, Civ5 is a big disappointment. The main reason I give the game a barely 4 rating is because the game is very unstable and buggy. It has dozens of glitches and a big memory leak. After an hour of playing the game runs at 1.8Gb memory which is insane and shows how bad optimized it is and how rushed the game has been released. I waited to buy the game (50Euro's) till now, cos I expected it to be patched several times by now, but no. It seems that the game has not been patched at all and they just left it buggy and unstable like it is now. __ The interface in the game is huge, the map is litteraly filled with huge tags and obtrusive HUDs. There supposed to be an option to make the interface smaller, but it does not work. ___ Anywho, buy this game and you get a once every 30 minutes crash, long load times and random freezes after 100 turns of playing and even start up crashes. The game also seems to be made more noob friendly and reduced the amount of real diplomatic strategy and spionage etc. Civ5 is Civ for dummies. I recommend buying Civ 4 instead of this unfinished and unstable version. This page does not alow me to rate it a 4!… Expand
  75. Slackerman
    Mar 15, 2011
    3
    As a fan of the entire series (in particular, Civ II and Civ IV), Civ V was a near-total letdown. It's marched backwards in almost every way, and it's interesting that the system requirements are steeper than Civ IV's, because Civ IV had better graphics. Diplomacy is horrible, the City States are incredibly annoying and feel like speed bumps (BIG speed bumps) on one's way to worldAs a fan of the entire series (in particular, Civ II and Civ IV), Civ V was a near-total letdown. It's marched backwards in almost every way, and it's interesting that the system requirements are steeper than Civ IV's, because Civ IV had better graphics. Diplomacy is horrible, the City States are incredibly annoying and feel like speed bumps (BIG speed bumps) on one's way to world domination. In addition, their alliances are nonsensical - how in the hell they could maintain a trade route with a rival civilization by going through MY territory is farcical. They are far too difficult to conquer. A friend of mine plays the game with the city-states turned off, which I guess is available through options. It's rather telling that a portion of the game the developers obviously spent a great deal of time on is improved when it's removed from play. Combat was not improved with the removal of stacking, as the scale of the map doesn't lend itself to formations where you can protect missile units. Add to all this the incredibly laggy (in single-player!) and worthless Diplomacy screens, the removal of espionage and religion, the dumbed down UI, the memory leaks and crashes, the fewer number of civilizations unless you pony up more money for DLC. . . . . . summed up, a huge march backwards and a horrible game. This was the game that finally taught me to ignore most "professional" reviewers on Metacritic, as it's incomprehensible that they scored it a 90. This game isn't even worth it if they dropped the price to $10 USD. Avoid it, and just keep playing Civ II or IV.… Expand
  76. Greenlemonade
    Aug 1, 2011
    10
    Long time Civ player. The hate this game has received is fueled mostly by:
    1. Peoples' tenancy to expect the release of a squeal to fulfill all their wildest dreams.
    2. Peoples' fear of change. Some specific changes for the good: The graphics are smooth and beautiful. The gameplay is streamlined and requires less micromanaging. No more stacked units!!, MUCH easier for units to travel    Long time Civ player. The hate this game has received is fueled mostly by:
    1. Peoples' tenancy to expect the release of a squeal to fulfill all their wildest dreams.
    2. Peoples' fear of change.
    Some specific changes for the good: The graphics are smooth and beautiful. The gameplay is streamlined and requires less micromanaging. No more stacked units!!, MUCH easier for units to travel across water, far superior user-friendly interface. There are plenty of other little changes to come and more gameplay balances, tweaks and fixes to come (remember everyone, EVERY civ game had bugs).
    Steam makes installation, updates, friend management and communication easy as well as adding achievements.    … Expand
  77. Thothistox
    Oct 15, 2011
    0
    This is the most disappointing sequel I have ever played. I played Civ4 for well over 1000 hours of my life. I played Civ5 for 36 hours according to Steam, and I haven`t had the slightest urge to pick it up again. Civ 5 is like Civ4 with slightly better graphics, a hexagonal playing field and a whole lot of things removed including everything I considered fun, and it was clearly made byThis is the most disappointing sequel I have ever played. I played Civ4 for well over 1000 hours of my life. I played Civ5 for 36 hours according to Steam, and I haven`t had the slightest urge to pick it up again. Civ 5 is like Civ4 with slightly better graphics, a hexagonal playing field and a whole lot of things removed including everything I considered fun, and it was clearly made by people who don`t know why gamers played the previous Civ games. Where do I begin... Let`s start with the AI. It has obviously not received any QA time whatsoever. You will repeatedly encounter the other civs behaving in a way that makes no sense whatsoever. The other civs will declare war at random, and ask you for help and then brand you a warmonger and hold a grudge against you for thousands of years because you did what they asked for and helped them. The other civs have a way of ganging up on the human-controlled civ and making demands of it that they don`t make of each other. Wonders feel useless, and instead of animations you just get a cheesy image.There is no technology trading. The technology race feels irrelevant. Making research pacts is idiotic. Renewing research pacts is idiotic. Neutral nation states that give you `missions` -- idiotic. Punishing civs for expanding by making cities exceedingly expensive while half the world map remains empty well into the industrial age -- idiotic. On occasion, other civs won`t bother to build a second city or any units for that matter. Cities are weapons -- idiotic. Archers can fire over hundreds of kilometres. Only one unit can fit per tile, meaning that vulnerable units often have no protection. This game feels like the war is actually happening between 10 soldiers versus a tank rather than a unit that symbolizes a whole infantry or armored division. The war is a cartoon of Civ4`s war. Hexagonal tiles are a very lazy improvement, and the game gains little through them. There are no ending animations and no summary of history, probably because it would expose how broken the AI is.

    If I were to make a real sequel to Civ4 here`s what I would include: 1) theatres of war: when you fight inside a tile the camera zooms in to a strategic view where your divisions are split up into smaller units that you can move around on the zoomed-in map. These units support each other with indirect fire, flanking and fighting at short range. This would be far better than having one unit per tile or having stacks of doom like in civ4. It would also be a lot more work to implement, but that is exactly what I expect from a whole new game -- which civ5 is not

    2) Better population dynamics. Assuming I have the same amount of food, it shouldn`t make any difference whether I train settler and split into two cities or not. My total population should be the same. In civ5 the population dynamics make no sense.

    3) Intead of building an army, I should build equipment and employ a segment of my population to use it. You can`t build soldiers, only give birth to them.

    4) Smart and logical AI that doesn`t attack at random.

    5) More techs and more units, including many more in the modern era.

    6) Allowing backward civs to get third-rate versions of modern weapons (the equivalent of African AK47s) without a lot of research.

    That is the kind of civ game I would like to play, but of course it would take some thought to appreciate and lots of time and effort to construct. Civ5 on the other hand was rushed and designed to look good for 5 hours, just long enough for the reviewer to give it its high mark and then give up on it.    … Expand
  78. ovoon7
    Sep 22, 2010
    10
    The king of strategy games is back. It comes packed with plenty of new features and tweaks, but the most impressive part is the presentation. The audio and visual quality is stunning as usual. Truly beautifully done. Sid Meier, don't stop making games please. But a step in a new direction next time would be nice.
  79. LD9000
    May 1, 2011
    7
    I played Civilization since version 2, and this game is ok. It's easier on Prince than civ 4, at least I've never seen over 9000 stacks suddenly appear at my borders. Well, there are no stacks anyway. The game plays differently than previous versions.
  80. Goosebump
    Mar 15, 2011
    8
    Very nice game. Was looking forward to it and am happy with it overall. The only downside for me is the inability to skip the cinematic stuff at the start promptly and in a large game that's gone on for a while, your computer may start to feel like it's suffering from Arthritis! (8 GB Ram Win7 64bit). Worth buying though to any Civ fan - very enjoyable.
  81. M_Alex
    Mar 26, 2011
    7
    This game is problematic for me. I played the demo, liked it quite a lot, bought the game, and I almost don't play it at all. This probably is tied to the fact that I'm a BIG fan of the fourth installment, which I definetly prefer. But Civ V has a number of elements that I cannot but regard as flaws: not that I'm not used to them, but that i regard them worse than in the previous part. OnThis game is problematic for me. I played the demo, liked it quite a lot, bought the game, and I almost don't play it at all. This probably is tied to the fact that I'm a BIG fan of the fourth installment, which I definetly prefer. But Civ V has a number of elements that I cannot but regard as flaws: not that I'm not used to them, but that i regard them worse than in the previous part. On the other hand, there are some very nice introductions, such as the battle system. recommendable, but if you're a hardcore fan of the previous part, you may be disappointed because the amount of changes.… Expand
  82. kalimah
    Feb 5, 2011
    5
    Owned every Civ game since they started coming out. They ruined this one by making it PC and console. The game is watered down so the console can handle it. It's a shame when they ruin great games for the PC because the console can't handle what the PC can offer. Sorry Sid! Console games are the PCs little retarded brother that can't handle BIGBOY games!
  83. ITCHOBOYROB
    Mar 1, 2011
    10
    Its astounding how much bad rep the user reviews give Civ V. The complaints are very typical. "I don't like it because it took away what I like from the previous titles." This is an understandable point of view but I feel like this thought process is preventing people from enjoying an excellent game. To these, Civ Vets, as Ill call them; I say give the game a chance! I haven't had too muchIts astounding how much bad rep the user reviews give Civ V. The complaints are very typical. "I don't like it because it took away what I like from the previous titles." This is an understandable point of view but I feel like this thought process is preventing people from enjoying an excellent game. To these, Civ Vets, as Ill call them; I say give the game a chance! I haven't had too much history with the past Civ titles. It was Civilization Revolution the reignited my interest in the series. I enjoyed its user friendliness and simplicity. This encouraged me to purchase the Civ 4 bundle. Civ 4 was fun but was a huge headache! Unit stacking was a great annoyance. A sea assault/invasion didn't feel like it should in a strategy game. The square grid setup def needed to be switched to hexs. City management screen needed some tidying up. The wonders going obsolete was a huge annoyance. While the religion thing was cool, it just seemed like it could use a change. Civ V answered all of these issues. In fact, Civ V has been so perfected that I really don't have a huge desire to play previous Civs at all. Civilization Revolution is the only previous title I still like, despite the lack of ability to mod or create maps. Civ V is an excellent game with an excellent interface. I just can't praise this game enough. I know that it will continue to take plenty of a good nights sleep and free time away from me. The layout and graphics are superb. My only complaint is that it is true that if you're running a large map, the wait time between turns is absurd. Perhaps the game is just a little ahead of its time and a stronger computer would answer this problem. This aside, the game is as fun as it is addictive and its gosh damn addictive.… Expand
  84. Sir_Sneaky
    Mar 3, 2011
    7
    A while ago, I bought Civ 4 and fell in love. For several weeks, I could barely detach myself from the game. Even now go back from time to time and enjoy playing it greatly. When Civ 5 was announced, I was excited; But for a while I wasn't able to purchase it. Recently I found it had a demo, so I took a night to play through it. It is very fun, just as fun as Civ 4. Some of the new changesA while ago, I bought Civ 4 and fell in love. For several weeks, I could barely detach myself from the game. Even now go back from time to time and enjoy playing it greatly. When Civ 5 was announced, I was excited; But for a while I wasn't able to purchase it. Recently I found it had a demo, so I took a night to play through it. It is very fun, just as fun as Civ 4. Some of the new changes I enjoyed (particularly combat and culture). That being said, some of the changes I did not enjoy (namely city states and diplomacy with the new AI). I'd say it balances out pretty well and is probably just as fun as Civ 4, but that's exactly what turned me off. I figure, why should I pay 50 dollars to get a game that i'll have as much fun with as the previous title? For this reason, I will not be buying the full version. I'm already familiar and comfortable with the interface of Civ 4 and more importantly, I already own it.

    Overall, Civ 5 is a very good game like Civ 4, and for someone new to the Civilization series who wants an out an innovative and deep strategy game, i'd say definitely go with Civ 5. But if you already own Civ 4, well, i'd say save your money, or at least make sure you play through the demo before you buy it, because you may realize, like me, that Civ 4 is good enough and you can save those 50 dollars for something else.    … Expand
  85. Ghengiz
    Mar 16, 2011
    8
    I was actually expecting a lot less than I got, so maybe my numbers are a little elevated over what they should be. Still, it felt like a great refinement of the franchise. I really missed Spock's voice, though.
  86. trpkamel
    Mar 5, 2011
    8
    Good overall game design, balanced and well polished. There might be a lack of depth and authenticity to the game, one wouldn't want to meet Vienna in southern Africa. The new tile design is a major step forward, although it fails to generate realistic maps in smaller worlds. Polished but more of the same.
  87. joen00b
    Apr 15, 2011
    7
    I got this game the day it was released. Previous releases have warranted this type of action, and, though enamored at first, I kept waiting for the challenge to appear in the game. I've run rampant through the game, getting achievements and it all seems so easy compared to the other incarnations of Civ. I gave up playing it after a month or two of decimating the game on all levels.I got this game the day it was released. Previous releases have warranted this type of action, and, though enamored at first, I kept waiting for the challenge to appear in the game. I've run rampant through the game, getting achievements and it all seems so easy compared to the other incarnations of Civ. I gave up playing it after a month or two of decimating the game on all levels.

    Steam just had a sale on all the expansions, so I grabbed them all and will be playing again. They've done a lot of patches to the AI, so we'll see what changes. The other reviews of the combat system are spot on, only 1 unit per hex is bothersome, and I'll carpet the world with units. This can be interesting for logistics of attacking, but makes it far too easy to defend.    … Expand
  88. CD001
    Jul 5, 2011
    9
    A late review based on the game as it is now - with patches. If, like me, you remember playing the original Civilization on the Amiga, you'll see how much the game has changed over the years - and this one is a big change in the series - if you can get past the "this isn't Civ 4" factor it IS a great game - hell, I've clocked up 576 hours on it according to Steam. The diplomacy systemA late review based on the game as it is now - with patches. If, like me, you remember playing the original Civilization on the Amiga, you'll see how much the game has changed over the years - and this one is a big change in the series - if you can get past the "this isn't Civ 4" factor it IS a great game - hell, I've clocked up 576 hours on it according to Steam. The diplomacy system isn't gone, it's just been streamlined - you don't need to send diplomats out - and the NPCs respond to you according to how you act (well, they'll all hate you if you're WAY out ahead)... it's actually better. Espionage IS gone though as is religion - which takes away a couple of layers of depth from the game unfortunately. The difficulty curve has been tweaked so that it doesn't jump from "too easy" to "impossible" in about a step and the cultural system has been overhauled, as has the combat (massively) it's no longer a matter of stack a thousand units on a square and romp in, you now need to utilise your ranged units, stand them behind "melee" units and fire over them - yup, no more stacking on the squares. Oh, and cities can defend themselves now. In short, so much has changed that this is a totally different game - I suspect the low scoring here is largely due to people carrying baggage over from previous Civ games. If you're prepared to approach it with fresh eyes you'll probably find it a rewarding, infinitely replayable, turn-based strategy game - much like any other Civ game (except Civ 3 which I never really liked for some reason) - Civ 5 is more about tactics, strategy and exploration and less about micro-management so an important thing to bear in mind is - THIS IS NOT CIV 4! - (it's more like a supercharged version of Civ 2 - with less railways)… Expand
  89. Quasi
    Sep 3, 2011
    9
    Heck - how can such a great game have such a low score? Yes, there are new aspects. If there were none, people would complain even more. Civ 5 is better than all other games in the series.
  90. Necrotaur
    Jun 13, 2012
    7
    I just wanted to update my review a bit now that the game has been out for a couple years and there's an expansion right around the corner. I previously rated it a 5, but looking back that was a little unfair. Civ 5 has improved quite a bit since launch, though there are still serious issues inherent to its basic design. The biggest issue is 1 Unit Per Tile (1UPT). At its heart, 1UPT is aI just wanted to update my review a bit now that the game has been out for a couple years and there's an expansion right around the corner. I previously rated it a 5, but looking back that was a little unfair. Civ 5 has improved quite a bit since launch, though there are still serious issues inherent to its basic design. The biggest issue is 1 Unit Per Tile (1UPT). At its heart, 1UPT is a poor mechanic that the AI simply cannot handle, making most wars completely one sided, and the management of a large army annoying. Other mechanics, such as happiness, limits on expansion, and diplomacy (as always) are poorly developed. Policies and the various Civilizations themselves feel neutered compared to previous games. Communism and fascism, for example, have NO penalties, whereas previously they were powerful, but had issues you needed to manage to make them work. Despite all this, Civ 5 manages to preserve its 'just one more turn' charm and you can still spend the majority of a day playing without realizing it. Hopefully the expansion will add (well, reintroduce) some much needed strategic depth in the form of religion and espionage.… Expand
  91. Strategist_78
    Aug 27, 2011
    10
    I played every single one of this game since the first Civ came out, it was just 2D icons on a 2d map, I think was the time of Simcity etc. When I got the Civ5, by just looking at the cover, I saw major difference. First I could use the ships for ground support, ground troops could attack ships, and units could fire 2-4 squares away. Great. I was quite excited until about the middle of myI played every single one of this game since the first Civ came out, it was just 2D icons on a 2d map, I think was the time of Simcity etc. When I got the Civ5, by just looking at the cover, I saw major difference. First I could use the ships for ground support, ground troops could attack ships, and units could fire 2-4 squares away. Great. I was quite excited until about the middle of my first game on huge map. The game was extremely slow after some turns and the game was freezing, and shutting down. I improved my system from recommended configuration to quad CPU, 8GB ram, SSD drive, 1GB fast graphics, 64Bit W7 etc. just to feel playable, still very heavy on hardware in later parts of the game on larger maps. The reason is that the AI players are set to mass produce units to the point where the entire area within their borders and beyond is covered with them. I mean every single square. I saw better strategy from barbarians and city states, they would probably get to the same point eventually. About the game. Not talking about all the things and concepts that are left out, there is one major problem. The AI has no strategy. There is no difference in strategy if you play on Settler or Deity difficulty other than completely unfair advantage at the start of the game. Ai just gets more units, better production, you name it. If you can barricade yourself for long enough time and fend off onslaughts of more advanced units, then you'll make it on any level. you may end up fighting arrows against infantry but only until you catch up with your research. Retreat wounded units, promote them, you'll be amazed what ultra elites can do. If AI just would sent all those units at you you would have hard time to make it, but there is only certain amount of points of attack every turn. Terrain comes handy. There is no defense against nukes, other than to attack with a nuke first especially at the city that has one. Which destroys all units at that city. I am not gonna go into more details but basically the game is fun at the beginning where you are fighting for survival, trying to get to the resources, but at some point it becomes very boring and sort of routine cleanup of other players. The whole game was very simplified, has good concepts with air-force and navy but lacks in diplomacy, tech tree, gameplay. Also after you spend all that time hunting for an iron for example, you won't need it anymore. Anyhow I can't say anything dab about, I take it with all pros and cons, just a little bit disappointed. But I see a great potential in multiplayer, human against human. AI just knows how to make "2" types of units at the end, and as long as it puts them in the water, it is just a good target practice for the airforce. So don't be afraid to be the last guy in the games based on the score sheet, with thousands of points difference, city by city unit by unit...
    If you make your economy strong by combination of culture and city management, you can spent most of the time in golden age, and also you can literally buy the world with all city states. Nuclear missile is a good cleanup tool, and since it is nothing special to build, providing that you have uranium access, just keep buying them... It is a good game but no real challenge in it. If there ever is the Civ6 I hope they keep
    this one as a base and fill in all the good features from previous versions with possibility to switch it on and off. But the main focus I would put on AI adaptive tactics and overall strategy.    … Expand
  92. moengo
    Sep 5, 2011
    10
    super jeu de stratégie alliant réflexion et plaisir de jouer. Seul petit bémol, même si le graphisme est amélioré par rapport à CIV 4 cela aurais pu être un peu mieux. je trouve dommage qu'un jeu d'une telle qualité n'est pas su profiter d'une meilleur conceptionsuper jeu de stratégie alliant réflexion et plaisir de jouer. Seul petit bémol, même si le graphisme est amélioré par rapport à CIV 4 cela aurais pu être un peu mieux. je trouve dommage qu'un jeu d'une telle qualité n'est pas su profiter d'une meilleur conception graphique.néanmoins; jeu absolument à recommander… Expand
  93. ThugLife
    Sep 8, 2011
    10
    I initially bought Civilization V on release, having played it for about an hour I wrongly believed it was inferior to its predecessors and didn't play it again until July. This time I embraced the new combat system which was my main problem with game when I first played . The new combat system allows for a more strategic approach and is ultimately more satisfying than the stacking ofI initially bought Civilization V on release, having played it for about an hour I wrongly believed it was inferior to its predecessors and didn't play it again until July. This time I embraced the new combat system which was my main problem with game when I first played . The new combat system allows for a more strategic approach and is ultimately more satisfying than the stacking of units in previous games. In other areas things have been simplified which makes the game feel faster, some people would consider this a negative but I feel it is a step forward for the series and will open the game up to more casual player new to the series. One issue with the game is that the A.I is not the best, that said I have only played on the normal difficulty level. The game's graphics are very nice indeed the downside to this means that a good computer is needed to run the game well. I have never had any technical problems with the game and always runs with zero lag and and seems very stable.… Expand
  94. stocean
    Oct 9, 2011
    9
    Civ V is definitely my favorite 4X games out there and I still play it along with Civ IV BTS(Yes! playing both is possible). The core gameplay of Civ series is still there presented in beautiful graphic and slimmed down interface coupled with very engaging combat system. The game had many issues on its first release but since then great effort from both Firaxis and Civ community hasCiv V is definitely my favorite 4X games out there and I still play it along with Civ IV BTS(Yes! playing both is possible). The core gameplay of Civ series is still there presented in beautiful graphic and slimmed down interface coupled with very engaging combat system. The game had many issues on its first release but since then great effort from both Firaxis and Civ community has improved this game a lot more just like in 2005 they did to Civ IV.… Expand
  95. Orctownorc
    Jun 8, 2013
    7
    When published this game was still born, the WORST Civ game by far. It had bugs, LAG and constant crash to desktop. THE AI was stupid and the whole thing was just a mess of data that did not add up to a good game. Nearly three years later, and basically three years of WORK on improving the game and we can finally say this is indeed a GOOD game. Gods and Kings is NECESSARY, and all the DLCWhen published this game was still born, the WORST Civ game by far. It had bugs, LAG and constant crash to desktop. THE AI was stupid and the whole thing was just a mess of data that did not add up to a good game. Nearly three years later, and basically three years of WORK on improving the game and we can finally say this is indeed a GOOD game. Gods and Kings is NECESSARY, and all the DLC helps, but bundled together and on sale Civ 5 is finally the game it should have been at launch. Well done Firaxis! Cudos for a rare show of professional pride and persistence! A good game now, worthy of the Civilisation name. Not as good as Civ 4, but close.… Expand
  96. 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.
  97. 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
  98. Zebb
    Sep 23, 2010
    9
    Civilization V is an excellent game in one of PC gaming's greatest franchises. As a longtime fan of the series, I was eagerly awaiting the release, and I'm pleased to say that while there is some room for improvement, the game's overall quality greatly exceeded my expectations. The change in combat systems, with the switch to hex tiles and elimination of the much-maligned Stack of Doom,Civilization V is an excellent game in one of PC gaming's greatest franchises. As a longtime fan of the series, I was eagerly awaiting the release, and I'm pleased to say that while there is some room for improvement, the game's overall quality greatly exceeded my expectations. The change in combat systems, with the switch to hex tiles and elimination of the much-maligned Stack of Doom, is by far the game's greatest accomplishment, shoring up one of the franchise's two major historic problems. The other, sadly, still has some work yet needed; that being the ineffectiveness of the AI, especially in diplomatic situations. The worst example I've seen in gameplay so far was when a computer player on the opposite side of the continent declared war on me, never moved any units anywhere near me (and vice-versa), and twenty or so turns later offered a peace agreement with a sizable tribute despite no actual conflict ever occuring. But aside from AI foibles, and the rather steep system requirements, the game is a hit on all accounts. The same deliciously addictive ego-fluffer for the megalomaniac in all of us, all in a more inviting, user-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing package. Perfect for old fans and newbies alike.… Expand
  99. EvilJester
    Oct 7, 2010
    10
    This game is wonderful. It's one of the most approachable Civ games I've ever played, whether you're a Civ vet or a newcomer. The interface is really clean and doesn't clutter the screen like in previous Civ games. One of the big things I loved about this game was the world leaders. Being a language geek, I thought the fact that each of the leaders speaks in their native language.This game is wonderful. It's one of the most approachable Civ games I've ever played, whether you're a Civ vet or a newcomer. The interface is really clean and doesn't clutter the screen like in previous Civ games. One of the big things I loved about this game was the world leaders. Being a language geek, I thought the fact that each of the leaders speaks in their native language. Little touches like that make this one of the great games released this year.… Expand
  100. Frostbite
    Oct 9, 2010
    10
    Ah, Civilization. This series has kept me up many a night, expanding my empires to try and take down my enemies will pure tactics. And this fifth iteration of the series will not disappoint, not at all. The first thing you are probably going to notice when you boot this game up is the graphics. They are simply amazing; the hills and oceans and deserts look so real you'll want to make sureAh, Civilization. This series has kept me up many a night, expanding my empires to try and take down my enemies will pure tactics. And this fifth iteration of the series will not disappoint, not at all. The first thing you are probably going to notice when you boot this game up is the graphics. They are simply amazing; the hills and oceans and deserts look so real you'll want to make sure that this game isn't actually real. And there are some changes made to things like the interface, movement, and quite a few other things. These changes mostly are to make the game easier for new players to jump in, and I promise you it won't ruin the experience for Civ vets. Also you'll notice that the standard square-spaces have been replaced with hexes. Honestly, this changes pretty much nothing, and you'll adjust to it within moments of playing. You get a diverse selection of leaders with different abilities; instead of things like higher health in cities you get abilities like having units fight at full strength even when wounded, or having your navy be more powerful. The game itself runs as smooth as butter (Or something else that is really smooth, like ice cream) even on lower-end systems, and even when you crank up the graphics it still will give you 40+ FPS, an amazing feat. If you enjoyed any of the previous Civ titles, or if you like strategy games, get this game.… Expand
Page:

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
See all critic reviews »