Good: Solid strategy, quick pace, easy and intuitive controls, good entry point for series newcomers
Bad: One-dimensional A.I., oversimplifies the series
Choose it If: You want to take strategy gaming on the go
It is Sid Meier’s Civilization. And at the same time, it’s not.
And that’s all according to plan, because Civilization: Revolution 2 is not built for your traditional Civ fan. It’s not meant to appeal to those who spend hours upon hours staring at computers, constructing wonders and maneuvering Great People and carefully managing resources.
It’s for iPad users. And that’s exactly how it feels. It’s the first Civ game released only on the iPad, and it’s rebuilt to hit that crowd. That means a more relaxed, less detail-oriented brand of Sid Meier strategy, one that’s occasionally mindlessly finger-tappy. Is it fun? As long as you have a taste for war.
The Revolution spin-off series first materialized six years ago, as a console-friendly version of an ultra-complicated series, and with Revolution 2, things get even simpler. Sure, this is still turn-based strategy, and you’ll settle cities, research technologies and meet other civilizations in the world. But it’s meant to be played quickly, games completed in one sitting.
All of that leads to a kinder, gentler, simpler brand of Civ that only some will love.
The game is easy to pick up and learn, something that’s a must for the iPad gamer. You start the game by selecting a civilization and a leader from a vast array of historical choices. From there, you’ll build your civilization as you please, starting with one city, exploring the world map, settling other cities as you go. It’s all accomplished easily and intuitively, with slightly arcade-y visuals on the world map and Sims-like babbling from world leaders. The lone omission from the interface is a mini-map to provide you with context on the size of the world, although it’s a minor issue in a game that’s meant to be over in less than a day.
But the interface isn’t the only thing that’s been pared down. The challenge and nuance of the game has been dialed back greatly for the iPad crowd, but you can’t truly complain about the lack of diplomacy and trading options. After all, this is a sprint of a portable title.
There are still four ways to win your game in Revolution 2, and you can be a peaceful culture and still experience success. But one way – war – is the way of the game’s A.I. and the way the game pushes you, and that somewhat sullies the experience.
In all those classic Civ games, you could play a variety of ways, and technically, that’s possible here, too. But you’ll be besieged by war threats, often ruining the peace and calm of the technological victory you may have been chasing.
This is somewhat due to what seems like an aggressive A.I. and partly due to the simple nature of making Civ portable and quick. The years pass faster, so wars occur more quickly, and smaller maps mean you’re bumping up against other nations with far greater frequency, inviting far more opportunities for war.
Then again, this is supposed to be a different brand of Civ, and for its new crowd, it achieves its end. It’s a simple game to pick up and play, calm enough that I completed a game in just a few hours while watching TV. It’s not meant to force a gamer to focus intently; instead, I could take a few turns, watch a World Cup game, then turn my attention back to Revolution 2 and still be able to jump back into the action (even without the mini-map).
It’s a simpler, lighter version of the title, and that makes it the perfect entry point for those who want more depth than your typical iOS title may offer.
If you’re a hardcore strategy gamer looking for an iOS fix, you’re better off looking at 2K’s other iPad title, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, for your fix. But if you’re new to the strategy genre, Civ: Revolutions 2 is worth a look.
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