SimHQ.com - Land Combat Zone - Review: Battle of Two Turned Based Strategy Games

Most gamers know of Sid Meier. He is considered by many as one of the greatest game makers in computer game history. He's most famous for the Civilization series, which now bears his name (along with every other game he now makes).

In Civilization IV you still rule your empire through history from the dawn of man until much later in the future. You learn and implement new technologies, you wage war with your neighbors or you can be civil about it and develop diplomacy with them. Your overall goal is to become the most powerful leader in the virtual world.

Civilization IV has gone 3D along with a whole lot of changes and extras added to "up" the game play. You now have detailed environments where animals roam wild and become as big a problem as the much hated barbarians, which are also still here but now with their own little villages. If you don’t put them in check quickly, they reproduce and become more of a headache. The interface has received a much needed overhaul and looks and plays beautifully now.

Some of the new features in Civ IV include the introduction of religion, the introduction of great people who can perform certain actions immediately for your civilization. Holy cities are introduced and culture is expanded. You have your typical air, land, and sea units that develop and improve with time and study.

One of the features that never really seemed to work in Civ II or III was multiplayer. Well Sid got it right with Civilization IV. You can have a multiplayer that remains turn-based, one at a time, or you can set-it-up where you both take your turns at the same time and then it plays out. Or the newest feature PBEM: Play By Email. It takes forever to PBEM, but it’s always nice to play your turn when you want. What’s great about multiplayer is that you can join whenever and take over the AI. You can then leave and let the AI take charge until you return or until the end. Multiplayer is very well through in Civ IV.

Civilization IV also comes with tools that any modder should need to make modifications, new missions, or even new units. Civ IV has been done in XML code, so it has become very modder friendly. Civilization IV even comes with a number of map mods, and about 4 scenario mods that are incredible — like the New America mod, and the Desert mod which is based on WW2 warfare in the deserts of Africa (Afrika Korp).

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