pc.ign.com/articles/660/660495p1.html
Civilization IV is to tell other people j ust how good the game is. We here at IGN have been playing the game almo st non-stop since we got our first playable versions. The first time we laid hands on the game we felt that Firaxis was doing something special with the series. As newer, more complete builds came our way, our expect ations for the game only grew. After having spent a lot of time playing through the final version, we can safely say that Civilization IV is the best version of Civilization yet. The first thing you need to understand is that Civilization IV is a funda mental reinvention of the franchise. Fans should be assured that all the basic concepts from Civilization are still here, but many of the more o bnoxious or troublesome elements have been greatly improved upon. City p roduction, combat, and culture have all been tweaked to allow for more i ntuitive application within the game. Concepts like civil disorder, pred ictable tech paths, pollution and the creeping pace of the late game hav e all benefited from substantial revisions that make them more manageabl e and enjoyable aspects of your strategy.
On top of these revisions, Civilization IV finally offers up a presentati on worthy of the gameplay. A new graphics engine adds life and charm to the world, making the experience really come alive. The interface elemen ts have all been refined to ease access and readability. A wealth of fan tastic music highlights the entire experience with a pitch-perfect voice over assist from Leonard Nimoy.
I'm still amazed at the way information is presented in this game. While all versions of Civilization have allowed players to dig down into the n umbers behind the game mechanics, Civilization IV offers such ready acce ss to these figures that you'll get a really good sense of how the game is working. Mousing over terrain tiles tells you what the defense bonus is, the resource yield, any special resources (and the improvement neede d to utilize them), as well as the ownership of the tile. What's more, i t will even list all the units in the square, their strength, movement, identity and any promotions they have. Since there are many mo re types of terrain improvements this time around, you'll be able to tel l just by looking at the map whether a given tile is generating food, co mmerce or production. There are options you can turn on to highlight cer tain resources. This makes it much easier to pick out where the key depo sits are. Similar options let you see military units, resource yields, c ultural ownership and other factors. Since there are many more terrain i mprovements this time around (and since you'll need to build them before you can access strategic resources or luxuries), having this informatio n handy makes strategic planning much more convenient. Though the new interface is wonderful, there are a few areas where more c ould be done. The announcements that your rivals have completed a wonder or founded a new religion should be put right in your face, not off to the side in the smallest font the game has available. While some players might find pop-ups more obnoxious, it would certainly help me stay orie nted to what's going on during the game. The comprehensive Civilopedia o ffers all kinds of information, but there should be cross-linking for ci vic types and terrain improvements. While it's not a big deal while you' re just browsing, it's kind of limiting when you're selecting a new tech nology and can't access the other entries.
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