Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth Reviews
It's easy to look at Beyond Earth and see it as nothing more than an elaborate reskin of Civilization V. In many ways, it shares a similar interface and borrows many components. Yet as soon as you get to the end of your first game, you're acutely aware of how different it feels. At this point, it's cliche to say how time consuming Civilization can be, but Beyond Earth only lends further credence to the phrase "one more turn."
Civilization: Beyond Earth is a solid attempt to bring back the glory days of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. It isn't what everyone has hoped for, but if you have the time and patience to put into it, it makes for an enjoyable game for fans of the franchise, while simultaneously being pretty accessible to newcomers as well.
Beyond Earth is a very good game, one that encourages the 'one more turn' addiction the series is famous for. But at its core, it isn't terribly different from Civ 5
The final result is a brilliant alteration of an old friend, shining a new light on a proven structure.
Civilization: Beyond Earth does essentially nothing new, but you know what? That's probably fine with most people who have experienced the franchise before. It still does what it does incredibly well, and every new campaign in a Civilization game brings originality and variety on its own. I thought the extra-terrestrial setting was badly wasted, but even without any real innovation it's still a very solid game, just not one that's much different from Civilization: V.
Another success in the line of Civ games. It does a good job of setting the scene and taking the player along on a story of hope, struggle and triumph. The ability to customize your side both before and during the game will lend itself to long debates over the "best " strategies. Replayability and the inevitable mods and expansions will keep this on your hard drive for a long time.
I'm addicted. In the middle of a holiday season that's seen and will see a lot of strong games, I don't want to put Civilization: Beyond Earth down.
While the core game is excellent, it might be extremely difficult for new players. There are plenty of options for replay, but the game might not have the same replay value as previous entries in the franchise. A solid title that will make fans of the Civilization franchise extremely happy, and might even attract some new players - if they can survive the initial challenge.
Get ready to lose hours of your life to Civilization: Beyond Earth
Boasting some clever innovations and generally smooth execution, Civilization: Beyond Earth is a sure bet for fans of the long-running series.
If anyone needs me, I'll be playing Beyond Earth for a very, very long time.
Civilization: Beyond Earth sets itself apart from the previous games in the series in ways big and small, and you would be mistaken to dismiss this entry in the strategy franchise as "Civ V in space." Beyond Earth is an excellent standalone experience that can be enjoyed regardless of your history with the series—though having some understanding of how the turn-based strategy gameplay works is certainly an asset. After 300 hours of Civ V, the time has come to move on; I've left Earth and headed into space, and I think I will be there for thousands more turns to come.
[W]e're left feeling like there's greatness to come. Beyond Earth is a wonderful experience but we can't shake the feeling that the past holds much more than the future, at least for now.
So far, Civilization: Beyond Earth is a stellar – no pun intended – new addition to the franchise, and what it lacks in the familiarity of historical cultures and settings it gains with some clever new tweaks and an even grander vision of humanity's potential. See you in a million days. Give or take.
That's the thing about Beyond Earth: I feel like for every considered, clever addition to Civ's formula, there's always a near miss. War is fun, but the AI is not. Aliens are novel, but humans are dreary. I enjoyed playing it, I'm still playing, but it just hasn't gripped me like previous games. I want it to be better, more interesting, than it is.
Civilization: Beyond Earth takes empire building to the stars with a number of compelling—but familiar—results.
Civilization: Beyond Earth is decidedly deserving of carrying the weight of the franchise in a new direction, but it's simply lacking enough variety for it to become the new standard bearer.
Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth is a great and easily approachable game. The intuitive interface and flexibility of the numerous options make it an easy "yes" for any strategy gamer or Civ fan looking for something more than Earth's history may have to offer. While the visual and stylistic choices may not prove to be to everyone's tastes, there is plenty of both new and familiar to satisfy anyone willing to hop on aboard and see where Beyond Earth is able to take you.