Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth Reviews
Some of its new ideas work better than others, but Civilization: Beyond Earth retains its addictive 4X qualities.
While 'Civilization: Beyond Earth' retains the familiar formula of its predecessor, Firaxis makes enough changes to keep it fresh.
Although its foundation in Civ 5 makes it familiar, Beyond Earth is full of interesting surprises that are pleasantly difficult to master.
Civilization has always had something to say about this stuff (and civilisation has always had something to say about this stuff) but Beyond Earth goes further than ever, suggesting that even if we do eventually live on Pluto, the distractions will have joined us there, and will probably have multiplied. When we get into space, the real danger - and the real wonder - will be the fact that we have brought ourselves along.
Civilization: Beyond Earth may seem a bit too familiar for a game supposedly set on a distant planet, but the roving packs of aliens and the new quest system make it an expedition worth embarking on.
There's a ton to explore here within an inviting strategy shell, enticing those who have never delved into the 4X space and demanding the attention of genre fans
Civilization: Beyond Earth successfully injects new life into Sid Meier's long-running strategy series
Civilization: Beyond Earth's brave new world feels pretty familiar, but that's okay.
Firaxis' sci-fi spin on Civilization V has some intriguing ideas that, sadly, don't come together into an equally engaging experience.
The great Civ V experiment continues, and for the most part, it's a success.
It must be an interesting challenge for developers of a series so focused on history to tackle questions of humanity's future. Obviously both subjects tap into many of the same sources, but where most Civilization games explore who we are, Beyond Earth systemizes who we could be.
Beyond Earth is still fun, and an immense time-sink – of course it is, it's Civilization. But would that it was truly beyond Earth, and truly beyond Civ V. Not a crash and burn – but the Prometheus of the Civ franchise, an interesting failure with much of value in the wreckage.
Sid Meier should be proud to have his name on Civilization: Beyond Earth. It's got its problems. But it's a game that will have you staying up late at night, itching to complete just one more turn.
Not just 'Civ 5 in space', but excellent series additions are offset by problems old and new.
All-in-all, you can't go wrong with Civilization: Beyond Earth if you love the franchise. Affinities and new units give it enough spice to distract you for awhile, but I did find myself desiring to simply load up Civilization V the more I played for its greater depth.
If science fiction Civilization is an appealing prospect to you, Civilization: Beyond Earth will satisfy that promise on nearly every count.
An excellent spin-off that uses the science fiction setting to focus and expand the gameplay in interesting new ways, and yet remains as accessible and thoughtful as ever.
Despite a few pre-existing flaws carried over from Civilization V, Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth evolves the franchise and has the potential to become an outstanding spin-off of its own.
If only there were more variety in the structure of the victory conditions between divergent philosophies, Civilization: Beyond Earth would be a perfect game. Even with that dissonance, it is damn close. The Civilization pedigree holds a lot of weight after all these years, and Beyond Earth more than lives up to its name.
Despite its faults, Civilization: Beyond Earth does fulfill its promise to take you to a distant world, where you'll find exotic alien life, meet future leaders of mankind... and conquer them.