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."
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.
Civilization: Beyond Earth takes empire building to the stars with a number of compelling—but familiar—results.
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.
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.
The space-themed Beyond Earth is polished, deep, and addictive—what more could you want from a Civilization game?
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
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 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
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.
If science fiction Civilization is an appealing prospect to you, Civilization: Beyond Earth will satisfy that promise on nearly every count.
Get ready to lose hours of your life to Civilization: Beyond Earth
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.
While 'Civilization: Beyond Earth' retains the familiar formula of its predecessor, Firaxis makes enough changes to keep it fresh.
Beyond Earth is just as innovative when it comes to the mechanics of the turn-based strategy series as Civilization V was before it and gamers will need a bit of time to become accustomed to the increased customization, the tech web and the powerful challenge posed by the alien life.
Civilization: Beyond Earth makes a few alterations to the standard Civilization formula but Beyond Earth never really feels like much more than a glorified expansion for its predecessor.
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.
Beyond Earth takes Civilization V's core game structure and manages what Civilization games always do. They have added just enough new (re-skinning the gameplay, story, graphics and base tactics) without letting the game become too unfamiliar. Once again I am sure many of us will find ourselves muttering 'one more turn' under our breath as the sun comes up over our own beautiful world.
Boasting some clever innovations and generally smooth execution, Civilization: Beyond Earth is a sure bet for fans of the long-running series.
If you ever want to play another game again, this series is not for you. But, if you had to pick only one to play for the rest of your life, Civilization: Beyond Earth would be a solid choice. The various factions and Affinities will ensure multiple, robust playthroughs, each presenting unique scenarios that will encourage the player to strategize in challenging new ways with each file. I look forward to my next 400 hours with the game.