Mindlessly shooting baddies not your thing? Looking for an in-depth game to really test your wits on? Then Civilization IV is most certainly the game for you. This turn-based strategy game has so many different options and features that no two games will ever be the same - ever.
In Civilization IV, you begin with a lonely settler to build a single city and a warrior or scout to discover new lands. You develop your nation from that one humble city into a bustling empire full of metropolises.
When you start a game of Civilization, you have the ability to completely customize nearly everything about the scenario you will be playing. Want an intense naval battle? Try setting the World to Archipelago. Don't like the task of managing fleets of destroyers? Then Pangaea is for you. This is just one of the examples of the amazing level of customization in the game.
You can make the environment temperate or cold, a desert or a forest, and rocky or flat. You can choose from a staggering 18 civilizations, each with one or two unique leaders that have specific traits that relate to what they actually did in history.
Customization aside, the game play is amazing. From the moment you begin, you are overwhelmed with a huge variety of features and many features. These are all covered within the excellent tutorial, though, and it is highly recommended that you play it before you begin.
You can aim to win in a few different ways - conquering all of the other civilizations (if you're a warmonger), possessing the majority of the land and population of the world (again, normally you'll have to go to war for this one... so, if you're a warmonger), if you are the first to build a space shuttle to colonize Alpha Centauri (for you sci-fi types), increasing the Culture of three of your cities to Legendary (for those who want a peaceful victory in which the citizens of all other nations dissent to join you), or being chosen World Leader by the United Nations.
These are all equally satisfying goals with unique strategies to each of them. If you don't achieve any of these goals within the huge time period of the game, then the player with the highest score at the end wins.
You can build temples, churches, found religions, build an army of Panzer tanks, construct The Great Pyramids, fight off barbarians, trade luxuries and industrial goods, create farms, and do a whole lot more in this amazing game. This is all accompanied with some great graphics that keep the playing streamlined and simple.
The facial animations of other leaders are quite good, and overall the graphics are great. Sound is quite amazing as well, providing some nice ambiance while you play the game. You can import your own custom soundtrack into the game if you want to hear your tunes while you crush other nations.
Overall, Civilization IV is the best game in a turn-based strategy series that just can't be beat. If you like strategy games of any type, not just turn-based, you need this game. There's no excuse for not owning a copy. I rate this game a 10/10.
