I’m a sucker for a Civilization game, even though in some ways the formula hasn’t changed since the original game back in 1991. That’s a notable problem for Civilization Revolution 2, a game that’s much more of a facelift than a reimagining of Sid Meier’s strategy classic.
I own a lot of Civilization games. I’m somewhat frightened to even count them, but from the first time I launched it via a DOS prompt, I was promptly hooked. Civilization is one of those games that can soak up hours in what seems like minutes, as you swear that you’ll stop playing… once you’ve finished building that barracks. And dealing with those pesky Russians. And building a few roads. Maybe a bit of sea exploration. Before you know it, it’s 4am again, and my… err.. your eyeballs are filled with tiny bits of sand that seem to have appeared there. That’s OK, though, you’ll make it through work. But first, to build a few nukes…
The issue with this, aside from any particular problems with addiction that I totally don’t have, is that it’s not entirely suited to mobile play, where you may not want to spend days shifting from the stone age to the space age. That’s the problem that 2008’s Civilization Revolution tackled by simplifying interfaces and challenges down into bite-sized portions. That’s bite-sized by Civilization standards, so instead of taking many hours, a typical Civilization Revolution game can be done and dusted within an hour or two. I quite like Civilization Revolution, and own it across more than a few formats, including its iOS incarnation.
Now there’s the mobile-only Civilization Revolution 2, which sells itself as a sequel to Civilization Revolution.
It’s certainly very pretty. Where Civilization Revolution gave limited visuals and cutscenes battles that quickly grew tiresome, Civilization Revolution 2 looks very shiny indeed. The controls have also been tweaked to mostly pleasing effect, making it a lot easier to make large scale moves across territory, end turns and activate special abilities at will. There’s a short tutorial to cover off the controls, but it’s otherwise assumed that anyone playing Civilization Revolution 2 will be familiar with the series as a whole.
At its heart, Civilization Revolution 2 is a Civilization game, and in one respect that’s no bad thing. You may have gathered that I’m something of a sucker for this series.
The problem is that in some ways, Civilization Revolution 2 is a bit of a sucker bet. Yes, it’s visually much better than Civilization Revolution, and it still plays out like a game of Civilization should. The problem is that the underlying engine really isn’t that different from a game that came out six years ago.
There’s a strong emphasis on combat, which means that winning via Palace Domination is the way that you’ll be nudged, almost no matter what. Enemy AI will just keep on attacking, and on the easier difficulty levels you’ll find yourself edging closer to that combat victory even if you’d prefer to win via cultural or economic means.
You’re not telling me anything I don’t know. We haven’t invented bathtubs yet.
There is a small smattering of new content, including new unlockable leaders, but this is broadly all very familiar stuff indeed, and at something of a premium price.
To be specific, if you want the iOS version of Civilization Revolution 2, it’ll cost you $18.99.
2K Games is still selling the original Civilization Revolution, which isn’t as pretty but plays in much the same way, for (at the time of writing) $3.79.
Civilization Revolution 2 does offer a nice visual upgrade over Civilization Revolution, but not to the tune of $15.20. I mean, I like Civilization a lot, just in case that wasn’t apparent, but that’s still not a good deal.