Steam Community :: Fancy Fish

275.6 hrs on record (74.5 hrs at review time)

Monster Hunter World is, at its core, a game of fast paced action, battling huge boss Monsters, where Tactics and well timed Combos really matter.

Genre: Action RPG | Score: +++ Highly Recommend

+ Pros: 4x Coop | Depth | Environment | Cats!

- Cons: Grind | Progress Walls | Story Coop

ᐁ ᐁ ᐁ full review below ᐁ ᐁ ᐁ

Monster Hunter World has been around for a while now on PC (and even longer on consoles) but with a new incoming expansion (Iceborne) and the price dropping I thought a review might help some people decide if the game was for them.

The player take the role of a hunter recruited by the 5th fleet, and aided by a handler and a trusty Palico assistant (basically a little cat helper). You are tasked by The Research Commission to travel to the New World to study the activities of Elder Dragons (tremendously powerful monsters on a truly massive scale). Character customisation is good with lots of options and you can even customise your Palico.

The game may appear a little complex at first but once you have played for a while the basics will become very familiar. The formula is essentially this:

- Obtain a quest from the mission board in the Headquarters, these will typically be to either kill or capture a large monster, kill a number of smaller monsters or collect a number of items around the map.
- Optionally stock up on items that will aid you on the hunt and have a meal that will boost your stats.
- Gather up your party or head off solo to the area on the map the quest is set in.
- Use your scout flies to find the monsters tracks and follow them until you find the monster
- Batter the monster over the head (or weakspot) with your oversized weapon until they die or run away. If they run away repeat the step above.
- Harvest the monster for materials which can be used back at the Forge to make better armour and weapons.

Capturing monsters involves creating traps and tranquillisers, damaging a monster sufficiently (until they are limping and low health), luring the monster into the trap and then using the tranquillisers to knock it unconscious. This can be done on both capture and hunt quests.

Large monsters are pretty varied and will change depending on the area of map your in - Giant lizards (Jagras), Fire breathing T-Rexs (Anjanath), Giant electric squirrels (Tobi-kadachi), Dragons (Rathian), Inflatable Albino bats (Paolumu) to list just a few you will meet at the start (there are many many more). The more you track a monster the more info you will find out about them (information becomes available in your monster field guide), each has its own set of weak spots and each has its own set of resistances and vulnerabilities. To be most effective, hunters should use appropriate equipment for the monster they are going to battle. (for example having armour that is highly resistant to fire and a weapon that deals water damage when facing the fire breathing Anjanath)

Map areas are grouped by biome (Ancient Forest, Desert, a Cora landscape, etc) and each have a very different aesthetic, plants and wildlife. Bugs an smaller creatures can be caught in your net to craft potions or items later, some can even be kept as pets in your room. Mushrooms, seeds and plants can be harvested, you can catch fish with your net or rod and bait, you can explore and find quests, new campsites and hidden areas. Each location is made up of a number of different zones seamlessly connected together and which you can travel between and explore freely. Levels have quite a lot of verticality and complexity and I often times find myself getting turned around or lost (but perhaps that's just me!)

There are 14 main weapon types in the game each with their own style and abilities, each of these types then has many different variants which can be crafted using materials collected and harvested during missions. There is also huge array of different armour (for you and your Palico) which can be crafted at the forge, each has its own set of armour values, elemental resistances and bonuses, as you progress through the game and fight more monsters more of these armour sets and weapons will become available. I would recommend testing out the different weapons in the sparing area until you find one that suites your playstyle (also don't be afraid of swapping around either).

I've given you some of basics but its really only scratching the surface, this game has a massive depth to it which really helps considering a few of its flaws. The Grind, you will in Monster Hunter World need to fight the same type of monsters quite a number of times before you are able to progress onto a stronger monster (especially if solo). This is to increase your hunters level and also to gather the required materials to craft new sets of armour, weapons and items you will need against stronger foes.

Until you learn a monsters attack pattern you may well have a hard time avoiding attacks which can be powerful (rage attacks) with certain monsters and cause you to faint (sometimes in one hit if under geared and under powered). Due to the way this works this can sometimes create something of a progress wall (my first was the Anjanath) where you feel overpowered against the weaker monsters but get utterly trashed by the stronger ones. If you meet one of these either find a good team to support you or upgrade your equipment to best suit the fight and learn the attack pattern, you will get through eventually!

Graphics are good, even better with the free HD texture pack, I would recommend using reshade (guides are available) if colours are a little washed out, that and turning off motion blur. Lip syncing in cut scenes for English is absurd but easily overlooked.

Playing a mission in 4 player coop (max 16 in session, max 4 per mission) is a lot of fun, and I would recommend coop as the way to play the game, however there is an issue with coop and the story campaign. For some reason (best known to themselves) Capcom require players to first play a story mission through until the end of the cut sequences / start of the battle before other players can join them in coop. This often means to play a story mission coop you need all players to start the quest, play until the battle, abandon the quest and then restart in coop mode, its quite absurd but possible to work around.

However story missions are only part of the game and arena quests, optional quests, events and investigations do not have this issue. In addition to quests you can free roam the different biomes in expedition mode, but to do this in coop you first need to complete a quest with your team and all select return to camp.

Well done if you've managed to read this far, honestly there is so much more I haven't covered in this review and more still I have yet to explore in the game but I hope this review has given you a feel for the game and some of the basics. Despite a few flaws this game remains a thoroughly enjoyable experience, particularly for coop play and I would highly recommend it.

Agree / Disagree with anything in this review? Please let me know in the comments below.

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Posted 29 June, 2019. Last edited 1 December, 2019.

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Recommended

10.4 hrs on record (4.6 hrs at review time)

HOTLINE MIAMI - Fun, Fast, Challenging & Compelling

|| 9 ||

Score

Comment

Graphics

8

The 16-Bit style retro graphics are detailed and stylish, really adding to the overall atmosphere of the game. Everything from the characters you meet, the decor of buildings, the white 80's suits of the enemies to your car are all extremely well done and all add to the 80's Miami feel.

Audio

9

Game music and effects are outstanding, you can hear the pounding beat of the music increase in intensity as the levels progress and the game becomes ever more frantic. Although the music is looped it isn't repetitive and I found, even after dying for the tenth time in a row, it still felt fresh and exciting helping to throw you back into the fight.

Gameplay

9

Hotline Miami is full of fast packed action, even best laid plans go astray in a moment forcing you to improvise, think on your feet and when all else fails rely on quick button pressing. As the levels progress the game becomes more challenging, but by this point your hooked and need to see the story through to the bitter end.

Story

9

Dark & suspenseful, the story is surprising deep and engaging (for what on the surface appears to be a fairly simple game). Sometimes the game will leave you wondering exactly what is happening to you, sometimes small details will change between levels (who's that person in my apartment? who is ringing my phone?...) but they all help to weave the story of the characters descent into a world of crime, murder and madness

Replayability

6

There isn't much to say here, the story is linear so it mostly depends on how much you enjoyed playing the first time round. There are lots of masks to collect which give you certain bonuses that might appeal to completionists.

Overall

9

A true gaming classic, retro 80's, ultra-violent, stylish, solid challenging game play with awesome music and a great story. lots of fun to play, highly recommended.

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Posted 6 June, 2015. Last edited 29 June, 2019.

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Recommended

97.0 hrs on record (92.1 hrs at review time)

THE ELDER SCOLLS V: SKYRIM - An open world RPG of epic proportions, a true masterpiece

|| 9.5 ||

Score

Comment

Graphics

9

Skyrim has a free High Resolution Texture pack available as DLC (and if you can run it I would highly recommend it), but even without the graphics are clean with nice details and textures. Ambient lighting and effects are excellent and the designers have succeeded in creating a diverse and atmospheric landscape. Character creation is good with a lot of customisation possible. All this, however, is completely and utterly eclipsed by what is possible with Mods. With Mods (readily available from the steam workshop) gamers are able to create breathtakingly stunning vistas, highly realistic characters, followers and NPC's. With over 24 thousand mods (at the time of this review) you can change the appearance of or add in pretty much anything you can imagine (the sky really is the limit). There is of course a performance trade-off when applying the ultra high definition textures and graphical mods so I recommend following one of the excellent guides available to find the right balance for you.

Audio

9

Music is grand and epic, very fitting to the feel of the game. Sound effects and voice acting are both excellent throughout and considering how many characters and quests there are in the world of skyrim this is quite a feat. Personal favourites for voice acting include the aptly named khajiit: M'Aiq the liar and the deranged murderous jester: Cicero.

Gameplay

9

Skyrim is a joy to play, its not perfect but its pretty close. Controls are intuitive, responsive and work well with either mouse/keyboard or controller. There are many choices to be made throughout the game with real consequences, factions will favour you or attack you depending on your actions and alignment with other factions. There are many different playstyles and strategies to Skyrim, finding what works best for you is all part of the fun. Skills and abilities progress as you use them so you aren't completely restricted to a class such as mage or ranger, want to use a little bit of magic but also kill with a bow - no problem. Skyrim is often compared to its predecessors (Oblivion and Morrowind) to highlight some of flaws in the game, and while its true to say some of the missions and areas feel overused (oh? another cave filled with draugr you say?) and there are other occasional glitches, considering the massive scope and scale of the game these seem fairly minor. Skryim in certain ways surpasses its predecessors and is at very least well deserving of its place in this legendary series.

Story

10

So much detail, so much depth, the lore and background to the Elder Scrolls series is second to none. In Skyrim there are huge libraries packed with books containing everything from children's stories to hidden tomes of magic to the history of the lands. Talking to the people you meet tells of their individual struggles and also adds to the overarching story of a land rife with conflict and caught in far reaching changes of which you find your character the center. Skyrim is rich with background and story, as you explore and interact with the characters around you its very easy to feel part of the world. Quests are (with a few minor exceptions) interesting, challenging and varied with each of them building your understanding of the world and your place in it.

Replayability

10

You only need to look at the number of hours people put into this game to realise how much Skyrim has to offer. Personally I had already completed this game many times before I got it on steam and was still able to get many more hours of enjoyment than the average rpg, I'm sure it wont be the last time I play Skyrim either. Modding here also helps immensely with the community creating a huge collection of different locations, characters and quests.

Overall

9.5

An outstanding game, if you haven't tried it then your missing out on a truly amazing gaming experience. The DLC's available (Dragonborn and Dawnguard) are worthwhile playing and some mods will require them (so pick up the GOTY if you can).

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Posted 6 June, 2015. Last edited 29 June, 2019.

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Recommended

7.6 hrs on record (3.8 hrs at review time)

Chaos Reborn - A very promising, Wizard battling, turn-based strategy game from the creator of X-COM

|| 8 ||

Score

Comment

Graphics

7

Really nice textures and effects, the players and monsters are distinctive, stylish, detailed with good animations and the environments are varied and colorful.

Audio

7

Pleasant background music throughout the game, there is a slightly oriental / mystical feel to the music which fits very well with the game. Sound effects are good.

Gameplay

8

Chaos Reborn is (at the time of this review) Early Access and as such some features / modes are not yet available, but I was able to try the single player (where you play against up to 3 AI opponents) and multiplayer battles. The learning curve upon starting the game doesn't seem as steep as I expected and players used to this genre of game will most likely feel right at home. You are prompted to start with offline single player battles to learn the game and I would recommend this. For your first battle you are given popups which prompt and help you learn different aspects of the game.

At the start of each battle your character is given randomly a set of spells (some of which you have access to and others which are held in reserve) and a staff which favours a certain type of spell and contains a special powerful mega-spell which requires a number of mana gems to use. The players/AI then take turns to move their characters/summoned creatures around the battle arena, attack and cast a spell. You can also throw away spells which earn you mana gems and another random spell card from your remaining stack (be careful you can run out!).

Each spell has a chance to work, these chances depend on how powerful the spell is and also on the balance of Chaos / Law spells that have already been cast. More Law spells being cast successfully make it easier for other wizards to cast Law spells, I found this very powerful and a really interesting feature. You can also increase the chances of a spell working with mana gems, but you need to be careful which spells to apply gems to and which ones to just gamble with. There is a good range of spells and the balance of power seems good overall, but the random nature of the spell draw coupled with the possible failure of spells can force your strategy.

Summoned creatures have a set of stats (how good they are at attacking / defending / etc) and a large range of abilities to explore. You also have the ability to summon an illusionary version of your creature which removes the failure chance but leaves it susceptible to a spell called Disbelieve which will cause your creature to disappear (this can give a great advantage if you are able to bluff your opponents).

To win you need to kill the other players or have the most killpoints (earned by killing opponents summoned creatures) when the turn timer runs out. The AI is good but of course the real challenge is battling against other players in multiplayer mode. The old adage "easy to learn and difficult to master" feels very appropriate for this game, but even when losing its a lot of fun to play.

Replayability

8

Chaos reborn has great replayability, the random nature of the spell draw, Law/Chaos Balance, placement within the battle arena and other conditions means you have a huge range of possible scenarios that you will need to deal with. There is no one winning strategy its a combination of dynamic strategy - adapting to and making the best to your current position, knowledge of your spells/creature abilities, skill and a bit of luck.

Overall

8

Chaos Reborn as it stands is a great game, fun in single player mode, challenging in mulitplayer and with some fantastic features being introduced that i'm really looking forward to (like the coop RPG mode).

*** This review was made with a review key ***

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Posted 3 April, 2015. Last edited 29 June, 2019.

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Not Recommended

6.8 hrs on record (6.3 hrs at review time)

ADVENTURE TIME: EXPLORE THE DUNGEON BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW! - A fairly simplistic, top down, randomly generated dungeon crawler.

|| 4.5 ||

Score

Comment

Graphics

7

The game uses colorful retro style graphics for it menus, dungeons and sprites. I have to say the graphical style works well, you really get the feeling of a retro arcade game mixed with the colorful world of Adventure Time. Characters and screens are well done and animations are simple but good.

Audio

6

Simple audio and effects, again the retro feel is very evident. Some nice voice acting by the cast of the show, but they feel a little overused.

Gameplay

4

You play through 100 randomly generated dungeons fighting the occasional boss along the way, all the time collecting keys which are used to unlock doors/chests and treasures which can be used to buy training or equipment. The problem is that the levels are very simplistic/repetitive and the game quickly becomes tedious.

Story

3

There isn't really a story, the characters from Adventure Time are all there and there are a few nice moments but overall the clue is in the title - there is no reason to be exploring the dungeons beyond "just because".

Replayability

4

Being randomly generated should give the game a decent amount of replayability but because so many of the levels feel so similar it doesn't seem to count for much. There is a form of character advancement in that you can upgrade your stats and skills and you can buy items from the "choose goose", but considering the gameplay why would you want to keep playing it?

Multiplayer

4

The Multiplayer is LOCAL only (dont expect to be playing with your steam friends), and is decidedly average. It is somewhat reminiscent of gauntlet in that it usually descends quickly into who can collect the most treasure/food before everyone else, except that in this game certain characters have a clear advantage over others in terms of speed / flying over obstacles (A good way to fall out with friends).

Overall

4.5

While this game may appeal to young players and some fans of the show, I find it very hard to recommend it. Once the novelty has worn off there is very little reason to play this game.

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Posted 26 January, 2015. Last edited 29 June, 2019.

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Recommended

16.3 hrs on record (10.3 hrs at review time)

THOMAS WAS ALONE - A beautiful, minimalist indie 2D puzzle/platformer.

|| 8.5 ||

Score

Comment

Graphics

8

Simple but pleasing, using clean lines and shapes to form the game levels. Game Characters are also simple shapes with different colours but are easily identifiable. Background colours and effects have a different pallet for each level. The overall effect is minimalist, stylish and elegant.

Audio

10

Relaxing ambient background music throughout the game and excellent story narration by Danny Wallace (He won a BAFTA for his performance). There really is nothing to fault here.

Gameplay

9

Thomas was alone has simple and intuitive controls that respond well, giving good control of your characters. Levels start simply and get progressively more difficult at a fairly steady rate. I don't ever recall feeling overwhelmed at any point and play remained very enjoyable throughout the game. As you progress the game does a good job of introducing you to new concepts that you need to complete the levels like controlling various elements (doors, gravity, etc) through various pressure and trigger switches. Also as you progress you meet and gain control of other characters (besides Thomas) each of which have their own unique properties and abilities. You will often find that you will need to employ skill & logic as well as a bit of trial and error to successful navigate levels but fortunately the game does not punish you for failing, so play always seems fun.

Story

9

I really didn't expect any kind of story from a puzzle platform game, especially not one where the characters are just little shapes, but despite this what I got was a brilliant one. A delightful little story that builds with each level and makes you really care about what happens to your little shapes. Each one has their own unique characters, fears, desires and personalities. Their struggles to survive and escape the unfair system that imprisons them and which is constantly changing the rules in its efforts to defeat them.

Replayability

6

By the end of the game you will have mastered some pretty advanced skills and will remember many of the puzzles solutions, this makes some of the earlier levels feel very easy. The game is of a fairly good length but because its so enjoyable you will no doubt be left wanting more. There are various steam achievements (small black hollow rectangles) scattered throughout various levels and going back to find these will add to the playtime. Levels are re-playable after you have completed them making it a good game for quick casual play.

Overall

8.5

A little gem of an indie game, charming and enjoyable, it leaves you wanting more - would highly recommend.

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Posted 26 January, 2015. Last edited 29 June, 2019.

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Recommended

20.3 hrs on record

SHADOWRUN RETURNS - Cyberpunk adventure/rpg with a compelling story

|| 8 ||

Score

Comment

Graphics

7

The game has top down isometric type view, graphics are very well done: the lighting, effects and areas feel very fitting and atmospheric. At points, however, it feels like it would be nice to have a little bit more variety to the areas, some of them feel quite samey. Character creation and portraits are ok but you can't go into the level of detail of some other RGPs.

Audio

7

Music and sound effects are good, there is however quite a bit of reading to do in this game, do not expect voice acting for all of the story / dialogue.

Gameplay

8

I really enjoyed playing this game, its a nice mixture of adventure / mystery and rpg with turn based strategic combat (think xcom). You control a small team of characters (you collect them as the story progresses) who follow you as you play through the story completing various missions and solving mysteries. There are some good puzzles to solve as the story develops and you can choose to upgrade various skills as your character advances in levels. A really nice feature is the "hacking" that the decker class can perform, this takes a form similar to combat in the game but its you and your constructs against the computer systems defences.

Story

8

Shadowrun Returns is set in cyberpunk-esque world where magic meets machine. You can play different stories in the form of campaigns, the official ones are complemented by community created ones via the steam workshop. The campaigns are extremely well done and have a very noir feel to them. There's a lot of background and detail to the world (and a lot of reading to be done) and the story had enough intrigue and action to keep me interested right to the end. The nature of the game (your characters acting out the story) basically means that play feels quite linear and that sometimes the decisions you make don't really have lasting effects but this didn't effect my enjoyment too much.

Replayability

5

As much of the main campaign is story based, once you have completed the game there isn't that much to draw you back in. Having said that there is an excellent DLC (dragonfall) and there are community created campaigns and an editor which should add quite a few hours of playability

Overall

8

Excellent game for anyone who loves this style of gameplay or the setting. The community content really adds a whole new aspect and lease of life to the game, just be prepared to do a lots of reading.

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Posted 24 January, 2015. Last edited 29 June, 2019.

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Recommended

6.6 hrs on record

THE SECRET OF MONKEY ISLAND: SPECIAL EDITION - A LucasArts Classic beautifully and masterfully reworked

|| 9 ||

Score

Comment

Graphics

8

Simply stunning, switching between the original graphics and the special edition you can really appreciate the time the artists have taken to faithful reproduce the backgrounds, characters and animations.

Audio

9

Excellent music (I mean come on! its monkey Island I don't think I will ever get that tune out of my head) and really well done voice acting for all the characters.

Gameplay

10

Ok, first I admit I am completely biased here: I love Monkey Island. Back from the days when I first got it to run on my 268 (I know showing my age) this game was something special. Monkey Island is one of the classic games from the golden age of point and click adventure games where LucasArts and Sierra ruled supreme with games like Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Max and the Kings Quest series. The controls have been reworked, making them more user friendly for a modern audience, but are still faithful to the original and don't detract from the game in anyway. Even if you weren't old enough to appreciate these games the first time round they are masterpieces and I feel stand the test of time.

Story

10

The game is pretty much all about the story (a truly amazing story), and while you are free to do some exploring around the islands and some trial and error with the puzzles, the story is essentially linear (so don't expect an open world game). The dialogue is full of dry humour and the situations (and solutions to puzzles) fantastical, absurd and brilliant. While the story has many aspects that will appeal to younger players (slapstick humor), much of the humour will appeal to adults. The puzzles are challenging but not to the point of frustration and are worked into the story well.

Replayability

7

If you have played the game its likely to be memorable enough that you will know the solutions to the puzzles, but its still good fun, and was for me very nostalgic.

Overall

9

Completely biased review, take from it what you will, but we all have childhood games special to us and this was mine. Good times

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Posted 22 January, 2015. Last edited 29 June, 2019.

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Recommended

86.1 hrs on record (68.1 hrs at review time)

AGE OF WONDERS III - Good Turn based tactical combat, Hero RPG elements and Empire building 4X strategy

|| 8 ||

Score

Comment

Graphics

8

Nice graphics and detail on the strategic map and even better graphics for units, terrain and magical effects in combat. UI is nice, detailed and easy to use

Audio

6

Music gets a little repetitive - maybe a little more variety needed, sound effects are good but nothing special.

Gameplay

8

Age of Wonders III is a turn based, 4X strategy game based in a fantasy setting. The tactical combat view (when your army's battle) is excellent, you really feel like you are head to head with the AI (which seems to do a good job most of the time) in a battle of wits. Casting a well timed spell or outmanoeuvring your enemy can sometimes turn the tide of a battle, unfortunately usually the outcome of a battle is a forgone conclusion due to the relative strength of the units involved, but even when this is the case its still fun to crush your enemy and minimise your losses. The strength of the Units in your army really plays such a large part of the battles that you can actually choose to skip the tactical battle entirely and have the computer automatically calculate the results. Some of the units have somewhat of a balance issue with the higher level units often being able to take down whole armies by themselves with little damage or risk. This inevitably results in a race to upgrade your city buildings to create these higher level creatures. AI at the strategic level is a little predictable but there is still fun to be had placing your cities and grabbing as many resources as possible to fund your economy. One thing I noticed at the strategic level is there doesn't seem to be any downside to city spamming (covering the map in loads of your cities) as you gain resources (mana, gold, research) for each city. Ruins, shrines and artefacts are scattered throughout the maps and these will often require you to fight a monster to claim the reward for your Hero. Hero's are your army leaders you get a main one and then can hire more for gold. Hero's have a selection of spells they can use to aid you in battle, summon monsters or benefit your cities. Items you collect / make can be given to your hero's to increase their stats and they also get skills as they earn xp through battles.

Story

7

The game contains a number of well written scenario's which are fairly fun to play through. Overall I think I preferred playing the random maps though.

Replayability

7

If you enjoy the game you will probably want to play it again, random maps and steam workshop adds more community made content.

Overall

8

A fan of this genre will probably get a lot of enjoyment out of this game. While not as complex or detailed as others of the same type what it does it does well. Hotseat mode (a mode I loved from Civilisation) is a great addition to this game and playing with friends is a lot of fun.

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Posted 22 January, 2015. Last edited 29 June, 2019.

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Recommended

1,534.2 hrs on record (959.8 hrs at review time)

SID MEIER'S CIVILISATION V - Just one more turn?

|| 9 ||

Score

Comment

Graphics

8

Visuals are simple but pleasing, good textures on the landscape tiles, nicely detailed units with lots of variety, good animations and an intuitive unobtrusive UI. Zooming in and out on units, cities and terrain allows you see all the little details while also giving you the ability to see the "big picture" strategic view. Graphics are vastly improved from previous games in the series. If I had one wish I guess it would be to have your cities and their buildings represented better visually. Cities grow and spread with population and advance with technology/era and have several different styles depending on the nation you select, and the building of wonders will add the wonder to the area surrounding your city but it would be great to have further customisation of your cities so you could really make them your own. The Civilopedia (like an in game wiki) is a little difficult to navigate and while informative could use some work.

Audio

8

Game Music is relaxing and fitting, from the dawn of civilisation, the age of exploration or the grand age of empire building it just seems to work well and I very rarely feel the need to turn down the music volume (as I do with other games). The ambient sound is excellent, move your screen to a coastal area and you will hear the wash of the sea, select your boats and you will here the crack of oars or ring of their bell. The little touches and details like these really make the game a joy to play.

Gameplay

9

Civilisation is a turn based 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) game, a game of grand strategy & micromanagement, a game where the objective is to grown your civilisation and eventually conquer all through Technology, Culture, Diplomacy and Military might. This is by no means a simple game, it takes time to truly learn and fully appreciate but once you get into a game your hooked. Civilisation is by far the most addictive game (maybe with the exception of certain MMORGP's) out there. The "just one more turn" is a running joke because you will often find yourself planning on playing just one more turn to build something or win a battle and then you will look to the clock and find several hours have past. The start of the game is exciting, turns move quickly and you see your planning quickly realised, mid game you must continue your expansion and put in place what you will need to win. The only place where I feel this game falls down is late in the game, by this point sometimes there will be a clear winner, technology advancement will slow and your empire will often be so massive and units so numerous that just taking your turn can take quite a lot of time. Overall though gameplay is outstanding. The AI can be a little quirky at times but for the most part is challenging and tactically sound. Relationships between civilisations are all based on their predisposition and events which occur throughout the game and can therefore be somewhat predictable.

Story

8

The Story of history rewritten, the story of civilisation, so many details make up this game and so much background history on every aspect (via the civilopedia). The DLC add's on (amongst other things) quests which add to the story but in truth these add little to the game. The narrative is really what you make it, the interaction between the leaders of the other civilisations, all struggling for power, the alliances and conflicts mean there is very rarely a time of true peace or a dull moment.

Replayability

10

Fully customisable random maps, different scenarios, different civilisations and leaders. Make your own maps and scenarios, full integrated into steam workshop with hundreds of brilliant mods. It all adds up to a different experience each time and near infinite replayability.

Multiplayer

6

This is not an easy game to play multiplayer, the nature of the game means that you will all need a large amount of time to play a game through to completion, which may be problematic (especially with friends in different timezones or for people with connection issues). The most enjoyable aspect of multiplayer I found was the hotseat mode. In this mode you play locally and multiple players take the game in turns (like a boardgame), once again the time required to get near the end means you could be in for a very long (but very enjoyable) game.

Overall

9

While some purists will prefer the earlier Civ games in the series, I feel that Civ 5 (and especially with the main DLCs) is a worthy successor. It has the right level of difficulty and depth, much improved visuals and solid gameplay which will make you wonder where the hours went.

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Posted 22 January, 2015. Last edited 22 November, 2022.

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