Civilization V: Gods and Kings Review for PC

System: PC
Dev: Firaxis
Pub: 2K Games
Release: June 19, 2012
Players: 1
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Drug Reference, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

Further, a few seemingly small adjustments were made that will add extra depth to the gameplay. The developers were careful to fix numerous problems that the Civ V community pointed out. There are now naval units with melee abilities, for example, and the combat has been slowed down. City-states can now be religious and mercantile in nature. There are also some new civilzations: the Netherlands, the Maya, Carthage, Byzantium, the Huns, Austria, Ethiopia, and Sweden. Each of these societies comes with a few unique abilities and units. They're not so distinct that the gameplay fundamentally changes when you play as a different society, but the minor variations can mean life or death in a close situation.

Civilization V: Gods and Kings Screenshot

Finally, Civ fans who love playing out historical scenarios will find a few more to choose from. These are the fall of Rome, a Victorian steampunk scenario, and a religion-themed match set during the Renaissance. The new matches don't model history to the degree that, say, a game from Paradox Interactive might, but they're a lot of fun and educational to boot.

If the only aim of Gods and Kings were to recreate the complexity of older Civ games without upsetting the gameplay balance of Civ V, that would be a lofty goal. But Firaxis has gone beyond that: They've added complexity without unbalancing the game and without making Civ V more daunting for newcomers. Firaxis has walked a very unstable tightrope without falling to the ground.

By
Robert VerBruggen
Contributing Writer
Date: June 19, 2012

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.1

Graphics
The graphics haven't changed much, but that's fine because they're still amazing.

4.3

Control
Despite the changes to the gameplay, the simply Civ V interface remains.

3.5

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The purpose of sound in Civ V is to stay out of the way, and that doesn't change with this expansion./div>

4.2

Play Value
Casual fans might not notice all the new bells and whistles, but it's a great buy for everyone else.

4.2

Overall Rating - Great
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

Expanded Epic Game: The core game experience has been greatly expanded with the addition of new technologies, 27 new units, 13 new buildings, and 9 new Wonders.

Religion: A righteous people will seek out Faith to found a Pantheon of the Gods. As your Faith becomes stronger, you can cultivate Great Prophets who build on these simple beliefs to create a religion that you can customize and enhance as desired.

Enhanced Diplomacy and Espionage: Establish embassies at foreign courts for closer ties (or clandestine operations).

Naval Combat: Your navy is now split into two different ship types, melee and ranged. This means that no coastal city should be considered safe, and can now fall to a surprise naval attack.

World Domination: The fight for world domination is now more dynamic than ever before. The Gods and Kings expansion features a reworked combat system and A.I. that puts more emphasis on a balanced army composition.