For Civ Revolution Players
Ready to take on the big, bad PC version of Civ, eh? Well, good, cause there's a lot in Civilzation 5 you're already familiar with. The one thing that may come as a shock is not so much the size of the game, but the time commitment. Three- to four-hour match times are out on standard settings, you're in for eight hours or more now. The options on map and game type are very customizable when starting a game, so you'll be able to get whatever experience you want. If you'd like something more like Revolution, there's always the option of starting on a "tiny" map and switching the game speed to "quick."
Don't worry about micromanagement and menus. Your civilization's science, happiness, finances and culture are clearly displayed in the top left corner. Hovering over any one will generate a tool tip that explains the math behind each. If you want to get deeper, you can get check with your advisers or examine the super detailed spreadsheets on the (conveniently named) "additional information" button.
The game's user interface was designed by the same person who did Revolution, and it shows. The most important buttons for your units are always clearly displayed on the left side and if anything needs your attention, there's a running list on the right side. It's all very clean and easy to follow.
Plus, you'll find that Civ 5 molds really well to the way you like to play. An example: When a city is taken over you'll have the option to raze the city, install a puppet leader or annex the city. Annexing will make the populace in the city very unhappy, and you'll have to make a courthouse to shut them up. The benefit of annexing is that you can control what the city builds. Installing a puppet gives you all the benefits of the city without being able to control it. It sounds weird, but it works out really well when you're steamrolling an opponent -- it's also a brilliant way the game avoids micromanagement when you're clearly on a warpath. It's a clever and passive aggressive solution to making war fun and not scaring new (and even experienced) players away from a long war campaign.
Revolution was a fantastic game that boiled down the most important elements of the franchise. Civ 5 takes many, many of those core concepts and presents them in a fuller package. This isn't Civ Rev 2, but if you wanted something grander and more elegant from a Civ experience, Civilization 5 is ready to serve.
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