Genre: 4x Strategy
Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K Games

Outside of the not-subtle shift to hex-based tiles, Civilization V looks like a Civilization game, from the scale at which units and buildings are drawn relative to the game world, to the wonderful style of the title's textures and menus. The game board ends up looking a little too busy however, and it's often difficult to tell at a glance where units are located. The developers evidently realized this problem, but rather than fix it, developed an alternate, board game-like "tactical" view.

At first blush, Civ V still sounds like a Civilization title, but after some extended playtime, it becomes apparent that the aural presentation really lacks the charm and character of the previous title (which shared a lot of audio with the also charming "Sid Meier's Pirates" remake that came out around the same time). The game's audio never gets in the way though, and is hardly harsh or irritating.

Civilization V's alteration of the fourth title's concepts is hit and miss-- the absence of the viral-like religion aspect makes the game's denizens feel a bit less human, and a bit more sterile, while the AI is positively terrible at fighting competently using the game's new combat engine, which is outstanding when facilitating combat between human players. City management actually makes sense this time around, which is a nice positive.

The Civilization formula will probably be as entertaining fifty years from now as it was in 1991, when the original game was introduced-- it's a formula that, if followed closely enough, is impossible to screw up. Civ V succeeds partially on that principle, and while it has a few issues, also in credit to its outstanding new combat engine, less cryptic city resource management, and its interesting new "city state" mechanic.