New iPhone Games: Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution

If I didn’t already have one, I would rush out right now and get an iPhone. Yes, it would be because of this game. So I’m showing my geek side, so what? I have been a fan of the Civilization series of games since its inception, and after playing Revolution, I remain so.

I expected Civ: Revolution to be a diluted version of Civ 4 at best. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a lot of the detail stripped out, both visually and in game play. Thankfully, 2K Games took the new platform presented by the iPhone very seriously, and delivered an in-depth game with high replay value that is easy to learn and fun to play.

You start with a choice of 16 Civilizations from throughout history. Pick one and start your quest for world domination. The combat system will be familiar in that you can create armies of up to three units, and they can gain extra bonuses and abilities as they level up. During fights, you get to watch the combat unfold in animated battle sequences.

I found the controls pretty easy to get used to, and got quite adept at using them with just a little practice. Being gesture based, you can pinch to zoom in on some troops or a danger you thought you saw. Order your troops around, tell them where to go or what to build by flick or drag gestures.

Like the other Civs, Revolution has multiple difficulties to challenge the beginner and the seasoned veteran alike. New to the game? Get into the swing of things with the integrated tutorial. Use your friendly advisors; that’s what they’re there for! If you’re an old salt, dive right in and get to conquering your neighboring civilizations.

The only downfall that I have found to the iPod version of Civs is a lack of a multiplayer mode, and that’s a big downfall. Half of the fun in playing the game is getting to thoroughly thrash your friends in head-to-head competition. Unfortunately, we will have to wait for 2K Games to catch their one glaring omission and fix it with an update. I will live for now.