Civilization 5 Review

Sid Meier's Civilization 5, the turn based 4X strategy game to end all turn based 4X strategy games. 
In my extensive time playing Sid Meier's Civ 5, I founded a city, discovered how animals breed, built the Taj Mahal, and sent the first rocket ship to Alpha Centauri in hopes of colonizing life on a foreign planet, all while playing as Pachacuti of the Incan's. Needless to say history was rewritten as my hordes of long swordsmen and cannons bombarded Madrid with violent intent. The possibilities are endless as you begin the game with a mere settler and one group of club wielding warriors. As you settle on some fertile soil, you notice your population grow and culture expand, allowing for new sciences to be researched in hopes of gaining an advantage over your barbarian neighbors.

The ancient era flies by as you discover writing and philosophy, leading into future eras which hold many possibilities including diplomatic treaties, political trash talking, or even the danger of war. For those unfamiliar with the franchise Civilization, better known as Civ is a 4X turn based strategy game with a focus on historical figures, economic strife, and political ideologies. 4X is a genre of games which focus on exploration, expansion,exploitation, and extermination. Having played every installment in the series since Civ 2, I can say that Civ 5 and its expansions are obviously the most technologically advanced game in the series, boasting an ungodly amount leaders, resources, city-states, and units. It is remarkable how much content has been poured into this installment, yet it never feels overwhelming to a veteran of the franchise. The addition of more content has also come with a streamlining of most of the pre-existing content.
Where previously it was required to set taxation levels, and scientific production levels, now the series has taken away the cluttering charts and graphs present in old installments. Instead it has replaced those with meaningful choices present in the game including social policies. With social policies a civ can become a scientific powerhouse, an economic gold mine, or a cultural epicenter. It has taken all the fluff which made the game feel like work, and replaced it with unique and enjoyable policies.
I could go on and on about the details of the game, all the improvements and expansions, but its easier to just say that I highly recommend this game. It is a genre that is a bit polarizing, but i think its safe to say that it is the highest quality example of what that genre has to offer. Sid Meier's Civilization 5 earns 5 stars our of 5.