Sid Meiers Civilization IV Beyond the Sword
Sid Meiers Civilization IV Beyond the Sword see short title
Product Rating:
The massive Civilization IV universe is about to become more epic with this 2nd expansion pack to the 2005 Game of the Year. The biggest Civ expansion set ever, Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword focuses on the “late game” time periods after the invention of gunpowder and will deliver 12 unique and challenging scenarios created by the development team at Firaxis as well as some esteemed members of the Civ Community.
The massive Civilization IV universe is about to become more epic with this 2nd expansion pack to the 2005 Game of the Year. The biggest Civ expansion set ever, Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword focuses on the “late game” time periods after the invention of gunpowder and will deliver 12 unique and challenging scenarios created by the development team at Firaxis as well as some esteemed members of the Civ Community. « short desciption
User Reviews
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Review Date: 2009-11-02
I got this ages ago, but feel the need to make it official - this is the best update to Civ so far, and I've been playing since Civ 1. No other update was as robust as this one - easily "Civ 4.5". If you're just getting into Civ (where have you been?) get Civ 4 + Beyond The Sword - this is the best of the best.
A note about Civ Revolutions - good, but feels more like a kid's game compared to Civ 4. But if you're a console gamer, it's one of the "smartest" games in an ocean of shooters that all seem to look alike. PC gamers should stick with BTS, though, for playability, modding opportunities, and the huuuge community that surrounds it who are constantly making new mods and/or scenarios for the game (for free!). You only have to buy Civ once, but new games will keep appearing for it for the foreseeable future.
User: yelahneb
Rating:
Summary: Keeps Getting Better
Helpful Votes: 0
Total Votes: 0
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Review Date: 2009-09-28
This sort of expansion pack is exactly what the original game SHOULD have had to begin with.
The original game had a huge amount of problems with AI and general scope that made it addictive, yet almost instantaneously broken off with as mentioned in my review of it.
There's a whole bunch of new things, new technologies, new buildings, new researches, and new factions. Most appealing to me was the addition of the Ottoman Empire, and adding Augustus to the Romans.
There's much fixing with much of the map issues and idiocies with the city and infrastructure development.
This expansion pack seems to directly address many of the problems I had in that review:
- AI is smarter. The AI personas no longer simply demand peace and stick with it permanently. I've had instances where three separate factions go to war with me over seemingly no reason at all. Other times, I've been attacked and gone to war with because I refused to end trade with their enemy. I also have allies invite me to war with mutual enemies.
The AI also does things smarter, particularly smarter to Total War, and can offer surprises. For example, at one point in a game, for seemingly no reason at all, my allied civilization offered to submit themselves as a vassal to me. This was the only civilization that did it, and the only time it ever happened to me. Now they go to war or peace whenever I do.
- New factions and characters for pre-existing ones.
But there are still some problems, which tend to be major:
- Military matters are still a barrel of stupid inside a cake baked with pure idiocy. You can arbitrarily LOSE a battle when you outnumber the enemy, or watch in shock and pure rage as ONE enemy spearman or archer kills THREE of your axemen or whatever.
- Barbarians are disgustingly overpowered in the start. I've had to quit two whole campaigns because they were simply impossible. I started, and got only as far as researching pottery, when a stack of barbarians invades my lands. And by "stack" I mean up to 6-9 Axemen and archers, where I've only had enough time to build club-wielding warriors less than half that number. I simply cannot advance---my civilization is destroyed.
- When your civilization gets oversized, and workers are stuck in the middle of it with nothing to do, you can put them on automated work, and they will rush off to the outer corners without your guidance. However, they seem to be too damn STUPID to realize such things as "Plantation goes on top of Silk for big happy funtime benefits" and decide to build FORTS on ALL precious resources. I've gone many turns completely oblivious to the fact that the workers had built FORTS on top of GOLD MINES and pastures of much-needed special resources.
One of the MAJOR problems I have with this is the inclusion of Joseph Stalin for Russia... but no Adolph Hitler for Germany. I think it's kind of insulting to include Joseph Stalin, who murdered 20 million of his own people, and totally overshadowed all sorts of atrocities Hitler committed. There would have been huge controversy if a little cartoony Hitler appeared for the Germans in this game, but no one says a thing about a cartoony Stalin appearing? And none of his special stats mention anything about being able to enslave or murder tens of millions of his own citizens to mass-industrialize in only ten years?
The only way to correct this wrong is to disclude Stalin, or to include every major historical figure regardless of reputation. Throw in Hitler, Nero, Caligula, Enver Pasha, Fidel Castro, Robert Mugabe, Idi Amin, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, Augusto Pinochet, Ivan the Terrible, Pol Pot (of the Khmer Rouge), or Kim Jong Il. Joseph Stalin certainly overpowers all of them in terms of sheer scope of deaths inflicted by his will. And they DARE include Stalin in an "E for Everyone" cartoony game about civilization building? And we don't even get to build Gulags to send people to be worked to death in.
User: Andariel Halo
Rating:
Summary: Fixes crap up from the base game
Helpful Votes: 0
Total Votes: 0
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Review Date: 2009-07-14
If you already have the original Civilization IV, then you will love this great expansion pack.
User: Pugnax Lupus
Rating:
Summary: CIV 4 :BTSi s Great
Helpful Votes: 0
Total Votes: 0
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Review Date: 2009-07-12
Civ IV: Beyond the Sword introduces the latest expansion to the super popular turn-based strategy series.
Among other things, the creators added new civilizations, new scenarios, and some very exciting mods.
I think the mods are what make this game. Some of them are previously fan-created mods that have been added to the main game. Fall From Heaven is probably the most notable example. For those who enjoyed the Midgard Scenario from Civ II: Test of Time, Fall From Heaven is for you. And you can even download its sequel, Fall From Heaven II from the Civ Fanatics forum.
For those who simply enjoy the standard main game of Civ, this expansion will not disappoint either. Definitely a must-have for Civ fans.
User: C. Salvatore
Rating:
Summary: Great Expansion, better with mods
Helpful Votes: 0
Total Votes: 1
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Review Date: 2009-07-07
I show this game to many people, from different cultures, languages, professions and level of education. (All of them not playing any games at all.)
I teach them first moves and than I watched haw over the time, their:
language, vocabulary, geography, history of the world, controlling multitasking is improving and outstanding others.
Amazing haw such small simulation, could improve our way of thinking.
Every one had difficult time at beginning with one town, after 3 months they manage more than 15 easy. All of them say, that managing their life,
home, office is much simpler now. Due to the learning game.
Over all "Brain gym" recommended for every age.
Janusz Waksmanski
User: Janusz Waksmanski
Rating:
Summary: Is not a game, this is the best brain stimulating mashine
Helpful Votes: 0
Total Votes: 1
Product Details
- 10 new civilizations
- 12 new scenarios
- 78 new units and 64 new buildings
- 16 new leaders
- 5 new technologies
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