Recent reviews by Slavaskii

Very fun, runs are relatively short (appx 1 hour) and lots of replayability. Great w/ friends.

The game is far, far too buggy. It's a creative little sandbox, but the escape mode never works and half the time I try to load prisons, everything disappears.

EDIT: After playing for several hundred more hours, I can still say I would not recommend this game. Literally every run comes down to mere chance, and it's clear this game is being abandoned now that NFP comes to a close and the main team has moved to something not yet named. What's still broken? Diplomacy, early wars, BARBARIANS. How could they have screwed up barbarians so badly? It's not uncommon to lose a game because of barbarians - I just witnessed twenty swarm my land from all sides, some carrying a battering ram along with them. Yeah, because that's real fun on Deity when all the other Civs then declare war on you for no reason.

If you don't believe the fact that this game is abandoned, look to the World Congress. After years, it is still the most disappointing system ever introduced to the franchise. You can't propose what you want. You have virtually no control over anything because the AI always votes against you. And don't even try to figure out what you're doing - it's the most cryptic thing ever.

Civ VI is doomed, and despite being a financial success, it is nothing but a time sink. Get Civ V. Or Civ IV. Nothing in this game is actually worth your money.

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I didn't want to do this. I really, really didn't want to do this.

I pre-ordered Civ VI and was, admittedly, always skeptical about the release. The trailer, which was popularized almost immediately, worried me. Where was the game footage? Where was the story? Where was the beauty that had become synonymous with the series?

When the first screenshots came out, many people's worries were realized. And you have to ask, what effect can graphics really have on games? Certainly, there's genres that can be cartoony and be smashing successes. But doing the same for a historical-strategical game was a bold, bold move. The consequence, was simple: Civ VI lacks the same draw, the same lure and power that the other editions had. Though I have only 100 hours, I played enough to realize that I can't play any more. It's hard to imagine and immerse yourself in a game where everything has a joking, cartoon aspect to it. I want to build my empire from the ground- that's the feeling most of us had when we were introduced to Civilization. I feel like, now, the game is all about trying to impress me with things I don't necessarily care about. Sure, the cities look nice. But wouldn't it be nicer if I could pan across the world without my eyes bleeding, and I could conduct trade deals with leaders that look realistic and not made to be preposterous?

The art style leads into a whole range of other development issues that I find concerning and worrisome. The military system is a disaster. Airforces have been effectively removed from the game with the introduction of districts. The cost to build their respective tile, in addition to the abhorrent production cost of literally everything, makes them useless. I still cannot figure out how to properly attack a city. Is it really that complicated, when I have strong units and my enemy has literally none? Granted, I have been able to win conquests before- but only while the AI was technologically crippled, which makes the feeling and strategy of fighting wars absolutely diminish.

Foreign relations make no sense and are always unfavorable. Though patches have been made to make the AI more friendly, it still doesn't feel right, like Civ V. In Civ V, you felt fully in control of your relationship. This was a necessary thing: you, again, felt as if you managed your country and their policies. In Civ VI, you feel helpless. Isolated on a world to yourself, which you continuously press next turn to escape.

The changes made to make the game more immersive do so, but only on the turn they're implemented. Simply, there's set objectives you have to achieve, and they stay standard across each game. Deity is, essentially, an early-game rushfest. Of course, there are other ways to tackle it- but that's what gets me the most, more than anything. Civ VI ostracizes players that loved the series for what it was: a fun, simulation-strategy game, where your goal was to create the most well-rounded and prosperous empire on the planet.

It was never about abusing strategies. It was never about clicking endlessly and hoping for something to happen. YOU made things happen. With Civ VI, I always leave my games feeling empty, yet sad. As much as it pains me, the future of Civ VI is increasingly bleak. So many things are already cemented for it that it would need a massive overhaul to revamp.

If you are new to the series and are intrigued by this edition, by all means, purchase it. You have an interest and it's certainly still a Civilization game at the core. If you come from V, stay there. It says a lot in the fact that V has substantially more players than VI.