"Civilization 7" starts the pre-release period with proper reviews
Buyers of the premium editions of "Civ 7" will have access from February 6, and the first reviews are now available with very different results.
(Image: Take-Two)
"Civilization 7" divides opinion: On Monday afternoon, the first reviews of the new spin-off appeared in international gaming media. On average, the latest 4X strategy game from Firaxis comes off well, but not really outstanding.
The review aggregator Metacritic currently gives the game an average of 80 out of a possible 100 points. This is solid in itself, but falls somewhat behind in comparison to previous offshoots: "Civilization 6" gets 88 points on Metacritic, "Civilization 5" 90 points and "Civilization 4" even 94 points. These "Civ" games have shaped the genre like no other game series in the past decade. In contrast, "Civ 7" seems more like a normal 4X game, at least based on early reviews.
The range is wide
Individual reviews are quite varied. Videogameschronicle praises "Civ 7" to the skies and awards it 5 out of 5 stars. "Civilization 7 is bold enough to make big changes to its formula without losing what has made the series cult", writes the games magazine in its conclusion. At the other end of the spectrum is the British magazine Eurogamer, which awards "Civ 7" only 2 out of 5 possible stars and attests to the new offshoot's lack of character. "It's a boring, inconsistent game," writes Eurogamer. "Instead of showing everyone how it's done, it feels like a game that leaves the 4X throne empty from the very first hour."
Most reviews find a compromise between these two extreme positions – including IGN, the largest traditional gaming medium in the USA. The reviewer awards 7 out of a possible ten points and justifies this rather sobering rating by IGN standards with, among other things, the user interface, which reveals too little information. In general, the new part feels a little too simplified, she writes.
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Controversial age system
At the center of many criticisms is the age system of "Civ 7", which has been controversial since its announcement. A campaign no longer consists of an uninterrupted flow of play with one and the same faction. Instead, ages divide a "Civ 7" playthrough into three chapters: the Ancient Age, the Age of Exploration, and the Modern Age. Among other things, players select a new civilization when transitioning to a new era. Egypt, for example, is now only available in the Ancient Era. While some testers welcome this breath of fresh air, others find the new gameplay interchangeable. "The feeling of connection disappears in the middle of the game," writes PCGamesN, for example.
"Civilization 7" will be playable for buyers of the premium editions from 6 February as part of early access. All other buyers can start playing from February 11. Past releases have shown that the rating of a "Civilization" game can change over time due to the release of patches and expansions.
(dahe)
