Peter Moon, Author at New Right Network

Release and Features. Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution (CivRev) was released in July 2008 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and Windows Phone. It featured 16 playable civilizations at launch, scenarios to play on, and five different difficulties to master. It was later released onto the iOS store years after it’s initial release, while the Xbox 360 version is now playable on an Xbox One, thanks to the system’s backwards-compatibility feature. Every mainline Civilization game has had a short video play when booting up the game, which shows the progression through history. On Civilization Revolution’s PS3 and Xbox versions, one is treated to this opening cinematic every time they play the game. However, this feature was absent in the game’s later mobile ports. This is in tradition with nearly every mainstream Civilization game. Instead, the movie’s background theme will play on both the mobile and DS versions’ main menus. A Journey Through Time This cinematic is one of Civilization’s better ones. There are no speaking lines, much like Civilization 4’s opening movie. These videos are supposed to be cool, fasicnating, and motivating. Civilization Revolution certainly does not disappoint when trying to do this. The video starts out with a caveman drawing elaborate pictures on a wall with what appears to be fire soot. Then, the camera whirls around the man to show Julius Caesar in front of a massive audience. As flowers and confetti rain down, Caesar victoriously lifts his arms up, and the crowd roars, praising the victorious return from his conquest. Enter Alexander. Then, the image again shifts to that of a knight, presumably Alexander, pulling a blade out of a sheath. He admires it, then points it forwards as if to simulate a battle charge. As he does this, the camera follows the blade, and doors open to a fiery expanse. Warriors on horses run by as fire spread across the ground behind them. This is signifying the domination and destruction of war in Civilization, and keeps on. The camera again transitions back to the caveman, who draws lines to form another picture. Another transition occurs, this time taking us from the cave wall to a seaport. Two men (a navigator and Christopher Columbus) stand on a dock before a massive sea. Through stormy sea gales and crashing waves, we arrive to a peaceful expanse. We fly by the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, to what appears to be a luscious green island. There is a quick flash of light, and the scene again transitions to another point in history. JFK and Other Interesting Scenes. Schematics of a spaceship spin on a dial as a silent scientist studies it, then turns to a suited man (John F. Kennedy) and waits for a response. Kennedy thinks about the notion, then nods. A military man thrusts a finger towards something, and fire ignites the inside of a rocket engine. Smoke billows out as the rocket ascends towards the heavens. Another transition, and the rocket flies into space, where we see another mustached man in a pod going towards an impressive-looking spaceship. Suddenly, the picture fizzles out, and returns to the cave-painting from before. The caveman admires his work, then turns to his family, who watches him. Then, the picture zooms out, showing us the small family is on a mountain. Then, it fades to black, and a final tone plays as the words “CIVILIZATION REVOLUTION” appear on screen. Those looking for all 42 Civilizations in Civilization 6 can go here. Review of This Video This video is supposed to show humanity’s technological progression through time. I believe it captures that feeling perfectly, encapsulating domination, culture, exploration, discovery, and imagination. In my opinion, this movie is better than Civilization 5’s opening video. The lack of voice acting is not a downgrade either; while voices could explain what is going on, they don’t need to. One can clearly see what is going on. The music in the background is empowering during each scene, it stays appropriate to what’s going on at the moment in the video. I believe it goes down in the books as one of the better Civilization opening movies, and fits the game’s purpose perfectly. About the Game. Civilization Revolution was released on both console and mobile systems. Naturally, cross-version differences were present. In total, the console versions of the game (PS3 and Xbox 360) have the most superior graphics. This version of the game gives a bird’s eye view onto the earth. The maps are vibrant, and feels alive. In these two versions, the cinematic is present, multiplayer is automatically available on launch, and all 16 base civilizations are present. Also In these versions, the screen is large enough to actually show more than one unit per square on screen at a time. If the player brings three units together, they’ll form an army. In the console versions, these actually look like real armies. Warriors and Infantry Armies consist of nine units, all on one square. A “tank army” consists of three tanks on one tile. Mobile vs. Console In the ports to the DS, iOS, and Android, CivRev had a considerable downgrade. For one thing, the DS’s dual-screen display was fully utilized. On the bottom of the screen showed the map, unit selection, and choices for the player to make in Diplomatic situations. On the top of screen showed the unit-tile advantages, city screen-output, and (when in Diplomatic situations), items of interest. The graphics for CivRev DS look like a board game; units on the ground have a left or right facing picture, based on the direction they’re facing at that time. Ships can face three different directions. Leaders look even more 2D in the Nintendo DS. Yes, their faces will still move, but they won’t be performing silly actions on screen, unlike in CivRev on the console. Not Good for iOS. On the iOS version, the downgrade is even more significant. If you have a small phone screen, you’ll regret playing this game. Each display takes up an entire screen. Diplomatic situations are more face-to-face, and unit battles take place in a small square. The game has a pastel-2D feel to it. In both mobile ports, the opening cinematic is absent. However, the music present in the movie will still play. In the DS game, victory screens are actually superior to the PS3 and Xbox versions. In this, the player actually can read an events-timeline that won’t constantly move on them. They can also see an actual “area control” screen, where they can review the ever-changing dominant sphere of their empire. In the mobile versions, the Trophy Room is also absent. On the console versions, this is where the player can view a lot of interesting things. These include leader busts, miniaturized wonders, portraits of Great People, and even a few “gifts” from caravans collected through the game. Also absent from the mobile versions is the Civilopedia. Other Useful Pieces of Information. The Civilopedia is where one can see and research all of the game’s mechanics, features, and items. In here, one can learn about walls, leaders, governments, and other useful pieces of information. Sadly, this important feature was absent in the DS and iOS. However, this is understandable; the iOS and DS had restrictions on the space they could store in their game files. The Civilopedia explained everything. This probably took up a fifth of the entire game file size. So, it seems smart to cut it out. The iOS and Android versions also utilized In-App Purchases. Yes, the consoles had these as well, but not to the extent the mobile port had. In this, the player could buy all sorts of little items that added to the game’s base. These included Lighthouses, maps, and other features. However, it is probably not a good idea to spend your money on these items-the game is not available on modern day iOS versions. Civilization Revolution came out more than 11 years ago, on last generation consoles. Many features weren’t present in the game at the time, and it wasn’t as convoluted as newer ones. Let’s see what things aren’t in Civilization Revolution that are in newer games like Civilization VI (which came out in 2016). What Isn’t In Civilization Revolution There are only 16 civilizations in Civilization Revolution, while there are 42 (with the addition of both Rise And Fall and Gathering Storms, Civ 6’s two main add on packs) in Civilization 6. Taking the entirety of Civilization Revolution and comparing that to Civilization 6 without the add-on packs, one finds that Civilization 6 only features 18 civilizations at launch (19 with a free DLC pack). In the newest Civilization game, there are certain leaders missing that were in CivRev. In order to play as Mongolia, one needs to purchase an expansion pack. This is the same situation with Shaka of the Zulu. Elizabeth I of the English does not return to Civ 6, and England is instead led by Queen Victoria. Napoleon does not return, and France is instead led by Cathrine de Macici. More Differences Germany is also now different, being led by king Barbarossa, instead of Bismarck. Alexander the Great is not king of Greece anymore; instead, Pericles and Gorgo take his place. Instead, our fair-haired young king is the leader of Macedonia. Tokugawa of the Japanese did not return. Japan is instead led by Hojo Tokimune, the famous anti-Mongolian Buddhist. Rome is now led by Trajan instead of Julius Caesar. Russia will now be led by Peter the Great instead of Catherine. Isabella of the Spanish was finally replaced by Pedro the Second after being featured in at least two games. Abraham Lincoln did not make another appearance, instead being replaced by the more modern Theodore Roosevelt. Finally, Mao of the Chinese was replaced by Qin Shi Huang. New Units Overall, Civilization 6 offered more civilizations at launch than CivRev did. Also, Civ6 offered a variety of leaders to choose from. It also offered updated character models and improved historical relevancies. Civ 6 has better unit...