Civilization V

So this is a game that I found was on sale. I was trying to choose between Civ V and Civ VI to spend my money on. I chose this game because I found it had better ratings. After playing for a while, I found out that my choice was the "right" one. I read a bit about both games and found Civ V to be of better taste. I wasn't as fond with the cartoonish style of Civ VI, so I decided to keep on going with this game. And MY GOD, WAS I HOOKED. HOOKED AS A FISH EATING A WORM OF A METAL HOOK. This game is incredible! I will tell you why right now.

Why is this game so lovely? Well I should probably be quoting on 5 things. Gameplay, Story, Graphics, Cost, and Originality.

Gameplay

When I dove into this game, I was completely new to this genre of strategy games (except when I played Settlers of Catan of course.) I had no idea what I was doing the first time I played. I did follow the advisor's instructions when I was running through the game, but most of my first game as Pacal of the Mayans was spent expanding everywhere. Every bit of land I could find I claimed. However, I did not realize that this would trigger my neighbor Maria I of Portugal. She started insulting my land, and I just declared war on her because she was being a brat. Once I annihilated her, Bismarck, Pachacuti, William, and Harald Bluetooth all started to denounce me. I was far ahead of them, so I showed them who was boss and won a domination victory.

Now this is not my preffered victory as I don't like being denounced over and over again. Once I actually got into the game and improved my play, I got addicted as all heck. The replayability was so real in this game, and there was so much variety to each randomly generated map. Different players have different abilities and unique units, and features were widespread in the game. You have to keep your citizens well fed and happy while expanding your empire. You have to maintain a military to defend against other civs (or nasty barbarians). All of the management included in this game makes the strategy feel so deep. It feels like it is required in order to play the game right (like how Augustus Caesar decided to be a warmongering freak and got crushed by everyone else in the end). The gameplay is the highest contributor to making this game one of the best I have played. 10/10

Story

This isn't applicable... There really isn't a story to the game, although you can make the game a little story in your head if you wanted!
N/A rating

Graphics

The Graphics are amazing in this game. Even though the board is meant to be in a hexagonal grid, the 3d textures of every single hex have a smidge of variety. Did I forget to mention that they blend the textures amazingly in order to make the world look so real? Well now I have, and you'll see what I mean once you play it. Every individual unit has their own texture, and for how small they are, they all look high quality according to the eyes. Every single leader has their own screen whenever you talk to them, and they look beautiful. So realistic compared to the historic figures they were based off. It's amazing and you can't deny it. Go look at a screenshot or something, then you can really understand me. 9/10

Cost

Sure. It's 30$ on steam. It's a high price for a game alright, but I guarantee you it is worth every penny. There is a bunch of DLC and Expansion packs that cost quite a bit too. Once you've bought everything, you've gotten yourself a full game that will hook you on for at least 6 hours per day. "Wait! Just... one... more... turn...", is what you will be shouting everytime your mom calls you for dinner. No, I'm serious. But if you want, you can always wait for a sale to come on (which was what happened in my case).
9/10

Originality

I'm very very sure that when Sid Meier and co. first created the Civilization series, they were aiming to make an experience that would be one of a kind. It would be a digital strategy game of the ages, and oh boy did Sid nail it! When I started playing Civ V, I was like, "I've never seen anything like it!", and that was one of the main reasons why it got me hooked. It's a truly unique style that puts your brain to the works, and I am eager to see what they add in the next game of the series.
10/10

Overall Rating

9.5/10