Sid Meiers Civilization 7 not a series best (2K)The most famous name in strategy gaming has finally got a new sequel but theres something strangely absent from this entry.There are some franchises that are so iconic that they personify an entire genre, whether its Tetris for puzzle games or Street Fighter 2 for fighting games; some titles are so famous that theyre the first thing that comes to mind for most people, whether theyve personally played them or not and regardless of whether the game is actually the most successful in its genre. Civilization is that game when it comes to strategy titles.Although this new sequel is being launched on every format possible (well get into whether that was a good idea later on) most have been initially PC-only titles, allowing you to conquer the world according to your personal preferences, whether that be militarily, economically, scientifically, culturally, or some combination thereof.The scale is dizzying and while there are some esoteric elements to the gameplay, and a tendency for it to get bogged down in its endgame, its not by accident its remained popular these past 34 years and certainly not because people were only playing it for the graphics. Its getting on for a decade since Civilization 6, so a new sequel was overdue but unfortunately this entry feels like it needed a couple more years in the oven.Every new Civilization is essentially the same game but while that would be a criticism with most other franchises here its not just about refining a successful formula but expanding and highlighting different elements in different entries. The importance of religion, for example, has waxed and waned over the years, as has the emphasis on military conquest, but one of the primary focuses this time is player accessibility and if that already has your spider-sense tingling then it does so with good reason.We were very optimistic about Civilization 7, not simply because of the series track record but because the hands-on and interview we had at Gamescom last summer seemed to acknowledge one of the intrinsic flaws of the game; namely that the opening hours, where youre controlling a prehistoric tribe of nomads as they explore the planet, are considerably more interesting than quietly adding defences and tech upgrades to your cities at the end of the game.Not that that stuff isnt interesting in its own way and unavoidable if you take the games premise to its logical conclusion but it seems fair to say that many more games of Civilization are started than are ever finished. Unfortunately, the most obvious way in which Civilization 7 chooses to address this problem is by simply stopping the game in the 1960s, with the first manned space launch, cutting out the modern and future ages entirely which not only feels anticlimactic but reeks of an excuse to charge for DLC later.Beyond that, the most obvious change for returning fans is the interface, which has been streamlined to within an inch of its life no doubt in order to more easily facilitate the console versions. We imagine a lot of people are going to complain that Civilization 7 has been dumbed down, but its not quite as simple as that, as while developer Firaxis has clearly tried to make it appear more approachable therere inexplicably few tooltips and visual aids to explain how anything works.The customisation options before starting a game have also been drastically cut back, as while playing on a map of Earth is fun occasionally its the randomly-generated maps where youll spend most of the time, and you no longer have as much control over how theyre created.Civilization 7 isnt a lazy sequel by any means, but it does seem very misguided. The original idea for the series was that you pick a famous culture and take that all the way from prehistory to the near future, which never really made that much sense not when you had Ghandi and Queen Elizabeth I arguing over nukes but it was the only easy way to add a human element to proceedings.Therere more storytelling moments in this new game, including what are essentially side quests, but the cultural avatars are now independent of their historical origins, so you can have Catherine the Great leading China for the whole of the game, if you think her leader benefits are the most desirable. The graphics are fine for what they are (2K)What you cant have though is Ghandi, as he and many of the other fan favourite leaders are simply not in the base game. Neither is Great Britain or any of its leaders, which has already been announced as being locked behind a two-part paid-for DLC expansion. Buy that as part of the Deluxe Edition and suddenly the games price balloons to 90. Or 120 if you get the Founders Edition that includes extra civilisations and leaders on top of that.The game is now divided into three different ages, with the option to change culture at the end of each one. Each age has its own victory conditions and special rules, with the idea being that its more realistic to have cultural influences changing over time. However, not only is this an idea obviously stolen from Humankind (although Civilization 7 places more realistic restrictions on the culture choices) but the way everything gets a soft reset at the end of an age, in terms of construction and diplomatic relations, can ruin your plans just as they were bearing fruit.More TrendingAnother longstanding problem with Civilization, and indeed most strategy games, is that the artificial intelligence can do some very illogical things when it comes to both diplomacy and combat. This is something else that Civilization 7 tiptoes around without actively improving, with the AI never seeming to have a clue that an age is about to end. Although the increased importance of commanders on top of which you can stack several combat units, so you can move entire armies at once and synchronise attacks is very welcome.There are other positive changes too, with the influence level of opposing nations now being just as important as their military strength, as you try to change public opinion at home and abroad. This makes diplomacy in general much more interesting, especially when utilising the range of espionage options, making it one of the rare times when Civilization 7 manages to create an interesting gameplay mechanic that also makes the game more realistic.Overall though this is definitely a disappointment. Reputations can change over time the last few Civilization sequels were all hated at launch, by a significant subset of the fandom but this feels just too much like a backward step. Its small number of improvements dont outweigh the sense that all the most interesting parts of the game have been shaved off, in a nave attempt to expand the audience and publisher 2Ks wallet. Its not the end of Civilization as we know it, but its certainly not encouraging for the future.Sid Meier's Civilization 7 review summaryIn Short: A very disappointing sequel that features a few interesting new ideas but either streamlines the rest or leaves it out on purpose, for you to buy later as DLC.Pros: The core Civilization gameplay is as entertaining as ever, with plenty of that just one more turn magic. Diplomacy and influence changes work well, as do the new commander units.Cons: The soft reset at the end of an age is too intrusive and AI is still weak. Overly streamlined interface with too little onscreen help. The game is very obviously leaving out content on purpose, in order to sell it separately later.Score: 6/10Formats: PC (reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5Price: 59.99Publisher: 2KDeveloper: Firaxis GamesRelease Date: 11th February 2025Age Rating: 12 Many fans will probably stick to Civ 6 (2K)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy