It's not common that a game series survives as long as Sid Meier's Civilization has. But, with a premise focused on creating an empire that stands the test of time, it seems appropriate that one of strategy gaming's most venerable series continues to stay relevant more than 20 years after its birth. Winner of 15 E3 Awards, including Best PC Game and Best Strategy Game, Sid Meier's Civilization VI is the series' latest installment, and it still finds ways to bring players back to the strategy gaming genre it helped build over two decades ago.
Right now, you can try Sid Meier's Civilization VI and its new Rise and Fall expansion pack on sale today with the Sid Meier's Civilization VI Bundle for Mac. It's available to Boing Boing readers for $56.99.
You Against the World
For the uninitiated, Sid Meier's Civilization challenges players to take on history's greatest leaders and build their own supreme empire from the ground up. Aspiring rulers need to balance military, cultural, and scientific development to stay competitive while delicately navigating the world of diplomacy to ensure they can reach their goals unhindered.
From military conquest to scientific discovery, there are several different ways to achieve victory in Sid Meier's Civilization, but none of them come easily. Players need to rely on their wits, cunning, and tactical know-how to stay one step ahead of rival leaders while pushing their civilizations to the top.
What's New
While the core gameplay has remained mostly the same among recent iterations, the series' newest edition changes a few things up with two parallel tech trees and an innovative city system. Additionally, personal history will actually influence decisions of competing leaders, allowing for nuanced strategic agendas that enrich the gameplay experience.
Now, this all might sound a bit daunting for new players, but worry not. Sid Meier's Civilization VI has been designed from the ground up to be a game for all payers, whether they're avid strategy gurus or newcomers looking to test their wits. If you consider yourself part of the latter camp, you can rest easy knowing the latest game includes new tutorial systems that introduce new players to the underlying concepts, making it much easier to get started.
Rise and Fall
As with many of the Sid Meier's Civilization games, the core titles receive new features after launch in the form of expansion packs. Rise and Fall, the newest expansion in Sid Meier's Civilization VI, creates new threats from within via the new loyalty dynamic. While your choices have always carried weight in previous civilization games, they're even more potent as your decisions can affect the loyalty—and allegiances–of your and your opponent's citizens, causing cities to break free and even switch sides to other empires.
What's more, your decisions in Rise and Fall also play a greater role in how often Golden Ages occur. Make the right choices, and you can fast-track your civilization's rise to the top. However, if you're not careful, you can easily send your empire spiraling down a Dark Age, complete with its own harrowing challenges.
How to Get it
If you're interested in discovering why the latest installment of the venerable Sid Meier's Civilization Sid Meier's Civilization was rated 9.4/10 by IGN and 93/100 by PC Gamer, you can do so and experience its new expansion pack with the Sid Meier's Civilization VI Bundle for Mac, on sale for $56.99. Alternatively, if you already have Sid Meier's Civilization VI, you can still save on the new Rise and Fall expansion, available today for $26.99.
