Civilization V

The Civilization series has always struck something fundamental in many categories of gamer, mostly because you can get exactly what you want out of it, and nothing you don’t. Like world domination with mass armies? Knock yourself out. Like micro-managing and number crunching? Go to town. History buff? Well, just roll up your sleeves.

Civ V is the next major addition to the lineup, and it’s a beaut. The landscape looks lush and the water glistens in the sun, and that’s just a backdrop for armies of pikemen and cannons knocking each other senseless. The game has a great art-deco UI that really suits the series, and watching armies literally charge into each other and die in battle is neverending fun.

The gameplay goes a long way towards simplifying the choices for n00bs. You get a clear sense of what discoveries lead to certain units and wonders, and you can either tinker with every detail or just let the AI handle the details for you. New options like turning a captured city into a puppet state make upkeep a lot easier, and in general the choices you make are less all-or-nothing decisions and more about making the game match your play style.

Civilization is great fun, and if the huge modding community from the previous game is any indication, this is the game that will keep on giving for a long while to come.