Despite being put-off for a long time due to very poor reviews, I saw it on sale recently and picked it up (with Rising TIde). I have to say that this is one of the most unfairly criticised games I have ever played.

If you like Civ 5, this is a great sequel. In fact, I would go as far as to day that this game actually built on Civ 5 and without the encumbrance of having to stick to a linear chronistic tech "tree", has made significant improvements to the gameplay. For example, it's not the same old race for the same old wonders that Civ 5 generally revolves around, wonders have far less impact and specific wonders are not necessary for a specific victory type (except the handful of planetary wonders). I also like being able to build wide without having to hamstring myself in terms of going for strong wonders or high tier buildings, which in Civ 5 would basically limit you to very few settlements as lower level buildings would have to be built in every settlement before you could begin construction (e.g. Oxford University).

The affinity system is excellent and means the A.I. never lags too far behind militarily, rather they simply have a different "flavour" of troop types. The aliens (and miasma) are far superior to the Civ 5 barbarians and attacking them can have real gameplay consequences, especially in the early game. Tile improvements and population management in cities are much better in this game ... i have found myself keeping multiple workers constantly building until the very end of the game, unlike civ 5. The artefact system (and combination for unique rewards) and explorer units are a great addition too. Better than the rewards for scouting in Civ 5.

There are lots of other little touches (like starting perks & the diplomatic currency system) as well that I'm not going to list out, but taken together, really make for a refreshing and original take on Civ, and of course as it is based on Civ 5, it still looks beautiful too, and not like a crappy mobile game .....

It's well worth picking up in a sale (a bit pricey otherwise given it's age I think), and very enjoyable. I only wish it had been given a fairer innings when it first came out, and then maybe it would have had more DLC added over time, just like Civ 5 did.

Despite being put-off for a long time due to very poor reviews, I saw it on sale recently and picked it up (with Rising TIde). I have to say that this is one of the most unfairly criticised games I have ever played. If you like Civ 5, this is a great sequel. In fact, I would go as far as to day that this game actually built on Civ 5 and without the encumbrance of having to stick to a linear chronistic tech "tree", has made significant improvements to the gameplay. For example, it's not the same old race for the same old wonders that Civ 5 generally revolves around, wonders have far less impact and specific wonders are not necessary for a specific victory type (except the handful of planetary wonders). I also like being able to build wide without having to hamstring myself in terms of going for strong wonders or high tier buildings, which in Civ 5 would basically limit you to very few settlements as lower level buildings would have to be built in every settlement before you could begin construction (e.g. Oxford University). The affinity system is excellent and means the A.I. never lags too far behind militarily, rather they simply have a different "flavour" of troop types. The aliens (and miasma) are far superior to the Civ 5 barbarians and attacking them can have real gameplay consequences, especially in the early game. Tile improvements and population management in cities are much better in this game ... i have found myself keeping multiple workers constantly building until the very end of the game, unlike civ 5. The artefact system (and combination for unique rewards) and explorer units are a great addition too. Better than the rewards for scouting in Civ 5. There are lots of other little touches (like starting perks & the diplomatic currency system) as well that I'm not going to list out, but taken together, really make for a refreshing and original take on Civ, and of course as it is based on Civ 5, it still looks beautiful too, and not like a crappy mobile game ..... It's well worth picking up in a sale (a bit pricey otherwise given it's age I think), and very enjoyable. I only wish it had been given a fairer innings when it first came out, and then maybe it would have had more DLC added over time, just like Civ 5 did.