Seneque on 22 July 2008
I had the opportunity to play Civilization DS last week. I was able to complete the game 2 times in one night (around 3 hours each game), which is a little frightening to say for a Civilization. But finally, as I had the game only for the night, it was for the best (and I simply don't have the time to spend 3 days on a game anymore).
With regard to the review, I agree on most points. I would add however that:
- Unit's selection and movement are a real pain.
- By the way, too much fighting for my taste. As described, the map is too small, there is generally only 5-6 cases between you and your first opponent, the units are produced quickly and the IA is particularly aggressive (though I only tried on the smallest difficulty). As a result, I finished one of my 2 game on a conquest, when I usually have a pacifist-builder style of play.
- No land improvements (Irrigation, Mine ...). It is a great loss for me, given that managing my land territory is my favorite activity.
- Obtaining a technology first grants you a bonus. A huge bonus: free Units /great peoples (thank you for the tank) or + X gold/production/science in each city. It's almost ridiculous when combined with the bonus of greats people (though I like the idea) and usually better than what wonders can give you.
- The management of your citizens work-area in the cities is not particularly practical.
Quite disappointed overall, but a large portion of the problems comes from the limits of the hardware. The DS just can't handle more.
