Alpha Centauri

by Electronic Arts

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004XRBD
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: July 25, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,762 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, September 7, 2000

By 

dj_swinger (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alpha Centauri (CD-ROM)

I write this review well over a year after the game came out simply because I have to reiterate to those that may not have the game how great it actually is. I say this, because even after a year, I am still playing Alpha Centauri. There are not very many games that interest me 3 months after I beat them, much less a year. It is so satisfying on so many different levels that whenever I need a break from another game, I'll spend a couple days exploring Alpha Centauri again. There are several different ways to win. You can conquer the planet through military might, be elected Supreme Leader by the Planetary Council, Corner the Energy (the games currency) market, or the Ascent to Transendence, which is basically the most technologically advanced faction. Such parameters allow for varied styles. Want to beat your neighbor senseless? OK. Are you sneaky and want to forment revolts? You can do that to. Or you can buy off votes in the planetary council with cash or technologies. But it is many of the small things that make this game shine. Alliances actually work - your friends will help you when you need it, cut you off if you stab them in the back, and grow suspicious if you become to powerful. You can give away cities to reward a faithful vassal or pacify an enemy. If you commit atrocities against an enemy they will fight you to the last man. However, if you are a noble enemy, they will submit to your will and become your vassals. Such small details are glorious in the otherwise "kill 'em all" world of computer gaming. My few complaint with the games are niggling. On the higher difficulty levels it seems you are battling with a hostile planet rather than smarter enemies - which seems a copout for what is otherwise a robust AI. Also, the end game can really drag. If you have conquered two or three other factions and have a ton of cities to manage, a turn can take up to half an hour to manage everything. These small things aside, Alpha Centauri is brilliant game design at work. After a year I only wish other game designers had taken a look at some of the options the Firaxis team offered.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great game at this price, November 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Alpha Centauri (CD-ROM)

It took me a long, long time to really get into this game, but once I did, I really came to appreciate its complexity and playability. Like Civilization and other turn-based games, you develop a civilization from a single initial city with little military power, wealth, or technology into a large, planet-spanning, technologically advanced society. You compete with other growing civilizations (called "factions" in this game) for resources, land, and influence, and you can further your goals by military power, stealth, diplomacy, or a combination of these. Terraforming a hostile planet is also a very important part of the game.

Each game can play out very differently depending on the military and diplomatic choices that you make. You can also adjust many aspects of your society, such as your political and economic structures, values, and ideals, all of which have concrete effects on the game (making it easier or harder to learn new technologies, for example, or to produce highly trained military units). Also, one thing that is nice is that you have a lot of control over many automated features. If you want to manage every aspect of your city production or terraformer behavior, you can; or you can turn it all over to automated governors and forget about it.

Anyone who is familiar with turn-based strategy games will probably want to pick this up at this price. It does lack the historical connection that can make Civ 2 so addictive but is still a complex and interesting game (and it takes some time to figure out how everything works). Also, there are several different ways to win, so it's not necessary to go through the tedious process of capturing every single enemy city to win the game. If you have not played turn based games before, though, I'd recommend starting with CIV 2 and picking up the "scenarios" expansion pack.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Civilization in Space, August 19, 2000

By 

"comrade_rex" (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alpha Centauri (CD-ROM)

Alpha Centauri is a turn based strategy game. You are the leader of one of seven rival factions who setteled on Chiron, a planet in the Alpha Centauri system. In the game, You build cities and manage them, build armies and attack, and conduct research.

Every fan of Civilization will find himself right at home in Alpha Centauri, even though the two games happen on different planets in different times. Major improvements from civilization are superior graphics, the ability to costumize your own army units, and 4 different ways to win: The traditional military conquest, Cornering the Economy, Becoming a superior leader of all the factions, or the new and most challenging way: Making contact with the planet itself, which is a living and highly advanced organism. The game also contains a great plotline, revolving around the player's relationship with "Planet".

A five star game.