Customer Reviews

Civilization 4: Beyond The Sword

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most expansion packs are disappointing, and until now the Civilization ones were no exception. They add a few new units, a few new civilizations, and maybe a concept or two. Although "Beyond the Sword" does all of this, it does a lot more. The additions--corporations that grow and develop, random events that affect relations and growth, a new espionage system that puts teeth back into spies--change the strategy of the game, adding complications and nuances throughout. This is especially good when all of the territories have been claimed. Before this pack, late gameplay was the least interesting part. Now, it is just as enjoyable as the rest of the game. There are also little things that I've enjoyed. Building wonders has always been a great part of Civilization, and now there are many more. New military units, like anti-tank infantry, guided missiles, and paratroopers, add new strategic possibilities to war, and personally, I really like the new animations for the spaceship. The only thing a little disappointing is that they couldn't get Leonard Nimoy to read the script for the new technologies. I don't know who the new guy is, but compared to Nimoy, he sounds pretty lame. You won't be disappointed with this expansion pack. After playing this at my house a few nights ago, a friend of mine went home and ordered his own copy immediately. If you're a fan of the Civilization series, I suggest that you do the same.

I've been playing Civ since the original came out in 1991 and this expansion moves Civ IV to the top of the list for me. It's now a richer and deeper game which permits the player to be successful with a wider range of strategies. Espionage and random events are my two favorite changes. On the other hand, corporations feel grafted on and just don't seem to add that much to the game. The AI has definitely been improved and I definitely recommend this expansion to anyone with the original Civ IV. If you haven't bought the Warlords expansion, don't bother - everything from it is included in Beyond the Sword except the Warlords scenarios.

Beyond the Sword for Mac is a game for great minds. I played the PC version for a while now, but running on iMac or MacBook gives me much better graphics performance and experience. I play with my sons (they use the PC version on Dell) via LAN setting, after installing patch 319, we can play hours with a lot of fun. My version on Mac works much more smoothly than the PC version; I guess OpenGL is better than DirectX? Not sure. Apple just makes much better platforms for games.

I had Civ IV and the first expansion, Warlords, for some time. Running on 10.4 they both crashed. A lot. I have not had a single crash so far in BTS. Now, I did upgrade to 10.6 before playing this, so possibly that had something to do with it. Others have already reviewed the game content. I have nothing really to add to that. Just wanted to mention that this has made the game much more stable for me, in addition to being a pure joy to play. Brings back memories of Civ III.

Best expansion pack ever!!! The higher levels are insanely difficult. Endless game possibilities with hours an entertainment!!!

Great selection of new leaders and civilizations to choose from. Also, new features like the vassal state add to the depth of the game. Finally, new random events, such as discovering medicinal herbs and natural disasters, further enhance the Civ. experience. I highly recommend this expansion pack...it truly adds a lot of features to the original Civ. IV.

Brilliantly made, this expansion adds a few Civilizations, techs, and elements. The "spy" element is a great addition that may turn the game around if used strategically.

The new units, leaders, etc are all nice. This add on seems to play more difficult than Warlords or the base Civ 4. The computer controlled civs attack more intelligently. They at times all seem to gang up you also.

Corporations definitely improves a neglected area of the game... a solid expansion, and if you like creative spinoff scenarios, it has that too...

This is the only game that I still play with any level of frequency, and it's by far the best implementation of Civ to date. I really love it on the mac.