Developed by StarDock, Galactic Civilizations is is a planetary take-off on the Civilization genre. The way in which you win is up to you. You can defeat the other planets with your military, or culturally enrich them all, or even unite them together in a worldwide peace.
The AI is where this game shines - the computer notices if you are massing your troops in a given area or taking other steps to cause it harm. Your interface also adjusts depending on how you tend to act. If you start slaughtering helpless natives, your interface starts to take on a more dark tone.
The game is relatively complex. You have to keep track of your armed forces on the various planets, you have to keep up diplomatic negotiations with your friends and enemies, plus track the economic status of your worlds. Definitely a game that you get sucked into and realize suddenly that it's 3am and it's time to get to sleep ...
The graphics in Galactic Civilizations are are good quality. They do the job of letting you see where your forces are and how your plans are progressing. This isn't a game of cutting-edge graphics, it's a game of pitting your intelligence against the AI of your many opponents. Balance your taxes with your spending, and move out to influence the rest of the planets.
Galactic Civilizations is highly recommended for turn-based gamers who enjoy a game with complexity.
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We purchased Galactic Civilizations with our own funds for the purpose of this review.
