My honest review

[chrisgatt7]

6/10 Rating

I can’t say I have played every single CIV game, but I have played since number 4 and on. I have close to 15 thousand hours on CIV V & CIV VI combined. While I don’t agree with the changes to core gameplay, I can say the game has significant potential. This would be the case if I had solid trust in 2K and Firaxis which I don’t. The problem with the UI is extremely disastrous, Firaxis is NOT new to this 4x genera obviously neither is Ed Beach or the design team. All these factors combined make it extremely appalling the UI is so terrible. UI aside now, I think it’s a beautiful game. One of the most beautiful Civilization games I’ve ever seen. The gameplay is decent at launch, I DO NOT expect perfection in a game at launch. I’m trying to be very understanding about content and design but the leader choice in this game is horrible. The worst opening leader roster since I started with the franchise. Now I understand picking new leaders and characters from all different backgrounds of life, BUT the Leaders are weak, Ask the average person and maybe they know 4-6 of these leaders existed. I do really enjoy the game though; I just keep finding design changes that keep puzzling me. I think the removal of the Information Era was a huge step back, even if it’s presumed to be coming in DLC. Even more CRIMNAL to the whole franchise though is the REMOVAL of “Just One More Turn” at the end of the game. This error is why I hated Humankind. The Trade of Cities to end wars is also a horrible design choice. If only it was that simple the Russian/Ukraine war may have ended by now. The removal of Anti Air fire from both the ground unit and naval units is also a weird design choice. Like why? It was in the previous game and worked decently. Air Power must somehow be countered and balanced. The CIV switching I honestly don’t have a problem with. I find it very fun. The MAP designs are the worst I’ve seen since CIV 4. PLUS the maps keep getting smaller and smaller. With all that said I somewhat enjoy playing a new Civ game, this game has potential, BUT either Firaxis got to get their head out their ass or the mod community will need to save the day for the PC players. Hopefully we get both.

Please tell me what you think ? I love this Franchise. I wish it nothing but success. I'm also NOT one of those people whole complain about DLC content. Give me the content I want and I will buy, make it reasonable.

 

[Jeffery Bagley]

Most of my gripes coincide with yours. Mine are as follows:
1) Map sizes, I really enjoyed the giant earth map from Gedemon until they nixed support for giant maps in CIV 6. I really enjoyed playing all the historical cultures and seeing if I could win with all of them on diety level. Was hoping they would come back but not looking like it.
2) I "HATE!!!!!" having to switch cultures around. IF I want to play Rome, then let me play Rome through the whole game.
3) I was hoping for something better in resource management. Steel production, required for so many modern units should require steel. To make steel you need at least coal and iron. Why not have a building call a foundry to make steel and then that foundry to have access to coal and iron to function? Resource combinations like this would make the game so much more interesting. A modern unit like a stealth fighter would require resources like oil, aluminum, and an electronics factory. An electronics factory would require some resource like silicate or some other rare earth to make electronics. Then to make a stealth fight you would need three resources (Oil...for fuel, aluminum...for the frame, and electronics....for the electronics in the jet.) The same for a modern tank...would require steel for the hull, oil, and electronics. Modern ships would require Steel, electronics, and either oil, or nuclear for power. Older ships require Steel, oil or coal. etc etc.
4) I played Civ 7 once through and then deleted it. The maps were pretty to look at but game play just wasn't there for me. Too bad I paid for the expensive version.....I just hope modders can save this game.

 

[Pistol90]

I also find it hard to play CIV7

I have full CIV6 with maybe 50 mods ... and that game is 10 times better that CIV7 ... which for some reason does not have feeling of Civ game for me. When CIV6 came out, I stopped playing CIV5 and never went back.

But this time CIV6 will probably remain installed many years (if not decades) on my PC ... CIV7 needs two expansions and tons of mods, and they all need to be in direction of returning to original CIV formula - before it can become good enough for me...

 

[Noble Zarkon]

I "HATE!!!!!" having to switch cultures around.

they all need to be in direction of returning to original CIV formula

Given the age system and switching around is fundamental to the whole Civ 7 concept I suspect it's not going to be for you guys unfortunately.

 

[Jeffery Bagley]

Unfortunately that is my take also. Unless the modding community can work wonders. Now if they would just go back and free up assets on Civ 6 so you can play with giant maps........

 

[Pistol90]

Given the age system and switching around is fundamental to the whole Civ 7 concept I suspect it's not going to be for you guys unfortunately.

Civ switching can remain.

But economy (always infinite gold), religion, culture, maps, victory, diplomacy etc etc

Those thing bother me more than civ switching

 

[ProMeTheus112]

I want to finish my first deity game before commenting in detail what I think about the game but for me it's a game changer compared to past civs because of the freedom of strategy given by the game across its duration even on high difficulty, and I enjoy the complexity in how you develop the cities which is more organic without the predefined district types. I think this game has potential for being a 9/10 or over, mostly some UI bugs to fix and some more polish (or additions, bigger map sizes etc) but it's already easily a 8.5 at least I think. Notably the end game isn't tedious also and generally more fun, there is less to no chore-like management to do, very well made overall.
Like my current game I'm playing deity, I'm in exploration and for the most part of early/first half of that age I am ignoring distant lands and pursuing my own targets on homelands and it seems to be working great. I just love how the game gives you plenty of different targets that you can choose to hit in different measures or also not hit and just pursue your own on the side or fully. I feel like I'm playing a actual strategy game (even tho vs AIs) even at high difficulty which for me was lacking from the past games, I had to go very/full aggressive always early on and follow ups. Anyway I'm having fun I think I will play more games of Civ7 than I have of the other ones, played since civ1.

 

[StargazingDog]

I'm curious how a "dishonest" review would look.

Some folks should probably just stick with Civ 5. It's a great game!

Civ 7 for me is the best in the series simply because because I actually finish games. I'll take one complete game of Civ 7 over my 10 half-finished games of Civ 6.