Ahh Civilization 3 or as the cool kids call it, Civ 3. This was where I jumped on the bandwagon and as a result, it remains a firm favorite of mine to this day. I would say that it is a safe bet by now that most gamers have at the very least heard of this game. The question is, is this game worth playing over any of the ones that came before it? Well, I recently fired this bad boy back up to see just how well it held up and after a solid weekend of playing, it holds up very well.
Aspyr Media has released version 1.22 Rev A patch for the Mac version of Civilization III Complete. Here's a list of changes and fixes: Provides a Universal Binary for both the Civilization 3 Complete and Play the World applications.
As is the case with all the games in the series, your goal in Civilization 3 is to rise from the stone age all the way up to the modern age. It is a goal that is pretty much standard in all the Civilization games along with many other games of this style. The thing is, it never gets old and that is certainly the case here too.It is up to you where your civilization will start, but the game does give you a fair few choices such as America, England, Germany, and so on. I always like to pick England for some reason, but it is worth changing things up If you play through the game multiple times as there are differences depending on where you start.
I do have to state that as I write this the game is the better part of 20 years old. They have released a newer version on Steam, but even so. Civilization 3 is a game that does show its age in terms of the presentation. The historical figures are cool and I like how you can zoom in and out of the map. However, the whole game is not exactly what you would call easy on the eyes if I am being brutally honest. Thankfully, Civ 3 is a game that is not trying to get by on its looks.
It is fair to say that even those who have a passing interest in this genre know the basics of what games like this are about. It is the gameplay that makes this and the other games in the series so addictive. You always need to be moving your civilization forward and how you do this is pretty grand. You need to build buildings, keep your people happy, deal with neighboring civilizations, go to war, make trades, and improve so much that you progress through the ages.
Entering a new era after you have done the right amount of research is always a very exciting aspect of the game. Going to war is a bit bland if I am being honest, but it is something that has to be done. The way you “win” the game can be by dust dominating the other civilizations or by a points-based system. Winning is tough as the AI in this game is freaking brutal and makes very few mistakes or mistimed moves.
I am always going to be partial to Civilization 3 as it was the game that introduced me to the series. However, as good as this game is and as much as I enjoyed my recent playthrough of it. I will admit that I do feel that the newer games, Civilization 6 for prime example are probably better for people who are new to the series. For those of you who like me did enjoy Civ 3 back in the day, you will be pleased to know that going back and playing this game is still a lot of fun.
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