Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri™ Planetary Pack

I have found this game endlessly endearing. The late 90s CGI in the opening cutscene brings me back and while it's visuals are certainly simplistic I think the overall presentation from visual to sound is complete enough to immerse you in the world of science fiction the game has in store for you. The world itself is what I have fallen the most in love with. Each faction brings it's own unique twist to familiar concepts and the voicelines you get throughout the game of quotes from the different leaders is fantastic. I have only dabbled in Civilization games before so I cannot speak to them on the whole but while those are certainly more advanced in systems I am sure, the coherency of this world helps me get into the game more. From a storytelling point of view this feels like a plausible story to me, unfolding as you lead your colonists to a new age on a new planet. As mentioned above I am not an experienced 4x gamer. I have played one or two civilization games before but mostly because various friends had the game and I had hoped to embark on multiplayer adventures that never coalesced. So far I have found the gameplay to be a little overwhelming at first in this game but certainly manageable if you give it the time. I made an early mistake of not prioritizing growth in my starting city and later on realized that it's productivity was hampered by this. There are still times where I am not sure what actions will end my turn or not but if I am not certain than I just make sure I have everything queued as I would like before I take an action. I do not know if this game will pose a challenge to experienced 4x gamers but as someone who has always had a curiousity for them I find it compelling enough to want to improve at. Overall I would say if you have a fondness for the look of games of this era and don't mind some of the obtuseness that comes with those games then this is a fantastic game to delve into and explore a world of the future from a different time.

Yes, it's dated. Yes, it can be a bit of a "worm rush". But modifying the map, the social engineering etc make this an old gem. Well worth the paltry sum you will pay.

All I can see when I close my eyes are the squares and the various vehicles exploring this pixellated planet.

This is a fantastic game in the vein of Civ 3. Overall, I think it is slightly superior to Civ 3, however. Unfortunately, this version has some minor glitches on Windows 11. These are primarily pop-up informational screens that are empty. This means that you have no idea what the game is trying to tell you. Still well worth it!

SMAC is a 4x classic, and as good as you remember. The ancient interface is frustrating, but the underlying game is worth the effort.