I've been playing Civ IV for over 9 years now. It's a game that I will never stop playing. While I'll not get into criticizing the other games here, I'll just say that this is the best of the Civilization games and one of the best games of all time. What makes Civ IV stand out above the rest is the depth and complexity of its turn-based 4X strategy, unlimited playability, huge modding community (as well as active community in general), and its longevity based on an engine/graphics that will never get old. Civ III was a very good game as well, but really any Civ game prior to IV has trouble holding up graphically - not that that matters to a lot of people here - just saying. Civ IV is accessible, but is quite hard at first. For me, it took years to achieve a level of mastery and comfort to beat the high level (which I can begin to describe the difficulty there). Civ IV offers a challenge that is rewarding and satisfying, allowing a player to take bits and aspects of the game and practice and drill over time, then move on to the next bit. Continuing to push yourself forward to try to learn new things and reach great heights. But even so, Civ IV can also be played casually and at-your-own pace, even with a bit of historical or fantastical role-playing in mind. I can't begin to describe all the mods available for this game - from commonly used graphical/ui modifications used by the community to "kitchen-sink" mods that transform the game beyond what a typical expansion even achieves. You even have several successful fantasy mods that provides unlimited hours of entertainment. In fact, some of these original modders have moved on to high-level positions at major game developers creating their own new games. To be clear though, the base vanilla game (Beyond The Sword expansion is the final complete version) is extremely rewarding. Before one even touches a game changing mod, the base game offers unlimited hours of gameplay, challenge, and reward. Additionally, a vibrant community exists over on "civfanatics.com" that offers new and challenging ways of playing the game as well as discussion, including Games of the Month, Succession Games and a Hall of Fame. I highly encourage new and old players alike that are not familiar with civfanatics to join up. It's a great way to learn the game as well, with many folks willing to assist you with advice and strategies. Note that their are many other IV communities out there as well, including multiplayer types. IV offers several different types of multiplayer although the general MP rooms - now at Steam - are not as active as the used to be. However, Pitboss, Play-by-Email, Hotseat, and Lan games are still quite common and communities, including civfanatics, allow you to connect with folks Civilization IV is well worth the money no matter what you pay for it. Again, I've been playing over 9 years now with no end in sight. The number of hours I've played the game is uncountable.
There are only two games that I call my favorites of all time. Games that I come back to over an over, playing avidly, despite the advancement of years. The two games are Silent Storm and Civ IV:BTS. I still play Civ IV almost daily and I'm heavily involved in that community. This issue with Silent Storm is that after only a couple of years, Nival neglected the game. The game was never updated or fixed to accept the newer OS's and video cards, basically becoming unplayable. I did find a hex editor fix for S2 but nothing for Sentinels, which is IMO the best and most intense expansion to any game ever. GOG has finally remedied this by fixing Silent Storm and adding it to the catalog. I actually put in a request for this game here a year or so ago. Not sure if that is why it is here, but I sure am glad. Anyway, this is a review so I will say a few things to enlighten newcomers. There are already a lot of great reviews here going into the details about the game So what I will say is that this is one of the best Turn Based Strategy games of all time. However, it was poorly marketed at the time it came out (2003/2004), so despite great reviews it never really sold well in the US, despite having a strong cult following overseas. SS is basically the evolution of XCOM and Jagged Alliance games. The big deal here is an advanced 3D graphic engine that was revolutionary for its time. Let me assure you it holds up quite well today. In fact, even with all the shiny, glossy and shallow games you see released all the time nowadays, I think SS will always be a playable game for eternity. The destructible environments here are more fun that you can imagine and offer to unique strategic/tactical possibilities. In short, SS is a tactical squad-based TBS set in WWII. It starts out very conventional as your group of six soldiers of different classes (Soldier, Scout, Sniper, Medic, Engineer and Grenadier) perform covert missions in the heat of WWII, basically outside the scope of the traditional battles. You can mix and match the classes in the group as you wish. Gradually, the game takes on somewhat of a Sci-fi element as you realize you are battling a secret organization inside the Third Reich that are developing some unique and powerful weaponry. You can play as Allies or Axis solders with diverging/converging story lines. Sentinels, the expansion, is just one of the most intense expansions/games I've played. It is truly exceptional and immensely challenging. The game adds some new features and takes on even more of RPG elements as you post WWII soldiers now take on a terrorist threat shortly after the war. There are some divergent paths here as you an select different missions that open up new missions. Just let me say now that there are some missions in Sentinels that will blow your mind. Some of which I spend 24 or more hours playing glued to the screen. Pure awesomeness. Very challenging expansion - definitely play the original first to get the combat and tactics down first. Buy Silent Storm Gold! Play Silent Storm Gold! There is nothing to think about. Truly one of the great hidden gems in the world of gaming!
