Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri

I could barely contain my anticipation when the most respected designer in the industry announced a new development company, Firaxis Games, and unveiled a title that essentially sent Civilization into the 22nd century. Now that Alpha Centauri is here, it serves as a welcome reminder that some guys just flat-out know how to make a great game.

Let’s get right to the point: Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri is the best thing to happen to turn-based strategy gaming since Civilization II, and — at the risk of starting a war — it is my contention that Alpha Centauri is now the reigning champion as Best Turn-Based Strategy Game Ever. What’s so great about this game? Well, let me see if I can sum it up: Alpha Centauri is an intricate, fascinating, addictive, imaginative, highly-polished, challenging and infinitely-replayable piece of gaming perfection.

Alpha Centauri to doskonała rozrywka na długie zimowe, wiosenne, letnie czy jesienne wieczory. Jeżeli jesteście fanami CIVILIZATION (a któż nie jest :) to ta gra będzie dla was genialną rozrywką. Według mnie jest to jeden z typów na grę roku 1999 i mogę Sid'owi z czystym sumieniem postawić ocenę bardzo dobrą.

So such complaints are minor at best and to me irrelevant. It'd be nice to see customization and flexibility along the lines of the Civ II line, but what Firaxis has here is remarkable. Alpha Centauri is a better game than Civilization II; it's deep, rich, rewarding, thought-provoking in almost every way. It's not for everyone, but for those who want to drink deeply in the well of gaming, raise a glass.

For Civ fans, Alpha offers more of the same terrific gameplay, but this time there are so many bells, whistles and completely new ways of thinking that you'll wonder what hit you. Okay, it might be Civilization in a space suit, but it's still arguably the best turn-based strategy game you're ever likely to see.

Alpha Centauri är något mer snabbspelat än Civ II, och lär nog inte ligga kvar på din hårddisk lika länge, och därför får det något lägre betyg. Hur nyskapande det än är, påminner det ändå om hur bra Civ II är.

Ever have one of those conversations about those magic games you decided to boot up before dinner, just to get a look at it, and the next thing you knew was 4 a.m. and you were still hungry? Invariably, in such conversations, Sid Meier's Civilization is cited as one of the worst offenders in creating "bleary-eyed next day at work, but boy was it fun" syndrome. Well, be warned: Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is another one of those games that can make hours pass like minutes, a game that makes you put a cooler full of sandwiches and sodas next to your computer desk so you don't have to get up all weekend.

Let me be blunt. Alpha Centauri is one of the best strategy games out there. If you like strategy games and never played Civilization, you'll be blown away and happily have your hands full. If you're a Civilization II veteran, you are going to see lots of new sights, an entirely new technology tree, and you will appreciate the new enhancements to the Civilization formula and graphics. But once you start playing, you may swear you are playing Civilization III! Game play, granted, with nice enhancements, is nearly identical to the Civ II you know and love. From the mechanics of combat (invading an enemy's square), to putting your units to sleep to board the next transport, to the little "G" icon that appears over a unit when it's ordered somewhere, the sense of deja vu will be powerful. Based on your expectations, you'll have to decide whether that's good or bad. After all, how do you improve upon near perfection?

Viele Patches dienen dazu, grobe Fehler zu beseitigen. Das Firaxis-Team hingegen hat auf diesem Weg ein fast perfektes Spiel weiter vervollkommnet. Dank Hot-Seat-Funktion ist jetzt auch für netzwerk- und modemlose Fans der Multiplayer-Modus zugänglich, geduldigere Spieler können den E-Mail-Modus nutzen. Nur die Grafik hat sich kaum verbessert. Damit keine Zweifel aufkommen: Es wurden sehr viele Bugs beseitigt. Doch das liegt an der Nachbesserungs-Sorgfalt der Designer und der Komplexität des Programms - auch die Urfassung war schon ohne Einschränkungen spielbar. Jetzt aber, in der mehrmals geschliffenen Fassung, hat sich Alpha Centauri ein Novum redlich verdient: Erstmals und ausnahmsweise erhöhen wir die Wertung für ein bereits getestetes Spiel um ein Prozent - damit dringt das beste Globale Strategiespiel in die magische 90er-Region vor.

At the time, this game was the best thing I'd played in a long time, and sadly, it still is. I can't honestly say I haven't enjoyed other games as much in the span of time between it and Civ II, but this is the last game I can remember that lived up to expectations, shipped pretty much on time, kept me so enthralled as long a duration, and didn't need to be patched. I don't remember how much I paid for this game, but it was worth it. Any turn-based game that leaves your mouse hand shaking because of the sheer intensity of the last few turns is worth any price for the game playing experience. It's moments like this that I fondly call to mind when people ask me what my favorite game is, or why I play video games.

Alpha Centauri ist eine gelungene Fortsetzung von Civilization, die man jedem Fan des Klassikers wärmstens empfehlen kann. Negativ fallen allenfalls Grafik und Soundkulisse auf, die nicht unbedingt zeitgemäß sind, aber dafür hat Alpha Centauri eine Spieltiefe die ihresgleichen sucht, in die der Spieler aber durch Trainingsszenarien und Touren sehr gut eingeführt wird. Wahnsinnig viel Neues bietet das Spiel allerdings gegenüber den Vorgängern auch nicht, weshalb ihm eine Wertung >90 verwehrt bleibt, das derzeit beste rundenbasierte Strategiespiel ist es aber allemal.

Make no mistake about it, this is the game most Civilization lovers have been longing for. If you enjoyed Civilization I or II and are ready for a sequel, this is it. If you are one of the very few who found Civilization a little on the slow, boring, "I want my Quake back" side, Alpha Centauri is not for you.

Beginnen wir mal ausnahmsweise mit der Quengelei. Alpha Centauri bedient sich ziemlich schamlos bei Civlization, ist optisch und akustisch alles andere als eine Offenbarung und erfordert - zumindest von Civilization-Ignoranten - aufgrund seiner immensen Komplexität eine gewisse Einarbeitungszeit. Zudem empfinde ich das Designen individueller Einheiten als überflüssig, denn wer diese Option so richtig ernst nimmt, wird aufgrund der technologischen Fortschritte dazu gezwungen, seine Armee ständig auf den neuesten Stand zu bringen. All diese kleinen Mankos verblassen allerdings angesichts des zeitlos genialen spielerischen Grundkonzepts. Insbesondere in puncto Langzeitmotivation macht Alpha Centauri so leicht keiner was vor, eine mehrjährige Dauerkarte auf so mancher Festplatte dürfte ihm damit sicher sein.

Civilization fans kunnen gewoon niet fout met deze game. Grafisch is het allemaal vrij eenvoudig, maar het gaat dan ook echt om de gameplay en die is hier verpakt in zeer diepgaand en uitgebreid micro- en macromanagement, zoals Civ-spelers dat graag zien. Neem daarbij de Terraforming, het ontwerpen van units en de 1001 verschillende strategieën die je kunt loslaten op dit spel en het lijkt me dat Sid heeft bewezen dat hij het prima alleen af kan.

Après le succès commercial de la saga des Sid Meier's Civilization, classés parmi les meilleurs ventes aux Etats-Unis durant l'année 1999, Alpha Centauri propose cette fois une aventure spatiale au tour par tour, dans laquelle votre but sera de devenir la faction dominante d'une planète encore inexplorée.

De interface is sterk verbeterd en er zijn enkele leuke nieuwigheden in het spel. Het spel blijft even verslavend en speelbaar als z'n voorgangers en bewijst maar weer eens hoe schitterend het originele Civilization eigenlijk wel was!

In summary, Alpha Centauri is a good game. It's not the great game it was hyped to be. It continues where Civilization 2 left off and improved in many areas. The graphics are better, the units are diverse and many, the tech tree is outstanding. I only wish it were everything I had hoped for.

Alpha Centauri really shines in its depth. The well crafted story, admirable science-fiction world, fully realized scenario, and quality core gameplay are sure to please. In this sense, Alpha Centauri is at least as good a game as Civilization 2. But it is its great similarity that also does it the most detriment. Alpha Centauri simply does not do enough that is new; it just doesn't innovate enough to earn a higher grade. It is still a brilliant game and a definite recommendation for Civ fans, but not a revolutionary enough experience to share space with its kin on those top ten lists.

This game is definitely worth the price you pay for it. I recommend it highly. I've pointed out many aspects that are unlikable but it's still a fun enough game to want to go out and dominate in. I personally would have to recommend Civilization: Call to Power over this game for fun and excitement but the system requirements for that game tend to be a bit higher than the ones for this game.

In a market dominated by first-person shooters, there's been a sudden renaissance of turn-based strategy games. This is largely due to the games of Sid Meier, which always sell well despite the current trend. In Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Firaxis has released the most electifying game on the entertainment market today, and if you listen closely you'll hear the millions... and millions of fans chanting Meier's name.

Malgré tout, Alpha Centauri demeure un tour de force de Sid Meier. L'interface est soignée, le scénario bien ficelé, la durée de vie élevée, en somme c'est pas mal du tout. Cela dit, j'aurai plutôt tendance à lui préférer Civilization : Call to Power. Mais ce choix s'explique peut être parce que je ne suis pas un mordu de science-fiction. D'ailleurs, Les joueurs de cet acabit peuvent se précipiter sur Alpha centauri sans craintes. Ils y passeront de très longues heures. Et comme on dit, plus c'est long, plus c'est bon ;-)