In this thread we will be documenting all the new additions for Civilization VI in their New Frontier Pass.
This Features Thread is being complied for Civfanatics, head on over to the forums for all your Civilization discussions both for and also for games past.
TL;DR: There will be 6 packs of content, some of it will be paid DLC and some of it will be free content for players. Some of the new content will need to you have Rise and Fall installed, and some will need you to have Gathering Storm installed.
TL;DR – A game that sits in the middle between Civilization and Total War, taking things that work from both.
Review –
If there is one genre of games that I will always been drawn to, it is the 4x (EXplore, EXpand, EXploit and EXterminate) strategy genre. It can be in space, in a fantasy realm, in the past, or somewhere completely new, I don’t care just hook it up straight to my veins. When I heard that Soren Johnson, the lead designer of Civilization IV, was diving back into the genre my interest was peaked and now that I have had a chance to play the game I can see why. One thing I do need to point out before we proceed, this is an “early access” game in that it is not yet finished. This means that this is only a first look, a first impression of the game and not the full review, which is why there is not a score above.
So to set the scene, Old World (or as it is styled Ōld World) is a game set in the past charting the dawn of civilization through the classical era to almost the medieval era. In it, you play one of seven civilization/leaders from the dawn of time. Ashurbanipal of Assyria, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, Dido of Carthage, Hatshepsut of Egypt, Philip of Greece, Cyrus of Persia, and Romulus of Rome. However, unlike Civilization and other similar games, you don’t just hold on to the one leader for the whole game, because like in real life, leaders get old and die. This means as well as maintaining your expansion you need to make sure your heirs are ready to take over. This brings the game a little of the way into the territory of the popular Total War series. On the whole, I quite liked the dynastic politics in the game, however, has the game goes on and your heirs and siblings etc start popping out multiple babies a turn, it can be a bit hard to keep track of. Which is just about when your sister kills you in your sleep for ascending to the throne over her as what happened in my first game. You also need to keep different dynastic families from squabbling, giving you potential problems from afar and within.
TL;DR – it is a game that is something old (The XCOM Setting) and something new (living rather than waring), something borrowed (SWAT mechanics), and something blue (the face of any enemy who just discovered Torque)
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
If there is one studio that is the king of turn-based strategy games it would be Firaxis Studios. While they are probably better known for their fundamental Civilization franchise, they have also delved into the world of science fiction, alien invasions, and reloading that autosave because your fully upgraded soldier just missed the one guy standing right next to them and now they are bleeding out on the floor. I have enjoyed the XCOM series in the past, okay not that one alien that pretends it’s a civilian, but other than that, so I was interested when I heard we were getting a sort of sequel/spin-off thingy. Well, I became even more interested when I got my hand on it and I found out just how fun it was.
So to set the scene, It has been a couple of hears since the end of XCOM 2, and the world has sort of found a new equilibrium as humans, aliens, and hybrids live side by side. There is one place in the world that has been remarkably successful with this, the famous City 31. XCOM has moved from overthrowing an alien invasion to helping maintain order in a constantly fragmented world. Thus the Chimera Squad was created to help local police, but just as they arrive the mayor of City 31 Mayor Nightingale (Nika Futterman) is murdered in front of the squad and you have to work out who did it before the city tears itself apart.
TL;DR – A polished and calming take on the 4x genre
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
Several years ago I picked up a new space 4X game called Endless Space. It was from a new developer Amplitude Studios and combined a strategy game with space in a way that I loved. It started a bit rough around the edges but grew into a really solid game. Now when I heard there was a sequel, I was interested but it dropped a bad time, well now I have some time at home thanks to *gestures broadly around* it was a good moment to go back and rectify that.
So to set the scene, Endless Space 2 is a 4X turn-based strategy game. This means that you pick a race like The United Empire, or The Vodyani, or The Hisso, from there you need to eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate. You will do this by building new colonies on Mediterranean or terrain or monsoon planets, researching technologies from the technology web, and probably concurring a neighbour or two.
TL;DR – It was a fantastic experience from an execution, experience and price point perspective
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
These days, video games can be created by vast teams with hundreds or even thousands of people working to bring a vision to life. However, there are still those games, or in that case more of an experience, that is the focus of a single creator’s vision. Today we look at just such a case with Matt Newell’s Mýrdalssandur, Iceland.
Now I should make clear right from the start, this is not a game, but more of an experience of walking around the titular Mýrdalssandur that you can find on Iceland’s southern coastline. It is a place of wondrous beauty and stark contrasts of green moss and black volcanic rock. If this sounds familiar to you, then it is likely that you have seen it before in Rogue One or other similar films.
In this thread we will be documenting all the new additions for Humankind from Amplitude Studios.
TL;DR: You can layer from 60 different civilizations from history to create your own unique narrative. It will stretch from the Neolithic to the Modern age. In the end, the civilization with the most Fame will be the winner. Full of Humanmade Wonders, Natural Wonders, Units, and Buildings for you to construct.
Note: all images are created by the team at Amplitude Studios
TL;DR – Unfortunately this is a film that mostly falls flat in-between shout outs to Olive Garden. Score – 3 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene
Review –
For a long time, there has been a drive to find a great adaptation of a video game, and on the whole, the best we have gotten is mediocre. Well, today we look at a film that is trying to break through that history and alas it does not quite get there even though it is clear that all the cast is giving their all.
So to set the scene, in a magical kingdom far away, there was a young blur bouncing across the green world with in-built loop-d-loops. His power is almost limitless, but that comes with danger and one day that danger comes home to roost. As they are attacked, Sonic’s (Ben Schwartz) adopted mother Longclaw (Donna Jay Fulks) helps him flee by giving him rings that allow him to jump from world to world keeping ahead of the kidnappers. Well, many years later, one of those jumps leads him landing on Earth where he watched the residents of Green Hills, Montana like the local sheriff Thomas Michael “Tom” Wachowski (James Marsden) go about their lives. All is good, until one day when he accidentally sets off an EMP, drawing danger in the form of Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey) right to his door.
TL;DR – An interesting look at the rise of one of the world’s most played video games, even if there are a few rough edges to the presentation.
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
When you think about sporting spectacles, you think about Wimbledon, or Superbowl, or The Olympics. However, as time is going on, Esports is a growing phenomenon drawing in more people and more money than ever before. In this world of Esports, one of the biggest and fastest-growing games is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) that goes by the name League of Legends. This documentary explores the history of Riot Games’ League of Legends, its growth and its potential future.
The fact that a game created in 2006 is still around today, is one of those quirks that rarely happens in the video games industry, the fact that it continues to be one of the most popular games in the world makes it more so. For that very reason alone, it makes this documentary interesting because it is really engaging watching a game go from being working out of a basement to having a grand final in the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing. This is coming from someone who does not actually play the game. I have tried to get into MOBAs like LOL and DOTA before and while I like watching them be played but I have no skill in playing them.
TL;DR – This is a really good
resource for parents wanting to know more about video games to help understand
and engage with their kids on the issue
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
Video games, they are the latest hotness in the world, but like a lot of new
technologies, there is a lot about them that can be difficult for people to
understand if they are not familiar. This is amplified when it is parents
trying to understand the world that their kids are living in. Today we look at
a series that is trying to de-mystify some of the real issues around gaming and
to give parents the tools needed to understand and help kids develop.
Each episode of the show revolves around one aspect of the video games industry
and how it applies to children and then talks to the experts to help parents understand
the issue. For example loot boxes and microtransactions. This is all presented
in a form that is easy to digest which is important when dealing with very
complex issues where there are quite often no straight forward answers. I feel
that this show is really important because it does not shy away from the problematic
aspects of video games but it also does not lean into the sensationalist
reporting that you get from most of the Australian media that does not know how
to write stories unless it is about “insert game is the new addiction” like we
saw just last week with untitled goose
game. There are real problems and concerns with video games, but these are
no different for any other types of media and as a parent it is important to be
across these issues.
TL;DR – Adding aBattle Royale to a Civilization game
seems really counterintuitive, that is until you play it.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
In 2019 if there was
ever a trend that could be considered the new hotness that every video game
company wants a chunk of, well that has to be the Battle Royale mode. For those
who may not know, a Battle Royale mode/game is where you have an ever-shrinking
map so you need to gear up, get to the safe zone, defeating any enemies you
come across, and be the last one standing. This is where you get your chicken
dinner, or in this case your escape from a dying planet. But most Battle Royale
games like PUBG, Fortnite, and Call of Duty:
Black Ops 4: Blackout are first/third-person shooters, surely it can’t work
in a strategy game, well I’ve been able to play a couple of rounds so far so
let’s see.
My experience with Battle Royale games is not as extensive as some people, however
I have played/watched enough of the genre to get a good sense of the common
aspects of the game. You have the same phases in a match, when you land you
have to roam around quickly to try and get resources, troops from ruined
cities, helicopters from raider camps, or even a coveted nuclear weapon. You
need to move quickly because everyone else is out there doing the same, so you
have to stretch your resources, but not so much that you overburden yourself.
Then you might pick off one of the players that were not quick enough while
keeping to the ever-shrinking safe zone until there are only one or more
players left and you battle it out head-to-head.
TL;DR Movie Reviews and Analysis 