Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth - Initial Thoughts

About the Game (From the Steam Store Page)

Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth is a new science-fiction-themed entry into the award-winning Civilization series. Set in the future, global events have destabilized the world leading to a collapse of modern society, a new world order and an uncertain future for humanity. As the human race struggles to recover, the re-developed nations focus their resources on deep space travel to chart a new beginning for mankind. 

As part of an expedition sent to find a home beyond Earth, you will write the next chapter for humanity as you lead your people into a new frontier and create a new civilization in space. Explore and colonize an alien planet, research new technologies, amass mighty armies, build incredible Wonders and shape the face of your new world. As you embark on your journey you must make critical decisions. From your choice of sponsor and the make-up of your colony, to the ultimate path you choose for your civilization, every decision opens up new possibilities.

Previous Play Time

0 hours

What Was I Thinking When I Bought This

4-X games are my favorite genre, and I've extensively played every version of the Civilization series thus far, so getting this game was kind of a no-brainer.

Expectations and Prior Experience

Obviously, since the game won't unlock for another 12 hours, I can't have any real experience with it. However, I've followed the previews very closely, including watching some hour-long let's plays. So, I don't think it'll surprise me much. It looks like Civilization in Space, which is a pretty awesome thing to be.

My biggest fear would be that it will turn out to be a simple reskin of Civilization 5, though even then, that would not make me hate the game (Civ 5 is currently my most played game on Steam). It would just make me feel a little foolish for buying it at full price.

It is perhaps a paradox that, while I got myself into this huge game backlog by reflexively chasing bargains, I am, at heart, a sentimentalist when it comes to games, and I love playing my favorite series on day one (my absence from this blog for the last 10 days is entirely due to the console version of Borderlands: The Presequel). So far, this has rarely gotten me into trouble (Fable 3 is my closest call, and I still loved that game more than it probably deserved), and I don 't think Civilization: Beyond Earth is going to be the game that breaks my streak. I expect the hardest part will be putting it down to play the next game in line.