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Greatest Strategy Game Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 29 / 30
Date: March 24, 2000
Author: Amazon User

For those who have freqented the worlds of Sid Meier before, this purchase should come as second nature: you will not be disappointed. Alpha improves all of the original concepts of Civilization 2 and adds some of its own- such as borders, social engineering and unit design. Territorial borders is a simple improvement that is just plain wonderful. Social engineering takes some getting used to- I was a sceptic -but after a few tries it is a necessity and adds a new standard to the genere. The technologies also will confuse those of us who are not physics and advanced microbiology/genetics majors; however, the general idea will not take long to grasp. Trade is improved and varies in ways that the far surpasses Civ 2. Unit variety is, well. . . amazing. The Graphics in game play are well done and the cinematics that appear throughout are top notch. One slight downer is the diplomatic relations: a few more choices, but not much change overall. When advancing the difficulty setting Alpha still falls into the old trap of just making the computer's units stronger, which can be frustrating. On the other hand, perhaps it is just reducing the advantage the player's units hold in easier settings.

A word of warning: this game can be detrimental to one's GPA if not used with caution. Addiction will follow quickly if moderation is not enforced. I recommend having a friend or roommate hide the CD on occasion.

Few games will provide as many hours of enjoyment as this one will. More fun for your dollar!

Civilization in space? Sounds good!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 19
Date: April 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

And it is! I had always loved Sid Meier's Civilization II, and the idea of playing this game with better graphics and in a science-fiction setting sounded great to me: wouldn't that lead to almost endless possibilities? And Alpha Centauri does not disappoint. The story is based on the following: in the end of Civilization II, a space ship is sent to the Alpha Centauri star system, in order to colonize a new world. But then, the passengers in the ship separate into different ideological groups. Right before the landing on the planet, the ship encounters technical problems and all passengers have to leave it. Of course, what'd you expect, all seven factions are spread equally over the planet and the whole familiar game of colonizing a planet starts all over again. But now in a completely different setting: space.

The makers have tried to copy many familiar Civ features to this game: the pirates have become `mind worms': natives of the planet that attack your units now and then. The goody huts are also present, in the form of wrecks from the spaceship that sometimes contain nice stuff. The landscape looks a little different (by the way, it's in 3-D, unlike that of the later game Civ 3) from Earth, the resources have other colours, but in the end it's very easy to recognize. It is again possible to build things like mines, roads, irrigation and much more. Maybe the most important difference considering the terrain options is the fact that you can build sea towns later on in the game. Oh, and cities are now called `bases'! The familiar system of city buildings (now called improvements) and Wonders still exists.

Considering the units, there is less variety than in Civilization. But it would be impossible to include as many units as the original has: this game starts in the near-future, after all. The makers have done the following: there are a few basic prototypes (infantry, artillery, fast cars, air jets, ships, etc.) that can be upgraded all the time through the game. This was an excellent idea, as too many weird new units would make the game very confusing. Also, it is now possible to construct your own units with the various upgrades!

One unit I mention in particular: the Planet Buster rocket. The name says it all: it is a devastating weapon that blows away entire bases and leaves behind nothing but water squares. So this is a much more powerful weapon even than the infamous nuke missiles from Civ. But this WMD is considered as a crime against humanity (quite logical, eh?) and the use of it will turn all other nations against you. But it can be declared legal at the Planetary Council.

As said, there are seven factions, such as the University, the Spartans, the Human Hive, the Peacekeepers, the Believers and so on. Each faction has its own characteristics: the University researches very quickly (therefore it's my favourite side); the Hive (sort of communists) has a very loyal people; the Spartans can sustain armies easily etcetera. Also, during the game you can twist the characteristics of your own faction endlessly. But the different groups also have their own behaviour. For example, the Believers keep demanding all sorts of things from you and often declare war after a refusal. On the other hand, the Peacekeepers and the University are nearly always trustworthy friends.

The existence of so many complex factions makes a good diplomacy inevitable, and this is where the game excels. You can talk almost endlessly with your neighbours and use your friendship for many things. For instance, when two neighbours are at war, you can kindly ask them to end these reckless activities. If you have built up a good reputation during the game, there's a good chance that they will stop the war. This is a great aspect of the game: especially on the higher levels it makes you feel like you're a great diplomat! On the other hand, when you're not considered trustworthy (which happens when you start wars against friends too often) they won't even consider listening. The programmed texts are also very funny, especially those in the conversations with the Believers! There is also a Planetary Council in which all nations can vote for a proposed measure. And it's often just as divided as the UN...

There are several ways to win the game. Of course, it's possible to kick all six competitors out and conquer the entire planet. That's probably the most challenging and funny option. It is also possible to build the greatest of all wonders: the Ascent to Transcendence. This wonder, believe it or not, creates a new kind of human beings and ends the human era as we know it. A less complicated ways to win, is gathering a lot of bucks and conquer the global market. And finally, the members of the Planetary Council can elect you General Secretary, which makes you the democratically elected ruler of the planet.

The presentation of Alpha Centauri is simply great. Notice the nice flap-out box. It also has a very thorough manual and a nice poster of all technologies in the game (at least, in my version). The in-game setting is also very good. The terrific Wonder movies of Civ II (often I built Wonders just to see those clips) are back, now even better and very `informative' about the world you have built. The music is not as prominent: most of the soundtrack consists of dark background music that fits the science fiction setting of the game very well.

Well, I could go on for hours about this endlessly complex and fascinating game but it's enough for now. Alpha Centauri is every bit as interesting as its earthly predecessor Civilization and that should be enough to convince every fan of the franchise. But a warning for those new to this kind of game: it's... pretty addictive!

Sid proves he's the king yet again.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: December 28, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Every year, it seems like turn-based strategy is given it's Last Rites. Sid Meier comes through yet again with a clear winner. For anyone who is a fan of Civilization or Civ II stop reading this review and buy the game now.

Alpha Centauri is a solid game -- there's a lot of detail to the game and in the classic case of Civilization it is extremely replayable: at different difficulty levels or as a member of one of the 7 factions.

This game adds features that: makes the game easier to manage (especially in later stages), add depth to some of the options (i.e. government types) and overall enhances the game play.

A word about multiplayer: It's operational, but the update routines on a turn-by-turn basis run extremely slow over TCP/IP with the version of the game that comes out of the box. As a result, multiplayer games become unplayable after about an hour just due to the game-induced lag.

Despite lackluster multiplayer performance, this game still has what it takes to be a classic.

Engaging, elegant, well-rounded game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: December 01, 1999
Author: Amazon User

This is easily my favorite computer game of all time, and I have logged the countless hours to prove it. What I find so compelling are the defining differences between this and other resource-based war games. 1)war is incidental, as in the real world, and not the sole raison d'etre; 2)the philosophical orientations of the factions, which have individual strengths and weaknesses based on their core behaviors; 3)the technological advances and terraforming are very thoughtfully constructed, forming a cohesive continuum that is as plausible as any advanced in science fiction literature or theory; 4)you can allow your bases and units to be computer "governed", or micromanage on an almost SimCity scale; I could go on but you're probably getting bored... I did not give the game five stars because 1)the gameplay gets bogged down as you proceed (although I don't know how the designers could have done a better job); and 2)at least on my computer, the game gets "hiccups" sometimes, especially in the sound (I have an AMD version of the Pentium MMX microprocessor and 32 MB DRAM). Overall, I love it! I can't wait to get the sequal "Alien Crossfire!"

Superior game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: December 29, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Awesome game from Sid Meier and Brian Reynolds. The division of factions by ideals instead of nationality, the great AI and diplomacy, the complex technology progression with its divisions of Explore, Discover, Build, and Conquer, the thousands of options available, and all the differing levels of management from almost complete automation to micromanagement make this game enthralling. I am not particularly into science fiction and wondered if I would like this game, but they did such a great job with it that it is very fun. There were several things they could have improved, including the tech tree, making more ways to win, and some slight improvements to the factions, especially the religious faction, but it is worth 5 stars nonetheless.

A great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: May 25, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I really enjoy this game. There are seven fractions that all broke up when they landed on the planet. You must choose to represent one. There are several changes that this game made along with improvement, A.) There is now a concel that all the countries make up. When issues arive they all go to meet on the issue. You can run for planetary governew where you are essianly the leader of union. I really enjoy this and it opens up the option for a diplomatic victory. B.) You now have boarders. This is simple where your city limits are. An improvement for a possible AC2 would be that you can move the boarders by notation and not but building a city.

The one thing I did not like about this game was the tech tree. I never felt like I was in charge. Only having seven diffrent fractions, (countries) may seem like a down fall but if you stick with one fraction you will become bitter rivals with other fractions.

I would highly recommend this game. There is the enivitable question of wiether it is better than Civ2. That of course is tough compition but considering that Civ2 came out a few years ago AC was able to update some parts. I think AC has a slight egde but CIV2 was more impressive for its time.

Exciting and Engaging

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: June 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

A friend let me borrow a demo cd with this game on it when I was thirteen. For two years I was addicted to this game until I got a new computer and no longer had the demo. Unfortunately I was only playing the demo so did not get to play all of the characters or go the whole game through so finally, at age nineteen, I stumbled upon the game here on Amazon and must say that the full version is double the excitement of the demo. It has a few new characters and a few missing ones from the demo. Two of my favorite factions "the progenitors" and "the nautilus" were cut out of the full version of the game that I have so I was dissapointed there but otherwise this is a very engaging game that I reccomend to anyone interested in colonizing their own new world and fighting for it against other very unique and objective driven factions with their own different personalities.

Missing a Key Ingredient

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 13
Date: December 03, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Alpha Centauri, though not technically a sequel, extends and broadens the Civ series. The graphics are good and--this being a Sid Meier game--the gameplay is almost perfect. Centauri is a tremendously addictive game, with action, adventure, and a sci-fi backstory that will keep you in your chair until you lose the feeling in your legs.

But it's missing an important element, one that made the Civilization series so successfull: The ability to change real-world history, to wonder 'what if?' The Alpha Centauri world is fake, fictional in the truest sense, and all the cool technologies and compelling writing in the world can't stop a player from noticing.

Still, the game is well worth your money.

Best ever! The one true heir takes its place!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: December 07, 1999
Author: Amazon User

I LOVE Alpha Centari! It is the most indepth game I have ever played. It has sucked hours of my life away.(Once I had a game that lasted 14 hours!) I think it is the rightful heir to the Civilizations throne, for it is improved with, I feel a new and more interesting storyline and with a plethora of new buildings. One of the nicest things though, is the unit workshop.

Familiar yet Different . . . very different

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: April 24, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Many people immediately connect this game to what they believeto be its predecessor: Civilization II. And there is no question thatCivilization II heavily influenced this game. In fact, its basic storyline is a continuation of Civilization II. However, the roots of this game are more properly found in another of Sid Meier's gems: Colonization. The basic premise of Alpha Centauri and Colonization is, after all, to colonize a new world while beating out all others for dominance of that new world. But where Colonization was limited by its historical storyline, Alpha Centauri has a free reign to go wherever the mood takes the player.

The mesh of these two great games have produced an extremely playable third. AC takes the best of both games, including a few new twists of its own, and immerses the player in a fantastic new environment.

Of course, the game is not without some problems. Though diplomacy is a bit repetitive, you are now given more options and can build strong alliances with other factions. Unit building is much more interesting because you can design units that fit your needs rather than having a basic unit types that all factions share. However, any faction can build any unit if they have the technology.

Though the game isn't perfect, I still haven't grown tired of playing it after 2 months of owning it. Adding the Alien Crossfire expansion pack also adds to the game by providing new factions including 2 alien ones with alien units.

All in all, a great game that I will keep playing for many months to come.

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