User Reviews (1 - 11 of 66)

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Dissapointing and the cover wasn't explanitory

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 17
Date: May 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Awful! A real disapointment. This game is confusing and boring much like civilization 2. The game cover made it sound much more exciting than it really was. I bought it a while ago from Rinho and it was bran new then. I was sooo dissapointed. It takes forever to play, the battles are cheesy and a waste of time. If you are considering buying this game, I reccomend you try it before you buy it. Belive me it's not even worth $5. I've always been dissapointed with Sid Meier's games. So I think I'll stop trying them. If your considering this game, try Imperium Galactica 2. It's awsome. No comparison. I hope you found this reveiw helpful.

don't pay attention 2 me

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 24
Date: March 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game confuses the hell out of me. Maybe I'm just stupid, but this (like many Sidmier's games)are way too complicated for me. So don't listen to me.

Civilization goes wrong

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 8 / 13
Date: April 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Sid Meier is a true artist in the realm of software, but with each new addition to the Civilization family the games become more oriented toward conflict and less fun to play. In AC the Believers will appear on your borders within the first 50 turns and you will never really be at peace again. Forget about the fun of managing a nation: this is a non-stop Darwinian struggle to keep your head above water. (Some players might like this, but I find it tedious.) There's no point in trying to negotiate with other factions because they'll just turn right around and violate your territory or declare war. Then after you have spent decades trying to build up your industry, when your output reaches a certain level the planet itself will being to attack you with an inexhaustible supply of mindworms. *Every* game of AC is a race to achieve the victory conditions before the planet itself defeats you, and there's not much sense of satisfaction in that. Add to this the fact that the game runs unbearably slowly. You will spend more time watching units go plod-plod-plod across the screen than you will playing. I really wanted to like this game, but after a while its defeatist atmosphere and tedious play just got too wearisome. Let's hope that in his next game Side remembers that growing an empire is more fun and challenging than beating one.

Don't believe the hype.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 11
Date: November 10, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Certainly, this game is by one of the best teams in the 4-X business, and it does have some wonderful innovations. HOWEVER, it is crippled by the decision to include Planet as a non-removable, non-controllable player. Even playing the greenest game possible, I find myself reaching a point near the endgame, where rather than savoring my impending victory and polishing my civ to near-perfection I am forced to a hurried ending. Why? 'Cause Planet doesn't like me, and 30-unit stacks of Mindworms start turning my cities to goo. Yay. How fun. This is the very definition of an addictive, stunning game that's crippled by poor implementation of (what could be) a clever idea - the idea of a semi-sentient ecology, capable of protecting itself. Too bad that ecology is "magic" and has unlimited units to crush whatever offending city it wishes, never mind that, compared to you, every other faction is an eco-hitler. Save your money, buy Civ2.

Just Another War Game

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 17
Date: February 17, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I had anticipated more building, more great projects such as in the Civ games. Basically, you spend all your time making a bigger war machine than the Joneses. Diplomatic relations are simple, boring, and moot, as the real goal of the game is that you have to conquer everyone else before being able to live peacefully... and then there's nothing to do. I regret I shelled out 40 bucks for this game that's collecting dust.

A Disappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 14
Date: September 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The reviews of this game looked great and I've enjoyed Civ I, II, & III. Unfortunately, there was not anything new or interesting in this game. I found the "alien" technology difficult to understand and stragetise. Civ III is much better. I am very glad that I did not pay full price for this item. If you have already played Civ III, do not bother with this game.

You have no control

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 15
Date: March 29, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The game has great potential, but so many things are automated that you CANNOT do what you want. It is very difficult seize control from the automation. Unfortunately, the automation is stupid and prevents you from carrying out interesting or reasonable strategies. The game needs to provide much more support for user strategies. I got so frustrated that I injured my elbow by banging it on my desk.

"Okay" sci-fi sim from Sid meier

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 8
Date: November 12, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Alpha Centauri fails at providing this game player with any kind of new excitement from Sid Meier. One can appreciate breaking away from the Civ 1/2 games, however the paradigm factions the game is based upon are just plain atypical and boring. In effect, military versus humanists, microsoft versus professors, etc... kinda like the UN playing "Lost in Space." Previous Sid Meier games were more tangible, the sci-fi in this was kinda corny. I've spent many a sleepless night playing the previous Meier games, but this one just seemed "okay," not spectacular.

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!"

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.

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