User Reviews (11 - 21 of 22)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Buy it

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 12, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is the true sequel to Civilization II. Sure, there's Call to Power and Civilization Three, but this is the only one of the sequels that was made by Sid Meier. This game is extremely complex, and will probably take a few hours to learn. It is easier if you've played Civ II, but it still takes a while. However, once you've learned you'll never stop playing this game. There are so many ways to win, and there are so many options. Ways of taking out enemy cities include conquest, bribes, lowing them into the sea, releasing native lifeforms on them, and planet busters (nukes). The technology tree is also complex, but it's realistic, well thought out, and long. While the graphics aren't great, they are more than sufficent for the game. The only flaw: the AI is a little too easy on the top level. If you like strategy games, or just games, buy it!

Great game, Real good price

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 21, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game; it's impossible to say enough good things about it. This is far better than the old Civilization games (although sometimes I go back to Civ 2 for the more real-life setting). With this game, Sid Meier proved that he's the reason Civilization was a hit (if you haven't played the non-Meier Civilization games, don't). It's kept all the good things, and added far more. One of the unique things about this game, and that caught my eye right away, is the ability to custom-design your units. There's probably millions of different units once you figure all the possible combinations. There's also a really cool social engineering setup that basically equates to a design-a-government system. The benefits of this can be super-fast growth, production, lots of money, or a lot of other effects. All things considered, this game is spectacular if you're into turn-based strategies, and great even if you're not. It does take a little bit to get a feel for what you can do if you're not familiar with the Civilization line, but once you do, you'll love it. One warning though: If you only want a real-time strategy, or want to see lots of blood and guts flying, don't get this game. Otherwise, try it out.

For Strategy Fans: Alpha Centauri May Be Mandatory

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 08, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The other Amazons are far more articulate and enthusiastic in their reviews than I am, but I thought I might have something worthwhile to add for those who aren't strategy fans. Alpha Centauri is best suited for those players looking for a thoughtful, slow-paced, resource management and long-term planning game. The graphics, although I find them pleasing, are not spectacular: the space age units aren't all that exciting at the standard view and won't grab your imagination. Sound effects are adequate and the music mediocre. If you're a real-time strategy enthusiast this may not be your game. Casual players may prefer something that can jump into right away. If you've played Civ I or Civ II, you'll find strong game design similarities, except that a lot of what was intuitive is gone: it's no longer obvious were your tech research is taking you, military units bizarre, terraforming options strange, commerce and government types difficult to use. In short, I don't think its necessarily true that if you loved Civ I or Civ II that you'll like Alpha Centauri. Anyway, you should download the demo first. Note also that there is a gamesite that has a very helpful online strategy book which contains a lot of helpful advice (I can't remember the site, but your search engine should find it. Try Amazon's Book Dept for a review of the strategy guide. A reviewer there mentions the site by name.)

A Civ Better than Civ

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: May 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Alpha Centauri has several notable features not present in Civilation. Even Civilization 3 lacks several of the features of Alpha Centauri. Each Alpha Centauri faction has a personality and there are mp3 files of the voices of Professor Zhakarov or Sister Miriam. The faction leaders are much more alive and dynamic than playing with a Civilization Empire such as Rome. The Gaians prefer environmental harmony and the Morgans prefer wealth and business and then there is the Spartan enclave.

The military units are much better in Alpha Centauri than in Civilization. In Alpha Centauri the units are customizable. Each unit in Alpha Centauri is modular and can be modified or upgraded. You can design AA units that defend against air units and land units. You can also design cloaked probes or amphibious units. You can also terraform the land with your former units or even terraform the sea. You can even have advanced formers that terraform both land and sea squares. Your military units can have improved abilities and morale modules. Planting forests not only plants them but forests even grow in Alpha Centauri. You can design and produce thousands of military units and variations. In comparison in Civilization the units are fixed. In Civilization you can have infantry or militia or cavalry but the attack and defense and movement attributes stay constant in the game and the units have stayed similar names.

Alpha Centauri has several advantages over the Civilization games. In the Civilization games you spend 3000 years and hours approaching a technological level of sophistication and technology and sometimes you fail before you are destroyed. You spend hours to get tanks and battleships. Alpha Centauri starts at the top of the technology pyramid with rapid technology advancement and skips the stone age medieval age and dark ages for modern combat. In a few turns you can get the technology to build sea units or ocean cities and ocean units. You can have air units much sooner than in Civilization. In Civilization 80% of the work takes place in getting to the Modern Age whereas in Alpha Centauri you can obtain units such as plasma sentinals and needle jets much sooner. In Alpha Centauri you skip all the primitive ages and start at the high tech age.

Alpha Centauri also has 3d land which can have elevation that can be raised or lowered. Ocean Cities are much more prominent in Alpha Centauri. You can build a city on the water.

There is also a lot of strategy to Alpha Centauri and the military aspects make for a much more dynamic game.

Ender

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 12
Date: March 23, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is the BEST! If you like stratagy games then youhave to get it. If you played and liked Civilizaton I or II then youwill love this. It comes with a fold out tech chart, a statagy guied and of course the cd. the diplomacy options are the best, much better then anything else that i have played. however it has not so good graphics. all in all it is a very good game, and i suggest that you buy it...

Alpha Centauri, Greatest Game since Civilization?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 07, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This has to be the greatest game ever (besides Civilization 3, of course)! It's for all you Civilization 1 and 2 lovers and maybe SC3K Unlimited, Caesar I, II, and III, Pharaoh, Cleopatra, and so on... A bit complicated game but easy to learn if you read the tutorials.

The game features a large group of colonists that escape the ravages of Earth in 2060 A.D. to explore a distant planet orbiting Alpha Centauri's biggest star. This planet is called Chiron and has somewhat the same orbit as Earth. The ship suffers a malfunction along the way and the 6 strongest colonists escape the ship with their chosen crew to begin a new life in this unknown planet. You have to fight off aliens and try to mantain peace in the planet (unless of course you want the planet to your self!).

Very much like a continuation to Civilization 2 or 3.

This also includes both versions. Alpha Centauri and Alien Crossfire (the Expansion). Alien Crossphire takes place various decades after landing on planet, two alien factions appear out of nowhere claiming they had habited this planet a long time ago and land on the opposite sides of the planet in war against each other. You can team up with one of them and end with the other or declare war to both. Also 5 new factions are born out of the existing 6.

The other game I highly recommend, Civilization 3. Much better than Alpha Centauri in game play. Check it out if you like Alpha Centauri or any of the Civs.

Time For a Makeover

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Over the last 5 years I've spent tons of hours playing this game, usually as the Morgan "Businessmen" Faction. When it came out, this game simply had it all, as far as features were concerned... excellent AI, tech tree, and sound, and decent 2D graphics for the late 90's.

Yet the coolest feature of all are the distinct abilities of the various political factions, and the way they interact (in an expanded version of the simple old paper, rock, scissors game) and being able to choose which faction you want to play as.

Even more factions were added for the Alien Crossfire expansion pack, but I never felt that this expansion was a "must have"; however, when it was basically included for free in the Planetary Pack edition, I decided to get a copy and check it out... I think my original impression was right, Alien Crossfire is not really a must have - if you are new to Alpha Centauri, you'll should definately start with the basic edition that comes in the Planetary Pack edition.

When this game originally came out, there was no doubt that it was a 5 star game - it made the best use possible of the 2D graphics technology available at the time. However, here we are in the year 2005 - there have been astronomical improvements in 3D graphics card technologies, and the old Alpha Centauri graphics just don't seem so good anymore... we are overdue for a makeover to Alpha Centauri! I see where a slew of cool-looking 3D makeovers are coming out: Age of Empires III, Civ IV, Galactic Civ II; it is high time for a 3D-based Alpha Centauri II makeover.

Complex, intelligent and don't take your eyes off the domes

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: November 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

There are so many features and so much entertainment to be had I don't know where to begin. It's great that there actually is a story behind the strategy, building, managing, feeding people, keeping populations happy...It's a lot like Galactic Trader, which ranks right up there with this as a time-vaporizer. Warning: this game may cause you to lose sleep and sense of perspective. I actually had to uninstall it...that's how much fun it is. The graphics are terrific.

Don't neglect the supplies to your domes and put in plenty of airponics bays, creches, theaters, tree farms and other amenities.

Alpha Centari Carries the Torch

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: August 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is great!!! It is amazing!!! The AI is great and it is different every time you play! There is so much you can do. It is easy to start and easy to learn thanks to the tutorials and guides. It is a good follow up to the other games. the stratagy guide give tons of new ways to play like green conquest. BUY THIS GAME!!!

Addictive.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is for those who loved the original Civilization but who prefer science fiction over historic recreation. I know - I'm one of them. Alpha Centauri's diverse selection of factions is better than Civ's nations - each has its own goal, agenda and beliefs that you will discover as they fight, trade and politick with you. The Alien Crossfire expansion includes new factions - including two alien ones - and new advancements for the game. If there's one problem, it's that the different advances avaialble to you are hard to differerntiate once you've built them into your military units.

Review Page: 1 2 3 Next 

Actions