Civilization: Call to Power 2

Strategy 2000 Windows Activision God game or micromanagement Organized forces Turn based Historical

Below par strategy game

Although ostensibly part of Sid Meier's ground-breaking strategy series, this is sequel in name only (and only partially in this respect as the rights to use the name 'Civilization' had actually been lost by this point) and unfortunately shares little of the main series' complexity and entertainment value. In essence, Call to Power 2 continues the theme laid down by previous entries, in that it is a turn-based strategy game which sees players controlling and developing their own civilizations through various historical periods, including into the future. If you've played previous Civilization games, then the general structure here will be familiar, but there are some notable changes, including improvements to the economy and diplomacy systems, while balances have also been made to avoid issues experienced in the previous game. Unfortunately, there is one huge problem which prevents this from being truly enjoyable, and that is the interface, which is awkward and unintuitive, and far from user friendly. Other issues include some weak AI, and the lack of control during combat, which may annoy many gamers. Perhaps a bigger problem however, is that the game lacks an identity of its own, and thus becomes very bland. Although there are a number of different civilizations on display here, they are all very similar without the distinct personality that you would expect. This makes it hard to really care about what's going on and instead turns the game into a sort of prettied up spreadsheet rather than any kind of involving experience. Although not terrible, Call to Power 2 is little more than an average strategy sim and you are better off checking out the Sid Meier versions instead.

Only for true fans

Turn based strategy is a special genre, appealing to special people. It takes a lot of patience and wit to master all the intricacies of such games, and their many aspects. Civilization is one of the best known and most played series of this genre, and as such deserves a special place in any gamer's collection. This particular edition, named Call to Power. It is the second release of the series after Activision took over from Sid Meier. It tried to rectify many faults and bugs that made first edition almost unplayable. Problems (mainly with the UI) were fixed, but it didn't manage to become a great game. Developers tried (and failed) to implement some new elements into the game, which, sadly, made it only worse. Of course, if you are a Civilization fan you will play this game (if you do, consider installing some of the fan-made mods that came out subsequently), but it honestly isn't worth the time. Sloppy gameplay is the worst part, while graphics and sound improve the overall impression.

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