It’s a barely noticeable event now, but back in the days of the first three Civilization games, We Love the King/Emperor/Despot/Comrade/President Day (the title would change depending on what system of government you’d installed) was nothing less than a celebration of your grandeur as exalted leader of a nation. When citizens in a given city were happy enough, they’d turn out to honor your inhumanly long reign with new, era-appropriate additions to your palace or throne room.

Above: It never hurts to stick with a consistent theme

You’d also get to watch a mildly snazzy fireworks display over the celebrating city, secure in the knowledge that your satisfied subjects were less likely to defect en masse to a rival power.

In the streamlined Civilization: Revolution, however, the luster has definitely worn off the holiday. It’s not tailored to your current title, and there’s nothing to convey that it’s even happening except for a small fireworks display and, well, this:

Above: Well, isn’t this… exciting…

Above: That’s better – show some goddamn enthusiasm, lady!

Civilization’s denizens obviously aren’t quite as into celebrating the holiday as they used to be. They might actually be a little sick of it, considering that it happens erratically and tends to cut into their busy granary-building schedules more than they’d like. But when we look at our weathered old screenshots of half-stone age/half-classical Greek palaces, it’ll always be special to us.

Hey, remember this? This probably happened on a holiday, right?

Yeah – an awesome holiday. Like the… the Feast of St. Awesome. Sure.