While disaster usually ensues from the complete consolification of PC games, the occasional title really could use a bit of work before making the leap - take EA’s Command & Conquer for instance, which is rendered almost entirely unplayable in the near-direct port from PC to console thanks to its controls.

Firaxis aren’t monkeying around with Civ: Rev; it’s a proper, identifiable Sid Meier-produced game from the core team behind the PC games, and when the men behind one of the greatest game series ever tell us things have to be streamlined, we trust them. The timescale is condensed, optimizing for 1v1 or 2v2 online play; the art style is a little less realistic but a whole lot more appealing, the tech tree has been reduced to the bare necessities and much of the micromanagement has been swapped for a more automatic, accessible experience.

PC snobs may scoff, but it’s their loss. True, Civ: Rev won’t match the depth and quality of the PC game, but you don’t turn your nose up at Sid’s newest project just because you can’t play it with the W, A, S and D keys. Sid doesn’t think you’re a moron; he just knows gamers want something a little different when they sit in front of the TV - not anything stupid or crippled; just a little more snappy.