CivCity: Rome updated impressions

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Ask not what the Romans did for us, but what we can do for them

Where the Civilization game is abstracted, CivCity is detailed, and vice versa. External events and an Empire Points system suggest "a big game of Civ going on all around you" (in the words of Firaxis executive producer Barry Caudill), making extraneous demands that might involve simplified trade or "very light, optional" combat, and that might run counter to the economic and social needs of your town.

"The tie-in has helped us to move the city building genre on," says Bradbury. "I played Caesar III, which I solely coded and designed, and I had no idea why people were coming to or leaving my city. Things like the key happiness variable from Civilization - putting that smiley face up there helps clarify that."

If the kinks in this Roman road can be straightened, though, it will present a streamlined, yet thorough, journey into the past.

Edge Staff
Edge Staff

Edge magazine was launched in 1993 with a mission to dig deep into the inner workings of the international videogame industry, quickly building a reputation for next-level analysis, features, interviews and reviews that holds fast nearly 30 years on.