I'd almost forgotten that Civilization IV was being released in my absence. *sigh* At least I know I still have this one last weekend of getting out doors, smelling flowers, maybe even showering ;) Once Civ IV falls in my lap those days are probably numbered. I made the mistake of installing Civ III again a while ago, there went that weekend. It was only the annoying bugs/features of that game and knowing that Civ IV was coming out that put a stop to it. I should be glad it took this long to get released.
I could hope that Civ IV would be a flop, but unfortunately there is already lots of evidence to the contrary. Doom it seems has finally come (and no I don't mean the movie). Seriously, why would I buy an Xbox 360 when it can't play Civ IV!? The only light at the end of the tunnel is that I know this game craze too shall pass - eventually. For now I will cherish this last weekend of freedom. Maybe go to a Museum.. Eat some Dutch Butter Cake.. Enjoy the sunset..
UPDATE: Civilization IV turned out to be so much like Civilization III - at the level I play anyway. What does this mean? Well it means it is yet another example of a new game that just feels like I've already played it before. This has been happening more and more and I think I understand now where a lot of Videogame nostalgia comes from. Those early videogames were pretty good, some were so good the industry has essentially just been cloning them ever since. So why not just play that older game that you loved?
In the end Civ IV did not end up becoming the all-consuming juggernaut I'd sort of hoped it would. Sure when I did play it would run late in to the wee hours of the night, but the desire just to finish off a game that seems so close to completion isn't much different than any of the Civ games. Sure the graphics and all that are leaps and bounds above what came before. But the game doesn't feel fundamentally different. Are there any new game ideas out there worth exploring? Or are we locked in to Civ/RTS/FPS/MMORPG/Sport/Franchise/Platform games for the next 30 years?
