Civilization V: Gods & Kings Review

Expansion packs have been available for PC games for more than 20 years now, but it's difficult to think of another that has effected a more elemental transformation on its base title than the first for Sid Meier's Civilization V Civilization V . The addition of Gods & Kings ($29.99 list) helps it not only live up to its name, but also lets the 2010 original realize more of the promise that has until now eluded it. If Gods & Kings is too limited in scope to utterly revolutionize this chapter of the storied conquer-the-world saga, it's nonetheless good enough to make Civilization V the game it always should have been.

This is no small achievement. Civilization V was most notable not for what was in it, but what wasn't: the character, color, and complexity that had routinely defined the previous entries in this quintessential strategy series. Whereas each of the others since the first (in 1991) had built on and developed the underlying elements of what it meant to found and nourish an opposition-crushing empire (or fade into obscurity trying), the fifth chapter pulled everything back to a safer, more sedate distance, where many concepts that had been crucial were either downplayed or deleted altogether. It seemed as though Firaxis Games was so hungrily eyeing the board-gamer and first-timer markets that it stopped caring about whether the newest Civilization was a great Civilization, so the result was at most good—and just barely that.

Gods & Kings does more than I'd imagined any post-facto release could to restore the balance between detail and accessibility. Although it adds or revises plenty of content—there are nine new civilizations, about 20 new buildings and wonders, nearly 30 new units, and myriad adjustments to the technology tree—it's its biggest swipes that dazzle most and make Civilization V not just worth playing, but worth re- and re-re-playing in a way it's never been before.

That Old Time Religion
Central to the revisions of Gods & Kings is the reappearance of religion, the baffling absence of which was one of Civilization V's blackest features. It's been added in two separate ways: as an activity you pursue, first by creating a polytheistic pantheon that confers minor benefits and then graduating to a more specific and structured system (with more useful rewards); and as the new Faith resource, which gives you a new way to add units, construct buildings, and deal with the other rulers and city-states you'll encounter during play. (The new Great Prophet unit is instrumental in spreading and advancing religion as ordinance and ordnance.)

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Why You Should Game on a PC

Religion is, as history dictates it should be, vital in the early game, when the weblike pattern of the various beliefs' march across the globe becomes its own kind of arms race. Its geopolitical impact lessens as the centuries pass, but it beautifully fulfills its role as the force for good and evil it's been throughout humanity's history. Gods & Kings doesn't integrate religion as fully into the action as Civilization IV did, but its having a prominent role once again represents a thrilling return to First Principles that should never have been abandoned.

I Spy
Much the same is true of espionage, which has also made an impressive comeback. You're awarded spies as the centuries tick by (or you meet other criteria, such as constructing the proper wonder), and you can use these to either steal other civilizations' technologies, protect your own, or uncover intelligence that will help you barter and bait your enemies. There's an unfortunate passivity to the handling of all this—one would think that international spying would be more hands-on and exciting—but it makes both overt and covert relations with your opponents feel real and vital once again.

Tweaks and Scenarios
Everything else in Gods & Kings is secondary to these changes, but there's no major misstep to be found. Some nice tweaks come with city-states: They now utilize a stronger quest system that more seamlessly encourages interaction with the major players; and two more characteristics for them (Religious and Mercantile) add extra flavor to Civilization V's one pioneering mechanic. Naval combat is more focused now, with ships divided into two different types (melee and ranged) that make attacks from the sea more threatening than before; another new Great Person type, the Great Admiral, gives you some extra options while sailing the seas as well. Three new scenarios provide excellent pre-fab adventures, with the all-out steampunk "Empires of the Smoky Skies" being the most deftly designed and compelling. Enemy AI for single-player run-throughs has been fixed, so you get more satisfying challenges at the higher difficulty levels. Everything about Civilization V is now just better.

That said, it's important to note that any expansion pack, even one this extensive, can only do so much. Religion and espionage may be back, but they still feel more like they've been shoehorned into the existing structure rather than that they're occupying the pride of place they should have had from the start. If you've never warmed up to many of the new rules (such as unit stacking, or lack thereof), there aren't sufficient rethinks or revamps here to convince you otherwise. And despite all you get, Gods & Kings doesn't come with all the maps and civilizations that came with previous downloadable content packages—you still have to purchase those separately if you want everything.

A Civilized Update
Regardless, Gods & Kings is a must-have for all Civilization V owners—whether fans or detractors. It may have its own imperfections and inadequacies, but it addresses and corrects more egregious faults from the original than any gamer had any right to expect. Many players—myself included—will still find themselves longing for the epic, engrossing intricacy of Civilization IV, as you don't get all of that with this restricted conception. But without Gods & Kings, you're simply not experiencing Civilization V at its best.

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