Sid Meier's Civilization VII

I really want to enjoy it, but it's just bland. Stacking a bunch of units on a commander just makes them a target and the fighting is dull. Building takes so long I have a hard time keeping track of what my goals were and I am often bored with the game before I finish the first era.

It's civ if it were made for mobile, not so good. I'd recommend civ 6, or even 5.

I have been playing Civ since 1991. I just went back and played Civ IV, Civ V, and Civ VI before writing this mournful review. If given the choice between playing with formulas on Excel and Civ VII, at least Excel is marginally more fun and an applicable skill. Civ IV was fast paced, variable, and fun--and even though the combat sequences were irrational and cracked-out, they were engaging. Civ V was smoother and more interesting due to the role of city-states. Civ VI was the total package, quick-witted but open to broad strategy. Civ VII has all the charm of QuickBooks and lacks gameplay as stimulating as MineSweeper. Rather than play this game again, I would grab a calculator and make it spell 80085.

Don't get me wrong—I actually love the new systems and mechanics. I think they bring a refreshing change to the franchise, and I genuinely appreciate the attempt to improve the game with the latest updates. However, the pricing is absolutely indefensible. In my country, the base game costs $70, and on top of that, they are already asking for a $30 DLC plus three additional $15 DLCs. This is a blatant cash grab. To make matters worse, the game launched in an unfinished, bug-ridden, and messy state. It failed at launch, and the player base has never really recovered enough to justify this kind of price tag. I have been a loyal Civilization player for a very long time, but this is the first time I feel compelled to bypass the official store and acquire the complete edition through less-than-legal means. I simply cannot support this business model. I strongly recommend other fans hold onto their money as well. It’s disappointing to see a company try to extort its loyal fanbase this way. It genuinely pains me because I know there are talented developers who poured their hearts into making this game cool and fun. Their hard work is completely wasted by the greedy executives and shareholders calling the shots from above. These decision-makers should be publicly shamed for the disgraceful way they have handled this franchise. They owe the community a massive apology for trying to squeeze every penny out of their most dedicated players. I would kindly recommend these sub-humans to wash their shame and restore their family's honor in the traditional japanese way.

Frequent crashes. Can't seem to play it without barbarians/city states. No real improvements over the last version. Fifty bucks down the toilet.

The fact that I bought the founders edition and I'm being charged £25 for a DLC that only adds a few new playable leaders and civs is quite frankly disgusting. In this economy, Firaxis do not care about taking you to the cleaners for your hard earned money whether you buy premium versions or not. The game is in a lot better state than it was on release, but it's still unpolished. Personally, I wouldn't recommend. Play Civ 6 instead.

Incomplete game. They charge you $80 for it and then another $30 for each DLC. The win conditions are confusing, and you don't seem to be able to win until the final age. This makes the early ages tedious, almost like something you have to power through with no tension or risk. Expansion is soft capped with limits to how many cities you can build or conquer, so expansion feels intentionally punished. Moving your pieces around difficult terrain that can be difficult to see feels cumbersome and more like work when you need large numbers of units to overcome enemy defenses (which honestly might just be a result of my being bad at the game). Overall, not very fun if you enjoy a conquest victory.

I'm a huge fan of Civ6 and thought Civ7 would in some ways continue what the previous title started - it did not. For this one they basically changed everything for the worse - why break something that works?