“An Alien Entry”
“Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri” is generally agreed upon to be one of the more interesting and forward-thinking “Civilization” games, and for good reason. It contains some incredible writing quality, at times poetic in nature and disturbing in its imagery. Unfortunately, the gameplay side of things has not aged very well, and despite some writing that stands the test of time in its depth, the presentation of the game itself keeps it from being an experience that is easy to stomach. The poor UI and pretty much non-existent tutorial represents the worst of what the series has to offer, despite the writing quality far exceeding much of that release at the time.
This game’s presentation is f*cking ugly - there, I said it. Its mixture of unintuitive menus, ugly color palettes, and reliance on hotkeys to complete actions make it incredibly unbearable for a newcomer. The music is strange and mystifying, but also heavily uses synths at weird moments that doesn’t really ever give it a nice vibe to play the game with. The graphics are super pretty either, though that can be forgiven (the UI does not help at all though). A remake would absolutely be necessary to bring this game to a modern audience.
Additionally, there is no tutorial that is remotely helpful here. You’re basically thrown onto Alpha Centauri with little direction/goals (besides your faction’s information), and you must fend for yourself. The controls (specifically hotkeys) are referenced in the guidebook, but they aren’t expanded upon so you have to read/watch additional tutorials. I found this to be too time-consuming, and it slowed the pace of playing the game to a complete halt. Earlier “Civilization” titles had a really rough time with this stuff, but here it seems to be at its worst because of how many other advanced ideas this game has with its writing.
This game’s writing is astounding in many aspects. It explores numerous subjects: philosophy, scientific progress, sociology, religion, humanity, psychology, etc. The list can go on and on, and is easily this game’s distinguishing factor that puts it up there with some of the smartest games (in terms of writing) ever made. The quotes that are given are rich in detail, and would complement the gameplay very nicely (assuming you are able to figure it out). It’s a shame that the game surrounding this writing is so frustrating to play, and I think that a gameplay remake with the same writing would be tremendous for myself and other modern fans of the ideas this game pushes forward).
If this game had some more streamlined features, I would’ve been more willing to take a deeper dive into it. The writing is interesting and sophisticated, and is more forward thinking than other “Civilization” games because it looks into humanity's future. However, the game is just too convoluted for its own good, and the ugly UI and graphics keep it from being charming. This is definitely deserving of a remake, as the gameplay and visuals can easily be re-designed for a modern market. Therefore, I would Not Recommend playing this one unless you are patient enough to stick through it and learn each mechanic using outside resources. Otherwise, it's a game with quality writing that has had its long-term potential wasted.
Final Verdict: 2/10 (Bad)
“Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri” is generally agreed upon to be one of the more interesting and forward-thinking “Civilization” games, and for good reason. It contains some incredible writing quality, at times poetic in nature and disturbing in its imagery. Unfortunately, the gameplay side of things has not aged very well, and despite some writing that stands the test of time in its depth, the presentation of the game itself keeps it from being an experience that is easy to stomach. The poor UI and pretty much non-existent tutorial represents the worst of what the series has to offer, despite the writing quality far exceeding much of that release at the time.
This game’s presentation is f*cking ugly - there, I said it. Its mixture of unintuitive menus, ugly color palettes, and reliance on hotkeys to complete actions make it incredibly unbearable for a newcomer. The music is strange and mystifying, but also heavily uses synths at weird moments that doesn’t really ever give it a nice vibe to play the game with. The graphics are super pretty either, though that can be forgiven (the UI does not help at all though). A remake would absolutely be necessary to bring this game to a modern audience.
Additionally, there is no tutorial that is remotely helpful here. You’re basically thrown onto Alpha Centauri with little direction/goals (besides your faction’s information), and you must fend for yourself. The controls (specifically hotkeys) are referenced in the guidebook, but they aren’t expanded upon so you have to read/watch additional tutorials. I found this to be too time-consuming, and it slowed the pace of playing the game to a complete halt. Earlier “Civilization” titles had a really rough time with this stuff, but here it seems to be at its worst because of how many other advanced ideas this game has with its writing.
This game’s writing is astounding in many aspects. It explores numerous subjects: philosophy, scientific progress, sociology, religion, humanity, psychology, etc. The list can go on and on, and is easily this game’s distinguishing factor that puts it up there with some of the smartest games (in terms of writing) ever made. The quotes that are given are rich in detail, and would complement the gameplay very nicely (assuming you are able to figure it out). It’s a shame that the game surrounding this writing is so frustrating to play, and I think that a gameplay remake with the same writing would be tremendous for myself and other modern fans of the ideas this game pushes forward).
If this game had some more streamlined features, I would’ve been more willing to take a deeper dive into it. The writing is interesting and sophisticated, and is more forward thinking than other “Civilization” games because it looks into humanity's future. However, the game is just too convoluted for its own good, and the ugly UI and graphics keep it from being charming. This is definitely deserving of a remake, as the gameplay and visuals can easily be re-designed for a modern market. Therefore, I would Not Recommend playing this one unless you are patient enough to stick through it and learn each mechanic using outside resources. Otherwise, it's a game with quality writing that has had its long-term potential wasted.
Final Verdict: 2/10 (Bad)
DELETED
1 year ago