Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri – Still the High Point of 4X
I have been playing 4X games since first or second grade, when a friend introduced me to the original Civilization . Not long afterwards, I had my own copy, and between Civilization and Civilization II I must have spent hundreds of hours conquering, optimising and reshaping the world. One of my favourite parts was always the science victory: constructing a spaceship and launching it towards Alpha Centauri. But there was a lingering disappointment. The game ended just as it felt as though the most interesting part should begin. When Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri was released in 1999, it finally scratched that itch. It did not merely move the familiar Civilization formula into space. It asked what might happen after the colonists arrived—and allowed ideology, technology and the planet itself to shape the answer. Box art: Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri , developed by Firaxis Games and published by Electronic Arts. Used for purposes of review and commentary. More...