Civilization V: Brave New World Review

Firaxis impressed us last summer when it released the excellent Gods & Kings expansion pack for Civilization V, so leading up to the launch of Brave New World, the game’s second expansion, expectations were sky-high. Did the company deliver yet again? Let’s find out, and get cultured in the process.

When Firaxis pushed Sid Meier’s Civilization V out the door in 2010, fan reactions were quite varied. As someone who used the game as a gateway into the series, I found it to be truly amazing, and couldn’t quite appreciate the arguments from long-time fans about where the game went wrong. A common complaint was that it was “dumbed-down”, catering more to new players than the series’ biggest fans. It wasn’t until Gods & Kings’ release in 2012 that I began to better understand the root of those complaints.

Simply put, G&K was an absolute “must have” expansion pack. For the most part, it brought back most of what fans believed should have shipped with the original game, such as religion and espionage, and while it remained accessible for new players, it added more complexity for old-schoolers, resulting in a richer experience overall. A couple of matches with G&K is all it took to make sure you never disabled it.

The same thing can be said about the game’s second expansion, Brave New World. Be prepared to cough up $30, or I’d recommend you to stop reading!

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