Civilzation 5 is the love child of a clandestine tryst between Civilization 4 and Civilization Revolution. It is a game that shares genetic markers of both the PC and console iterations of the franchise, luckily receiving the best elements of both -- with a couple good mutations. Civ 5 has the grand, epic feel we expect from the series on PC, but so much of it has been streamlined for the better that Revolution's influence is undeniable.

I'm going to try something different in this review. Civilization has been around for almost two decades and the most divisive moment in the franchise's history was the creation of the console-based Civilization Revolution. With that in mind, I'm going to divide this review into three parts, with sections for [1] Civilization PC veterans; [2] those who enjoyed Civilization Revolution; and [3] "the uninitiated." Read all three perspectives and find out if this latest Civ unites the tribes.