If you've ever fancied an undiluted translation of Civilization on a mobile of some sort, Civilization Revolution for iPhone and iPod is officially live on Apple's App Store. 'Revolution' would be the streamlined yet mechanically intact iteration of developer Firaxis and creator Sid Meier's famous conquer-the-world strategy game with an eye toward on-the-go strategists. Whereas a single instance of Civilization IV (Windows, OS X) can last over a dozen hours, you can polish off a minimally configured match in 'Revolution' in just two or three.
As per the original, you get 16 playable civilizations, famous historical leaders with special abilities, the option to explore randomly generated planets, multiple difficulty settings to vary game length, and an integrated tutorial to ease you in. The iPhone version overlays its own unique visuals and a gesture-based interface.
Had a look at our Top 10 Must-Have iPhone Apps for Gamers slideshow? Make Civilization: Revolution for iPhone our eleventh. (To read descriptions and reviews of thousands of iPhone apps, be sure to visit PC World's brand-new App Guide.)
"We’re thrilled to deliver our signature strategy game on such an exciting and dynamic platform," said Firaxis creative director and lead designer Sid Meier of the release. "We choose platforms based on where we feel consumers will have the best gameplay experience with our titles, and the iPhone allows us to introduce this gameplay to mobile consumers - new and old."
Want it cheap? You'll want to act now. You've got somewhat less than 48 hours to pull it down for $5 before that doubles to the game's standard price of $10.
"Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution was a big success for us last year on the consoles and handheld systems," said 2K Games president Christoph Hartmann. "Now, the iPhone platform gives us the opportunity to introduce an entirely new audience to the addictive gameplay of the Civilization franchise.”
Actually, domestic sales of the DS, PS3, and Xbox 360 versions haven't been exactly stellar, the only to break half a million being the latter, but if sales were indicative of quality, The Secret would be winning NBAs and Pulitzers, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Golden Globes and Oscars.
Wouldn't it be interesting if sales of the iPhone/iPod version eclipsed the console/handheld ones?
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