Firaxis posts

The playable demo for Sid Meier's Civilization V, a turn based strategy game where you take control of an empire through different historical ages. The demo includes three leaders for single player and will only allow access to one small map type. The demo also requires the Steam service in order to play and system requirements are shown after the jump.

Download Civilization V Demo (2.6 GB)
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As we reported in our E3 2010 Civilization V impressions article, the upcoming strategy game from Firaxis Games will come with mod and editing tools to allow players to make their own maps and mods for the title. But what if you really love a map that was made for the previous game in the series, Civilization IV?

Thankfully it looks like people won't have to remake those maps from stratch for the new entry in the series. BitMob quotes the game's lead designer Jon Shafer as saying, "You can import Civ 4 maps into the world builder and convert them into Civ 5 maps, including all the units and cities and stuff on it." While you won't be able to do the same with Civ IV total conversion mods like the popular Fall from Heaven that have custom art and designs, we should see a flood of old Civ 4 maps remade for the new game when Civilization V is released this September.

Now here's a trailer which is scary real. If you're anything like us, you've been addicted to the Civilization series at some point or another. When Civilization IV came out, it was followed by a trailer depicting an eerily plausible Civilization Anonymous group that aims to break people's "one more turn" addictions. They've resurrected the advertisement for Civilization V, and our feelings are still the same. A support group of this kind is a very real possibility.

Download HD Civilization V 'CivAnon' Trailer (445MB)
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Games that are coming out soon have a lot of unknowns that the average person might not know. Who is this character inspired by? Is all the talk of volumetric fog or cel-shaded graphics really worthwhile? Do the game mechanics really seem solid, or are they lackluster? In All You Need To Know we provide information to help you fully appreciate what these upcoming games have to offer.

Feed your head after the jump.

Developer Firaxis and Publisher 2K Games has apparently decided to go all in with Valve's Steamworks services for the upcoming turn-based strategy sequel Sid Meier's Civilization V. Not only will the game support many Steamworks features but there will also be a digital deluxe version of the game via Steam. That version, which costs $59.99, will add the Babylonia civilization to the game along with a behind-the-scenes video feature and the game's soundtrack.

Both the regular and digital deluxe edition will be eligible to get an extra Mesopotamia map pack if players pre-order the game via Steam. Finally all of the older Civilization games have had their price cut by a whopping 75 percent for a limited time.

At PAX East, we were given a special behind-closed-doors look at how Civilization V is shaping up. After the fantastic reception Civilization IV had, the often-asked question becomes, "What can you possibly do to top it?" It looks like the answer isn't necessarily to top the features of Civ4, but instead, refine the game with a streamlined interface and better gameplay interaction. But make no mistake, this is a new Civilization, and a number of changes will distinguish it from its predecessor.

It's difficult to capture the epic scope of a game like Civilization V, the upcoming addition to one of the most popular game franchises in the world, but this announcement trailer is an excellent start. As seen, it plays off the Civilopedia feature that uses relevant quotes as milestones when players discover new technologies or bring their empires to new heights. If we're not mistaken, the first voice sounds a lot like Keith David (Capt. Anderson from the Mass Effect series), who does quite a bit of video game voice acting. There's no official word on if he'll be doing any narration for the actual game. Maybe Leonard Nemoy will agree to lend his voice again for the upcoming game, now that he's done recording for Star Trek Online. We'll find out soon enough, since the game is expected to release this fall.

Download HD Civilization V Announcement Trailer (128 MB)

We've been down this road before and it looks like we are going that way once again. Rumors of a revival of the classic X-Com turn-based strategy PC game series have been popping up on the Internet tubes for years. This week the new rumors center on 2K Games' developer Firaxis working on a new version of the original game.

This new rumor comes from the Twitter page of the anonymously updated and trademark-obsessed web site Superannuation. The statement also revives the rumor that there's a first person shooter X-Com game that's also in the works. 2K Boston has been named as the developer for that title for quite some time and it's head man Ken Levine hasn't exactly denied that possibility. Indeed 2K Boston's sister developer 2K Australia has apparently worked at one time on such a project as Superannuation has found a (since removed) resume from a former developer at that studio that mentions such an X-Com game. We just wish 2K Games would spare us more time to speculate and come clean; the suspense is killing us.

This patch updates Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword to v3.19. Continue reading after the jump for full patch notes.

Download Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword v3.19 Patch (165 MB)
Check out all Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword downloads

Sometimes you just need to sit down, slide a floppy into your A: drive, and enjoy gaming retro style. We know this all too well! That's why we have a list of the best and brightest from days long gone. These are some of our favorite games of all time, and we're sure that you'll love them as much as we do, if not more. Welcome to Boot Disk, and enjoy the retro ride!

Sid Meier, Brian Reynold, and by extension all of Firaxis Games have a pedigree of excellent games as long as my arm. They have created countless excellent strategy series, including the Railroad Tycoon, Civilization, and Pirates! games. There's a ton of different games that could be talked about here on Boot Disk, but perhaps the most beloved is Alpha Centauri. Wooing even the hardcore Civilization contingent, Alpha Centauri is considered to be one of best games ever created by Firaxis, and one of the best PC games period. Ten years later, and it's no worse for the wear. In fact, many of the elements portrayed in it still have yet to be incorporated into the mainstream strategy gaming world. What a shame.