Last Update: 3/10/07
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Legendary designer Sid Meier presents the next evolution in strategy games, with the most addictive, compelling gameplay yet. Explore the alien planet that is your new home and uncover its myriad mysteries. Discover over 75 extraordinary technologies. Build over 60 base upgrades and large-scale secret projects for your empire. Conquer your enemies with a war machine that you design from over 32,000 possible unit types.
War and natural disaster have finally destroyed the Earth, and a UN starship bound for the earthlike planet "Chiron" remains as the last hope to further humanity. The ship is thought to be carrying the "best and brightest" of our race, but even before arriving at Alpha Centauri rival factions form, and the challenge to preserve civilization begins again.
A landmark in turn-based strategy gaming, Alpha Centauri subtly introduces the player to a wealth of real historical, scientific and cultural information while engaging them in the challenging, and sometimes daunting, task of creating and maintaining a new civilization.
Developed by Firaxis Games, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri was published for Windows in 1999 by Electronic Arts, and for Mac in 2000 by Aspyr. A Linux version was published by Loki in 2001.
System requirements: Pentium 133 MHz CPU, 16MB RAM, 60 MB Hard drive
A recommended expansion pack, "Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire" is also available.
Gamespot's 1999 "Turn-Based Game of the Year" is just one of dozens of awards won by Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri!
Publisher: Electronic Arts
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Bottom Line: Play it! This game is one of the classics, with plenty of gameplay, lots of strategy, nice unit customization, and so much stuff it can't be listed in one screen. The storyline is huge, and the technology is true science-fiction fare, though it was the first, and as thus was not so unbearable way back when. This is one of the games I remember best. Cutscenes made you rush to research and build the next step on the technological ladder, while balancing all your colonies and armies were also important. Custom units could be made with any part in the game, leading to customization and replay above all others. The planet was randomly generated each play-through, leading to an unique experience each time, with good AI and network play.
Learning Curve: Instant!
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