Chad Nolan Meyers
chadnolanmeyers@gmail.com
It is 2022, but a quick look at your Mayan Calendar reminds you that Mayan New Years is next week, and 2023 is almost upon us. You could stay and party in the capital city of Tikal, or head north to New York City in America, or just stay home in your Mayan-style condo watching Mayan reality shows.
The Mayan empire collapsed in real life, yet new possibilities remain in the expansion pack Sid Meier’s Civilization 5: Brave New World. Rewrite history to one where the Mayans DID survive and flourish as a mighty empire with nuclear capabilities.
Civilization 5 is a turn-based, Risk-style virtual board game. With several ways to win, endless strategy, incredible depth and plenty variations of style, Civilization 5 succeeds in being the rare game where US$60 Dollars (US$30 for the original Civilization 5, $30 for the Brave New World expansion) is a bargain.
Choose between an astounding 43 different ancient empires – from well-known Greece and Rome, to the short-lived Celts and Incas – and lead them through all of history to eventually take over the world. The journey begins in the ancient era (4,000 BCE), with one group of settlers, and one military unit. Your enemies are the neighbouring civilizations, and you’ll spend your existence competing against each other for resources, cultural influence, technological prowess, and military might.
Brave New World is actually the second expansion on the original Civilization 5 title, and several complaints from this game are addressed. Long boring sessions? Gone. Invisible trades? Out of here. International trade and diplomacy have been added and adjusted to create a more realistic experience and world in which to interact.
Me personally? As an American I choose the Shoshone, a tribe native to what is now the North Western United States. Because everyone loves an underdog baby!
Chad Nolan Meyers is a product of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. After falling in love with Princess Zelda at age 4, Chad has been running, jumping and fighting his way through the video game world ever since.
This column originally appeared in the January 9 edition of The Phuket News.