Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack

Discount Price: $179.95

Accessories:
PC Gamer (1-year)	Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

Customer Reviews:

Complex, intelligent and don't take your eyes off the domes [Posted on 2004-11-24]
There are so many features and so much entertainment to be had I don't know where to begin. It's great that there actually is a story behind the strategy, building, managing, feeding people, keeping populations happy...It's a lot like Galactic Trader, which ranks right up there with this as a time-vaporizer. Warning: this game may cause you to lose sleep and sense of perspective. I actually had to uninstall it...that's how much fun it is. The graphics are terrific.

Don't neglect the supplies to your domes and put in plenty of airponics bays, creches, theaters, tree farms and other amenities.

Still the best thinking person's game [Posted on 2004-12-31]
As titled.

The game's other principle designer, Brian Howard went on to do Rise of Nations, a worthy game but without the incredible story-line and in-depth richness of ACAX.

ACAX was a delight not just for the gameplay but for the entire experience: the cultural references, the well-developed factions, the whole mind-worm experience.

One could get immersed in ACX the same way one could in Balder's Gate, Everquest, etc: but at the same time play a Risk/Age of Empires-like military campaign. To be sure, the Starcraft series is classic; as well as the first two Myths.

But AC and ACAX, from the same era, set a standard for a total gaming experience that very few strat games since have approached.

Great stuff. I'd love to see a new version with many of the old characters.

Extraordinary game [Posted on 2005-02-09]
This game is probably the best I've ever played, and perhaps the best game I will ever play. It has all of the features you could want in a turn based game.

The automation of funtions is incredible. Based on your wishes, you can designate tasks for units to perform, instead of dealing with the monotony of reissuing the same command turn after turn. For example, you can just say tell a unit to "build road", and it will only build roads... and will do so in places that make sense. Truly amazing AI...

Add to that the rich cultures and philosophies of the characters, ability to customize units any way you'd like, great sci-fi, and you're left with a game that is still a force to be contented with 4-5 years after its release.

However, because of the wide range of possibilities, the game can be quite complex.

If you're not intimidated by having to think, this game is definitely for you. I look forward to a sequel, should they ever develop one.

The zenith of strategy gaming. kudos to Reynolds. [Posted on 2005-06-01]
This game is the only turn-based strategy game one would ever need.
It has everything one would want out of a strategy game and SO much more.
The story is epic. The world is fully realised. The gameplay is deep. The literary references(not only Sci-Fi but philosophical and ethical and social) are many and profound. The factions are compelling. The possibilities are endless.

The including of multiplayer as well as 7 extra factions in the expansion pack only sweetens the deal.

The only (minor) flaws here, which only present themselves to the diehard gamer, is the apparent lack of challenge from the AI, as well as the seemingly lacklustre graphics(but given the budget of Firaxis at the time, the art direction is still amazing).

Get This Game. It's one of those classics which you will keeping coming back for more. Even having owned this masterpiece for more than 5 years, I still play Alpha Centauri every 3 months or so, and it STILL retains its freshness and playability. This one is a definite keeper.

Also, as a parting word, I want to make it clear that, despite the "Sid Meier" name on the package, designer Brian Reynolds(who has since left Firaxis I believe) was the man behind Alpha Centauri and as such deserves the kudoes.
It is THIS game which deserves the title of "true sequel to Civilization II", and not Civ III which has none of the depth that this game has in spades.

Buy it.

Time For a Makeover [Posted on 2005-07-05]
Over the last 5 years I've spent tons of hours playing this game, usually as the Morgan "Businessmen" Faction. When it came out, this game simply had it all, as far as features were concerned... excellent AI, tech tree, and sound, and decent 2D graphics for the late 90's.

Yet the coolest feature of all are the distinct abilities of the various political factions, and the way they interact (in an expanded version of the simple old paper, rock, scissors game) and being able to choose which faction you want to play as.

Even more factions were added for the Alien Crossfire expansion pack, but I never felt that this expansion was a "must have"; however, when it was basically included for free in the Planetary Pack edition, I decided to get a copy and check it out... I think my original impression was right, Alien Crossfire is not really a must have - if you are new to Alpha Centauri, you'll should definately start with the basic edition that comes in the Planetary Pack edition.

When this game originally came out, there was no doubt that it was a 5 star game - it made the best use possible of the 2D graphics technology available at the time. However, here we are in the year 2005 - there have been astronomical improvements in 3D graphics card technologies, and the old Alpha Centauri graphics just don't seem so good anymore... we are overdue for a makeover to Alpha Centauri! I see where a slew of cool-looking 3D makeovers are coming out: Age of Empires III, Civ IV, Galactic Civ II; it is high time for a 3D-based Alpha Centauri II makeover.

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