From what we can tell (having only played a few rounds of the lite version), it’s pretty much the same game as appeared on consoles last year, only with unexpectedly poor graphics.

The game is going for $US5 or, if you’re feeling cheap, the lite version—which includes three nations, allowing you to play until the modern era, is free.

Civilization Revolution [Official Site]

For those interested in such micromanaging pursuits can check out everything the game has to offer on Civilization: Revolution’s newly launched website. It’s a nicely put together site and has a decent amount of places for you to explore including videos, screenshots, forums and all the information on Civilization: Revolution you could want.

Civilization: Revolution Official Site [2K]

Hit the jump and see if your entry made the cut!James Croft wasn’t the only person with this suggest, but we got the most laughs from his description:

Sid Meier’s Sid Meier!: Build your own games company up from scratch in the wacky world of strategy game design. Progress from working in your own dingy garage to the lofty heights of getting taken over by EA; just don’t forget to keep Mrs. Meier and the kids happy!

Dom thought it’d be nice to detail the plight of the independent developer:

Sid Meier’s DEVELOPMENT HELL: Join Sid at a new boutique developer as you struggle to design the next-big thing. Control every element of the game-making process, from the big decisions to nitty gritty. Do you sign on with the Evil Alliance Games, or try and stay indie? Use UE3 or build your own engine? Only you can determine if Sid’s next epic will be a PORTAL to greatness or take FOREVER.

A love of gods and toasted sandwiches got Simon Neech into the winner’s circle:

Sid Meier’s God Sim: Play the role of God himself in this action deficient, supernatural simulator. Select your commandments, choose your followers head wear and you’re ready! Wield non-interdictory powers and encourage your faithful through ambiguous images on toasted sandwiches or water damaged ceilings. But beware; become too plausible and its game over!

Finally, chickenplucka believes everyone should be able to experience the thrill of being a big, evil publisher:

Sid Meier’s Game Publisher 2009: Have you ever wanted to step into the shoes of a big name publisher? Now you can!

Earn triple-A game status by bribing reviewers! Increase sales of your already popular franchises by putting a new year at the end of their name! Kid’s not buying your games? Just add sex and violence and see your title become the next big thing! Jealous of the success of rival companies? Show them who da man by scaring their shareholders!

The most realistic simulation yet by the man who understands innovation; Sid Meier’s Game Publisher 2009! Coming 2008.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to enter. More competitions will be coming your way soon or, at least, in your general direction.

I’m happy to say 2K Games has given us the go ahead and provided four limited edition Xbox 360 faceplates to pass on to you guys. Of course, there’s a competition involved.

All you have to do to be in the running is email tips@kotaku.com.au with your idea for a new Sid Meier game. For example:

Sid Meier’s Clowns!: Compete online with up to 16 other freakishly dressed entertainers as you all try to fit into the same tiny car. Upgrade you selection of makeups and wigs as you progress through the game, and learn many fun and exciting skills including juggling, tightrope walking and kid scaring!

Make sure the subject reads “Civ comp” and your explanation is no more than 50 words. Oh, and it can’t be as lame as my idea.

General terms and condition will appear shortly. For now, feel free to enter as many times as you want. We’ll select the four lucky winners this time next week.

Thanks to 2K Games for the faceplates, I’m sure we can find them a nice home.

[Terms and Conditions]

Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution [Official site]

The first thing I noticed is the graphical overhaul the entire game has gone through in it’s trip from PC to home console. Armies are no longer small collections of little dots, but now are fully fleshed out characters that actually engage enemies in animated battles. It sounds like a small thing but is actually a huge improvement and really draws you into the game a bit more. The closer camera angles help with this as well. Also completely revamped are the character models for all the various nation’s leaders and advisers. They are much more detailed and while they are still technically rather cartoony, they still seem much more realistic than the ones in previous games of the series.

We launched right away into a multiplayer game against Wired’s Chris Kholer. Now before you go skipping all the way to the end just to see if I kicked his butt, no I did not. Nor did he kick mine. Unfortunately we did not have the forty five minutes to an hour it takes to play a full vs game, but we got enough in to get a feeling for it. There are three different multi-player modes in the game: Free For All, Head to Head and Teams. We played the head to head version but I am sure the other modes play similarly in their basic play.

There are sixteen different civilizations to choose from at the top of the game, each civ having it’s strengths and weaknesses. An interesting addition to this version of the game is the ability to apply an handicap to your team. So if you are a new player going up against a more experienced one, you can choose from one of four different levels of handicap that will speed up your building and production speeds and the like. Of course choosing to handicap will stick you with one of the impressive list of names for the handicaps: Noobish, Noobasauraus, Noobatronic or Noobalicious.

Once the game started I could tell it was moving at a faster pace than previous titles. According to the developers, this is the best multiplayer functionality yet seen in a Civilization game. The controls and functions from the PC version have all been retrofitted to suit the controllers for the PS3 and Xbox 360. (The version I saw was the 360) The controls were comfortable and intuitive and within a few turns I was playing pretty smoothly. Civilization is kind of like riding a bike, once you find your balance your gliding along like you’ve been playing your whole life. I started off by building a couple cities and then sending my men out to start exploring the land. Several turns later I had acquired enough units to create an army. The armies area great addition since you essentially combine any three matching units together and you instantly have a nine person force. The is great for those ground skirmishes where you get to steal land from lowly barbarians. The game is still turn based and you have to wait for your opponent to finish his move before you can start yours. This can be boring at times, but it does afford you a little time to try and think ahead about your next move. The battle animations are done using the Havok engine and it was cool to watch the little guys fall off a mountain or die face down in the ocean. I did manage to get in a scuffle with the fine Mr. Kholer’s army but in the time allotted I only managed to steal his camels. Not a great prize, but I enjoyed my feeling of accomplishment.

Before leaving, I got to check out a little of the DS version of the game albeit briefly. The handheld version is almost an exact replication of the console game with the exception of the graphics which of course had to changed to accommodate the DS screns and resolution. The controls and gameplay however are exactly the same. The developers explained that they didn’t want to present a stripped down version just because it was on a handheld. From what I could tell in the short amount of time I had with it, they did an admirable job.

I enjoyed my time with Civilization Revolution and will definitely be picking up a copy when it comes out on June 3rd. It has made the jump from PC to console nicely and the graphical improvements will make it an interesting play for long time Civ players. For new players just getting interested in the title or those who just don’t care for PC gaming, it will be a great introduction into the city building, wonder erecting, micromanaging world of Civilization.