Sid Meier's Civilization V: Brave New World Critic Reviews

Really, the best part about Brave New World is that it’s finally addressed every victory condition in the game and made each one not only more equally viable, but also just as busy. Weaponizing culture works to bring it more in line with the other conditions–it’s something you have to work towards and not something you just happen to achieve. On top of that, the diplomacy changes make this system more interesting as well, and it all comes down to one thing: if you have Civilization V and want to play more, you owe it to yourself to get this expansion.

Brave New World taps into some of the darkest chapters of the long and storied history of our species, but presents them with respect, reverence, and a distinct sense of optimism for our uncertain future. This expansion is a fantastic accomplishment, and one that finally fulfills all of the potential of this chapter of the series.

This is the most fun I’ve had with Civilization since Civ IV, and the best late-game since Civ II. Brave New World is the rare case of a title delivering exactly what it promises.

I have few complaints about this second and final expansion to Civilization V. My favorite game in recent years is better than ever thanks to Brave New World. The way Firaxis has fleshed out the thin areas of the game without screwing up the many things it does right is impressive. Peaceful no longer means passive.

The base we already had gets an incredibly deep layer of politics, government and religion that keeps evolving the experience.

If you enjoy Civ V and Gods and Kings, this latest expansion is a must-buy, no-brainer. And while heaping massive amounts of glowing praise on a game might make for an unexciting review, I can’t help but to keep heaping. After all, Civilization V is now the most consistently fun game, from start to finish, in the series’ history. Well done, Firaxis.

The sweeping changes to the Civilization V ruleset are both refreshing and familiar. Each of the updates feels like a logical evolution and are seamlessly integrated with the existing systems. Brave New World feels like Civ V Complete.

New gameplay elements introduced in Brave New World are an example of a perfectly though-out innovation. This virtual machine works great and it's obvious, that the developers did their best. Even though there are more important rules than before, the gameplay is clear and enjoyable. This is a big achievement , considering the level of this game's complexity. Everything now works together like a big organism.

Brave New World adds lots of options to Civilization V. The brand new trading routes and Tourism add even more deepness to Firaxis' game. If you love Civ V, you have to try it.

With much more culture, the world congress and international trade routes Civilization V gains more depth than ever. Not only for fans of Civilization V is Brave New World worth a recommendation. With his second expansion confirmed Civilization V its position as leader in the genre of turn-based strategy games. I see much nights with less sleep in the next weeks.

It's a brilliant add-on, going in with a master surgeon's precision to subtly tweak and change the mechanics for maximum impact. More than ever, this is a Civ, where you want to preserve peace, all the while showing the rest of the world that your way of life is the best one.

A Brave New World is the ultimate Civilization package. The expansion retains the good elements from Civilization V and Civ V: Gods and Kings adds a lot of great content to that. Aside from standard elements like new miracles and peoples, there are, for instance, new trading options when starting your game and many deep diplomatic option for the ending of your game. You can spend the entire summer with this.

All of Brave New World's little changes make the game feel different. If you enjoyed Civilization V you must buy this second expansion.

Civilization V: Brave New World is a stellar addition to an already excellent game that goes beyond the standard additions of new countries and Wonders by including additional game-changing paths to victory.

If you didn't pick up Gods & Kings for some reason, I really suggest skipping it unless you can grab it for cheap on Steam. Brave New World is the expansion you need to get instead, and I highly recommend it to fans of the series.

Brave New World offers a great deal of content and new elements that makes the gameplay so much more dynamic, while maintaining everything that made Civilization V a great game. The real beauty of this expansion lays in the fact that you can actually use art and culture as the weapons through which you can attain world domination.

The only trouble with Brave New World is its opening price point of $29.99, which is on one hand worth the cost but on the other is a bit high considering that this expansion is more about refinement than anything else. Some of the AI behavior can still be strange as well. That said, those of you still loading up Civ IV because you find Civ V "broken" will find Brave New World to be the fix they've been waiting three years for. Time to advance to the next era!

There’s absolutely no doubt: Brave New World is the best expansion in recent memory, and easily the best Civilization expansion ever. It elevates Civilization 5 from the issues that plagued it at launch and turns it into one of the most addicting, entertaining, and deep 4X games around. If you have purchased or plan on purchasing Civilization 5, there is no reason not to buy Brave New World.

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed playing Brave New World and would recommend it to anybody either currently playing Civ V or who’d like to play it again.

Every addition is more than just a +1 to the feature list. Instead, it ricochets up and down the systems that are already in place, giving you new options and methods of play. Brave New World is the real Civilization V; get it and never look back.