Way back in 1991, PC publisher Microprose released Sid Meier's Civilization, and some fans still haven't slept since. The game is widely considered to be one of the greatest PC games of all time. Now with three sequels plus expansions for each, multiple ports, and even a rather fine board game under the series' belt, 2K and Firaxis are taking the franchise where no original Civ title has gone before - the console. Shoddy PC to console ports aside, Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution is the first game in the series to be built from the ground up with game consoles in mind.

Will this new direction bring all-night Civ sessions to the console crowd, or should it be put to bed early? Get the verdict from the reviewing public, after the jump.

'A Game Isn't a Series of Interesting Decisions'

Variety Troubled By Sid Meier's Next Game

Sid Meier, how can you still be making games about colonization?

Variety reporter Ben Fritz knows that Sid Meier made a Colonization game back in the day. And he knows that the new one, the upcoming Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization, won't quite force you to sail to a new land so you can kill all the natives and screw them with the exchange rate.

But he's troubled. He's spent a good amount of time on his blog to show that he's thought this through. Colonization was and is racist and appalling, he states. He doesn't call for a ban. He's a First Amendment guy. But he does call for a reaction.

Goddamit, am I the only one who think it's morally disturbing to make a game that celebrates COLONIZATION?

Bonus reader challenge: Reply to this post, pro or con, without using the old conversation-stopper: "It's just a game."

Civilization IV: Colonization... Wow that looks offensive [Variety's The Cut Scene Blog]

Sid Meier Won't Turn His Back On Wii

Sid Meier's not giving up on the Wii. In a recent interview with GameDaily, he said he and Firaxis think the Wii is "a fantastic platform, and have no intentions of turning our backs on it!"

He wouldn't confirm, of course, any plans for a Wii version of Civilization Revolution but his positive response should be encouraging, at least, to Civ fans.

He was also asked about the possibility of a Civ MMO:

Shiny New Civ IV: Colonization Coming To PC

Firaxis is currently at work on Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization, a standalone for Windows PC, Take-Two announced today.

It'll be available in Fall 08, and the announcement says the 1994 title is being rebuilt from the ground up to take advantage of the Civ IV engine, adding new graphics, interface and features.

You still lead one of four European countries in conquering the New World, dealing with natives and the other nations and all that wonderfully bloody business. Here's hoping for smallpox blankets? Full release and screens after the jump!

The promised demo of Battlefield : Bad Company is now live on Xbox Live, alongside a demo of Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution, giving gamers a lovely choice between creating and destroying. The Bad Company demo comes in both single and multiplayer flavors, with the single player giving you a taste of story-driven sandbox gameplay, while the multiplayer portion lets the more competitive among us battle it out in the objective based Gold Rush mode of the game.

The Civilization Revolution demo also contains both multiplayer and single player gameplay, and while I am no expert I am going to go out on a limb and say there is some civilization building going on.

Both demos weigh in on the hefty side, with Battlefield at 1.5 GB and Civ at a slightly more modest 1.25 GB. Enjoy!

Demo: Battlefield: Bad Company [Xbox Live's Major Nelson]
Demo Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution [Same Guy]

Sid Meier Is The Most Award-Winning Developer Ever!

Does an entry in the Guinness World Records count as an award? If so, chalk up another one for Sid Meier, who has just entered the 2008 Gamer's Edition of that prestigious publication as the game industry's most award-winning creator. Among his many achievements are numerous awards for the Civilization series, induction into the Computer Museum of America's and Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Halls of Fame, and a commemorative star on the Walk of Game. How does it feel?

“I’m fortunate to be able to do what I love and am grateful for all of the wonderful recognition I’ve received over the years,” said Sid Meier. “It is every kid’s dream to make it into the Guinness World Records and I’m thrilled to be a part of the prestigious book. I’m thankful to the many game critics who have enjoyed our games and hope they are as excited about our upcoming Civilization Revolution title as I am.”

And there, my friends, is why great men are great. They are never too proud to slip in a little marketing. Go read some more marketing in the official press release, while I apply some watercolor photoshop filter love to this great, great man.

Sid Meier Appearing At New York Comic Con

Sid Meier's world building game Civilization is returning soon with a new title, Civilization: Revolution. CR is the first of the Civ franchise to be presented on now-gen consoles and it sports some fancy new graphics, closer cameras, new character models and more detailed maps and battles. After my time with the multiplayer mode a few weeks back, I'm really looking forward to checking it our when it hits on June 3.

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]

Ladies and gentlemen, for your viewing pleasure, I present a slew of screens from my hands-on time with Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. There are some multiplayer shots in here as well as images from the single player mode including many of the character designs.

Sid Meier - Gaming's Three Greatest Innovations

The gaming industry is based on innovation, with each successive generation absorbing new, innovative ideas, making them a part of what gaming is today. At a special lunch last Friday at the Algonquin Hotel in New York, industry legend Sid Meier revealed what he thought to be the three greatest innovations in gaming history. His picks? First off, the IBM personal computer, which brought computing and as a result computer gaming to the masses. Next he citied video games that focus on creating rather than destroying, humbly offering Will Wright's Sim City as an example in lieu of his own Civilization. Finally, Nintendo's Seal of Quality...which might not mean much today, but back in the day was a sign that the industry wasn't going to allow the flood of crap that systems like the Atari 2600 were subject to, changing the face of console gaming forever and effectively revitalizing a briefly dead market. Profound choices from a profound voice in the business. How do your picks stack up?

The Three Most Important Moments In Gaming, And Other Lessons From Sid Meier [MTV News]

We tried, at this year's GDC, to have a quiet sit down with a number of different developers. And for a number of different reasons, many of them fell through, but I was able to beg 2K into giving me 15 minutes with one of the developers who probably most adversely effected my college career: Sid Meier. If it weren't for Civilization it probably wouldn't have taken me six years to get my two bachelors degrees... OK, that's probably not true, but I did spend a shocking amount of time playing his games in college.

In this 15 minute chat we talk about the death of the PC gaming market, how GDC has evolved and what type of character he plays in WoW... among other things.

The Sid Meier Q&A

"One thing that stands in my mind...we got an inquiry from the Wall Street journal asking about succinctly captured tax policy," Sid Meier relates to a packed audience of GDC attendees, referring to the most surprising response to his games. "It's just a slider."

Huge laughs from the audience. Damn there are a lot of dorks in the audience...present company included. Through the hour-long interview, Meier divulged all sorts of not-so-secret secrets, admitting his geek fetish of still programming his own titles. Here were some of our favorite things he said, organized for your easy digestion...

Civilization's first original foray onto consoles is just a few short month's away, as 2K Games announces the official release date for Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution. Beginning June 3rd, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo DS owners will finally get a taste of what PC gamers have been going crazy about for over 17 years. Designed from the ground up with consoles in mind, Revolution promises fast-paced action and easy to pick up gameplay while still maintaining the Sid Meier-style addictive feel of its PC predecessors. In honor of the release date, 2K has released a slew of screenshots in both DS and Xbox 360 flavors, and you know how much we love our slews.

A trio of new oldies will make their way to the Xbox Live Marketplace next week, as Microsoft plans to add Sid Meier's Pirates!, Black and Ninja Gaiden Black to the Xbox Originals line-up. All three will arrive on February 11 for 1200 Microsoft Points—$15 in genuine US dollars. If scurvy, explosions and decapitations are your thing, clear some space on your hard drive for next Monday.

Xbox Originals [Xbox.com]

Before Sid Meier goes massively multiplayer, he and the rest of the Civ team are bringing the Civilization series to the non-PC gaming masses. While the Wii version looks to have stalled, the Nintendo DS version is looking like a perfect it. 2K Games released a handful of new screens for the portable version of Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution and a singular piece of shiny artwork. This is the kind of handheld strategy gaming we can get behind.

Sid Meier Considering MMO

The man who brought you Civilization, Pirates!, and Railroads! is looking to capture a larger audience - all at once. Speaking to GamersGlobal, the legendary Sid Meier considers the possibility of stepping into the massively multiplayer realm of online gaming.

I enjoy the idea of doing something I haven't done before, so a MMO would fit perfectly, but I really can't say if that would be the next game we do or if it's still a couple of games down the road before we come to that. Because I have new single player games I want to do, as well.