After reading the reviews for this game I was really hesitant to purchase it, but when it became free-to-play, my dreams came true; I would actually get to test out the game before I bought it.

Now, a LOT of people are saying that this is too similar to CIV 5 and that the gameplay is sub-par, but I don't think that. CIV:BE, while sharing a lot of aspects from CIV 5, is a completely different game. This game does not focus on a historical context at all. The methods in which things are done are different.

New Concepts:

• Hoards - large groups of aliens together in "nests"
  
• Technology Web - Instead of an almost linear timeline, this acts as a web. There are sub-points to each point in the web. You are not required to research the sub-points to move to the next major point. They are completely optional. Which direction you take, however can aid you in how you win the game.
  
• Orbital Layer - Fight and defend from above
  
• Miasma - A thick poison fog that harms your workers/soldiers/etc when standing in it until cleared
  
• Favors - Need a resource, but don't have anything to offer yet? Give favors. This allows them free resources at the expense of this favor later in the game, however.
  
• Quests - Tasks to complete set off by an event that give you added bonuses.
  
• Choices - A part of quests, gives you the oportunity to choose how your technology works. (The Thorium Reactor giving you either +2 Energy OR +1 Production depending upon your choice)

"Reskinned" Concepts:

• Health - Previously Happinss
  
• Aliens - Previously Barbarians (7 different species of aliens, however)
  
• Energy - Previously Gold
  
• Affinities - Similar to Ideology, but not quite. /almost/ a new feature.
  
• Covert Operations - Previously Spies

In my opinion, all of these reskins were concepts that needed to stay, but needed to be altered to fit with the game. What's so wrong with that?

Removed Concepts:

• Religon
  
• Great People
  
• Cultural & Diplomatic Victories
  
• Natural Wonders
  
• Luxury Resources
  
• Research Agreements

In my opinion, most of those don't fit with the game to begin with and they aren't huge game-changers. It got rid of Cultural and Diplomatic Victories, but it also gave you other victories that fit more with the theme of the game.

Ways to win:

• Domination: Essentially, a military victory. If a player captures all the other colony capitals while retaining control of their own, they achieve this victory. Players who don’t have control of their original capital can’t earn this victory.
  
• Contact: The player makes contact with a benevolent alien race by discovering certain sciences and building certain Wonders.
  
• Emancipation: Achieved by players pursuing the Supremacy Path. The player constructs a warp gate and sends a “liberation army” back to Old Earth.
  
• Promised Land: Earned via the Purity Path. The player constructs a warp gate and brings the population of Old Earth through to the “promised land” of the new world.
  
• Transcendence: The option for players on the Harmony Path. This victory is earned when a player triggers the merging of the planet’s latent sentience with the consciousness of all living things.

In my opinion, while this game is NOT perfect right now, it has a lot of wiggle room to expand into something great. However, it is a game that I recommend because it is not CIV 5.

After reading the reviews for this game I was really hesitant to purchase it, but when it became free-to-play, my dreams came true; I would actually get to test out the game before I bought it. Now, a LOT of people are saying that this is too similar to CIV 5 and that the gameplay is sub-par, but I don't think that. CIV:BE, while sharing a lot of aspects from CIV 5, is a completely different game. This game does not focus on a historical context at all. The methods in which things are done are different. [b]New Concepts:[/b] [list] [*]Hoards - large groups of aliens together in "nests" [*]Technology Web - Instead of an almost linear timeline, this acts as a web. There are sub-points to each point in the web. You are not required to research the sub-points to move to the next major point. They are completely optional. Which direction you take, however can aid you in how you win the game. [*]Orbital Layer - Fight and defend from above [*]Miasma - A thick poison fog that harms your workers/soldiers/etc when standing in it until cleared [*]Favors - Need a resource, but don't have anything to offer yet? Give favors. This allows them free resources at the expense of this favor later in the game, however. [*]Quests - Tasks to complete set off by an event that give you added bonuses. [*]Choices - A part of quests, gives you the oportunity to choose how your technology works. (The Thorium Reactor giving you either +2 Energy OR +1 Production depending upon your choice) [/list] [b]"Reskinned" Concepts:[/b] [list] [*]Health - Previously Happinss [*]Aliens - Previously Barbarians (7 different species of aliens, however) [*]Energy - Previously Gold [*]Affinities - Similar to Ideology, but not quite. /almost/ a new feature. [*]Covert Operations - Previously Spies [/list] In my opinion, all of these reskins were concepts that needed to stay, but needed to be altered to fit with the game. What's so wrong with that? [b]Removed Concepts:[/b] [list] [*]Religon [*]Great People [*]Cultural & Diplomatic Victories [*]Natural Wonders [*]Luxury Resources [*]Research Agreements [/list] In my opinion, most of those don't fit with the game to begin with and they aren't huge game-changers. It got rid of Cultural and Diplomatic Victories, but it also gave you other victories that fit more with the theme of the game. [b]Ways to win:[/b] [list] [*]Domination: Essentially, a military victory. If a player captures all the other colony capitals while retaining control of their own, they achieve this victory. Players who don’t have control of their original capital can’t earn this victory. [*]Contact: The player makes contact with a benevolent alien race by discovering certain sciences and building certain Wonders. [*]Emancipation: Achieved by players pursuing the Supremacy Path. The player constructs a warp gate and sends a “liberation army” back to Old Earth. [*]Promised Land: Earned via the Purity Path. The player constructs a warp gate and brings the population of Old Earth through to the “promised land” of the new world. [*]Transcendence: The option for players on the Harmony Path. This victory is earned when a player triggers the merging of the planet’s latent sentience with the consciousness of all living things. [/list] In my opinion, while this game is NOT perfect right now, it has a lot of wiggle room to expand into something great. However, it is a game that I recommend because it is not CIV 5.