Over the past decades, one strategy games has survived endless assaults on its franchise, and Civilization is that franchise, which has been the go-to turn-based strategy game. Now, if you’re in town for a fast paced RTS, look elsewhere, because Civilization V is built on the same values as its predecessor: it’s still a turn based game, it’s still slow at times, and if you’re into Civilization, well, Civ 5 is just the best one yet.

In Civilization, in case you don’t know it, your job is to build a civilization from the stone age all the way, way into the future. You chose a leader for your civilization, which is the first important choice to make out of many. Depending on your leader, you Civilization will be based on war, or peace and diplomacy, or technology and so on.

The previous Civilization games had a notoriously difficult learning curve, and while Civilization V offers just as an advanced gameplay as its predecessors, but now, thanks to a nice user interface, it feels more welcoming. It still takes quite a while to get used to, especially if you’re into RTS games. However, that doesn’t mean there’s not combat and strategy involved in Civ 5, there’s plenty, but it’s at a higher level, as you have to manage not just your army and your strategic position, but your empire, its politics, your advancement, your infrastructure and so on. As you see, Civ 5 is a deep and complex game, and once you get your mind into it, it’s quite addictive (just as any Civ player will tell you).

Visually, the game has improved a lot, and the new engine offers a detailed world and the sounds and especially the soundtrack are immersive. The game also offers multiplayer where you can play with your friends, and has mod support as well, which always extends a title’s longevity. In all, Civilization V will definitely satisfy fans of the series, however, while it’s more streamlined and accessible, it still carries the steep learning curve. But once you’re in, it’s quite addictive.

The Good:
Carries on the tradition of Civilization
Addictive
Great, detailed visuals
Deep and rewarding gameplay

The Bad:
Can run slow on some systems
Steep learning curve

Overall score: 9/10

Gran Turismo 5 has plenty of features, one of which is over 1,000 cars, but another welcomed feature is the new track editor, which makes it possible to create your own race tracks. You can see how it works above.

Activision already announced that Call of Duty Black Ops has sold some 6 million units the US and UK, and now numbers from Chart Track reveal that UK sales have topped 2 million during the first 5 days, making it the best selling game in the UK, ever. Not only that, it grossed more than all games over the past few weeks, combined.

Ever thought what it was like being Super Mario in first person? Well, here ya go, courtesy of Half Life 2 mod. If you’re interested, check out the YouTube page for links on where to download the HL2 map.

According to a new report, game engine maker Emergent Game Technologies is getting out of the games industry all together, and is looking to sell all of its assents, including the GameBryo engine, which is used in dozens of high-profile games, including Fallout 3. Emergent has been losing money over the past few years, $30 million in operating losses since 2006, according to GamaSutra. Selling off its assets is usually one of the first signs of a possible bankruptcy.

While Michael Bay and his demolition crew are wrapping up shooting on Transformers 3, Hasbro has announced that a sequel to the rather tame Transformers: War on Cybertron game is in development and is scheduled for a 2012 release. Activision is on charge of making the game, and considering that the original pretty much sucked, they have enough on their hands.

Microsoft has announced that indie games on Xbox Live will be getting a huge promo where indie games on Xbox Live will be discounted heavily and will retail for just 80 to 400 Microsoft Points, or $1 to $5 dollars. The promo will take place during the first week of December, so if you’re looking for some great indie deals on XBL, mark your calendar. Check out the full list of games here.

Brace yourself, because we’ve gotten our hands on the full list of cars featured in Gran Turismo 5, all 1031 of them. Check out the full list after the break, which includes the new generation of super cars, like the Ferrari 458, Mercedes SLS AMG, and the McLaren MP5-12C. READ ON »

According to UBM TechInsights, which tears down all sorts of consumer electronics and figures out what the individual parts cost, the Kinect costs Microsoft just $56 in parts, while it retails for $150. Of course, the price doesn’t include assembly and packaging, but even then, the price wouldn’t come near $70. Of course, there’s also the multi-million marketing campaign, they’ve got to pay for that, somehow (wink, wink).

Black Friday is just two week away, and you bet that many of the major retailers — no, all the major retailers will have huge deals. Toys R Us have revealed their deals, which include a deal where you can buy 1, get 1 for $5 , which includes the following games: GoldenEye 007, Fable 3, Halo: Reach, Madden NFL 11, Medal of Honor, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and others. In addition to that, many games are 50% off, like Uncharted and InFamous.