Civilization 7 review - even Firaxis can't fully fix the problems with 4X games

The two modern XCOM games, Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2, represent the very best not only of Firaxis but of strategy as a videogame concept. Every single input in XCOM is significant, and laden with pressures and consequences. You never think to yourself 'well, this doesn't really matter, and I'll just see what happens' - there's no such thing as a disinterested or a wasted turn. Whether it's Stellaris, Age of Wonders, or any of the other genre totems, 4X games, the richest and most encompassing expressions of 'strategy,' are comparatively unable to maintain that type of intensity.

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