Ok, so, say you want to hear some about
Gods and Kings but don't want to read a million billion words about
stuff with me talking very little about the actual game. I'm going to
try a review format where I give an ultraquick take above the fold,
and then talk a little bit about things below.
Supershort take-
I liked Gods and Kings. It makes
navel combat worthwhile, improves the tactical and diplomatic AI
somewhat (note, tactical AI still makes some silly moves (though no
more than it did in Civ4), and certain AI powers are really kinda
dopey-aggressive (see- Bismark, Atilla, Monty)) and adds two nice
features in the form of religion and espionage. Religion is a lot of
fun, and I really like the way they model beliefs. Espionage does a
good job of helping weaker powers to catch up, and is a worthwhile
addition (unlike building spies in civ2-3 or the miserable espionage
slider in Civ4 BTS). The new civilizations are fun without being
overpowering (except for the Ethiopians, maybe), and the changes to
city states (combined with espionage) make it more than a game of
“who has more money” to win the diplomatic war (though money
helps!)
