Civilization: Call to Power II

Civilization: Call to Power II was released in 2000 as the second and final installment of the branch owned by publisher Activision following disputes over the Civilization brand, while the series' main line was taken over by Sid Meier's newly formed studio Firaxis. While Firaxis continued with the classic titles Civilization II and III, Call to Power went its own way – pushing the game's timeline deep into the future, where civilization doesn't end with modern tanks and airplanes but continues through genetic engineering and cybernetics all the way to colonizing the ocean floor and orbit.

Compared to the first game, the sequel fine-tuned the economy, the behavior of computer-controlled opponents, and the technology tree, and added units and buildings matching the game's later eras. The player thus still builds cities, manages resources, and conducts diplomacy as in other 4X strategy games, but with the knowledge that the game will eventually lead them to orbital bases, underwater metropolises, and genetically modified soldiers – elements that appeared only marginally, or not at all, in the classic Civilization series. The game also benefited from an active online community around the Apolyton server, which remains one of the hubs for turn-based strategy fans to this day.

In terms of scope, it's a typical 4X game with a strong emphasis on long games – a single campaign can easily take dozens of hours of gradually building an empire from antiquity to the distant future, whether played solo against the computer or via the online multiplayer that was popular at the time. It was precisely this long technology tree, reaching well beyond the modern era, that made Call to Power II one of the few strategy games of its era to let players fully experience the age of genetics and space colonization, rather than just catching a brief glimpse of it in the final turns.

Why play it: For players who know Civilization by heart and want to see where the series could go if it weren't afraid to venture further into a sci-fi future – Call to Power II offers the same depth of empire management as rival titles, just with a bolder and longer technology arc.