Civilization IV: Colonization

Civilization IV is probably my all-time favorite computer game. It's an "everything" simulation in which you take a society of prehistoric people and, well, civilize them. Manage cities. Build armies. Fight rivals. Exploit natural resources. Discover new technologies. The learning curve is enormous, but the game is a fucking blast. Anyway, Colonization is not an expansion pack to Civilization IV. Instead, it is a stand-alone game that uses the same engine. Sadly, the extensive time I'd put into the Civilization franchise did nothing to assist me in Colonization, where the point of the game is to colonize a New World, trade or fight with the natives, build up sentiment for independence, declare it, and then defeat your European parent colony. It sounds fun - and it was - but it was actually pretty difficult to do, mostly just because of the time constraint (and specific objectives) the game places on you. In Civilization, there are something like six different ways to win. Eliminate all rival civilizations, dominate the majority of the world's population and landmass, win a space race, etc. But Colonization says, very specifically, win a war of independence. Yeah, that's the textbook way to gain independence, but there are other ways! Think of Canada. Or Australia. Turning a colony into a successful country does not depend on your ability to defeat the Old World with bloodshed. I guess ultimately Colonization just felt like one very small aspect of Civilization was put under a gigantic magnifying glass. It is a complete game in and of itself, no question, but at the end of the day I'd still much rather be playing Civilization. But hey, I've finally beaten my last computer game - at least until Civilization V comes out this winter.