New game uses hexagonal tiles, city-states

Aspyr has launched Civilization V for the Mac, porting Firaxis' turn-based strategy game two months after the debut of the Windows version. The game is now available in boxed form, or as a download from Steam or GameAgent. Steam users who have already bought the Windows version of Civ 5 can get the Mac edition for free.

Civ 5 makes a switch to hexagonal tiles, changing landscapes and gameplay. Units can also no longer stack -- forcing armies to spread across the map -- and conduct ranged bombardment, permitting strikes behind enemy lines. Elsewhere the game introduces city-states, which behave as small, non-expanding countries that nevertheless offer bonuses in diplomacy.

The title costs $50, and requires Mac OS X 10.6.4, a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and a 256MB video card. A quad-core system with 4GB of RAM and a 512MB video card is recommended. Authentication is handled through Steam.

GameAgent will be offering 33 percent off of most of its catalog starting on Friday and running through the weekend, a part of its Black Friday/Cyber Monday efforts.

by MacNN Staff