Act I: An Xbox! An Xbox! My kingdom for an Xbox!

scene 1: R.R.O.D, Myself and Civ 5

I’ll admit the first thing that went through my mind was “fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck shit shit fuck shit” when my Xbox decided to die, and shortly after I had that annoying and yet all too natural yearning to play the games I had been putting off, like getting through the MK story again and doing the challenge tower. Finishing RAGE and L.A. Noire and tons of other stuff, but alas, I ignored them (why do we always want what we can’t have?). However I like to think I can turn this all too fiendish situation into a positive. With Steam open on my PC I look down my list of games and spy a few hours spent in Civ 5, recalling the fun I had with it last Christmas. 15 hours later I come out with one of the strangest and most compelling gaming experiences ever.

Have you ever put 15 hours into one game only come out and lose at the last hurdle? To be so close to victory, only to fall behind, trying everything to catch up and when you think you are about to pull into the lead; the race ends prematurely. Fucking UN vote. That’s what happened to me. Over the course of my 15 hour game, playing as Washington on the largest Earth sized map, I spawned in India and ended with a magnificent Army protecting my vast borders as I started to colonize Austrailia. I had survived a 70 year World War, where it was the rest of the civs against me. The only ally I had at the time was Persia, who turned on me quicker than a fat chick with the promise of cake behind her (and ended up winning the game at the end as well!). Note the irony that Persia had spawned in America.

Basically, the point is that this was most intense bitter sweet moment I have ever had in my life. Bitter because I had lost, which I hate, but sweet in that it had been one of the most brilliant and stress free experiences I have ever felt while playing a video game. As the declarations of war started to pile in during the 1940’s I felt so screwed but at the same time excited! In the end I managed to hold off my attackers from all sides and came into the 21st century with everyone backing away, offering peace treaties because the world had failed to beat me. Only Persia, my old ally, remained in locked battle with me, however two atomic bombs and 10 turns later; he too saw that peace was probably a good idea.

Realising I could not win on points due to Persias empire stretching across all of America, I decided I had enough time to get a science victory and I pused all my resources into getting those spaceship parts, I was only 1 turn away from getting the last piece. All of it was for naught though as the United Nations was built and the vote went out. Persia, with its many City State allies, took the game.

Honestly, I stepped away after and felt like I had just completed one of the greatest single player experiences of my life, and I could totally do it again and it would be completely different. I think I might give another smaller game a go, since I have plenty of games to play on this road trip through the past few years but this was a fantastic starting point to end 2011 and lead into 2012. Now I just need to decide whether I follow into Dragon Age: Origins, The Witcher or Skyrim. Maybe a comment or two below will help me decide?