Recent reviews by Isenhertz

If BEyond Earth were a mod for Civ5, I would be singing its praises for the ingenuity of the changes made to its underlying engine, the amount of work that went into revamping the graphics, and the willingness to venture beyond Civ's historical framework out into the unknowns of science fiction.

But I have to consider that Beyond Earth is in fact not a fan-made modification of Civ5, but a release by Firaxis themselves, and billed as a complete standalone game valued at a release price no less than that of its "parent". In this light, the game feels lackluster and incomplete. It has none of the boldness that characterized the changes made in the step from Civ4 to Civ5, and most changes are superficial in nature. Worse yet, despite being so evidently a spin-off of a larger, more developed game (because let's not forget that Civ5 has two expansions under its belt by now, which hugely improved its scope and depth), Beyond Earth adds too little of its own to the Civ formula besides aforementioned superficial changes. Affinities are merely a replacement for Civ5's late-game Ideologies; the tech-web is structurally different and at first glance the most intriguing change, but navigating it devolves into a race for affinity points. The unit customization feels tacked on, barely even replacing Civ5's more complex promotion system.

For something that can count Alpha Centauri among its forebears, which remains the benchmark for the 4X genre in science fiction, Beyond Earth simply falls short of achieving orbit.

A brilliantly executed example of how to address the age-old problem of the "bodiless protagonist" in 1st Person games. The story is too short, but the replay value offered in its speed runs and time trials is great.

Sadly, it remains one of a kind to this day.

(Metroid + Megaman) * Minecraft = Awesome.