Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #946 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Mastertronic Ltd
• Released on: 2009-02-27
• Platform: Windows XP
• Format: Unknown format

Manufacturer's Description

Legendary designer Sid Meier presents the next evolution in strategy games, with the most addictive, compelling gameplay yet. Explore the alien planet that is your new home and uncover its myriad mysteries. Discover over 75 extraordinary technologies. Build over 60 base upgrades and large scale secret projects for your empire. Conquer your enemies with a war machine that you design from over 32,000 possible unit types.

Design Your Own War Machine

Custom build fighting units that meet your mission's specific needs, or accept your governor's recommendations.

Diplomatic Relations

Dynamic personalities react individually to your actions. Your diplomatic decisions dictate your path to one of five ultimate resolutions.

Infinitely Replayable

A random 3D world generator, unlimited strategies, five paths to victory, six levels of difficulty, seven unique factions, fully featured map/game editor, and a whole host of customisable options ensure unlimited gameplay.

Includes the Alien Crossfire Expansion Pack

Adds 7 new playable factions, new technologies, new secret projects, new base facilities, new weapons, armour, special abilities and an expanded storyline.

Customer Reviews

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Complete
At last a re-released Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and the Alien crossfire pack, this is one of best Civ type games going and all the patches and the Compatibility update are there and it even has a Faction Editor. With this demand for a re-release may be Firaxis will look at making a sequel.

My Rating for this game ? Still 98%.
Firstly you either like Turn-based Strategy or you're into First-Person Shooter fast action type games. If, like me, you prefer to think and plan in a game and not just react or die, you should love this game. The background Story as demonstrated in the opening Video to Alpha Centauri has never been bettered, and yes the learning curve for futuristic technologies is a little steep and suck it and see for the first couple of games but its well worth the perseverence. One of the game's best features is the ability to design and deploy your own units and the variety of unit types for both Combat and Support ( a gameplay feature unfortunately not replicated anywhere else in Sid's repetoire ).

Once you have mastered Alpha Centauri then try the expansion pack, Alien Crossfire, which adds two competing alien factions and more futuristic (but this-time) alien technologies to master. Then there is more versatility enabled by use of the Faction Editor, with a little detective work you can even compete against Sid's or Brian's Factions. If all the compatability updates are there, then there shouldn't be any problem playing on a Vista or XP Operating System. The only minor issue is that the end-game always seems to result in the native-alien life-forms doing their damnest to destroy you no matter how well fortified your Cities are, but other than that the game is superb and is amongst my top four equally-ranked top PC games ( Civ2, Civ3 and Black & White being the other three [all Vista-compatable).

I bought this and the Expansion when they first came out and to have it all on 2 CD's or a DVD with patches is worth purchasing again at this price, especially because it should also be Windows-7 compatible (if all the Hype about the forthcoming O/S is true). The sad thing for me is that because this game is so good, I feel that any Sequel is bound to be a disappointment.

THE ALPHA & OMEGA OF Turn-Based Stategy GAMES!
In 1999, in the wake of the the huge success of Civilization II Sid Meier & Brian Reynolds released a logical sequel: a colonization ship, Unity, is launched from Earth on the path to self-destruction. An inboard malfunction and assassination of the captain divides the colonists into several competing factions. Planetfall is carried out under emergency pods - and clearly not according to planed. And the fun begins...

The environment on planet Chiron is not very friendly. Not only do ground tiles need to be terraformed before put to use, but the native lifeforms are not terribly friendly either. Of course the real threats will always come not from beasts but from fellow humans. From technophiles and warmongers to religious zealots and Ludditic environmentalists, you will have enough choices to find your favorite faction.

This is one of the best 4x-TBS games ever produced (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit & eXterminate) and no amount of somewhat dated graphics can reduce its gameplay qualities. The tech-tree is rich, the units well designed and the improvements perfectly balanced. This one of those timeless games that prove how bad an idea Limited Installations truly is!

I must have being looking for years to find the expansion to the original game (Alien Crossfire) at a reasonable price. This bargain-priced package includes both - and it is DRM free!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!