Mario games have always been popular in the UK, and Super Mario Galaxy proves it by beating out the likes of Fallout 3, Fable II, and even GTA IV for BAFTA's Best Game Award. The GAME Award this year goes to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, as voted on by gamers.

Full list of winners after the link.

As you all probably know by now, Nintendo Wii owners will not be able to have a taste of Sid Meier's Civilization series of games just yet. This is because 2K Games decided to postpone the development of Civilization Revolution.

When a company makes a decision of this magnitude, we are assuring you that there's an explanation behind it. And that's exactly what developer Scott Lewis has provided in a recent interview.

He's been at it for 25 years, and he's still going strong. We're referring to Sid Meier, Firaxis head and game designer of such notable PC titles as Civilization 4. This industry veteran is obviously far from tired, as he can still talk animatedly about the upcoming Civilization Revolution and the MMORPG genre. Find out more in the full article after the jump.

If you were hoping to grab a copy of Firaxis' Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution for the Wii within the next few months, we've got some bad news. Publisher 2K Games has recently announced that the game's development has been put on hold. The company's explanation is available in the full article.

 

The lines between console and PC gaming cross when 2K Games showcases the console version of the latest in one of the best loved turn-based strategy games series of all time. Civilization Revolution will have its gaming debut at this week's E for All Expo 2007 and will show off Sid Meier's and the development team from Firaxis' strategy designing savvy. Whether or not the console-translated version of the game will still be as enjoyable as its PC version predecessors has yet to be seen.

For those of you who are familiar with the Civilization series, Civilization Revolution will be taking its roots from its PC-based versions. The console and handheld versions of the well-known series will essentially have the same content across platforms barring obvious differences such as graphics and interface.

Regardless of what platform you play it on, Civilization Revolution promises to deliver the same brand of addictive 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) gaming style that has captivated fans for years. The video game is still a long way off from being released when it is slated to come out on the Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo DS in spring 2008. The Wii version will soon follow during the next quarter with its delayed release.

 

You can't discuss strategy games and not talk about Civilization. It's one of the most loved franchises in PC gaming that has survived the test of time. Now the game is making the transition into the next-gen consoles. In an interview with Sid Meier himself, CVG finds out what we should expect from Civilization Revolution.

Although the game is taking the step to the next gen, Meier explains that the game will not be a port of the PC games. Although everything we know and love from the franchise will still be present - such as tech, wonders, and exploration - the game has been redesigned for the consoles, taking advantage of the different capabilities of each one.

Controls will be different for each one (of course) but it has been designed to have ease of use. Meier says that because the game is turn-based, the transition to using a joypad instead of a mouse is, in fact, easier:

The difficulty with real-time is you always have to be at a different place and the mouse is often a more natural way to manage 20 different things going on at once. Whereas with Civilization, given that it's turn-based, it feels very natural on the console controller, and that's our advantage.

Although the game will appear on multiple platforms, Meier stated that they are all essentially the same. There will be differences of course, in terms of graphics, interface, and presentation, but they are "the same game, whether you're playing on your PS3, your DS, your Xbox 360 or whatever."

Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution will be making its debut on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo DS in Spring of next year, and the Wii version will follow later.

Sid Meier's Civilization series has already made its mark in the PC gaming industry as one of the most well-known turn based builder games out there. Now Firaxis is spreading its wings out onto the console platform with Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution.

Calling it a "great reinvention of the series," the developers have decided to revamp the game altogether rather than doing a simple port from the PC. It's essentially the same game, where players build up their fledgling civilization from the roots up into a superpower nation, with a few added features.

One of these new features will be the introduction of army creation, where three units can band together to form a singular unit which can attack as one. Craftier players can use this to their advantage and join three different units with different abilities and send them out on a warpath of conquest.

The game is taking its time with its release for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo DS still in mid-2008, while the Wii version will have to wait until the third quarter of next year before it hits the shelves. So until then just keep checking our site for more updates on the game.

Firaxis Games has been developing Civilization Revolution for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, and the Wii. However, it was announced at the Games Convention 2007 that Sid Meier's classic strategy game will be coming a little later for the Wii than its contemporaries. The other versions will ship by Spring 2008 while the Wii will only be out by Fall.

1UP was able to get in contact with Firaxis Programmer Scott Lewis to clarify the issues behind this decision. Apparently the developers are making all the games in-house and doesn't have enough resources to accommodate the Wii version in addition to all their other projects. He said that:

Conceptual work has started on the Wii and we are working on a whole new interface for that version of the game. Nothing silly, like you have to wave the remote above your head to lasso your workers, but making it more appropriate to the pointer style. Currently it feels more like the Mii manipulation screen, where you pick up and move folks around. The style and feel might change, but we're not going to tack on any silly mini-games to make it more Wii-friendly.

While the delay may be a bit of a bummer to those waiting for this title to come out, the additional work being done should make playing this real-time strategy game more intuitive. After all, better to get a great game late than a half-baked one early right?

Legendary game creator Sid Meier was spotted in GC 2007 and was interviewed by GameSpot. He took the time to talk about his upcoming project Civilization Revolution for the Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, and Nintendo DS.

If you listened in, you'd know that this isn't a mere PC to console port that would work in the strangest of ways as other titles did. Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution was designed for consoles and will have all the technological and aesthetic advantages that console games have. Graphics, of course, will look next-gen and the characters will be much more involving than ever before.

One nice question thrown was when Meier was asked what caught his eye in Germany's GC 2007 and he confided that he was amazed with what Blizzard was doing. He also took fancy at the way the new Midnight Club game was presented.

Firaxis has given a preview of their flagship game, Civilization, as it makes the transition to the next gen consoles. During the Leipzig Games Convention, they confirmed the release of Civilization Revolution on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo DS next Spring, but the Wii version won't be making the festivities and will arrive sometime next Fall.

 

No explanation was offered for the delay but 1Up believes it may have something to do with coming up with a new interface for the Wii. For the versions they did manage to get a preview of though, they found that not only was Civilization Revolution accessible, but also fun even for the average gamer. If the game really did make the transition from mouse to joypad without a hitch, this could easily become a classic for the next gens.