Men, Gods And Kings: Civilisation V Expansion

I liked Civilisation V, which sometimes causes long-time fans of the series to hurl detritus at me in the streets, but I would never argue that it wasn't lacking features that I craved. Foremost among them was a decent application of the cultural and historical force of religion, so I'm extremely pleased to see that the just announced expansion, Gods and Kings, will bring all manner of theism into the game. Along with religion, there's a focus on bulking out espionage and diplomacy. There will also be plenty of stuff. More details below.

First up, here's a screenshot of some religion happening.

Very good. Let's just hope they didn't miss out your favourite.

Nine new civilisations, including Carthage, the Netherlands, the Celts and the Mayans, fill the package out, along with mercantile and religious City States, which will form part of the expanded 'quest system'. There shall also be new technologies, units, buildings and wonders. I wouldn't normally be interested in new scenarios, since I never play them, but one of those being added is called Empires of the Smoky Skies and is "Victorian science fiction". That does grab my attention quite aggressively.

We're also promised improved AI, which only hands-on experience will validate. The only word on a release date is late spring, which is close enough to make me quite excited about a bit of hexotheology. All the details are here.