Sid Meier's Civilization VII Fails to Reach its Predecessor Highs, Despite Being Almost Nine Years Newer - Related to its, soar, fails, uninstall”, chance

Marvel Rivals has a chance to soar where Overwatch flopped

Despite being the new hotness in online multiplayer, I haven’t been especially grabbed by Marvel Rivals. Maybe it’s my lack of excitement for Marvel properties post-Endgame, maybe I’m wary of a free-to-play game from NetEase getting its pernicious hooks in me. Maybe I was just so betrayed by Overwatch 2 that I’m off the idea of a team-based shooter altogether.

But I’ll tell you what Marvel Rivals can do to get my attention: Give me that rug that Overwatch 2 pulled out from under me. And a new rumor says it might do just that.

A quick bit of context before we begin. I was a rabid Overwatch fan when the game . But the game stalled, over-correcting to cater to the competitive set as Activision-Blizzard bet the farm on a pro eSports league and people were already soured on the loot box setup that had become endemic to the gaming world as a whole.

I was still onboard to learn more about these wonderful characters and the setting, but by the time Overwatch 2 came out, I had resolved not to spend any more money hunting down rare skins. I didn’t play it when it first came out, seeing the free-to-play game pass setup that aped Fortnite as a lateral monetization move at best. I sat there and waited for what was promised, what was going to make it worth it to upgrade to the sequel and at the same time basically erase the original game: A fully fleshed-out Player-versus-Environment mode.

The original Overwatch had a handful of these missions, sprinkled out to players as special events. They were little treats, games where you’d team up with other players in specific and highly-tuned roles taking down hordes of AI enemies and bosses. And, crucially, they gave us a deeper look at the characters and setting, giving us tasty little bits of lore and character insights that weren’t available in the game’s chaotic primary mode.

They were my favorite part of the game, and I couldn’t wait for a fully dedicated set of “Hero Mode” missions in the sequel. These were to come with leveled progress and branching skill trees, allowing players to explore aspects of the gameplay that just wouldn’t fit in a balanced team shooter.

They never arrived. Despite showing them off to games media and hyping them up as the big selling point for Overwatch 2‘s upgrade, they were canceled months before the game’s launch and Blizzard didn’t bother to tell anyone until half a year after the game came out.

I still consider this to be a lie of omission Blizzard’s part and it absolutely killed any desire I ever have to engage with Overwatch as a game or a property. It was a betrayal, and if that sounds dramatic for a free-to-play game, so be it. Despite having a full collection of every LEGO Overwatch set, despite designing my own Overwatch keyboard, I couldn’t even tell you the names of the last several heroes released by the game.

So, I haven’t touched Overwatch in about two years. And I have to admit that hearing there’s a new Marvel-branded game that’s very much going for the same vibe had me interested… until I heard it was from NetEase.

If you’re unaware, NetEase is a Chinese developer mostly known for an endless torrent of free-to-play mobile games, and I developed the habit of instantly dismissing any of its titles when I covered Android for years. They seemed to inevitably devolve into endless grinding that made it impossible to progress or compete without going into debt to do so.

But perhaps I was being too hasty. For one, Marvel Rivals looks good. Really good. Definitely leaning into a more anime-inspired aesthetic than either Overwatch (already anime-adjacent) or Marvel’s own animation and games.

There are some really interesting choices going on in a deep character roster. In addition to heavy hitters like Hulk, Wolverine, and Spider-Man, you’ve also got B-tier heroes that don’t get enough play on the big screen like Iron Fist, Psylocke, and Moon Knight, and some total left-field choices like Cloak and Dagger or Jeff the Land Shark.

Who is a shark that walks on land. Named Jeff. It’s entirely coincidental that Jeff shares a name with Overwatch’s former and much-loved game director, Jeff Kaplan.

Turns out, NetEase has been making a visible and apparently successful effort to break out of the mobile landscape and into more traditional “gamer” territory. Rivals is definitely its biggest-profile game for PC and consoles to date.

But it’s been releasing some interesting stuff as of late like Blood Strike, a PUBG-style battle royale with some fantasy elements currently sitting on a “Very Positive” Steam rating. Wikipedia says that NetEase in the recent past launched an American game studio with some big industry veterans attached, at a time when every other publisher seems to be culling as many developers as possible. Intriguing.

So all of that got my curiosity. Now here’s what’s got my attention: Marvel Rivals might get a serious PvE mode. The one that Overwatch 2 promised and abandoned, instead chasing the white rabbit of infinite money. What?

, it very much looks like there’s a new mode coming that asks players to team up to take on an environmental challenge with a big boss at the end. Like my favorite Overwatch PvE missions. It looks like a giant squid, at least in the limited pre-release assets that have been peeked at.

I’m under no illusion that Marvel Rivals is on the cusp of delivering the PvE game I’ve been waiting on for five years. The game does come with its own backstory and canon, leaning heavily into the multiverse that a lot of people are kinda sick of at this point, but that’s more an excuse to get a bunch of recognizable heroes and villains together with vaguely defined stakes.

Marvel has put some resources into other media to flesh out the game’s story… but that’s kind of Marvel’s bread and butter. And Blizzard did the same thing with Overwatch, only to let it spin its wheels for the superior part of a decade.

But hope springs eternal. Based on the coverage I’ve seen of Marvel Rivals so far, it seems like the developers are extremely aware of how Blizzard mismanaged its game, tweaking and tuning to favor balanced competition over wild and ridiculous fun. And if anything is already primed for stupid fun, it’s superheroes, especially the poppy and colorful versions seen in Rivals.

It doesn’t hurt that Rivals unlocked all its playable characters from day one, sidestepping Overwatch 2‘s biggest and most annoying monetization push. And it borrows some of the more effective parts of Fortnite‘s setup, wherein you can only buy cosmetics that give no gameplay advantage. Though I’ll point out that Rivals doesn’t give you all the currency you need to purchase the next battle pass by completing the last one.

I never thought I’d be saying this back when I banished your mobile shovelware from my Android game roundups, but I’m rooting for you, NetEase. You have a rare opportunity to kick the legs out from under one of the biggest game publishers on the planet — hell, one of the biggest companies on the planet period, if you extend it to Activision-Blizzard’s corporate daddy Microsoft.

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Sid Meier's Civilization VII Fails to Reach its Predecessor Highs, Despite Being Almost Nine Years Newer

Sid Meier's Civilization VII was released just a few days ago, and its peak interest is seemingly below the interest recorded way back in October 2016, when Civilization VI was released. , the new Civilization VII game has recorded a 24-hour peak of 80,103 concurrent players. However, when its predecessor, Civilization VI, launched, the 24-hour peak concurrent player count was a whopping 162,657 players, more than double that of the newer release. In the peak 24-hour period, the older Civilization VI has seen 52,082 players concurrently, suggesting that the game has left a strong impression on many, and gamers continue to return to it to explore.However, it's not only about peak numbers. Players of 2016 Sid Meier's Civilization VI are active throughout the year. Currently, Civilization VI players occupy 35,854 spots, while 38,201 players, a bit more, are playing the 2025 Civilization VII. To say that Civilization VII is a flop is a bit of an overstatement. However, this presents that the Civilization series hype was much stronger in 2016 than it is now and that gamers value quality gameplay so much that they continue to play their favorite games throughout the year. We have yet to see how the game progresses in the future, and we are curious if the current Civilization VI player base will migrate over to Civilization VII. If you are a Civilization series fan, let us know your opinion in the comments.

I wonder if maybe the price is a factor. , 13:30 Reply.

TPU Proofreader $140 edition doesn't include all future DLC. No victory options, maps are crap, limited amount of AI, no advanced setup options, forced end game instead of open ended.

Obvious flaws, it's an early access game at this point. , 13:42 Reply.

It’s not about the hype or any other nonsense. It’s about Firaxis systematically releasing worse and worse installments. The last truly great Civ game was IV which released in 2005 and reached maturity with BTS in 2007. Civ V with BNW was… tolerable, but a noticeable decline. And mentioned decline never stopped since. I like Civ, but in no world would I pay outrageous price for a new sequel that is inferior in almost every way when I can just play IV or V. Or Old World if I want something more focused and complex. Civ VII just has no real appeal. , 13:42 Reply.

People read all the bad comments on the web, and since the prices are high, they don't buy it. Many of those who bought it already asked for a refund. I won't hide I couldn't stand it for much more than 1h. After about [website] on the counter, I asked for a refund.

The list of issues is so long that we can write a separate article about it, and the worst one (repeated by many others) is no fun. , 13:45 Reply.

Onasi It’s not about the hype or any other nonsense. It’s about Firaxis systematically releasing worse and worse installments. The last truly great Civ game was IV which released in 2005 and reached maturity with BTS in 2007. Civ V with BNW was… tolerable, but a noticeable decline. And introduced decline never stopped since. I like Civ, but in no world would I pay outrageous price for a new sequel that is inferior in almost every way when I can just play IV or V. Or Old World if I want something more focused and complex. Civ VII just has no real appeal. Nice to see someone thinking the same as I do, I thought I was just getting to old Nice to see someone thinking the same as I do, I thought I was just getting to old , 13:58 Reply.

Given that Civ VI has been in bundles like Humble Bundle and base game has been on sale for something like 3$€£, is there a real comparison here? :D.

Plus, the initial set of reviews aren't that stellar. Which also isn't new for Civ series - it more often than not comes to form with first expansion or so. , 14:25 Reply.

With Civ VI I bought on launch, then years later bought Anthology to complete the collection.

I may as well wait a few years for a complete collection on a steam sale. , 14:28 Reply.

It plays like Humankind+ not like Civ. I stick with Civ V. , 16:46 Reply.

teamtd11 With Civ VI I bought on launch, then years later bought Anthology to complete the collection.

I may as well wait a few years for a complete collection on a steam sale. Yeah, since they've established their pattern, I don't see any point in buying civ games before the dlc comes out.

I've had a rule starting from Civ V, I'll buy the game when I can get it and all its dlc for $30.

Though, for Civ VII, I'll also have to add "once they remove Denuvo". Yeah, since they've established their pattern, I don't see any point in buying civ games before the dlc comes [website]'ve had a rule starting from Civ V, I'll buy the game when I can get it and all its dlc for $[website], for Civ VII, I'll also have to add "once they remove Denuvo". , 17:05 Reply.

I played Civ2, then the next was Civ5 and Beyond Earth, Civ4 and Civ6. None of the newer versions match the first mentioned in complexity. I can't comprehend how Civ2 could be so well thought, and the latest versions add some silly mechanics and can actually have less in gameplay.

If I wanted to play Civ today, I'd run Beyond Earth or Civ5. Didn't like other versions (not including Civ2). , 17:29 Reply.

I don't buy games on release, since I don't enjoy being a beta tester at the best. 120 EUR for game with all DLC passes is also hard to swallow as well as presence of Denuvo. And new changes in gameplay don't help too.

As for style I like IV an V the best. , 17:30 Reply.

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When you read the document, you saw only information promoting Edge over Chrome, with no instructions on how to remove it. Now, when you visit the site, you are welcomed with Microsoft’s Edge portal and the button to try Edge at the very top. If you live in Europe, you can uninstall Edge, but that’s not the case for everyone else because other bits of the operating system depend on the code in Edge, as Microsoft indicates.

The Edge browser is great—it even tops our list of the best browsers. But when a enterprise tries too hard to encourage you to use it, it has the opposite effect. In fact, Edge beats Chrome with capabilities such as vertical tabs and more, but the misleading title frustrates many customers. Moreover, Microsoft has not officially released a statement mentioning why it pulled the online document, and there is a good chance they will not.

This is a clear case of bait-and-switch, as people were promised one thing and met with another. However, this isn’t the first time Microsoft has gone overboard in trying to push Edge on people. Not too long ago, it used full-screen pop-ups to try to convince you to make the switch. So, we’ll see what pops up next.

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