Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The standard Special Edition’s strongest point is also its limitation: it is built around the Windows release of Sid Meier’s Civilization V, while its added value sits mostly outside the game. If you are buying this edition to get extra maps or another layer of play, the listed standard-package contents will not be the draw. You are paying for objects to keep, listen to, and look through.

The Russian edition takes a more game-facing route by including the Mediterranean Cradle of Civilization map pack. A map pack is a modest addition beside a box of metal miniatures, but it is the extra you can actually bring back to the game after the first unboxing. For someone who values another place to play over display pieces, that is a meaningful trade.

That split makes the buying advice unusually simple. Choose the standard release if a collector’s box matters to you; the five Reaper Miniatures figures are the centerpiece, and the soundtrack, DVD, and hardcover book round it out well. Choose the Russian package if you would rather have the map content and can live without the figurines and behind-the-scenes disc.

Graphics

The 176-page artbook is the visual star of both versions, with the standard edition receiving it in hardcover and the Russian edition in softcover. The standard package also has five metal figurines based on Civilization V units, while the Russian release adds a large poster instead.

Story

This is not an edition that tries to tell a new story through added game content. Its story material comes from the behind-the-scenes DVD included with the standard package, which shifts the focus from fictional drama to Firaxis and the making of the game.

That DVD gives the standard set a little more personality than a soundtrack-and-artbook bundle alone. It is the sort of extra you will likely watch once or twice, but it helps turn the box into a memento of the game’s creation rather than just a container for merchandise.

The Russian edition does not include that disc, so its package feels more focused on tangible art and playable DLC. Neither approach is wrong; one invites you behind the curtain, while the other puts its limited added game content front and center.

Overall Experience

As a collector’s edition, the standard Special Edition is thoughtfully assembled. The metal unit figurines give it a premium hook, and the two-disc soundtrack, Firaxis DVD, and hardcover artbook make the package feel substantial instead of padded with throwaway inserts.

Its value depends heavily on what you want from a special edition. The physical extras are easy to appreciate if Civilization V already means something to you, but they do not make a persuasive case for someone who only wants more to play. In that case, the Russian edition’s Mediterranean map pack has the clearer practical advantage.

For an established Civilization fan with room on the shelf, this is a satisfying piece of memorabilia and a stronger purchase in its standard form. For everyone else, the edition is less about transforming the game and more about deciding whether figurines, music, development material, and a substantial artbook are worth the premium.

Retro Replay Score

7/10