A more grounded kind of God Sim
Cultures is a God sim, but it's not the kind of empty simulation game where you're only just fiddling with elements and then decide to go ape on your inhabitants! Nope, while still, that remains an option, the game is also interested in serving a story to you, and that is something rather interesting given the way the game serves it main gameplay mechanics. Ultimately Cultures is a classic strategy with a few more elements of God like sandbox, but the story can be quite involving. The game is set about a time frame before Columbus stumbled upon what he thought were the Indies. Yes, the native Americans are the one's who's lives you'll shape and, even if the game doesn't go crazy on technological development, there is still a lot that can be done to influence the way it progresses. So, what I think the game's strongest point is, is its actual ability to get you involved into the lives of the little simulated people you'll be able to care for, as you'll assist families into coming together and make big decisions affecting them. Similarly, Populous does a similar job, though from a much higher position of power and authority, so you might like that one better if you want to be an even higher hierarchical godlike figure!
