4. Civilization IV

It did not have to come to this… another nuke goes off.

Civilization IV’s colorful graphics and gameplay improvements captivated gamers back in 2005. The game also brought religion to the mix, making a religious victory a possibility for the first time, but arguably did not nail the Civ formula as well as its predecessor did. Nonetheless, it is considered one of the best strategy games ever made and its title music won a Grammy award, so obviously some thought this game was the bee’s knees.

But best of all, every time you discovered a new technology you were treated to the dulcet tones of Leonard Nimoy. His quote about the Russian satellite Sputnik ended with the memorable “beep… beep… beep…”, adding a touch of class to an almost perfect game.