AU Shippin' Out September 20-24: Sid Meier's Civilization V

Influential strategy game franchises like Age of Empires and Empire Earth have come and gone, but few have hung around as long or had as big an impact on the genre as Sid Meier's Civilization series. It has been 19 years since the first game came out, and the influential game designer is ready to ship his latest game, Sid Meier's Civilization V, which goes up against Capcom's Dead Rising 2 and Codemasters' F1 2010 for consumers' attention this week.

Sid Meier's Civilization V sees a variety of tweaks and additions added to the game, but by far the biggest change is the move from square tiles to hexagonal tiles. While it might not sound like a lot, it's arguably the most radical change to the series in the past 19 years. How this will be received by the fans when they get the chance to play it is still up in the air, with Sid Meier's Civilization V arriving in Australia on Thursday.

Another big release for the week is Capcom's Dead Rising 2. Tipped by many as the next game to feel the wrath of the Australian Classification Board's ban hammer, Capcom's zombie slasher actually made it through unedited but was rated MA 15+ for strong violence. The game takes place in a Las Vegas-like location called Fortune City and follows motocross champion Chuck Greene as he fights the undead in a bid to save his daughter, who has been infected with the zombie virus. On the multiplayer front, the game supports both cooperative and competitive online multiplayer, marking it a first for the series. Keep an eye out for Dead Rising 2 when it lands on October 24.

Last but not least is the first big Formula One racing game to come out from Codemasters since it acquired the licence off Sony in 2008. Featuring all 24 drivers from the 12 teams that started the 2010 racing season, F1 2010 sees players spending time both on and off the track, emulating the life of a professional driver. F1 2010 is currently slated for release on Friday.

To find out what else is out this week, check out the list below:

September 22, 2010
Final Fantasy XIV Online (PC)

September 23, 2010
Darksiders (PC)
PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure (Wii)
Ace Combat: Joint Assault (PSP)
Sid Meier's Civilization V (PC)
Art Academy (DS)
Wings of Prey (PC)
Commander: Conquest of the Americas (PC)
Mount & Blade: Warband (PC)

September 24, 2010
Dead Rising 2 (PS3, 360)
F1 2010 (PS3, 360, PC)