Sid Meier's Civilization 4

Heralded as one of the best games of 2005, Sid Meier's Civilization IV builds upon the Civilization games that came before it in ways that elevated the series' strategic turn-based gameplay to a whole new level. Civ IV was the first entry to feature Religions that can spread across the map and meaningfully impact the population, and introduced Great People with unique abilities to unlock free techs, start Golden Ages, or increase a City's output. Civ IV launched with 18 playable civilizations, eight of which had multiple leaders for players to choose from. Players can lead France as either Louis XIV or Napoleon, and America as Roosevelt or Washington, for example. Starting in the year 4000 BC, players guide their chosen civilization through history and attempt to satisfy one of six victory conditions before the game ends in the year 2050.  Each civilization and leader combo has different strengths and weaknesses that make them better suited to one or more of the six possible paths to victory. These include Conquest, Cultural, Diplomatic, Domination, Space Race, and—if no civilization emerges victorious before the game ends—points scored.