I've somewhat dreaded making a review about this game because of its divisiveness in the community, but after playing through several patches and updates I've decided that I can recommend this game.

Game development has changed a lot in the past few years, let alone since Sid himself was in the Lead Dev role and I trust the team that's working on this installment. The devs have a passion for game making that is evident in their update videos that makes me feel they are genuinely making their best effort to deliver a fun and engaging experience. That said, this new era of gamedev requires a lot more flexibility, evolution, and dialogue between community and developer. In that sense, this game as of now is in more of what was once considered a *beta* stage.

If you're concerned about paying full price for a game that is unfinished, I wouldn't recommend this game. If you are interested in supporting a dev team that in my opinion is absolutely deserving of your trust and shaping this installment into a better and more complete project, then make a civilization that you believe in.