Confession time: I confused 2 excellent KOEI titles that I used to play a lot, Romance of the Thre Kingdoms, and Bandit Kings of Ancient China, in my last reply. So my comments above apply to BKAC.
Now, Romance is a lot like BKAC is many ways, but it's less linear. There's no time limit, and no ultimate bad guy. You can forge alliances, stab your allies in the back, and hire on wandering samurais to act as your generals in a variety of capacities, though other daimyos will be trying to bribe them to leave your employ.
Personally, I think Romance is an excellent game if you're into building and researching, which are the hallmarks of Civ. I'd recommend it above Civ for the PS2, especially the later ones which add a few features. Definitely worth checking out on the PC, as well.
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