Sid Meier's Civilization VI

I've also learnt to love this and would never go back to Civ 4 again (that's the only other game in the series I've played). I agree warfare is a goddamn drag (the thought of domination victory bores me to tears) but then again I never was much of a warlord with these games.

I guess I have to get the expansions too.

The game is polished and well done (especially with the expansions) but I just can't get into it that much. IV and V really enveloped me; I haven't been able to play this more than an hour or two at a time without getting bored. Still a big fan of the series though, interested to see what the future holds.

I can see the argument that Civ 5 is better but not nearly as much as is suggested by the average ratings. This is basically just as good with the expansions

Not nearly as addictive as Civ5, for me at least.
At the same time, I can't quite put my finger on what is exactly wrong with this game. Everything seems to be fine, but it just doesn't click for me.
Also, not a fan of the artstyle. Looks like a generic-ass mobile game.

The art style isn't great but neither is Civ 5's realism which looks really bland (would have preferred it looked more like the landscapes in Paradox games). What is massively better about the art style in theory though is that it does genuinely feel like you're managing an actual country. You have actual buildings and farms and strategic districts outside of the city hub, like a real country.

Gathering Storm turms this into one of the 2 or 3 best things Sid Meier has done.

I actually think Gathering Storm is very hit or miss. I like natural disasters and espionage is definitely improved. The grievances system is a big improvement from the previous diplomacy system. Plus the overhaul of the resource system was a huge improvement. Some of the new late game mechanics are also fun to play with. And the new content added (new civs, units, etc) are certainly a positive.

On the other hand, while I think the CONCEPT of climate change is good, I don't care for the way it's implemented (losing your stuff to widespread coastal flooding is more frustrating than interesting), and I find the world congress intrusive and annoying. And as those are two huge core mechanics of Gathering Storm, it blunts the positive experiences for me a bit. I think Gathering Storm went a ways to improving some of the existing mechanics and systems, but I have mixed feelings about the new systems.

Rise and Fall was in a lot of ways a better expansion for me, as governors, loyalty, and eras I think were all great additions (although I do have some issues with loyalty).

Overall the game was certainly improved with both expansions, but whereas previous Civ games (I've been playing since 3) were all vastly improved by their 2nd expansions, I still think 6 leaves a bit to be desired. I still like the game, but it's just not as compelling to me as previous entries.