SimCity DS

 DS
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 20
  3. Negative: 5 out of 20
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  1. CarlR.
    Jul 12, 2007
    10
    The negative reviews just prove that journalists are out of touch with video game players these days. The only things they rate really high are the hard core shooters and action games. This game really captures the great SimCity gameplay of lore. If you liked SimCity, or think you would, this is the game for you. It's really fun!
  2. RCR.
    Jul 7, 2007
    6
    It's understandable that the game is pared down to fit on a handheld, but too much is lost in the translation for me to keep this one in the library. Part of the joy of Sim City 4 is the plethora of information at your fingertips to troubleshoot and optimize your city's growth. The DS version offers little more than vague maps and graphs to determine the effects of your city It's understandable that the game is pared down to fit on a handheld, but too much is lost in the translation for me to keep this one in the library. Part of the joy of Sim City 4 is the plethora of information at your fingertips to troubleshoot and optimize your city's growth. The DS version offers little more than vague maps and graphs to determine the effects of your city planning. Another big negative is the neighbor deals feature. Having to renew your trash export contract every 5 years is tedious and unnecessary. Lastly, the lack of model variety does reduce the excitement of watching the city mature. All in all, decent if you're not in love with Sim City 4 on the PC.… Expand
  3. ShawnB.
    Jul 3, 2007
    9
    I'm shocked to see negative reviews of this. It's Sim City! A solid polished version with excellent balance. One of the best games on the DS, period.
  4. BlueFalcon
    Nov 19, 2007
    4
    Out of all vesions of sim city i have tried, this is my least favorite by far. It's got all the great sim city content from the past (and more), but it's ruined by a bad view of the action, poor controls, and an annoying 'advisor'.
  5. JordanB.
    Jul 29, 2007
    8
    Good game although there isn't a big enough plot to make a city.
  6. TomW.
    Jul 7, 2007
    9
    Still a great game for those who love the genre...Don't listen to the bad reviews if you liked the other simcity games!
  7. TimC.
    Jul 9, 2007
    7
    Not perfect. Delivers the fun of old school SimCity, but in an ugly and annoying package. The bad: The advisors and townspeople are completely obnoxious. You'll have to sit through a dozen screens of bad jokes about highschoolers and nerds just to find out what your townspeople want from you. The news ticker moves so incredibly slow that its rendered completely useless, and just Not perfect. Delivers the fun of old school SimCity, but in an ugly and annoying package. The bad: The advisors and townspeople are completely obnoxious. You'll have to sit through a dozen screens of bad jokes about highschoolers and nerds just to find out what your townspeople want from you. The news ticker moves so incredibly slow that its rendered completely useless, and just wastes valuable screen real estate. The music is pretty terrible, but thankfully you can shut it off and keep the sound effects on. The graphics are some of the worst I've seen on the DS. Houses and buildings don't look like much of anything, regardless if you're zoomed in or not. And I really don't know what they were thinking with those big-head character designs. The good: It's SimCity. One of the most fun and addictive games I've ever played. And it's portable. The DS controls fit the game perfectly. Drawing roads, parks, and zones is much simpler with a stylus than it ever was on the PC. This has become my game of choice for my 10 minute bus ride to and from work. Despite all its shortcomings, the gameplay is still as fun as it always was, and that makes this a recommendable purchase in my book. But it could have been so much better.… Expand
  8. bubbles
    Jul 2, 2007
    3
    I'd have to agree withe critics on this one. It isn't a way that SimsCity shoukd be played.
  9. SteveC.
    Jun 22, 2007
    9
    After reading the generally negative reviews, I purchased the game, anyway. I'm glad I did, as it is every bit as fun as any other Sim City game I have played, despite lack of extra features found in Sim City 4 and expansion. The negatives highlighted by most critics lie in its controls and zoom level, which I found to be easy to overcome, even in a bumpy card ride. Yes, the city After reading the generally negative reviews, I purchased the game, anyway. I'm glad I did, as it is every bit as fun as any other Sim City game I have played, despite lack of extra features found in Sim City 4 and expansion. The negatives highlighted by most critics lie in its controls and zoom level, which I found to be easy to overcome, even in a bumpy card ride. Yes, the city graphics are bland, but come on ... its SIM CITY on the DS! That type of game is meant to be on hand helds!… Expand
  10. segagoops
    Jul 11, 2007
    9
    Love this game . I have been playing it everyday since purchase . Took a minute to get comfortable using the ds after playing it on pc for so long but now and essential part to my collection . top notch. destroys travel time.
  11. 1337
    Feb 24, 2008
    6
    I wasn't as pleased with this game as I was expecting. It is often repetative and quite annoying. Also, the gameplay and menus are very complicated and hard to get used to. On the other hand, it is a fun game to mess around with every once and a while and rebuiling cities from disasters is fun. It also has a bit of humor. Some of the characters are quite funny and the aliens areI wasn't as pleased with this game as I was expecting. It is often repetative and quite annoying. Also, the gameplay and menus are very complicated and hard to get used to. On the other hand, it is a fun game to mess around with every once and a while and rebuiling cities from disasters is fun. It also has a bit of humor. Some of the characters are quite funny and the aliens are pretty cool. I would recommend this game to someone that really enjoys games like this but probably not to gamers more used to something like the Sims. SimCity DS can only please to a certain extent.… Expand
  12. DrewtheDude85
    Jun 8, 2014
    6
    SimCity DS is a good time waster with you being able to create your own city and be mayor, however it can get a little boring from time to time because there's not much too it, it kind of feels like a dumbed-down version of SimCity 3000; not to mention they took out the option to cause disasters! Really? You took that staple out of this game that was so iconic in the past games? Also thereSimCity DS is a good time waster with you being able to create your own city and be mayor, however it can get a little boring from time to time because there's not much too it, it kind of feels like a dumbed-down version of SimCity 3000; not to mention they took out the option to cause disasters! Really? You took that staple out of this game that was so iconic in the past games? Also there are a lot of people who will come and constantly pester you about random things they want in the city in a really stupid and immature way. Despite all these big flaws, the game is not bad and it still has plenty of replay-ability.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Best DS Game of 2007
32
#32 Most Discussed DS Game of 2007
47
#47 Most Shared DS Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. GameBrink
    81
    It's good to have Sim City available when you’re on the move and if you ever want to go back to the game in the distant future, you don’t have to install the game again and deal with compatibility issues! [JPN Import]
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  2. Nintendo Gamer
    81
    Just what the DS should be doing. As long as it's done right. Which it is. Ropey disaster minigames and the odd niggle aside, this is right up our street. [May 2007, p.62]
  3. games(TM)
    50
    It’s far too easy to tap on a square that’s actually adjacent to where you thought you were planting a tree/erecting a power station. [May 2007, p.125]
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