Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 14
  2. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. City Life is a quality simulator that can easily absorb hours upon hours of your time if you let it. If you're a fan of city-building sims, there's no excuse for letting this one pass you by.
  2. PC Gamer UK
    76
    No great shakes, but an awful lot better than "SimCity Societies." [Mar 2008, p.87]
  3. Games Master UK
    75
    The inclusion of simple stats and the clever use of newsreel clips to highlight problems make this a superior sim. [Mar 2008, p.84]
  4. PC Zone UK
    74
    Pretty absorbing. [May 2008, p.87]
  5. It's still worthy of purchase to those that haven't played the original, but to any who have, just play the original for the same experience.
  6. AceGamez
    70
    A decent, if not wonderful, city management game - there are some elements that really shine and the most impressive is the management of subcultures within the one city - adding a wonderful real city feel and a welcome innovative twist to the genre. Not as outstanding - but still high quality - are the graphics and level of detail.
  7. The content is solid and the gameplay fun, and the inclusion of social strategy planning is innovative. However, for an expansion, there isn’t a whole lot new or different.
  8. It’s fun, addicting, and satisfying, but nothing about 2008 Edition makes it a substantial update or upgrade.
  9. 69
    Although this is the best version of City Life, if you own the original game the additions made here do not warrant a re-purchase. That said, this is an accessible city sim for the uninitiated. But, for the initiated, be warned. While the gameplay mechanic is solid, the formula hasn't really changed since the early 90s, and things feel a little stale.
  10. Boomtown
    60
    The game is good, the editor not so good, but there doesn’t seem to have been any real development from the original. The game hasn’t taken a step forward; it’s where it was when it was first released.
  11. The latest addition to this family of innovative city-building games leaves you wanting more, mostly because it offers so little that is new.
  12. City Life is a game that took social generalisations and completely sensationalised them to the point of an unrealistic nature and made them unworkable with the concept of the game.
  13. Those who own previous incarnations of the game won't find it a worthwhile upgrade, as it merely adds some new scenarios (which aren't much different to the old), a fresh dollop of buildings and an editor that allows for importing satellite maps. Nothing to get too excited about, really.
  14. 50
    All successful cities tend to necessitate more or less the same choices, which in turn leads to City Life's biggest problem: lack of replay value. Expansions are typically created to remedy that issue, but 2008 Edition just doesn't. And that's a shame, because the solid city-building engine still has legs -- just nowhere to walk.
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. Apr 8, 2013
    9
    The game is very fun.. Atleast as i remember it.. This game used to be the game i Played as a small, and i rather play this than Simcity, andThe game is very fun.. Atleast as i remember it.. This game used to be the game i Played as a small, and i rather play this than Simcity, and simcity societies.. It is very fun atuly.. For my old Windows XP it can manage to build a city up too 1 Million without lagg.. Well, this is the 2008 edition.. It wasen't that bad.. but, it is worth the money now.. and i felt amazed when i played this game back in the time.. I recommend this game to everyone! i give it a 9/10, theres some bugs, like the Bus going to taxi and taxi going to bus.. And some stuff i don't get.. But else this is totaly fine.. If you would like more maps and building buy the 2008 Edition.. I don't like how the critics rated this low.. When this game is actuly very fun and good! Full Review »