SimCity

 PC
User Score
2.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 4557 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 602 out of 4557
  2. Mixed: 428 out of 4557
  3. Negative: 3,527 out of 4557
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  1. Virfolf
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Bought the game today, can't play it because of the server load. The only server I'm even able to choose is Oceania 1, and even that has a 30 min queue, and I live in Europe. First Mass Effect 3 and now this; I'm seriously considering of avoiding EA in the future.
  2. tenkemann
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    EA u can go f... ur self, Server reached maximum capacity and so I was placed in a queue, afther 18min of wait, request fail, and placed in new queue SRSLY, i have tryed to play my new game for 12 hours an can get in to try my game!! common, EA YOU NEED TO FIRE THAT IDIOT WHO DESIDED TO MAKE IT AN ONLINE ONLY GAME.. AND FIX UR F...ing SERVER!
  3. umbriele
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    the game does not work at all.Lots of people cannot play their single player game poor customer service and delivery of product (waited almost an hour to connect to my single player game)
  4. Essex85
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Game Seemed fun on the beta. Haven't been able to play since then though. Failure as per typical EA business model... terrible. If a company is to release a pathetic excuse of an online game requiring DRM perhaps they should be able to support said requirements before launch. Oh I forgot, THEY DON"T CARE! Never mind.
  5. josrm
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Bought the game launch day, and I'm still waiting to play for the first time! Servers have not allowed me to play at all. This is very disappointing especially with a company as big as EA. These issues should be non existent.
  6. bayareaartist
    Mar 7, 2013
    2
    Loaded the game the night before, took an HOUR at least to load. Then it updated another hour, THEN the servers were busy.
    Finally got on in the morning. Slow and clunky. Servers busy AGAIN, then the game drops the connection to the server??? did I lose my information???
    Simcity 4 was great, I eventually had to cut the disk in half because I was spending TOO much time on it. With this    Loaded the game the night before, took an HOUR at least to load. Then it updated another hour, THEN the servers were busy.
    Finally got on in the morning. Slow and clunky. Servers busy AGAIN, then the game drops the connection to the server??? did I lose my information???
    Simcity 4 was great, I eventually had to cut the disk in half because I was spending TOO much time on it. With this UNPLAYABLE game my time is my own. A $60 game should not have you waiting in a que. With all the power of computers and memory and gig's one should be able to play stand alone and then go to the server to update WHEN I WANT TO. where can I get my money back???
    and supposedly my graphics card is not powerful enough also???

    Real Amateur hour Maxis...    … Expand
  7. dwob
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    It took 2 days for me to be able to log on at all and then I was booted from the server and all my play was lost. When they say it's constantly online, they really mean it. It is NOT just log-in authentication DRM where you log into origin and are then allowed to play. Everything is stored server-side. While this mode (I say mode because I believe it should be one mode out of severalIt took 2 days for me to be able to log on at all and then I was booted from the server and all my play was lost. When they say it's constantly online, they really mean it. It is NOT just log-in authentication DRM where you log into origin and are then allowed to play. Everything is stored server-side. While this mode (I say mode because I believe it should be one mode out of several choices) does offer something new in terms of potential with the global market (it is merely potential as inter-regional trade is actually buggy and poor performance), it creates many more problems. The most heinous is the lack of ability to play at all because their servers are overloaded. It also means that you can't play in a bubble. You are forced to rely on the play of others. This means that if your neighbor messes up, and you were relying on them because you thought it'd be interesting to take advantage of the trade features, you are equally screwed. While the servers are cross-regional, your city is held to one specific server. If your server is full, you either can't play, or you're forced to start a new city in a different region. This will lead to ghost cities popping up, which hurts the game for the surrounding cities.

    Many tools that are in SC4 that made city management easier are missing, making micromanagement tedious. They've made transportation terrible since there's no proper pathfinding to choose fastest route, just shortest. This means you can't set up main roads and side streets. Everything needs to be the maximum road because otherwise your sims will try to get from one place to another using the side streets. This is obviously very expensive. There are no highways to be built, the best you get are the avenues. People are hypersensitive to crime. One crime a week is considered crazy and terrible, and it plummets property value. When something stops working, there's no easy way to figure out what exactly the problem is. Also, you can't save and experiment. If you want to experiment, you have to start an entirely new city. There's no saving and then creating a series of disasters just to see if your city can handle it, then loading after having a chuckle. The map sizes are also pitifully small. If I am ever allowed to play for a significant period of time, I feel I could fill it up entirely within one day of playing.

    The game is also plagued by bugs, but that's come to be expected with games on launch. My only concern regarding them is the game's online has created so many problems, fixes for the bugs may be slow in coming.

    While the online mode potentially adds to the game, it's poorly executed and causes more problems than anything else. The rest of the game is a step backwards, with many losses in quality of life features. My rating for this game is 0, simply because it's unplayable. If it weren't for that issue, it would garner a robust 4.    … Expand
  8. Slaunyeh
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    With a gameplay so shallow it could be a facebook game an obligation to have internet connection to play sigle player, all this under the patethic excuse its how "modern games are", once more EA is cheering a boost in sells while a brand has been thrown in a pit .
    Microscopic cities, pretty grafic and dumbstreamed gameplay doesn t cut it. EA is as Ubisoft, are a cancer for the future of    With a gameplay so shallow it could be a facebook game an obligation to have internet connection to play sigle player, all this under the patethic excuse its how "modern games are", once more EA is cheering a boost in sells while a brand has been thrown in a pit .
    Microscopic cities, pretty grafic and dumbstreamed gameplay doesn t cut it. EA is as Ubisoft, are a cancer for the future of gaming. And once more it is clear you can ttrust the corrupted payed to review gaming publications.    … Expand
  9. Susperio
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    It is just this simple: EA is essentially selling hot air, and making HUGE profits on gullible people like me. Do not buy this game. Do not be swindled out of your hard-earned money like me and so many other gamers.
  10. tomke78
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    For DRM Online i will never buy this game, await for scene release then play as well as other EA games never buy again, waste of money. Simcity sales would be down below forecast for this.
  11. Orphanmaker
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Ok, I bought it and I can't play, so my score 0... simple like that... Need to be online to play single player? Oh, "internet and providers never fails..."... what a joke...
  12. udine
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    As the other users already said, the game is currently unplayable and in the future you also have to rely on EA to be gracious enough to let you. Maybe if we all sign the petition at:

    https://www.change.org/petitions/electronic-arts-inc-remove-always-online-drm-from-simcity-and-future-games

    EA and other publishers will realize that we will not accept their behavior!
  13. adw123
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'd love to rate this game higher than a 0 but after 36 hrs of trying to log in I've been able to do little more than get to the title screen. The launch thus far has been an absolute disgrace.

    To start with it took over 3 hours just to kick off the download for the game which should've been pre-loaded days a head of time. Servers have been down consistently since the launch making it impossible to get into this single player game. Rather than overestimate the number of servers needed to launch they low balled it and so tens if not hundreds of thousands of players are trying to log into two servers setup for the NA launch. Other servers exist for Europe and Asia but they are equally jammed, and will in all doubt get worse as other international releases take place without additional servers allocated. Furthermore cities setup in these regions can not be accessed from other server regions once things calm down, and who wants to be playing from a server ten thousand miles away.

    The game looks like it could be fun despite the smaller maps, lack of subways, terraforming and numerous other things removed from the previous version but at this point I can not even give my honest opinion on these things. It has been a long while since I've seen a game launch so thoroughly mismanaged. I can accept a couple patches or instabilities the first few days, but not complete inability to play whatsoever. If I am unable to get in to play by the end of today i will be back-charging my credit card and finding something else to spend my $60 on.    … Expand
  14. Icely
    Mar 7, 2013
    1
    I think when the servers are up and running this game will be one of the best. But as of right now it is busted. I would suggest waiting on buying the game as of right now. if one has bought it and is not happy. dont bother trying to go to EA for a refund they will just deny you. I would call your credit card company and ask for a Charge Back. Its to bad EA is greedy they could of had aI think when the servers are up and running this game will be one of the best. But as of right now it is busted. I would suggest waiting on buying the game as of right now. if one has bought it and is not happy. dont bother trying to go to EA for a refund they will just deny you. I would call your credit card company and ask for a Charge Back. Its to bad EA is greedy they could of had a great game. Would have worked allot better with Steam.… Expand
  15. luist3k
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    I bought a game that I can not play. I am dumb. After all the hype created, and the cost of $60. EA has once again destroyed a successful franchise because of their greed. When is it gonna be over?
  16. Bdubs
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    No Farms. No Terraforming. No Single Player. No Subways. No Water Pipes. No Power Lines. No Medium or Large Cities. No Local Saves. No Density Zoning. No Highways... The sequester is really hitting simcity hard.... lol, but seriously this game is actually a pretty simplified and boring version of Sim City. I only recommend buying it if you are between 11 and 14 years old, then you mightNo Farms. No Terraforming. No Single Player. No Subways. No Water Pipes. No Power Lines. No Medium or Large Cities. No Local Saves. No Density Zoning. No Highways... The sequester is really hitting simcity hard.... lol, but seriously this game is actually a pretty simplified and boring version of Sim City. I only recommend buying it if you are between 11 and 14 years old, then you might enjoy it as long as you can stomach the 20 minute wait time to log in.… Expand
  17. Toughbeef
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    The stupid servers are down all the time... thanks to the even more stupid always online DRM. The game isn't that bad but it's so annoying to get thrown out of the game every hour.
  18. Yohan17
    Mar 7, 2013
    1
    Game has been unplayable since launch. Dont buy this game until EA gets their heads out of their nether regions. I did successfully log in for about 20 minutes before I went to work the day it launched and it was fun for that 20 minutes so I give it a 1.
  19. Booeenie
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    $60-$80 for an unplayable single player game mode? EA shows why they are an industry leader once again. Don't waste your money. Come back in a month and see if EA/Maxis has made any progress. Maybe then you can play the game you paid for. But don't wait too long, some day the servers will be taken offline and you won't EVER be able to play your game again. No local saves so$60-$80 for an unplayable single player game mode? EA shows why they are an industry leader once again. Don't waste your money. Come back in a month and see if EA/Maxis has made any progress. Maybe then you can play the game you paid for. But don't wait too long, some day the servers will be taken offline and you won't EVER be able to play your game again. No local saves so experimenting and reloading is over. If the servers crash you can't even reload your own save! Sounds fun huh?… Expand
  20. ozkrogh
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Can't give a rating to what I can't play... 48hrs after buying the download version, I've still yet to be able to start even the tutorial. The DRM restrictions will help ensure that I never buy an always-online game from EA or Origin ever again. I may come back and give an actual review... then again, my frustration is so great right now that I'd like to be able to go with negativeCan't give a rating to what I can't play... 48hrs after buying the download version, I've still yet to be able to start even the tutorial. The DRM restrictions will help ensure that I never buy an always-online game from EA or Origin ever again. I may come back and give an actual review... then again, my frustration is so great right now that I'd like to be able to go with negative numbers and not just zero.… Expand
  21. Vandarix
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    A game you can't play isn't a game at all it's a waste of money and time. Why they developed this game without a singleplayer mode or actually stress testing its "REQUIRED" Multiplayer is beyond Einstein.
  22. Dimok
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    My girlfriend didn't heed my advice and steer clear of this game. I have been trying to get in on her account off and on today, to no avail. I bet she's pissed when she gets home from work to play her new shiny 60 game and it's still not working.
  23. crfog
    Mar 7, 2013
    4
    In line with predictions from the general gaming community, the launch of the new SimCity reboot has been shaky, at best. For the couple of hours I managed to play, thus far, the game seemed fun. The visuals were gorgeous, especially some of the architecture of the shops and residences. The ability to specialize in trading or tourism etc. is an interesting feature which gives a cityIn line with predictions from the general gaming community, the launch of the new SimCity reboot has been shaky, at best. For the couple of hours I managed to play, thus far, the game seemed fun. The visuals were gorgeous, especially some of the architecture of the shops and residences. The ability to specialize in trading or tourism etc. is an interesting feature which gives a city much needed income, especially due to the small map sizes. The biggest issue with the game is the online only DRM that the community complained about before release, predicting the failure of servers on launch (and into the future). All these predictions have come true. On launch day I managed a couple hours of play. Since then, the servers have been down or so full that I cannot connect. After years of MMO launches, it's mind boggling that a company would not over-prepare for the launch of a game that requires their servers to operate. As a consumer, it's insulting to pay money for a product only to be told that we cannot use it. As of right now, I'd like a refund. Unfortunately, EA support also has queues of multiple hours due to the inadequacy of their preparation for this release. The game may be worth its price in a couple weeks, once these teething issues are sorted out. For now, avoid it. Do not waste your time or money on this product.… Expand
  24. SteHughes90
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    This is the worst game experience I have ever had on any game ever in 25 years of gaming. Cannot log online at all, cannot play it in single player due to some stupid DRM system. AND WHEN I ASK FOR A REFUND THEY SAY 'OUR REFUND POLICY STATES WE REFUND AT OUR DIGRESSION' do not buy this game. It is god awful.

    **** EA
  25. Doconicus
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    From what I have been able to see, the game looks terrific. But alas, all I've been able to see what the opening load screen. The music sounded nice as well. I have high hope for the opportunity to play this fine game... Alas, I didn't shell out $60 for hope and opportunity. My hard earned dollars went to the understanding that I would receive a playable simulation. Therefore, know youFrom what I have been able to see, the game looks terrific. But alas, all I've been able to see what the opening load screen. The music sounded nice as well. I have high hope for the opportunity to play this fine game... Alas, I didn't shell out $60 for hope and opportunity. My hard earned dollars went to the understanding that I would receive a playable simulation. Therefore, know you this, I don't like giving a low-ball score, but this time I am compelled to if not for any other reason, but to protect my fellow players from what could turn out to be a failed game. EA, get it fixed.… Expand
  26. N4T45
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Not worth the hassle with this stupid Online DRM making the game unplayable if you don't happen to have an internet connection or even worse, capable server for every players.
  27. daglet
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    EA ruined this game with draconic DRM. This is a single player game (FFS!) but you are not able to play whenever you want. After an appaling "launch" with major server issues, I don't think I will ever be able to trust this game. There is no fun in playing when you are constantly worried that your past 5-6 hours of playtime will just randomly go to waste in the "cloud". Nor is there anyEA ruined this game with draconic DRM. This is a single player game (FFS!) but you are not able to play whenever you want. After an appaling "launch" with major server issues, I don't think I will ever be able to trust this game. There is no fun in playing when you are constantly worried that your past 5-6 hours of playtime will just randomly go to waste in the "cloud". Nor is there any fun in wasting a whole evening watching the "server is busy" message. I made a Metacritic account just to vent about this game. Don't make the same mistake I did and actually pay for it. Wait until the pirates have cracked it.… Expand
  28. wahey1079
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    bought the game after 2 days still havent played it ihave a very high expectation for this game. i wish a lawsuit will come next i wish i have bought the starcraft 2 on sale but i elected to buy this one because i missed playing this game.
  29. DaCleric
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Unable to play due to server at capacity. In a single-player game. This is ridiculous. Simplified gameplay that does not provide as deep an experience as any of the previous SimCity games and what will happen when EA decides that the servers are too expensive
  30. Barca1985
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Take DRM out of the game and give us bigger maps. The game is running slow and if you're lucky to get into a game after hours trying you'll be kicked out because the servers throw you out. I'm not surprised this happens to another EA game. They f..k up more games.........
  31. Orb44
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    If you can connect to the server and play, the game itself is great: deep, but with very useful interfaces. However, being able to play only 5% of the time can't be justified. If you are reading this 6 months after release and the server is stable, this game is easily a 9.
  32. fengald
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Purchased this game with the expectation of Sim City 4 being taken to the next level, well this game has flushed Sim City down the drain. What should have been a single player game that allowed a multi-player co-op flavor is nothing but a giant mess. Cannot play in it by my self and have had a total of 45 minutes of game time that was not interrupted by errors or messages about the SimPurchased this game with the expectation of Sim City 4 being taken to the next level, well this game has flushed Sim City down the drain. What should have been a single player game that allowed a multi-player co-op flavor is nothing but a giant mess. Cannot play in it by my self and have had a total of 45 minutes of game time that was not interrupted by errors or messages about the Sim City servers being down. Wasted $80 at this time and will never buy anything from EA again. Bravo to their marketing department and an epic fail on execution.… Expand
  33. FlavaFlave
    Mar 8, 2013
    3
    I don't even know how to begin this review, since I've only been able to log 4 hours in this game since launch day (and it's now 4 days past launch). I've been a SimCity fan ever since I played the original on the SNES and PC, so waiting 10 years between the last proper game and this was excruciating to say the least. Imagine my disappointment when they take a single player game and forceI don't even know how to begin this review, since I've only been able to log 4 hours in this game since launch day (and it's now 4 days past launch). I've been a SimCity fan ever since I played the original on the SNES and PC, so waiting 10 years between the last proper game and this was excruciating to say the least. Imagine my disappointment when they take a single player game and force multiplayer on you, cut the map sizes down to almost nothing, and charge you $80 for a digital copy of the game (yes, you can buy it for $60, but you're missing features that you know will be mandatory later). It's a complete bust, as the game is 100% broken. I expected some connection woes on day 1, but shockingly that's the only day I was able to actually play. Since then I've logged on 3 times in 4 days, only to lose my connection after getting into a region, and I've completely lost 3 cities since they are stored on EA servers and not my PC. I've not been a fan of EA for a long time, but this is the final straw. They've completely lost me as a customer. Sorry Maxis it's been a great ride.… Expand
  34. EAPissed
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I paid for the game 48 hours ago and have yet been able to connect to a server. What a joke! EA must have completely ignored the recommendations to up the server capacity. They cheated the client and the brand!
  35. Myvoiceisdubbed
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I know this is beating a dead horse, but buying a game that you can't even play? In the three days since I've bought this, I have had the ability to go through the walkthrough once, but not the actual game. Servers are up and down constantly. What schmuck thought it was a good idea to make this game strictly online, even when playing single player, was a moron. Yes yes, I am aware of theI know this is beating a dead horse, but buying a game that you can't even play? In the three days since I've bought this, I have had the ability to go through the walkthrough once, but not the actual game. Servers are up and down constantly. What schmuck thought it was a good idea to make this game strictly online, even when playing single player, was a moron. Yes yes, I am aware of the DRM consideration but there are so many indie games coming out that are just throwing the whole DRM thing out the window. The vast majority of people who pirate were probably not going to buy your game anyways. *facepalm* I wish I had bought this as a physical copy, so I could return it. Now I am probably going to have to wait a month before everything is mostly usable.

    Thanks EA. Think about your players occasionally, and not just your coffers.    … Expand
  36. TrickyD
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Love how the game says I've played 3 hours so far....Guess time spent encountering login failures count as game play time. Because I have not been able to connect even once. Haven't played one second.
  37. phentix
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Let this be a lesson to other companies. Sell a trash product and you get trashed by user reviews. To those who say just wait till the servers get running, I would rather just refund but unfortunately many of the player base do not have that option. I don't care if it it will be enjoyable in 2 weeks or 2 months from now, I bought the game to enjoy now. A company as big as EA shouldLet this be a lesson to other companies. Sell a trash product and you get trashed by user reviews. To those who say just wait till the servers get running, I would rather just refund but unfortunately many of the player base do not have that option. I don't care if it it will be enjoyable in 2 weeks or 2 months from now, I bought the game to enjoy now. A company as big as EA should have ZERO excuses. EA does not deserve to have my money. First and last product.… Expand
  38. castigere
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Can't really add anything thats not already written, awesome game ruined by forced multiplayer and online dependency. Avoid at all costs! And I'll like to add that EA ruined origin!
  39. austindoggie
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    This game is literally worse than Hitler. I have to wait 30 minutes for the always-online holocaust. Amazon even is refusing to sell this awful game. They pulled it because it is broken. EA disabled some features of the game because their server couldn't handle it! Worst game of all time.
  40. QSquared
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    There is NO Offline Mode. None.

    That means to play SINGLE PLAYER you have to put yourself through the never ending head-ache of tyring to connect to woefully inadequate services. OH! AND the single player is missing features it does nto need to be missing, and does actually run on your local computer s you can play for about 30 minutes while the servers are unavailable before it kicks    There is NO Offline Mode. None.

    That means to play SINGLE PLAYER you have to put yourself through the never ending head-ache of tyring to connect to woefully inadequate services. OH! AND the single player is missing features it does nto need to be missing, and does actually run on your local computer s you can play for about 30 minutes while the servers are unavailable before it kicks you out.

    Connecting to servers just means you will get a 20 minute countdown that keeps repeating (If the server is "Busy") or a 5 minute count down that keeps repeating if the server is "Available"

    Yay!

    If you CAN get on, most of the time you can;t create or join a region, or restart your own region.

    If you can do any of those you can expect brutal lag, and glitchyness, like the in-game clock being stuck at a particular time.

    If you can get in, but not to the server you were on you have to start a brand new city.

    If you can get some good play (usually between 3 AM and 5 AM EST you can get on a server for a little while.) Then the city sizes are very small, and you can not build in the region, no highways, no real rail, no subways, ugh.

    You can no longer control your zone density, except by street density.

    FYI if you can get in they have eliminated cheetah speed, and several other aspects of play including the regional great works, which basically means a lot of waiting, and also the only meaningful new feature they added are gone.

    If you buy this game digitally they WILL NOT REFUND YOUR     … Expand
  41. bakyelli
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Probably the worst piece of software I have download to my PC in a long time. I was charged $60 for a non-functioning computer program and was denied a refund. I wish there was a negative score I could give to this game.
  42. Burry
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I paid 80 bucks for a game I can't even play! When I have been able to log on the game freezes or wont let me create a city. And what is with the single size city plot? This should have been a updated SC4 not this garbage EA has shoved down our throats.
  43. reubensandwich2
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I feel that the entire staff should be fired and replaced with feces throwing chimps. At least something will stick unlike the complete waste that Maxis and EA created. I'm sure this server condition is a ploy from EA to make people pay simtaxes to play the game after they ponied up the cash to buy it. But what do I know, I haven't had a chance to even play the stupid game in 3 days.I feel that the entire staff should be fired and replaced with feces throwing chimps. At least something will stick unlike the complete waste that Maxis and EA created. I'm sure this server condition is a ploy from EA to make people pay simtaxes to play the game after they ponied up the cash to buy it. But what do I know, I haven't had a chance to even play the stupid game in 3 days. Never in my 20 years of computer gaming have I seen such a level of incompetence.… Expand
  44. Freaky
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Online DRM, the biggest pile of for single player games. A great franchise gets butchered because of it. Nobody can play the game on launch and a week after it. These companies need to be crucified to set an example of. So that Online DRM goes down in history like nazism.
  45. Jjjjjoe
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I bought this game and have yet to be able to play it. It is completely worthless. I wish I has read a few reviews before I made this purchase. What a complete failure in planning. Simcity is a single player game and should be available for offline playing and saving.
  46. Luckless
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Lack of forethought by the developers truly spoils what would otherwise have been a mostly acceptable but not exceptionally notable game. Every aspect of their "Always online" 'service' could easily have been simulated for offline play, or configured to work in an ad-hoc peer to peer system. City saves are limited, and out of your control. There are no means (That I've been able to find)Lack of forethought by the developers truly spoils what would otherwise have been a mostly acceptable but not exceptionally notable game. Every aspect of their "Always online" 'service' could easily have been simulated for offline play, or configured to work in an ad-hoc peer to peer system. City saves are limited, and out of your control. There are no means (That I've been able to find) to backup your games, to split your saves to take the same city in two directions, or share the cities themselves between friends.

    Users are completely at the mercy of servers being up and working properly. I can currently log in without issue, but I can't create a new city.

    Half a thought about what happens when the user was offline would have made this game a decent 7.

    City lots are small, much of your choices are limited to "Doesn't do much" and "Does a all you can ask but costs a fortune" with limited middle ground. Options are also highly limited for what I had expected.

    Simulation aspects frequently fail. With one city having industry begging for workers, but a solid mix of all 3 wealth classes of residential each begging for jobs in a city with nearly zero traffic problems and solid public transit?    … Expand
  47. dizzbert
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    $60 for an utterly unplayable game. Digital downloaders have no recourse for refunds Brilliant strategy EA! Take the money and run! You would think the decision makers at EA would have reviewed the history of always online DRM.
  48. Mirinu
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    This is a disaster. EA why have you screwed the SimCity Franchise. Curse you!! 1. Always online DRM 2. No local saves 3. Buggy mechanics 4. My crap dump size is bigger than your city maps 5. FCKIN Huge login queues what??? did I buy this game to stand in the queue to play?
  49. nintyblue44
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    This game is a summarization of everything wrong with video games today. You have microtransactions/DLC for starters. On day one even. But the most glaring thing is this always-online DRM. It stopped people playing it for about three days, simply because it was too difficult to get online and "claim a city", whatever that means. And here's the kicker... it stopped pirates from playing itThis game is a summarization of everything wrong with video games today. You have microtransactions/DLC for starters. On day one even. But the most glaring thing is this always-online DRM. It stopped people playing it for about three days, simply because it was too difficult to get online and "claim a city", whatever that means. And here's the kicker... it stopped pirates from playing it for exactly the same amount of time. That's right. There's ALREADY something out to bypass this crap. This whole exercise has served only to punish paying customers and kill their reputation further. Did they learn nothing from Spore?

    If you support good video games done in the name of art with attention paid to things like morals and integrity, then I beg of you, do not now or ever purchase this title. Talk to your friends about this too. People have to be willing to use willpower and abstain from being manipulated by this garbage if we are ever to return to a time where big publishers put out nice, decent things that reward paying customers.    … Expand
  50. DetectiveCake
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    DRM..really? EA you are ruining the gaming industry. I will never buy another EA game again. All they bring out are mediocre half finished games and if you want the full experience you have to buy there DLC even though you already paid 70$ for the game. DO NOT BUY!
  51. EndTheory
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    You can expect anything that comes from EA to be utter garbage, they have tarnished the good records of countless titles and franchises, you can thank them for destroying the command and conquer franchise RTS fans.
  52. JLishere
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    The negatives: Single-player mode should not require a constant internet connection. Some game play features have been retracted by EA in order to alleviate server issues. Game progress may be lost. Cannot save anything locally. Regional players are dependent on you being logged to the same server. City size is too small. Transportation modes that previously existed in SC4 are missing.The negatives: Single-player mode should not require a constant internet connection. Some game play features have been retracted by EA in order to alleviate server issues. Game progress may be lost. Cannot save anything locally. Regional players are dependent on you being logged to the same server. City size is too small. Transportation modes that previously existed in SC4 are missing. Multiple AI problems, including emergency vehicles that stop at every intersection and are stuck in traffic. Specializations are too limited. The graphics are amazing. SimCity is ruined by EA and Origin's insistence on making this a locked down DRM game.… Expand
  53. AshtonVibe
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    This game looks to be a VERY good game. Completely online will have its advantages. However, I purchased a game that I want to play when I want to. This has not happened. I can get it, and I just want to play as simple as possible. I even don't care if the data I made is lost forever, but I hate the lag. It is very uncomfortable to sit through.
  54. nanddo
    Mar 9, 2013
    0
    One of the worst games I've ever played. The DRM it's killing the game. You are forced to be online whenever you wanna play the game... WTF? The game has good ideas, but it's imposible to play because of the DRM. Epic Fail
  55. WoongeeNMH
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    It's been 10 days since game release and there are tons of bugs in this game. Of course unstable server roll backs your city and fail to load it later. My whole city just evaporated. Maxis is only adding more servers to solve problem but leaving behind rest of the problems. Still many servers are full with bad condition. I signed up metacritic to give 0 score on this game.
  56. guitarmaniac005
    Mar 15, 2013
    2
    Although this game could have been something amazing. EA and maxis decided they wanted more money... so they added DRM.... the maps are too small for building space and on top of that Maxis developers lied to us by saying the game needed an online connection. Don't buy this game, I do not recommend it
  57. StrifeSociety
    Mar 15, 2013
    0
    DO NOT BUY!

    If you insist on buying this game, be prepared to spend a vast amount of time on your city only to get a server error that rolls your progress back a few hours worth. Be prepared for this to happen often. Very often. It will frustrate you. It will make you rage. But most of all, it will make you wish you hadn't wasted your hard earned money on this game.
  58. golgo13
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    LOL we take pride in building DRM into every game. We are also proud we put non-sensical money grabbing features into every game and coming up with lame justifications that make it look like we're doing our customers a favour because our customers love participating in our award winning innovations that maximize the user experience with cutting edge technology that is without peer, soLOL we take pride in building DRM into every game. We are also proud we put non-sensical money grabbing features into every game and coming up with lame justifications that make it look like we're doing our customers a favour because our customers love participating in our award winning innovations that maximize the user experience with cutting edge technology that is without peer, so much so our customers will in their pants with sheer excitement. Come join the experience and become our family we love you. EA… Expand
  59. Alienpope
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    The game is addicting, it is fun... UP UNTIL IT YOU OVER. You can spend hours on a city just to see it fail due to server issues and game bugs. Trading with other cities is not working properly, trading with the global market just halts for unknown reasons, tourist suddenly seize to visit (sucks if your city is based around that), gambling buildings will first make a ton of money then theThe game is addicting, it is fun... UP UNTIL IT YOU OVER. You can spend hours on a city just to see it fail due to server issues and game bugs. Trading with other cities is not working properly, trading with the global market just halts for unknown reasons, tourist suddenly seize to visit (sucks if your city is based around that), gambling buildings will first make a ton of money then the next second it will loose thousand's of simoleons an hour leading to your city's doom. Basically this game is a waste of time and by the time you realize that you have already spent hours upon hours on you city. The game is broken. Don't buy it… Expand
  60. infenro
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    Without even judging on the always on DRM the actual gameplay and bugs that are still in this game are incredibly bad and lend themselves to Lazy and Bad testing before launch, This game is not worth the very high price tag and should not be associated with such a great series that has has a great portfolio of previous versions. This is very inferior to all of them, It was interesting whatWithout even judging on the always on DRM the actual gameplay and bugs that are still in this game are incredibly bad and lend themselves to Lazy and Bad testing before launch, This game is not worth the very high price tag and should not be associated with such a great series that has has a great portfolio of previous versions. This is very inferior to all of them, It was interesting what they were trying to create here but see this as a warning too all other game designers out there, this is not how you make a game.… Expand
  61. eddy514
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    HORRIBLE GAME and this has NOTHING to do with offline play. They makers use weak excuses like processing power to eliminate the need for the sims to live in their own houses. The sims just show up at whatever house is near so they can wake up poor, sleep rich and then go work in a poor job and end up poor again in less than 48 hours. If you have an industrial city with heavy need forHORRIBLE GAME and this has NOTHING to do with offline play. They makers use weak excuses like processing power to eliminate the need for the sims to live in their own houses. The sims just show up at whatever house is near so they can wake up poor, sleep rich and then go work in a poor job and end up poor again in less than 48 hours. If you have an industrial city with heavy need for workers, they will come for half the day and then your factory will act like it never had workers to begin with so it will become unhappy and abandoned. You can build a freight storage and for what for NOTHING. You can build coal storage and cant send it to another city via trade so whats the point of building mines when you can just import everything. There is no supply chain because of the fact that nothing matters in this game, everything acts on its own. Fire dept send all their trucks to one fire while 10 others burn the city down. garbage goes uncollected, students go without an education, and power takes ages to reach a corner of the city because the yellow dot hast traveled there yet! What yellow dot stops by my house to give me power, once it flows in real life it flows. WEAK VERY WEAK GAME!!!… Expand
  62. moocat
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    Always-on DRM, servers unavailable, your progress getting corrupted (game servers messing up), hackers able to take over any of your cities and ruin them, blatantly payed off reviewers, misquotes on their web site to make bad reviews sound good, huge traffic issues that ruins any city after just hours of play, severely limited map size unnecessarily dragging out the game, huge amount ofAlways-on DRM, servers unavailable, your progress getting corrupted (game servers messing up), hackers able to take over any of your cities and ruin them, blatantly payed off reviewers, misquotes on their web site to make bad reviews sound good, huge traffic issues that ruins any city after just hours of play, severely limited map size unnecessarily dragging out the game, huge amount of bugs (several game breaking), blatant lies about the simulation (the inhabitants aren't actually simulated, they are just "actors" who take any available job/house), hidden content already in the game that is locked and will be sold as DLC later...… Expand
  63. Riga
    Mar 16, 2013
    1
    Nothing but lies.

    Here is a simulation game that does not sim anything. LIE Here is a single player game forcing you to play online, for DRM reasons. TRUE Here is a game that stated you had to play online for cpu reasons, LIE Here is a game that pays people to review it highly. TRUE Here is a game that is not broken but made to be "broken" TRUE Here is a game where    Nothing but lies.

    Here is a simulation game that does not sim anything. LIE

    Here is a single player game forcing you to play online, for DRM reasons. TRUE

    Here is a game that stated you had to play online for cpu reasons, LIE

    Here is a game that pays people to review it highly. TRUE

    Here is a game that is not broken but made to be "broken" TRUE

    Here is a game where playing online is fun. LIE

    There is nothing at all about this game that is what it said it is. This is not SimCity, this is a cash grab. There is no content to your game, there is no simulation, it is all false. SimCity 2000 had more Simulation components to it then this one does. This game is meant for building a city in a predetermined way, as set out by the developers.

    Any simulation game wheres the game creators stat that building all residential and have a working game was there end goal is broken beyond repair.    … Expand
  64. manilla
    Mar 17, 2013
    1
    Lost approximately 60 hours of playtime due to corrupt saves. Horrible AI, online play is broken in on online only game. Been lied to and spit upon. Rated a 1 for the amusement provided in the form of glitches and bugs.
  65. bakncrax
    Mar 17, 2013
    1
    I'm late to start this because of the bugs, have built 3 cities in single and now its bugging out. Can't switch citiies, sits there in loading limbo land..

    Will never buy another EA product until a year after launch (to iron out any bugs) and then only when they're discounting it
  66. Felice
    Mar 19, 2013
    2
    The gameplay is disappointing, it seems that the residents (sims) populate your city whatever you do correctly or incorrectly. The mayor of the city can put a landfill in the middle of the city but residents continue to arrive in the city! I think it is just simulation and realistic, I am very disappointed.
  67. mjfan97
    Mar 21, 2013
    0
    I'm sure I'd be happy to pay for a good game from a hard-working company, but that's not you, EA. Because of your BS unacceptable business practices I must insist on giving this game a definitive 0 for two reasons:
    1. Always-online DRM
    2. Broken gameplay elements This is complete BS EA! It's alienating gamers and your solution will be to probably buy some more DLC Packs. That's    I'm sure I'd be happy to pay for a good game from a hard-working company, but that's not you, EA. Because of your BS unacceptable business practices I must insist on giving this game a definitive 0 for two reasons:
    1. Always-online DRM
    2. Broken gameplay elements

    This is complete BS EA! It's alienating gamers and your solution will be to probably buy some more DLC Packs. That's alright. I'll just give my money to companies who actually DO deserve it.    … Expand
  68. sanka
    Mar 21, 2013
    3
    In short, better you know about how a real city is developed, higher the chance that you'd be disappointed. From the first SimCity to SimCity 4, each new title give you improved simulation on city development, at the same time embrace you more on creativity and value judgment. However, this SimCity is a much simplified game than the previous: Agriculture is gone, density control is gone,In short, better you know about how a real city is developed, higher the chance that you'd be disappointed. From the first SimCity to SimCity 4, each new title give you improved simulation on city development, at the same time embrace you more on creativity and value judgment. However, this SimCity is a much simplified game than the previous: Agriculture is gone, density control is gone, policy/legislation is gone... While one would expect that the new game gives more options in city building, it just doesn't. For example, you may think of using subway system or even cycle tracks to solve traffic jam, like in many real world cities during the last ten years. None of these are allowed, you can either upgrade your roads or build more roads. The basic system is population oriented, you need to boost the city and regional population to unlock higher tier infrastructure, which is nonsense (Before you have enough population to upgrade your city hall, you are not even allowed to do waste recycling in your city, ridiculous) The "city specialty" feel so mining focused, that you wonder whether it is sponsored by real world mining companies. You can build a oil well in an urban area and it is cleaner than one would imagine. The game may be fun for those who just want to see buildings pop up and vehicles running around the city; but if you are those "thinkers" type that look for a planning challenge and build a dream city your way, I am sure that you will be disappointed. I would give the game a 5 (that some may find it fun), but it have "sim" in the title, which the game does not offer.… Expand
  69. montreal
    Jun 18, 2013
    0
    This game is a train wreck. I desperately wanted to like it but it seems every time I muster the energy to start again, the servers are down for an update or some other kind of silly reason. I'm not against online DRM when it doesn't prevent me from playing the game. Civilization V is a good example. It works every time. Simcity is just disappointing. And having just one road going into aThis game is a train wreck. I desperately wanted to like it but it seems every time I muster the energy to start again, the servers are down for an update or some other kind of silly reason. I'm not against online DRM when it doesn't prevent me from playing the game. Civilization V is a good example. It works every time. Simcity is just disappointing. And having just one road going into a city is unrealistic and dumb.… Expand
  70. Oceanswave
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    It is rare to pay 70 bucks for a game that is unplayable. Simcity has turned out to be one of those games. On launch, it is impossible to create a city in game, since the city creating process is tied to EA's servers and those servers seem to be completely unable to cope with the load. Give that there are only 9 servers worldwide for a game of this alleged magnitude, it just goes to showIt is rare to pay 70 bucks for a game that is unplayable. Simcity has turned out to be one of those games. On launch, it is impossible to create a city in game, since the city creating process is tied to EA's servers and those servers seem to be completely unable to cope with the load. Give that there are only 9 servers worldwide for a game of this alleged magnitude, it just goes to show the ineptitude and level of disconnect that EA has with the gaming community. People decried the always-on as untenable, but EA did it anyway and with unsurprising results. Good show, EA, Simcity is a coaster, a puppet that lies flat on the ground. Behold, it's strings are cut. Move along for there is nothing lo see here but spite and a whisper of a bygone era… Expand
  71. ktamlyn
    Mar 21, 2013
    4
    DRM is a reality of the future of social games. Maxis attempted to make this game social and in the end ruined it because of that. This is not a complaint, its a fact. This is a game that is still in beta as far as I'm concerned, yet it was released, possibly by executive order. Someone near the top needs to be fired.

    To the people complaining about DRM itself, they (you) are ignorant.    DRM is a reality of the future of social games. Maxis attempted to make this game social and in the end ruined it because of that. This is not a complaint, its a fact. This is a game that is still in beta as far as I'm concerned, yet it was released, possibly by executive order. Someone near the top needs to be fired.

    To the people complaining about DRM itself, they (you) are ignorant. For a social game (even if it has single player) DRM promotes the social aspect of the game. That is why it is being required. DRM is not the problem. The problem was that the SimCity's implementation of DRM is horrible.

    On to the actual game, the cities are too small, and things like "airports" have become a part of the "region". This alone kills the game for me. Creativity in this game is lower than ever before. Its not fun once you have played it through once to a dense city. I will admit that first run though was really fun, but not deserving of a good score at the cost of $60. This game is worth $10 even if it took 50 million dollars to develop.    … Expand
  72. Orbies
    Mar 7, 2013
    1
    I have not been able to play. So now I will not play, regardless if they get this working. I am absolutely done with EA forever, and will voice this to as many people as I know.
  73. sumguitardude
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Servers suck, drm bugs, small maps that are more like a town then a "city" They should just call it Sim Town..Its better to wait until they fix this then wait to enter a server to play
  74. chaos_1984
    Mar 9, 2013
    0
    I bought this game with high expectations, I don't have the fastest internet but have never had problems with other single player games i.e. Far Cry 3, Fallout 3. 2 hours into my first map, I lose connection and my progress. Thanks EA for f**king over your customers again.
  75. barashin
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This game could be great, but I will never know. I have been a Sim City fan since the early 90's, I own all of them (original, 2000, 3000 and 4) and the great thing is as old as they are I can go back and play them whenever I want. Since the new game requires a constant Internet connection to play and therefore will only work for as long as EA keep the servers open you never truly 'own'This game could be great, but I will never know. I have been a Sim City fan since the early 90's, I own all of them (original, 2000, 3000 and 4) and the great thing is as old as they are I can go back and play them whenever I want. Since the new game requires a constant Internet connection to play and therefore will only work for as long as EA keep the servers open you never truly 'own' the game, I will not be buying this game. In 10 years time everyone who bought this game can enjoy their Sim City branded coasters while I go back and play Sim City 4.… Expand
  76. ApoACD
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Game is ok, but not THAT much. Everything else, Adios EA. No more BF3, lets forget about BF4 and the like. I'm done with them. If it's not on Steam, i'm not buying.
  77. dr34dbolt
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I bought this game yesterday, and I still haven't been able to play it. This is not good EA, not good at all. This will be the last PC game I buy from you.
  78. pseudoname
    Mar 17, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. always online drm doesn't let you play game because servers don't let you play the game*UPDATE REVIEW*...ok thats bad enough. but now find out there was NO REAL REASON FOR IT http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=525129 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/03/14/modder-runs-simcity-offline-maxis-remains-silent/ eat a dick ea, can't believe I wasted my time and money on a game I can't play. never again. and maxis should be ashamed. *UPDATE REVIEW* servers mostly work now. but doesn't change that ea lied like a politician skin rug(like a rug but it lies more. think bearskin but slimy). never again ea customer. my review score would have gone up as they start fixing it if it weren't for ea's bull**** *UPDATE REVIEW* and now my key has been disabled by ea under false claims I started a chargeback....i hadn't but guess what I just did 10 seconds ago asshats? damnit metacritic. allow negative points in a review zero isn't low enough. it was so terrible I had to make an account here(no offense but I hate this site for some reason) just to review it.… Expand
  79. Cadi2002
    Mar 17, 2013
    0
    Biggest piece of junk yet. Played for 5 hours when i got it yesterday today they cant find my saved city and keep trying to get me to play with others. I don't want to I just want to build a city and have fun like in the old Simcity. Don't wast your money.
  80. photographydude
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    This is a really really bad way to do business in the modern video game world. Why in the world would they release another game with online DRM and a require connection just to play the game. There must be some way to go after EA on this. You pay a price for a product and because of pure lies and chaos on the suppliers side you are unable to play. What happens when the servers go down?This is a really really bad way to do business in the modern video game world. Why in the world would they release another game with online DRM and a require connection just to play the game. There must be some way to go after EA on this. You pay a price for a product and because of pure lies and chaos on the suppliers side you are unable to play. What happens when the servers go down? How about when they decide enough Sim City 5 and shut the servers off. ITS BULL CRAP!! If this game was not tied to the internet and DRM it would be amazing. Unfortunately this has crippled it.… Expand
  81. EvilTerrorizer
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Besides having to wait an inordinate amount of time to play, get used to being kicked out once in a while when you lose connection to the server. Who cares what's inside the game if you can't play it whenever you want and for however long you want.
  82. otisbarker
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    This game encouraged me to sign up for metacritic and give it a 0. Could not login to the game last week. This week, I wasn't able to login because I get the message the game hasn't been activated (even though I've done it since Mar. 5th). Wait 90mins to contact Origin customer service, then they tell me the game was in charge back with the Amazon purchase. This online DRM blows big time.
  83. pick999
    Mar 20, 2013
    0
    Seriously this game is a letdown. EA keeps ruining franchises. Simplified game, overpriced game, the infamous DRM, day 0 DLC. Not only ruin the franchise, the gaming industry.
  84. sssfdg
    Mar 15, 2013
    0
    I wasn't foolish enough to buy this game, Thankfully. The DRM that EA has instituted is unforgivable. Companies like EA need to learn a lesson to start treating their consumer base with more respect. I have for years not boycotted every game EA makes (beside BF3... which is awesome btw). EA YOU SUCK BALLS. PLEASE LEARN FROM THIS DISASTROUS MISTAKE.
  85. Sal
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Not really worth writing a review for this, the game itself isnt even really worth a negative review, It's worth nothing. Horrible always online DRM is only the start, Releasing with barely any features worthwhile so they can hit your wallet later is obvious in every area. Pretty obvious why they don't want people to be able to mod the game... Gameplay has a few decent points, but the DRMNot really worth writing a review for this, the game itself isnt even really worth a negative review, It's worth nothing. Horrible always online DRM is only the start, Releasing with barely any features worthwhile so they can hit your wallet later is obvious in every area. Pretty obvious why they don't want people to be able to mod the game... Gameplay has a few decent points, but the DRM alone overshadows these without even mentioning the other issues.… Expand
  86. evry1isacritic
    Apr 15, 2014
    1
    Wow. I should have listened to the 3000+ negative comments instead of buying this game. I bought it on sale for $20 thinking "It's not that bad. People are just whining."

    Nope. The internet was right. It is THAT BAD. Not even having an offline mode is going to fix this game. The maps are TREMENDOUSLY SMALL. You'll have a hard time getting your population up to a few million    Wow. I should have listened to the 3000+ negative comments instead of buying this game. I bought it on sale for $20 thinking "It's not that bad. People are just whining."

    Nope. The internet was right. It is THAT BAD. Not even having an offline mode is going to fix this game. The maps are TREMENDOUSLY SMALL. You'll have a hard time getting your population up to a few million UNLESS you have all low wealth residential zones. If you want to maximize your zones, you would have to build a VERY BORING AND VERY BASIC grid system for it to work.

    The designers made a VERY poor choice in forcing you to specialize in only one thing in your city. You'll then have to ABANDON it after you spend hours building it up and start all over again in a different city in the region. There are youtube videos out there that show you how SMALL the maps are. TRUST THOSE VIDEOS. IT'S VERY SMALL.

    The interface and graphics are very well executed but there are just too many flaws in this game as many have mentioned (poor AI, poor traffic routing, etc).

    I've only played this game for 20 hours and am already sick of it. You'll enjoy simcity 2000 more with its outdated graphics than this game.    … Expand
  87. BakaGamer
    Mar 26, 2013
    1
    I for one do not condone pirating or anything but for this game it is a great idea. Why? The hackers have actually made an offline version of it! So after purchasing this game and unable to play it and finding out hackers have made an offline version of it I went and pirated the damn thing. Yeah that's right I bought a game and had to go pirate it... makes ****ing sense! There is nothingI for one do not condone pirating or anything but for this game it is a great idea. Why? The hackers have actually made an offline version of it! So after purchasing this game and unable to play it and finding out hackers have made an offline version of it I went and pirated the damn thing. Yeah that's right I bought a game and had to go pirate it... makes ****ing sense! There is nothing in this game that truly stands out. Honestly it feels like a repolish of the old Sim City games. The cities are smaller, the servers are broken, and the gameplay is unchanged. This game is not worth your time or money. I can't think of one good thing in this game that isn't already in the other Sim City games. This gets a 1 out of 10 because the graphics are improved. Otherwise without that it's a damn 0. Avoid this at all cost. If you must play it pirate it. In fact even if you do want to buy it I'd suggest you pirate it after to get the damn offline version so you can ****ing play it.… Expand
  88. Gnawer
    Jul 19, 2013
    1
    I played both SimCity 4 and The Sims. This game plays more like The Sims. Compared to SimCity 4, it's a game for children about virtual doll houses, not a city planning simulator. I don't get all the critics' reviews about how beautifully planned and well-made it is. It does look good visually, which is no surprise, considering how old previous SimCity is. But it's way too oversimplifiedI played both SimCity 4 and The Sims. This game plays more like The Sims. Compared to SimCity 4, it's a game for children about virtual doll houses, not a city planning simulator. I don't get all the critics' reviews about how beautifully planned and well-made it is. It does look good visually, which is no surprise, considering how old previous SimCity is. But it's way too oversimplified and does not bring anything new for people who want to think a little, not just make ohhs and ahhs at the shiny colors and funny little people walking around. So, it would be a meh game, even if it wasn't for the mega offensive DRM.… Expand
  89. NaFZ
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    All server is down, can't play the game not even single play OMFG.....

    Server reached maximum capacity and so I was placed in a queue and was not allowed to play a SINGLE PLAYER GAME because it forces me to constantly be online. So despite my flawless internet connection, EA's incompetence has forced me to postpone playing a game I'd like to play on my own anyway. I have played the beta    All server is down, can't play the game not even single play OMFG.....

    Server reached maximum capacity and so I was placed in a queue and was not allowed to play a SINGLE PLAYER GAME because it forces me to constantly be online. So despite my flawless internet connection, EA's incompetence has forced me to postpone playing a game I'd like to play on my own anyway. I have played the beta and the city size limits are awful. But it isn't all bad, I do e    … Expand
  90. chmod
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Seems fun, but the server devs aren't quite up to the task of keeping everyone online. I assume people giving good reviews could connect, but I've logged 2 hours over the last 48 just trying to play. If you do get in, you will likely still not be able to claim a region. And if you get a region, you will lose progress when the sync inevitably fails. That's not even the worst part. When youSeems fun, but the server devs aren't quite up to the task of keeping everyone online. I assume people giving good reviews could connect, but I've logged 2 hours over the last 48 just trying to play. If you do get in, you will likely still not be able to claim a region. And if you get a region, you will lose progress when the sync inevitably fails. That's not even the worst part. When you can't get into a server, it puts you in a "queue." However "queue" implies order. And what they're really doing is saying "call back in 20 minutes, maybe we'll have capacity then."… Expand
  91. Sturmlied
    Mar 7, 2013
    1
    I am a big fan of the Sims and Sim City and would love to give this game a higher score. But as I am waiting to be able to play it due to no fault of my own I can not do this. The unnecessary always online policy is killing the fun in this game due to massive server issues. Why was this necessary in the first place? I understand that EAs Execs are scared to the bone of piracy but making aI am a big fan of the Sims and Sim City and would love to give this game a higher score. But as I am waiting to be able to play it due to no fault of my own I can not do this. The unnecessary always online policy is killing the fun in this game due to massive server issues. Why was this necessary in the first place? I understand that EAs Execs are scared to the bone of piracy but making a game "no fun" is not the solution.… Expand
  92. spinkick
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    No matter how great the game is, the DRM system such as this has no place in gaming. If this game ended up a true classic to be played 5+ years from now, too bad, because the servers will no longer be online in order to play your SINGLE PLAYER game. It's time for the gaming community to finally say no and not allow EA to shovel even more draconian "anti piracy" techniques down our throats.
  93. Teddyx87
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    EA, Maxis Fail. Don't mind launch week problems. EA has an epic fail here in every category. The game maybe great but the headaches are just not worth it. The worse part there communication is absolutely awful
  94. AndrewCCM
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Honestly... I have nothing to add. It's just a huge money grab for a company that doesn't know how to launch an online-ONLY application. I am done with this stuff. $79 down the drain. My enthusiasm over the past few months is now in the negative digits.
  95. owuaarontsi
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Still haven't been able to play once. Completely unacceptable. The servers show more full than they did on launch day. How could they not be prepared for this?
  96. Menaxene
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    When I began SimCity, the few first minutes were good, but it's not the sequel what I needed, as a SimCity's fan there are too many server crashes, seize of a map is ridicilous (seriously, it's a bad joke), you can't play without to be connected to Origin (also a bad joke). So if you don't buy the game realy, what does it cost so much? EA and Maxis can to be sure of this I will not buyWhen I began SimCity, the few first minutes were good, but it's not the sequel what I needed, as a SimCity's fan there are too many server crashes, seize of a map is ridicilous (seriously, it's a bad joke), you can't play without to be connected to Origin (also a bad joke). So if you don't buy the game realy, what does it cost so much? EA and Maxis can to be sure of this I will not buy their DLC and others games of them.… Expand
  97. TheHeff
    Mar 20, 2013
    0
    Always on requirement, tiny city sizes and single point of entry into a city. Absolute crap. I am a long time fan of the SimCity franchise but EA/Maxis have done what one comes to expect from EA and EA brands these days... the player base over and screw the game.

    Medal of Honor (dating back to Allied Assault... You never did fix the Liberation mode lag, did you EA?) Battlefield Mass    Always on requirement, tiny city sizes and single point of entry into a city. Absolute crap. I am a long time fan of the SimCity franchise but EA/Maxis have done what one comes to expect from EA and EA brands these days... the player base over and screw the game.

    Medal of Honor (dating back to Allied Assault... You never did fix the Liberation mode lag, did you EA?)
    Battlefield
    Mass Effect
    Dragon Age
    SimCity

    5 examples of EA's cluster****ed approach to gaming. There are loads more examples.    … Expand
  98. marcolevo
    Mar 21, 2013
    0
    I'm very sad... I just want to play this game in single player whenever i want and I don't want to be always online. The size of the cities is very too small, this is frustrating and boring! Nice the simulation but not worth the price of the game. This is not the SimCity i knew...
  99. a9249
    Mar 23, 2013
    3
    -5 points for botching the launch. I couldn't play it for a week. That's just pathetic. It deserves an 8. I would give it a 10 [-5] but it feels like half the game is missing of which im sure will show up in 6 months for another 80 dollars and called an expansion pack.... which no-one will buy. good job EA. Also the clear attempt at micro-transactions is a giant FU to customers who dropped-5 points for botching the launch. I couldn't play it for a week. That's just pathetic. It deserves an 8. I would give it a 10 [-5] but it feels like half the game is missing of which im sure will show up in 6 months for another 80 dollars and called an expansion pack.... which no-one will buy. good job EA. Also the clear attempt at micro-transactions is a giant FU to customers who dropped huge amounts of money on this thing.… Expand
  100. jerrylee22
    Apr 12, 2014
    0
    This game is an absolute failure... It does not even compare to SimCity 4 in its soundtrack, gameplay, or entertainment value. I do not believe that SimCity: 2013 should have been made because it is an absolute abomination to the Sim name -- lacking in all of the good things, and overrun by the bad things. Everything good about SimCity was sucked out in this 'rebirth' and everything badThis game is an absolute failure... It does not even compare to SimCity 4 in its soundtrack, gameplay, or entertainment value. I do not believe that SimCity: 2013 should have been made because it is an absolute abomination to the Sim name -- lacking in all of the good things, and overrun by the bad things. Everything good about SimCity was sucked out in this 'rebirth' and everything bad that you could imagine was added.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
21
#21 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 75
  3. Negative: 10 out of 75
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Jun 5, 2013
    65
    Given enough patches and DCLs, SimCity might eventually become the game that should have been on its release and justify the ambiguous choices that its developers made. [May 2013]
  2. Games Master UK
    May 9, 2013
    68
    Hints at great things but is limited by small cities and promises it can't deliver on. [June 2013, p.80]
  3. Hyper Magazine
    May 9, 2013
    40
    There's more problems with this game than I have words. Looks great though. [June 2013, p.80]
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