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. capthavic
    Mar 16, 2013
    7
    SimCity 5 is a very good game that has been ham stringed by bad corporate decisions. Some changes have been made for better or worse but overall it is a very fun city builder. Getting connected wasn't much of an issue for me, never had to wait in a queue and losing connection doesn't kick you out instantly. My advice: if you are interested then wait a few more weeks for things to settleSimCity 5 is a very good game that has been ham stringed by bad corporate decisions. Some changes have been made for better or worse but overall it is a very fun city builder. Getting connected wasn't much of an issue for me, never had to wait in a queue and losing connection doesn't kick you out instantly. My advice: if you are interested then wait a few more weeks for things to settle down, then get it and enjoy.… Expand
  2. Daikaze
    Mar 5, 2013
    7
    I'm not a fan of the DRM or the map size, but the game is actually quite enjoyable. It really seems like most of the reviews are dishonest. The negative reviews are largely from players that didn't buy the game and the positive reviews are bloated as people feel the need to "balance" things out. After some time with the beta and live builds of the game, I can say it is quite enjoyable. TheI'm not a fan of the DRM or the map size, but the game is actually quite enjoyable. It really seems like most of the reviews are dishonest. The negative reviews are largely from players that didn't buy the game and the positive reviews are bloated as people feel the need to "balance" things out. After some time with the beta and live builds of the game, I can say it is quite enjoyable. The small map size makes things a bit more challenging because you don't have room for error when it comes to maximizing your population/income. The map size really puts emphasis on city specializations, and I'm okay with that. It's a bit different, but it ends up playing well. The game is simple enough for novice users and offers plenty of challenge for experienced users to work with. It's a shame they didn't offer a 1-hour demo build for everyone to try.… Expand
  3. vXxo0oxXv
    Jun 16, 2014
    7
    I think this game is great. I've owned it for a few days now, and for those few days I have not stopped playing. I haven't had this much fun with a city builder in a long time.

    I understand some of the hatred here. Firstly, the maps are pretty small. This can seem like an annoyance at first, but it really makes you think a lot more about how you layout everything. Megatowers also let    I think this game is great. I've owned it for a few days now, and for those few days I have not stopped playing. I haven't had this much fun with a city builder in a long time.

    I understand some of the hatred here. Firstly, the maps are pretty small. This can seem like an annoyance at first, but it really makes you think a lot more about how you layout everything. Megatowers also let you build your city up, instead of out, so you can still have high populations, without taking up so much surface area.

    It it's current state, the game has no bugs, no server problems, and the option of offline play. So you can flush 99% of the complaints here down the drain.

    EA/Maxis took a pretty big risk changing the game as much as they did, but I appreicate that. Most sequels these days just regurgitate the same game and put a 60$ tag on it. The new presentation and UI is very nice, and I think it's awesome they added trading, and commodity resources. It really adds a new appeal to the classic SimCity theme.

    Not to mention multiplayer! Playing with friends is a lot of fun, and it's cool coordinating city roles with your buddies online, and filling in for each other's gaps.

    Picked it up with the expansion on sale. Great buy.    … Expand
  4. s0cks
    Aug 26, 2013
    7
    Most of the user review scores are from the time of release. The game has been through 7 major patch updates since then and is a lot more fun.

    One has to remember that this was a reboot of the franchise and not a normal iteration or sequel. The old games were statistically based and what you saw on screen was just a representation of what might be happening in the city (hence why cars    Most of the user review scores are from the time of release. The game has been through 7 major patch updates since then and is a lot more fun.

    One has to remember that this was a reboot of the franchise and not a normal iteration or sequel. The old games were statistically based and what you saw on screen was just a representation of what might be happening in the city (hence why cars faded in and out around corners).

    This new game simulates using an agent based system. Now every home has sims that need work, need education, happiness, money, etc... For example, Andy will leave home in the morning and must get to work before 9am. So long as he makes it, when he leaves at the end of the day he will bring home money. That money will be spent in shops which will make him happy. And so on, and so on. That my friends, is revolutionary! You can really start to appreciate how difficult this must have been for them to create.

    I'm not saying this is an excuse to release a buggy, half-finished game, but those who wanted SimCity 4 with updated graphics need to look elsewhere. This is not what the game was intending to be.

    To add to that city builders are difficult! Look at Cities XL, and before that, SC4. Both were, and still are really buggy! Not just that, but they bring even the best computers to their knees. There is just so much to calculate (even with a statistically based model)!

    I find this game fun, and if you go in with an open mind and play the game as was intended it can be a LOT of fun! I recommend it highly. I gave it 7 due to launch issues, if the game released in it's current state it would have got an 8 perhaps in another 6 months it will be a 9.    … Expand
  5. EyEmAtchOo
    Mar 12, 2013
    7
    *Reviewed after 30 hours of playing* (This game has some wonderful potential, yet see below for game play issues.) If you like city sims, I still think this one is worth checking out. The graphics are beautiful and the game play has a lot of polish and fun factor. We spent an entire weekend lost in the fun of nurturing our towns and taking pride in our metropolises. The DRM issue is*Reviewed after 30 hours of playing* (This game has some wonderful potential, yet see below for game play issues.) If you like city sims, I still think this one is worth checking out. The graphics are beautiful and the game play has a lot of polish and fun factor. We spent an entire weekend lost in the fun of nurturing our towns and taking pride in our metropolises. The DRM issue is offensive, the day 1 server problems were inexcusable, and the handling by EA has been somewhat contemptible. (EA refuses refunds to customers who bought the game directly from them and couldn't play it due to EA's incompetent server scheme!) But, all that said, chances are none of these thing will affect your enjoyment moving forward. The actual game is largely as good as you hoped it would be. The city land size is not huge, but it's sufficient for an interesting city to be built. Being able to follow your citizens around in full 3D really makes you feel invested in the community you're creating. The amount of detail can be a bit mind blowing. Yet there are still several issues you should be aware of: //

    Game Breaking Problems:
    - Water is a finite resource, sometimes shockingly limited, and there is no way to import it from outside the region. The workaround seems to be to have a sewage outflow pipe dump sewage in the ground, and have a water pump with only filtered pump modules running next to it. This is pretty lame.
    - Recycling Centers are bugged, causing them to stop working, and leading to a pile up of recyclable garbage that is followed by massive ground pollution and a crippling health pandemic.
    - Traffic becomes very difficult to mitigate in a city of only 200 thousand residents. There are no highways you can build, only avenues, and every intersection results in more stop and go bottlenecks. If you make a road higher capacity, that is intrinsically connected with allowing higher density buildings there. So better roads actually causes more traffic there, and don't fix the problem for long.
    - Sims on the road don't yield to emergency vehicles. Soon crime, fire, and health problems can't be kept in check because all service vehicles all stuck in traffic with their sirens on. Garbage collection also starts to fail completion due to traffic, and also because garbage collectors seem to only randomly wander looking for trash to collect. Thus adding more garbage trucks to one garbage center becomes less and less helpful, since they tend to clump up near that center and follow each other around, leaving distant areas without any coverage. Adding a second center, even one with no dump of its own, seems to help. The region's Wind speed starts dramatically dying down after a few game years, making wind play like an unrealistically limited resource. Annoyances:
    - The game must be played by connecting to one of the (now many) EA servers. These servers don't coordinate at all. You might start a city on one server, and later find it is too crowded to connect. EA says "just connect to a different one", but then that server won't have your city available, and perhaps your friends are still on the first server. Even worse, the first time you connect to each server, it makes you play through the first time player tutorial all over again. The sim is great about showing you how things are right now. But it's hard to appreciate this in context with practically no historical data available. There no longer seem to be any graphs over time, aside from population, unlike the past SimCity games. I would really like to observe cause and effect by charting things like ground pollution over time alongside health problems over time. Or city income compared to education levels over time, or any of a large number of things.
    - You can't upgrade a road to an avenue without destroying every building on that road. If this is your $150K municipal building, too bad, you'll have to destroy and rebuild it.    … Expand
  6. Keoki
    Mar 6, 2013
    7
    One of the worst release of a game I ever seen, by the way the game is good, and I hope it will be better in the future. Hope all the problems be fixed soon!
  7. TheMaximalist
    Apr 16, 2013
    7
    The launch was rocky but once you start playing the game you realise how much you missed building these metropolises, albeit small metropolises. It does feel limited by the removal of god mode and the map size
  8. ImRatherStartld
    Mar 5, 2013
    7
    To all the people giving this a 1/2/3 because of the always online DRM this is supposed to be a review of the game, not of a company's (poor) choice in piracy protection. Now i absolutely hate EA for their ridiculous DRM protection, but simcity is a beautiful game, with a good interface and is actually pretty damn challenging. yes EA are stupid with the always online drm. yes theseTo all the people giving this a 1/2/3 because of the always online DRM this is supposed to be a review of the game, not of a company's (poor) choice in piracy protection. Now i absolutely hate EA for their ridiculous DRM protection, but simcity is a beautiful game, with a good interface and is actually pretty damn challenging. yes EA are stupid with the always online drm. yes these probably will be micro transactions (once again, pretty stupid) but the game is decent… Expand
  9. ryuzaki57
    Apr 30, 2013
    7
    General management and planning doesn't change much from older Sim City games. Old timers will be immediately familiar with the various economic and social settings to monitor. Is your population fully employed? Are businesses making enough profit? Can your inhabitants move efficiently within the city? Are they educated? Can the police cope with crime? Le list is pretty long and hours goGeneral management and planning doesn't change much from older Sim City games. Old timers will be immediately familiar with the various economic and social settings to monitor. Is your population fully employed? Are businesses making enough profit? Can your inhabitants move efficiently within the city? Are they educated? Can the police cope with crime? Le list is pretty long and hours go by quickly when taking on the stack of files. The AI is pretty solid despite recurring conflicts between the surface of residential zone (even with the of the map covered in green the game still says it's not enough), unemployment and consumer spending.

    This new Sim City introduces a micro-management system in which each administrative building can be customized with additional elements to boost its efficiency the police station can have more patrol cars, the bus terminal will have to receive more garages, the university can be extended with a business school or an engineer school, etc. This system provides you further leverage to reach prosperity, and keeps you even busier than before.

    But Maxis has more and offer you to choose a specialization to personalize your city. Gambling, Hi-Tech, Tourism, Oil, a nice array of possibilities that add further value. Let's stress that you can choose several of those in the same city feel free to erect the Tokyo Tower next to an exhibition center, while you pump oil not far from there! Those ones are no gimmick the warehouse exports, derricks provide barrels for your oil plant, the stadium welcomes tourists...

    The fourth layer of awesome is that your management actually has an impact on other Sim City players. The game is organized in regions of 4 to 16 cities which are communicating permanently. Goods will come from neighbours if your industry isn't doing enough, students form other cities will come if you have the best university, stations allow tourists to visit. Economic parameters are very detailed there are 3 levels of wealth, 3 levels of quality for merchandises and 3 levels of qualification for workers. If the middle class can't find goods of their liking at home, they'll be shopping elsewhere. If you're few to produce high-quality goods, the rich from everywhere will rush to buy. Positioning yourself within your region is a game in the game.

    Beyond this competitive side, cities can cooperate by sending ambulances, patrol cars or garbage trucks. Player can also sign contracts to provide electricity or water. That's where the whole systems finds its limits. Let's face it, you need every possible asset you have for your city, because there's never enough. Your neighbour isn't always monitoring his power supply, so you can being cut by mistake. To play cooperatively, players need to know each other beforehand.

    I lament that the laderboards and the world market are still to be implemented. The dev. team is still working to stabilize servers. A quick word on that apart from the launch day, I've never had any problem to play.

    The standard size of the city is about one fourth of a small city in Sim City 3000. When I constructed my 2nd city (having drawn a map before), it took me... 3 hours. In Sim City, you must constantly invest to improve the standards of living. But you very quickly reach the point at which you can't have further residential surfaces, which means you cannot your population and your fiscal revenues. And if, like in my first city, you choose the seaside, you're fairly limited... the other issue lies in the expansions you can make to buildings it can necessitate far more surface than you expected at first. If you haven't made room in advance, you have to flatten entire blocks, lose inhabitants and revenues, which makes your budget worsen dramatically. The University fully developed is about the size of 6 residential blocks of high density! You need to make several cities to exhaust the game. I wish I had a big metropolis with everything in it, but sadly it's not an option.

    Sim City is an amazing game, so rich and complex that it seems infinite in theory. But in actual gameplay, it ends up being limited by a clear lack of polish. The dreams of ambitious managers may be crushed by the ridiculous size of the cities.    … Expand
  10. SylarHRG
    Mar 6, 2013
    7
    One of my favourite game franchises of all time did not get the reboot that I expected. Let alone the cries about always online (which I don't mind as long as it properly functions), a single day in, I enjoyed the time I put in but couldn't help feeling like it was missing some of it's previous genious that truly made the game playable for hunfreds of hours. The game is truly built on aOne of my favourite game franchises of all time did not get the reboot that I expected. Let alone the cries about always online (which I don't mind as long as it properly functions), a single day in, I enjoyed the time I put in but couldn't help feeling like it was missing some of it's previous genious that truly made the game playable for hunfreds of hours. The game is truly built on a DLC model (which EA has stated) but I feel slightly ripped off at $60. WIth the game being built on the DLC model, probably a $30-$40 price point would be more fair from what I have seen so far, which would make me more likely to look at purchasing DLC down the road. At this point, with $60 in, I expect my game to go a bit further, which we will see in the coming days/weeks.… Expand
  11. ChoicestGames
    Sep 9, 2013
    7
    The new SimCity is a casual, online-only, sandbox game involving lots of micromanagement with little useful data to guide your actions. The pretty miniature cities means you can create good looking desktop wallpapers but that's about all it's really good for once you've figured the game out. This is fine if that's what you're looking for in this game but it's about as far from the originalThe new SimCity is a casual, online-only, sandbox game involving lots of micromanagement with little useful data to guide your actions. The pretty miniature cities means you can create good looking desktop wallpapers but that's about all it's really good for once you've figured the game out. This is fine if that's what you're looking for in this game but it's about as far from the original SimCity formula as you can get. While Maxis should be lauded for being bold and trying something new the design and implementation was so poorly done they may have done irreversible damage to their reputation.… Expand
  12. dprkforum
    Mar 5, 2013
    7
    The good: Intuitive interface with large and pretty graphics. I really like the snap grid for easily laying out my city. I am a fan of the auto-connection for utilities (but takes away the challenge of planning infrastructure/costs). The finite resources is an interesting idea, and am curious how that will play out in the long run once resources are exhausted. The multi-city region toThe good: Intuitive interface with large and pretty graphics. I really like the snap grid for easily laying out my city. I am a fan of the auto-connection for utilities (but takes away the challenge of planning infrastructure/costs). The finite resources is an interesting idea, and am curious how that will play out in the long run once resources are exhausted. The multi-city region to connect to others is not a new idea, but the way it was executed was clever, and I like that a lot. The multi-player aspect seems like it could be fun, but I will steer away from it until I get used to the game. The bad: I am not a fan of always on DRM's. If you do not like this type of DRM, steer far, far away from this game. I was not happy when I saw this requirement in the agreement, but knew what I was getting into before plunking down $59.99 which by the way, is NOT what this game is worth. I wish the city limits were larger, but I can easily see expensive DLC's being released to compensate for this and other obvious missing features such as subways. In all, I am pretty satisfied with this game. Again, if small city sizes and intrusive DRM's are not your bag, this is NOT a game for you.… Expand
  13. BreckenTheDude
    Mar 6, 2013
    7
    Okay, yes, there are a of problems with this game. But honestly, the added features are great. The security features (always online DRM) was a horrible addition yes, and the maps are a bit too small, but it really is fun. If you are new to the SimCity series I recommend this one then go onto something like SimCity 4 with a much bigger map and that is slightly harder to play.
  14. XhAPPYSLApX
    Mar 20, 2014
    7
    (After the "Offline Update" was released.) Before I start... I get why everyone hates this game. But dang it I just can't hate it, it looks nice, plays nice, and it just is a good game. The interface is really well made, I like the idea of roads being what controls the density, and I love how the city looks, and it is much faster to create a big city than it is in Simcity 4, and yet it(After the "Offline Update" was released.) Before I start... I get why everyone hates this game. But dang it I just can't hate it, it looks nice, plays nice, and it just is a good game. The interface is really well made, I like the idea of roads being what controls the density, and I love how the city looks, and it is much faster to create a big city than it is in Simcity 4, and yet it made a single mistake, a mistake that ALMOST ruined it for me. The city sizes, or should I say the lack there of. They should not have done this, but the reason why is so that they could force multiplayer on us, but now that the offline update is out, why not make new regions with much bigger cities for singleplayer play only? but even then I still get much enjoyment out of seeing my city grow, only if I could see it grow even more. If I were to compare this to SimCity 4 I would rate it a 6/10, but on its own, it is a pretty good game imo.… Expand
  15. SlubbertKing
    Mar 20, 2013
    7
    Its a good game though i feal that the cities ar a bit to small and the fact that you got an allways online drm on it kinda drags it down. THough when it works its a fun game.
  16. Loler13gr
    Apr 3, 2013
    7
    Althought the first few days were horrible with lots of problems I must say the game is pretty good... I had a lot of fun playing it and I can say that I will play this for a long time to come.. The graphics are great and the fact that you can zoom in and be able to see what your sims do and what they think is amazing.. The only problem is that the maps are a little small which means thatAlthought the first few days were horrible with lots of problems I must say the game is pretty good... I had a lot of fun playing it and I can say that I will play this for a long time to come.. The graphics are great and the fact that you can zoom in and be able to see what your sims do and what they think is amazing.. The only problem is that the maps are a little small which means that in order to do everything you have to expand and build more cities in the region and the always-online DRM... This last one is the biggest mistake of the company and if the company doesn't do something about it then they might have a problem...… Expand
  17. Quinzal
    Mar 20, 2013
    7
    EDIT:
    This game is amazing and is the best thing since sliced bread when it finally gets working. When it isnt working, its the best loading simulator ever.
  18. mountainpony
    Mar 14, 2013
    7
    First off, I have to get this out of the way; I am not nor have ever been employed by EA or Maxis (or by anyone, for that matter, with even loose ties in the gaming industry). I am just an avid gamer. I hold no grudges against any developers or publishers, although, as in this case, it's pretty evident when one, or both, of them slips up.

    EA undeniably soured the release of an otherwise    First off, I have to get this out of the way; I am not nor have ever been employed by EA or Maxis (or by anyone, for that matter, with even loose ties in the gaming industry). I am just an avid gamer. I hold no grudges against any developers or publishers, although, as in this case, it's pretty evident when one, or both, of them slips up.

    EA undeniably soured the release of an otherwise sweet game with SimCity, albeit not in the usual way they're accused of. But when we look passed the Always Online DRM, how much of gamers' quibbles with SimCity are actually EA's fault?

    To begin, there have been some redeeming things EA have done (or tried to do) in response to all the anger and frustration aimed at them. On March 18th for instance, "a free PC download game from the EA portfolio" will be available to all active SimCity users. It took less than three days (which by industry standards is blazing fast) to drastically improve server load and performance and increase the total number of servers. How long has Crysis 3 been out? Black Ops 2? Have they even acknowledged the issues with their servers? (For those who don't know what I mean by this, I have been unable to get a consistently lag-free connection with either those games in multiplayer, especially Black Ops 2, and it's certainly not my IP)

    But let's focus on the major complaints from gamers regarding SimCity: small city sizes, forced multiplayer, micro-transactions, inability to save/load on HDD, and Day One DLC. At least one of these isn't even true, and all seem quite clearly to me as design choices made by the developer, Maxis. Let's get two of the easy complaints out of the way; privatizing a game is as simple as checking a box, and I have yet to find ANY micro-transaction opportunity (I don't even see what purpose they'd serve beyond catering to the laziest of players), and even if they were everywhere, they're little more than a purchasable cheat, having no effect on gameplay for those who choose to ignore them. Day One DLC can be controversial, but really? This "DLC" is a tourist attractions package of sorts that offers real-world wonders and buildings such as the Eiffel Tower. Unless you want to recreate Paris, there is absolutely nothing you're missing out on. SimCity was always a creative game where you built cities from your imagination.

    The inablitiy to save onto a private hard disk is kind of dumb but necessary to the whole idea of a pseudo-MMO city simulator. Your cities breathe and produce and work with (or against) other players and their cities. That can't happen if players can simply load a past save when something doesn't go their way. I personally like this feature and don't mind that my saves are located in a "cloud" instead of a physical disk (although the option for both would certainly be preferable). The lack of a save/load feature, however, is a direct result of the more fundamental design choice regarding online play, one that I find very implausible was forced upon Maxis by EA. Many of the game's design choices in general stem from the questionable decision to make SimCity an "online game," like Diablo III or even Guild Wars, which is decision made by Maxis. And if you insist that EA forced Maxis to make SimCity online only from the reboot's inception, then I find it very hard to believe Maxis couldn't get the as big a game as SimCity published under another company that didn't choose to force online play, if they were against the idea that is.

    The final complaint and also my personal gripe is indeed the city size. They're simply too small. The ability to connect multiple cities, using them in tandem to create a mega city, does help mend this but there should be an option to extend city boundaries, or at least a game mode where the limit is removed. A recent interview with a lead game designer from Maxis states that they intend to increase the size limits "eventually."

    Now, EA has been receiving the blame for this design choice since the beta, when it's quite clear to me Maxis should be receiving the brunt of it. I don't quite understand why anyone would even sneer in EA's direction on this one; am I to assume their unabashed greed somehow accounts for them not allowing Maxis to increase the city limits? I don't see how it earns them a profit; in fact it's done the opposite.

    In the end, EA screwed up big time with the servers, but they've made evident and serious attempts to rectify their mistake (at least I feel that way). Meanwhile, Maxis has gotten out seeming guilt-less, when it seems they're liable for most of the complaints. True, the DRM needs to go, not only from EA but industry-wide (I'm looking at you Blizzard).

    I'm judging the game for what it is in it's current playable state, a solid 7. Given time for updates and player mods, I'm sure this game will be incredible and the city limits will hopefully be expanded sooner rather than later.    … Expand
  19. Father_death
    Jun 1, 2013
    7
    The score needs to be reset... This is kinda total I don't like EA but still this game is good people judged it by the starter not the actual game! people are idiots... this game should have a 8-10!
  20. rocketsatdawn
    Mar 23, 2013
    7
    The game was a nightmare to access at launch, but they've since resolved most of the issues by adding more servers and regular updates. There are still some problems that need addressing including contradictory information in game and instances where the server is not syncing with the cities, so you end up having to roll back to a previous state essentially losing all your recent progress.The game was a nightmare to access at launch, but they've since resolved most of the issues by adding more servers and regular updates. There are still some problems that need addressing including contradictory information in game and instances where the server is not syncing with the cities, so you end up having to roll back to a previous state essentially losing all your recent progress. But apart from that its a really good game that is incredibly fun to play. It would be nice to have an offline mode but I have found the multilayer aspect extremely rewarding as I share my region with a couple of my buddies. It's great building different types of cities and either sabotaging your citizens lives or building lots of parks and keeping them happy. Of course its seriously entertaining when you get a zombie outbreak and you can watch them annihilate your population. One real problem with the game play itself is how small the cities are. It's great building multiple cities that work together, but It can be frustrating running out of space especially when nearly all of your buildings are already high density. Its a shame considering how you could make enormous cities in Simcity 4. This is something that should be amended because it really does put a limit on how long you can play the game for. It gets to a point that all you can do is leave your old city and start a new one.… Expand
  21. dkao12
    Mar 19, 2013
    7
    Simcity 5 is an intriguing game and has a lot of potential such as specialization and the complex gameplay. It isn't a bad game, it just had a really bad launch and EA is trying to fix their servers (heck they're willing to give out a free title with your purchase of Simcity). It's the steep learning curve makes it really difficult to start out and inability to change the settings andSimcity 5 is an intriguing game and has a lot of potential such as specialization and the complex gameplay. It isn't a bad game, it just had a really bad launch and EA is trying to fix their servers (heck they're willing to give out a free title with your purchase of Simcity). It's the steep learning curve makes it really difficult to start out and inability to change the settings and rules of the map is ridiculous. The tutorials don't help much and the in-game tips barely give me useful information. I couldn't even start my own city by myself because the amount of money is given to you at the beginning is too little (playing at normal) and the fact that I have to specialize on one thing and cooperate with the other city is even harder. Since you have to upgrade your town hall to city hall which needs a lot of residents then add a department of transportation to ship or gain workers and a trade depot to trade resources WITH ONLY $50,000 which I find ridiculous! It forces you to play with others or claim other lands which shouldn't make me do that and the land size is so small that I can barely call this game simCITY... hey I'm not talking about a metropolis here but the amount of space you get is a one block in the map. The more I played this game the lower my score got... and I'm not judging this game on its servers which I never do. It had great potential and I'm pretty sure it must have been awesome on paper! But I think this game falls short and it does not impress me very well. Bummer... I really wanted to immerse myself in this game but i can't unless I build multiple cities by myself or have to constantly rely on other cities. It's not a bad game but it is disappointing to anyone who is a SimCity fan, it just missing a lot things and the basics.… Expand
  22. danielkyp
    Mar 7, 2013
    7
    If you bought the game already please head my advice! In origin use the Call Me help option, when an agent calls you, simply ask for a refund. I managed to get a refund very simply even though they say they won't give you one for digital downloads form origin. They didn't ask questions, don't vent, don't complain, just simply state that you would like a refund. I only gave this a 7 soIf you bought the game already please head my advice! In origin use the Call Me help option, when an agent calls you, simply ask for a refund. I managed to get a refund very simply even though they say they won't give you one for digital downloads form origin. They didn't ask questions, don't vent, don't complain, just simply state that you would like a refund. I only gave this a 7 so that the icon would turn green and more people would notice my message.… Expand
  23. PossumSocks
    Mar 5, 2013
    7
    Ok so lets begin by me saying that I find this game extremely fun. The problem with it is not the game itself, but EA being a total dickbag.

    EA is very stupid. DRM on this game hurts the players so much more than pirating. When I first hear people talking about this game and the DRM problems. When I heard that the DRM was stupid, I thought back to Steam where I buy most of my games. On    Ok so lets begin by me saying that I find this game extremely fun. The problem with it is not the game itself, but EA being a total dickbag.

    EA is very stupid. DRM on this game hurts the players so much more than pirating. When I first hear people talking about this game and the DRM problems. When I heard that the DRM was stupid, I thought back to Steam where I buy most of my games. On Steam you need to be logged in... and that is no problem because the servers are plentiful. This is why I was somewhat blind-sided by SimCity. I did not have to wait the first time playing. And the experience was great. But after about 2 hours, the server began to clog up. Now I understand some hiccups on launch day but it is sad when you cannot play because the server shuts down on you and kicks you off. Now to be honest. DRM only hurts the people who buy the game. I could probably go on ISOhunt or Piratebay right now and find a copy of the game that is working fine, but I like supporting the game devs.. MESSAGE TO ALL GAME CORPORATIONS!!!! DRM DOES NOT SOLVE ANYTHING!!!

    Now to sum up the game itself. I only played about 2 and a half hours, but what I did play was pretty great. I love the way cities can now have more organic themes with the new options like curvy roads and such. The game is fairly easy to grasp from the beginning and the controls are smooth. The only problem I had with the game itself is the maps feel a little small, meaning that your cities will become hard to control with so little space.

    My scoring: 10
    -0.5 for the small maps
    -0.5 for removing subways
    -2 for the DRM that ruined the experience
    =7/10

    Final notes- This game could have been an 8 or 9 but the DRM caused the servers to crash... disallowing me to play the game.

    also, you guys should stop giving this game a 0 for DRM... honestly that is ridiculous. I know DRM is bad and some may not be able to play the game but in my opinion, you should wait a day and play the game instead of giving it a zero. It is not the game that is terrible, it is EA and Origin that are ruining it.    … Expand
  24. TyBallz
    Mar 6, 2013
    7
    The game itself is actually pretty great. The server issues, while frustrating, aren't too bothersome if you have more patience than a two year old child. I'm sure everything will be smoothed out within a week or two. The unable to save for a lot of users (including myself) is the most annoying 'error' I've encountered so far. If you're thinking of buying the game, maybe give it a fewThe game itself is actually pretty great. The server issues, while frustrating, aren't too bothersome if you have more patience than a two year old child. I'm sure everything will be smoothed out within a week or two. The unable to save for a lot of users (including myself) is the most annoying 'error' I've encountered so far. If you're thinking of buying the game, maybe give it a few weeks until EA/Origin and fix connection/server problems.… Expand
  25. CoachCager
    Mar 7, 2013
    7
    The Sim itself is amazing.
    I am not a fan of the DRM, though I understand where they are coming from.

    My major dislike is the size of the "towns" I used to love building big sprawling metropolises. I can understand that why the size is small due to the level at which they are simming.
  26. ashkonh
    Mar 9, 2013
    7
    The new SimCity is another victim of the Cloud. Online-only is probably the worst decision Maxis could have made. SimCity is for stormy days when you have no internet connection and you make yourself a hot chocolate and create a fantasy city. Now it's dependent and social. Although in this edition they have taken out the most annoying aspects of the last game (SimCity 4 Deluxe for PC IThe new SimCity is another victim of the Cloud. Online-only is probably the worst decision Maxis could have made. SimCity is for stormy days when you have no internet connection and you make yourself a hot chocolate and create a fantasy city. Now it's dependent and social. Although in this edition they have taken out the most annoying aspects of the last game (SimCity 4 Deluxe for PC I mean, not tablet or handheld games) such as having to draw water pipes, they left out some of the best aspects. One of the greatest joys when playing SimCity used to be making the terrain yourself before you started your city. Now you can't even control the terrain, so there literally IS going to be a PERFECT city that somebody in Korea designs. I'm not cool with that, it takes all the imagination out of it. They also left out the ability to drive around doing missions, move in your own Sims, and (I am saying it again) control the size of your city. I am giving the game a 7 because I am trying to take a step back from my years of experience with the previous games and what they have given me, and just looking at SimCity from an objective angle. It's fun, pretty, and conducive to teamwork, and the possibilities for creating unique and interesting cities are enormous.… Expand
  27. Mehlicious
    Mar 8, 2013
    7
    First two days of release I spent 3 hours each night failing to login the appropriate servers for my region (NA East 1 and 2). Last night and this morning, I was pleasantly surprised with stable access and unhindered playability. Although certain details of the game have been removed, overall, the sandbox-like atmosphere of past generations is still there. Aside from an initial shock toFirst two days of release I spent 3 hours each night failing to login the appropriate servers for my region (NA East 1 and 2). Last night and this morning, I was pleasantly surprised with stable access and unhindered playability. Although certain details of the game have been removed, overall, the sandbox-like atmosphere of past generations is still there. Aside from an initial shock to just how unstable the Simcity/EA always on DRM can be, I will most likely continue to play this game. I knocked off 2 points for requiring an always on DRM for single player sandboxes, which clearly can and have ruined playability. There is nothing worse than an unintentional rollback of a city hosted on EA servers because of a crash from server side. The fear of a rollback to my work is in my head every second I play this game, but I will admit it wanes as the stability persists from this point forward. Finally, one other point was taken because the map sizes are too small. I would like to see a larger map size and single player always on DRM removed. Since the developers/staff have been working so hard to stabilize servers and bring additional server capacity online, I logically think that future patches will only strengthen this game and fix the concerns I have stated with map size and single player always on DRM.… Expand
  28. SumoScott
    Mar 9, 2013
    7
    Although the issues logging in are from gone, the game overall is brilliant. Such a shame, if it weren't for poor management SimCity would have scored alot higher.
  29. xo220c
    Mar 10, 2013
    7
    look i see why people are giving it negative reviews but what is the point in playing the game. The point is so that you can see what it is like yeah it may have its flaws but all in all its a good deep simulated city and that is what we wanted at the launch of any pc game the servers will always be at maximum capacity but if you think about it we asked for the game to be launched earlylook i see why people are giving it negative reviews but what is the point in playing the game. The point is so that you can see what it is like yeah it may have its flaws but all in all its a good deep simulated city and that is what we wanted at the launch of any pc game the servers will always be at maximum capacity but if you think about it we asked for the game to be launched early so we brought all of the glitches on ourselves the one thing i do have to say is that the game always skips a frame… Expand
  30. Mooseda
    Mar 14, 2013
    7
    I definitely overall agree that the online-only DRM management for this game is superbly silly. But I really feel for the developers and engineers behind this project that made it come alive. I bet you they have been pouring their soul into this project for years BUT the head producers and directors and managers all made this absurd blueprint on trying to put a fight on piracy when inI definitely overall agree that the online-only DRM management for this game is superbly silly. But I really feel for the developers and engineers behind this project that made it come alive. I bet you they have been pouring their soul into this project for years BUT the head producers and directors and managers all made this absurd blueprint on trying to put a fight on piracy when in fact, I bet you there's less than a 8-13% population out there that REALLY know how to install a cracked game. If I was creating a great game and only 8-13% of them are hacking it because they figured out how to, by all means I would not mind. It's the head of EA that took in the developers of Maxis and corporate-ized them into a DLC and DRM machine. I support the game because of the engineers and the engine.. but I DO NOT respect the politics on how this game was born and how its maintained for audiences.… 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]
See all critic reviews »