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. HolyMackinaw
    Mar 22, 2013
    9
    This game is one that got me excited in the few months leading up to the release. I did not preorder the game because I only had a mac and found out the mac version was to come out later. I then got windows 8 the week the game came out and heard of the terrible launch issues. I still had faith in EA that they would solve the issues and the game would AT LEAST play as planned the day beforeThis game is one that got me excited in the few months leading up to the release. I did not preorder the game because I only had a mac and found out the mac version was to come out later. I then got windows 8 the week the game came out and heard of the terrible launch issues. I still had faith in EA that they would solve the issues and the game would AT LEAST play as planned the day before launch. I bought it the week after and ever since that day, its played just as I had expected it to play in the months leading up to launch. The game is great... period. What I don't like is that the size of the cities at first isn't a big deal but the more you play in your city, the more you wish you could expand it. DRM is something I don't mind AS LONG AS IT WORKS AND RUNS. That being said I give this game a 9...take my word for it, you will enjoy it. Its easy to hate on a game when you haven't tried it on your own.… Expand
  2. legend2360
    Mar 7, 2013
    9
    The game is great!
    Yes, there is a problem with the server, but it is related to the protection and the large influx of players, of course, this is temporary. Just need to wait.
    As the saying goes: "Forbidden fruit is sweet."
    Rate 9 of 10.
  3. Rickjedebeste
    Mar 7, 2013
    9
    Yes, Online DRM is stupid, I know. But that doesn't mean that if you manage to get in the game, the game is horrendous. Actually I found it very enjoyable. Starting off with a complete set of regions, all with different kind of landscapes, you're going to make your first connection to the rest of the world and from there, it's all yours. You can even expand buildings, like a city wasn'tYes, Online DRM is stupid, I know. But that doesn't mean that if you manage to get in the game, the game is horrendous. Actually I found it very enjoyable. Starting off with a complete set of regions, all with different kind of landscapes, you're going to make your first connection to the rest of the world and from there, it's all yours. You can even expand buildings, like a city wasn't enough. Only flaw I have is that I kind of miss the terrain tools and at a 50.000 population, some problems start becoming serious. I had to place ten water towers across the city for example and all my buildings became poor, dirty appartments just because I had too much industry. But I can't really blame myself because the cities are a bit to small. But that's no problem; they already promised to patch that problem in the future. Other than that, the game is really enjoyable and one of EA's best in years (Sims 3 get's kind of outdated at the moment). Multi City play is very fun and the online leaderboards, SimCity World, is also very enjoyable. 9 out of ten, because the game deserves more than a 2.0! And that DRM flaw: don't blame EA, but the damn pirates!… Expand
  4. depl0y
    Mar 12, 2013
    9
    The servers are now very respondent and the game is very cool.

    Still, a very bad launch, but I would like to ask users to update reviews accordingly.
  5. Deathmaker79
    Mar 7, 2013
    9
    The game currently has huge server problems, but if you can play it is quite good. Currently i did not find it very hard and the only thing that i do not like is that the regions are quite limited in size.
  6. Nitsuam
    Mar 7, 2013
    9
    Its a beautiful game when you can get on. Problem is you can't unless you can play games while at work or school (servers are not overcrowded 10 am to 2 pm eastern). I love the SimCity games and that includes this one when I'm able to play, but poor launch execution is not cool or acceptable. I will change my rating to a 9 out of 10 as soon as EA proves they can run this gameIts a beautiful game when you can get on. Problem is you can't unless you can play games while at work or school (servers are not overcrowded 10 am to 2 pm eastern). I love the SimCity games and that includes this one when I'm able to play, but poor launch execution is not cool or acceptable. I will change my rating to a 9 out of 10 as soon as EA proves they can run this game successfully. My only other problem is the always on connection but the detail of the simulation requires a better computer than what the average person has so it doesn't bother me that much.… Expand
  7. svict4
    Mar 8, 2013
    9
    So many people are going on about the business model for this game.. and fine, you are totally right, the launch sucked and that's because of the DRM.. but the actual game is awesome!! I haven't had so much fun in a simulation game, and that's why it had positive reviews by critics. Got a problem with launch yourself? How about you just breath deeply, sit back for 2 days or so and give itSo many people are going on about the business model for this game.. and fine, you are totally right, the launch sucked and that's because of the DRM.. but the actual game is awesome!! I haven't had so much fun in a simulation game, and that's why it had positive reviews by critics. Got a problem with launch yourself? How about you just breath deeply, sit back for 2 days or so and give it another try. I have had flawless play time for the past 4 or so hours.. giving that it is 2-3 days after the initial release. You shouldn't not-buy a game because it is DRM. If the game is good, then buy it and give it a rating based on how the GAME is, not how the business model is. It's fair to take aim at the company for doing the DRM, but the game itself shouldn't suffer if it is up to scratch.… Expand
  8. CypherLH
    Mar 8, 2013
    9
    I would give this game a 10 if not for the server/launch issues they are having. I also don't like the lack of a local save option. Setting those issues aside, when the game works it is AMAZING. I loved Simcity 4 and this is better than it, hands down. The sheer amount of content and the stunning level of detail and power of the simulation engine are astounding. Also, the ability toI would give this game a 10 if not for the server/launch issues they are having. I also don't like the lack of a local save option. Setting those issues aside, when the game works it is AMAZING. I loved Simcity 4 and this is better than it, hands down. The sheer amount of content and the stunning level of detail and power of the simulation engine are astounding. Also, the ability to customize/expand the plop-down buildings is a huge leap in functionality for SimCity. Its too bad the launch problems and online-only are giving the game a bad rep.… Expand
  9. Amstramgram
    Mar 8, 2013
    9
    Ok, so I'm writing this to everyone who want to know if they should buy the game. This is my first review by the way. I saw how this game got bashed by users and after playing a couple of hours I decided some things had to be clarified to make justice to the team behind this game. First, this is a ***g a m e***. The ***g a m e*** is not really a sequel to previous SimCity to myOk, so I'm writing this to everyone who want to know if they should buy the game. This is my first review by the way. I saw how this game got bashed by users and after playing a couple of hours I decided some things had to be clarified to make justice to the team behind this game. First, this is a ***g a m e***. The ***g a m e*** is not really a sequel to previous SimCity to my point of view, I mean it breaks lots of classical rule the previous one established, its kind of a revolution in the series... not a evolution. That's why you see so many simfans lobbying here. But the game is really fun once you accept the fact that they used SimCity franchise to make something different. To my point of view, its less realistic visually than the previous game. But... the gameplay is incredible. You have to plan more, use more collaboration of other cities, and your cities is confront to organic like challenges... your cities is making huge profit based on coal industries? Don't sit on your back like previous SimCity, cause one day your cities mines will run out of coal... So as a mayer its your role to plan a head for the transition... Much more challenging than previous SimCity. You cant save your city Haha, even better you must think of your choice. Critics about the map size didn't realize they where playing another game than SimCity. Small size cities is really important for the balance of this game. You have to manage your ressources, large land would screw this charming mechanic, cause otherwise, even if the coal or ore is vanish from your city you wouldn't care cause you simply would have build everything. SimCity 5 looks a bit like RTS strategy game, except this is to build with others. The challenges of gathering all the ressources for a great work is also very nice. Compare to SimCity 5, SimCity 4 was like painting a city while the new one is planning it. Once you started playing with the specialisation, this game really hook you. I thanks the team behind the game for having the gots not to follow everyone opinion (which shows they don't just want your money) and make a nice piece of art with this game. But be aware if you buy the game early, the macroeconomics severs are being hammered hard, and they probably waited to the last minute before plopping enough server So yes, there is a lot of disconnect and waiting right now, and yes this is really annoying.… Expand
  10. Griffyn
    Mar 9, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Perfect game, if EA can fix the server it would be 10/10. The mode of game is creative but it needs better servers. It is kinda unfriendly to single player who just wants to play himself.… Expand
  11. GildaTheGriffin
    Mar 10, 2013
    9
    Really do love this game. Played 4 hours straight and didn't have a problem with the servers. It's not perfect, but it's better tan ever. Making connections between cities is a nice feature. I understand the DRM, even though it's not working properly, but even EA needs to protect their product just as anybody. I feel as this game gets bad reviews just from EA haters and DRM cryReally do love this game. Played 4 hours straight and didn't have a problem with the servers. It's not perfect, but it's better tan ever. Making connections between cities is a nice feature. I understand the DRM, even though it's not working properly, but even EA needs to protect their product just as anybody. I feel as this game gets bad reviews just from EA haters and DRM cry babies. But once more servers get implemented and possible single player, then we will see a larger population of players.… Expand
  12. zleerichz
    Mar 10, 2013
    9
    Since I started playing the game on launch day at 3pm (UK) I had one game drop out and I was and hour into my game...... I just loaded it back up and I was back on my merry way no big deals......I've not created a public game yet but am looking forward to it I must say, I'm just enjoying creating my own region for the time being, just create a private game from a choice of many greatSince I started playing the game on launch day at 3pm (UK) I had one game drop out and I was and hour into my game...... I just loaded it back up and I was back on my merry way no big deals......I've not created a public game yet but am looking forward to it I must say, I'm just enjoying creating my own region for the time being, just create a private game from a choice of many great regions/maps some that I must add are huge! I'm on a map that has 7 build zones and I've only partly built on 2 after a few hrs of taking my time building.... I've got them exporting goods with each other and commuting I am enjoying the whole experience....... I understand people's frustration with the servers but you can't review a game on that basis surly? There's a lot of haters out there at the moment regarding this and other topics, seems like there's a big EA hate campaign going on. Overall I reckon Maxis has created a great Sim City keep up the good work, and I look forward to spending many hrs on this game in the future.… Expand
  13. ballard26
    Mar 10, 2013
    9
    Yes there were problems in the beginning, however people are all to quick to come to conclusions. What people fail to realize is the Maxis was not requiring all-the-time connectivity to be greedy, but rather to allow full fruition of the visions they had for the game's experience. They imbedded this new idea into the game to allow for brilliant simulations of cities, simulations of whichYes there were problems in the beginning, however people are all to quick to come to conclusions. What people fail to realize is the Maxis was not requiring all-the-time connectivity to be greedy, but rather to allow full fruition of the visions they had for the game's experience. They imbedded this new idea into the game to allow for brilliant simulations of cities, simulations of which many older computers of which the game is supporting would cause the game to be horribly slow if not for offsite calculations. Yes this idea didn't work out in the start, and yes the other motives behind the ideal were less than benevolent, however once again I must point out that Maxis has apologize and is trying there best to make amends. Honestly in my view the true problem isn't the company(at this point they are near to resolving the issue and getting back to near 100% uptime), but rather the players. It honestly sickens me to see how critical and cynical gamers have become about the industry. Game companies as of late have been trying to bring about a revolution to a industry that is in need of one. "We paid for the games, we have every right to play it right away!" Oh boo hoo, you can't play the game, so lets instead go and be little children throwing tamper tantrums and downrating the game on every review site we can find. Let me ask you, if any of you read this far, when Amazon ships you a defective product do you refuse to use Amazon anymore and downrate it, or Apple's new iPhone comes out and the site is down due to traffic do you go about to every site and downrate the phone, or when any MMO takes a server down for maintenance downrate it, or... well it's easy enough to make a list that'll make anyone scoring the game with a zero due to server issues seem like children. In the end Maxis has been putting countless hour and dollars into fixing their problems and have been apologizing many times over, they have done their part, now due yours. Stop being impatient, wait a day, then play the actual game and rate the game, not the servers. If not just remember the more you act like children and constantly go around berating every game company that makes a game with a few issues, the less these companies want to take risks. The less risks the less of the games we've come to love. Eventually the wondrous and full featured games like this and others will be gone. Only to be replaced by freemium model casual games, of which are extremely cheep to develop and make profits similar if not greater to full-fledge games such as this. Because of this I feel the need to reiterate a point, stop being children, wait until the game can be played to rate the game.… Expand
  14. MythWaker
    Mar 13, 2013
    9
    Never written a review on here but feel this is worth it!! Ignore the 0 marks as this game is far from it. Let me put it in perspective came home from work at 4pm, loaded this game up and could not pull myself away for 8 Hours straight it was that good! Yes the cities are not as big as before but you soon forget that as the game is so deep and addictive. (EA have said bigger cities areNever written a review on here but feel this is worth it!! Ignore the 0 marks as this game is far from it. Let me put it in perspective came home from work at 4pm, loaded this game up and could not pull myself away for 8 Hours straight it was that good! Yes the cities are not as big as before but you soon forget that as the game is so deep and addictive. (EA have said bigger cities are coming, DLC no doubt) This game is gorgeous to look at and everything runs smoothly. Coming from a sim city background it didn’t take me long to pick up the basics and all these reviews saying you will fail on your first attempt I don’t think so! I found as long as you follow the basics everything falls into place start small and work your way up to big.
    The only issue and why I gave it a 9 is that I had to wait an hour when I installed the game before I could play due to the updates that were needed to patch onto the game and I don’t really like the whole Origin thing, but once you’re playing you soon forget.
    Buy this game you will not be disappointed I can already feel months of my life slipping away to this game its that good!!    … Expand
  15. truckersanon
    Mar 23, 2013
    9
    Simcity is a great game, the city size is okay because you can control 5 or more regions, all linked up.
    The graphics are a bit simple and outdated, but the gameplay is awesome Simcity classicness with a network function for more fun.
    I do not like always online, costly dlc and drm, but hey, the game itself is 9 out of 10. Compared to other recent games in the genre, Simcity is clean    Simcity is a great game, the city size is okay because you can control 5 or more regions, all linked up.
    The graphics are a bit simple and outdated, but the gameplay is awesome Simcity classicness with a network function for more fun.

    I do not like always online, costly dlc and drm, but hey, the game itself is 9 out of 10.
    Compared to other recent games in the genre, Simcity is clean and works well.    … Expand
  16. MajorProbes
    Mar 20, 2013
    9
    I'm absolutely loving this game. Most of the initial bugs are now solved. I've not had a single connection issue in over a week (EU based). The region play with friends is great and brings a new element to SimCity that i never expected! If your a fan of the series and can deal with the always online, then pick this up you won't regret it.
  17. m0rphastic
    Apr 6, 2013
    9
    This game doesn't deserve a 0-4 because there is one mistake with online DRM. This game is actually very fun. I played it now 1 hour and didn't got one kick and I enjoyed it very much. There's too much hate around this game what I don't understand.
  18. thegr8est
    Apr 8, 2013
    9
    I started playing the game a week ago. The servers issues seem to be mostly solved now. I have not been bounced or had any connection problems at all. I, however, would like them to implement some addtional features like You cannot instantly bulldoze something (you have to schedule it for demolition) and to not instantlally build roads. Plus the cities are small. Other than that I love the game.
  19. SXBRussia
    Jul 10, 2013
    9
    My score is 9/10. The launch of the game was failed. Game Engine GlassBox destroyed terraforming. But full 3D, fun with my other Russian friends, easy and other good things... DRM is bad, 1199 RUB very high price for Russia, EA
  20. gumshoeismygod
    Nov 8, 2013
    9
    Now I have been a fan of the SimCity franchise for a while now and naturally got incredibly hyped when they announced they would finally be releasing a new game to my beloved franchise. I didn't buy it at first, I was short on funds and wanted to make sure it would be worth it. So I waited for reviews, and boy did everyone loathe this game. Server trouble, numerous bugs, crashing, alwaysNow I have been a fan of the SimCity franchise for a while now and naturally got incredibly hyped when they announced they would finally be releasing a new game to my beloved franchise. I didn't buy it at first, I was short on funds and wanted to make sure it would be worth it. So I waited for reviews, and boy did everyone loathe this game. Server trouble, numerous bugs, crashing, always online, the list goes on and on. I steered clear of it for a few months until I finally got around to playing it. I prepared for the worst, but what I got was my favorite game in the franchise to date. I loved it... The problems people said they had with the server were basically non-existent for me and I never had trouble with crashing. I loved the gameplay, though the city size definitely is to small. I love the camera controls, which are very responsive and crisp. I also greatly enjoyed the graphical style of the game, it felt more like a city than any of the previous other games had. I also enjoyed the curved roads, naturally. Sometimes clipping onto roads was annoying but for the most part it worked out well. The modules you can add to buildings are AMAZING, definitely one of my favorite additions, much more efficient to add more cops cars to your police station than to build an entire other one. Anyway, as a whole this game delivered on a level I didn't expect and I had a truly wonderful experience with it.… Expand
  21. Naketam
    Dec 6, 2013
    9
    Even though Sim city has some problems and these problems are mostly solved I give 9 points from ten because I've never played better city building strategy. For me the reason why i am not giving ten points is that the places for building are so small.
  22. gsaint213
    Dec 8, 2013
    9
    Although it was a logistical nightmare when released, now that EA has mostly fixed the server bugs this has turned out to be one of the most fun SimCity games to date. I admit it is frustrating that the areas are tiny in which to build, but I think that in the long run it gives the game better replay value... In the old titles, you spent countless hours on one city, and from then on thereAlthough it was a logistical nightmare when released, now that EA has mostly fixed the server bugs this has turned out to be one of the most fun SimCity games to date. I admit it is frustrating that the areas are tiny in which to build, but I think that in the long run it gives the game better replay value... In the old titles, you spent countless hours on one city, and from then on there was no comparing. However, in SC5 you build many small cities in a region, each with different specialties. Some work, some don't. But they can help each other, (making it nice not to have to start from square one each time), and you can work alone or with friends toward greater projects ("great works"). All said, if you were initially frustrated like I was with the game, give it another go. There are so many angles to take, so many new things to learn, that you may just get hooked the second time around.… Expand
  23. MJKProductions
    May 26, 2014
    9
    SimCity has become a great game. I have owned it since the release, but I wanted to wait until it had been updated to review it. EA has outdone themselves. First of all, the graphics are great. The UI is the best I've ever seen in a game, very sleek and simple. I love the tilt-shift graphics, I often find myself just watching the city. The soundtrack is where this game really shines. ISimCity has become a great game. I have owned it since the release, but I wanted to wait until it had been updated to review it. EA has outdone themselves. First of all, the graphics are great. The UI is the best I've ever seen in a game, very sleek and simple. I love the tilt-shift graphics, I often find myself just watching the city. The soundtrack is where this game really shines. I could listen to the soundtrack all day. Fun and upbeat, but it will change by itself depending on how your city is doing.

    I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of this game, and I don't regret it. I've been having fun messing around in single-player recently. I gave it a 9/10 only because the city sizes are a little small.    … Expand
  24. Laice31
    Jun 26, 2014
    9
    It's a shame that SimCity took so long to fix their many issues. All I can say is people who played it early should give it another shot now.

    Offline single-player and the many traffic fixes make it a very different experience from the early launch days!
  25. knightguard
    Jul 3, 2014
    9
    This game was so broken it was unbearable now its working to proper extent and singleplaer only mode has been introduced so YEAH BOY the only down side is that the map is too small but you can create different kind of cities
  26. jelikey
    Sep 10, 2015
    9
    A good SimCity that is different than it's predecessors, but still captures that typical SimCity feeling. It takes some time to get used to a few new approaches like the city size and the connected cities, but can get you hooked up in no time, leaving lots of options to optimize in later gameplay stages.I'd buy it again, no server problems as welI.
  27. Ilias_Ksle
    Dec 2, 2018
    9
    SimCity is a nice game. It is interesting, it has beautiful graphics and it has some details some other video games out there don't. But, the multiplayer is frustrating. The servers crash a lot! Also, it is a lot smaller and easier than other SimCity games as I have heard. For me, you should wait for this to go on sale.
  28. apokalipto
    Aug 10, 2023
    9
    Very good game. I enjoyed playing this game a lot. I strongly recommend this.
  29. DeniH
    Jan 22, 2022
    9
    To be hinest, this is not a bad game at all. Well at first, with the online-only feature it was a dissaster but at least is enjoyable now. The map size isn’t a big deal and it has many features, like upgreating and sharing supplys!
  30. zontral
    Mar 9, 2013
    8
    I haven't had any of the server problems like others were having so my experience has been awesome with the game so far. I feel like it's easier than Sim City 4 but still a great game and can be very addicting so I'm giving a solid 8/10..
  31. JayE
    Oct 29, 2014
    8
    Lets try to ignore all the troubles at its release, now that it is patched up and we have offline mode it's quite a good game for what it is with patch 10.1.

    There are still a few bugs present since release, such as Recycle Centers failing to collect garbage for no apparent reason, having to demolish and rebuild them to get them working again. And path finding issues such the 'cant find    Lets try to ignore all the troubles at its release, now that it is patched up and we have offline mode it's quite a good game for what it is with patch 10.1.

    There are still a few bugs present since release, such as Recycle Centers failing to collect garbage for no apparent reason, having to demolish and rebuild them to get them working again. And path finding issues such the 'cant find work' problem despite there being available work in a commercial building with wealth-matching jobs right next door. But these are minor issues. At least traffic now works properly.

    Compared to the previous games this is a breath of fresh air, the new 3D system works well, nice visuals and animations. It can be quite a challenge building a profitable city, balancing out wealth, crime, fire coverage, managing traffic, optimizing trade, futurizing the city, building successful casino's, getting everything balanced up to the point where the city can just run itself for hours with no input. But at this point there is not much else to do, the city is running fine, time to build another city, then another, then another, then it's like - what now? I suppose the other games had the same issue, but with the other games you could bulldoze a quarter of the city and redesign whole areas, relocate industrial etc... In this game you can't really do that due to the limited space, perhaps the game should have been called SimCityCentral or SimCBD because that's pretty much the area size you have to play with.

    If the city size was 200% - 300% larger it would be far far more enjoyable.
    Larger city sizes would allow you to create suburb areas, a city area, farming area, proper highways - this is simply not possible in this game. Bit of a shame. It is the biggest flaw of an otherwise brilliant game.

    I would probably give it 92/100 if the city size was larger. But it gets 82/100 from me.    … Expand
  32. nopistons420
    Mar 11, 2013
    8
    incredibly addicting and well made city simulator. its not the same old simcity you used to play a lot has changed but in my eyes for the better. the core game-play here is so good and so addictive once you start its hard to put down. the multiplayer aspects of region play are also very satisfying when they work!

    there is a very fun and challenging game to be found trying to manage    incredibly addicting and well made city simulator. its not the same old simcity you used to play a lot has changed but in my eyes for the better. the core game-play here is so good and so addictive once you start its hard to put down. the multiplayer aspects of region play are also very satisfying when they work!

    there is a very fun and challenging game to be found trying to manage your city as it grows from a cozy little town into a full on metropolis.    … Expand
  33. Atticas14
    Mar 19, 2013
    8
    This is my amended review. The original game gave the game a 1 out of 10. It really seems that EA is taking steps to improve the gameplay experience, and even awarded a free game to those who purchased at launch. I got Dead Space 3 for free and I really appreciate the offer. The new Sim City is really fun to play as long as the server aspects don't get in the way. I'm sure it'll all getThis is my amended review. The original game gave the game a 1 out of 10. It really seems that EA is taking steps to improve the gameplay experience, and even awarded a free game to those who purchased at launch. I got Dead Space 3 for free and I really appreciate the offer. The new Sim City is really fun to play as long as the server aspects don't get in the way. I'm sure it'll all get ironed out eventually and I'll have tons of fun in the future.… Expand
  34. Mo-teur
    Mar 9, 2013
    8
    This Review is purely based on when I am able to play, which is NOT that hard to do, you had to work a little bit day one but yeah, had problems with almost every Multiplayer servers on day one. When you get to play this game, it's pure fun, it's not half as complex as the 4th was yet has a really nice dept to it. Maps are Smaller but adds to the difficulty, you can't pop 20 nuclear powerThis Review is purely based on when I am able to play, which is NOT that hard to do, you had to work a little bit day one but yeah, had problems with almost every Multiplayer servers on day one. When you get to play this game, it's pure fun, it's not half as complex as the 4th was yet has a really nice dept to it. Maps are Smaller but adds to the difficulty, you can't pop 20 nuclear power stations anymore just because. you have to THINK about where you will be planting every little ''paid'' buildings since you wont want to destroy it and leave your city without water for 1-2 hours. Didn't have the chance to build a great work yet but i think it's a really nice idea to have such thing, great boost for the ''region'' yet you need to work for it. Regions are not a bad idea and I think even solo players will enjoy it. If we take Sim city5 against the 4th without any mods and patches (the current state of the 5th) The newest title has no need to be jealous and is a really good game if you give it a real try.… Expand
  35. falc0nit3
    Mar 10, 2013
    8
    Please fix the damn servers. I'm unable to play this game. So many negative reviews. Oh EA, when will thou learn? Tons of problems in the game as well. Sigh!
  36. punkologist
    Mar 13, 2013
    8
    Well I only just got the game so I missed all the excitement of the server issues The always on internet requirement is still annoying though, especially as I'm moving house and will have no internet for a week! It would have got a 9 otherwise. Having said that, i do like the multiplayer aspect. I'm in a clan and we have our own region so it will be fun to pollute everyone else's citiesWell I only just got the game so I missed all the excitement of the server issues The always on internet requirement is still annoying though, especially as I'm moving house and will have no internet for a week! It would have got a 9 otherwise. Having said that, i do like the multiplayer aspect. I'm in a clan and we have our own region so it will be fun to pollute everyone else's cities :)

    The game itself is a joy to play. I thought I would hate the smaller map sizes but so far it hasn't really bothered me as much as I thought it would. The graphics are superb and it is extremely addictive.

    To get this up to a 10, all that is needed is trains (as in local trains and subways not the region ones), large maps (so you can have realistic sprawling suburbs) and the ability to play totally offline.    … Expand
  37. Zudeare
    Mar 18, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Let me start off by saying that this game is really good, but the main reason why this game is getting such awful scores is the launch (which i'm sure of many have heard about by now). followed by the fact that the city sizes are too small. but those issues personally don't bother me right now, it seems like most of the server issues have been fixed and since i never played other simcity titles, the small city sizes don't matter to me. i am sure that many people will utterly enjoy this game despite its flaws.… Expand
  38. Mark2606
    Apr 13, 2013
    8
    When I saw the user score after I'd played the game for a week thinking they did a very good job on the game, I was thinking no way. Yeah, the server isn't ironed out, but overall I only had maybe two issues and they were temporary.

    Honestly, I've been through plenty of games that had issues on release date, but if you were to base your decision on how much fun the game is on a    When I saw the user score after I'd played the game for a week thinking they did a very good job on the game, I was thinking no way. Yeah, the server isn't ironed out, but overall I only had maybe two issues and they were temporary.

    Honestly, I've been through plenty of games that had issues on release date, but if you were to base your decision on how much fun the game is on a technical issue, you're stupid. Especially on a major title like this where you know making it right is a matter time.

    So, my first realization wasn't the technical stuff. Who cares. I set out on this game looking through 1 of 10 or 15 maps to start my city on. Let me tell you, when I was looking at those maps, the game didn't lead me to think "build a city", it was "build a continent".

    I got halfway through my continent when I started getting it. I'm thinking build a whole city on one grid. And, "wow, these are small grids." However, as I build my neighboring cities and my cities started interacting, it seemed natural to assume building "complete" cities on each grid was a critical error.

    That's when the grids stopped being small. One "city" would be (mainly) industrial, one residential, etc. If you look at the maps and study which cities are hooked together by road and rail. Those groups functioned more as a single unit with workers, police and fire working together.

    You can pick any map you want, and if you play the whole thing, and think of the entire continent being designed to function as your "megalopolis," small is definitely not what will be going through your head. If you're thinking you can try to jam your old strategies into a single grid, your frustration will probably put you in the dumb bunch who rated this game so poorly.

    This game is vast, dynamic, and nicely programmed. It's fun, fulfilling, and takes way more strategy than before. I haven't even scraped the surface tourism and trading strategies. So much to think about.

    So why don't I give it a ten? It is without a doubt in my mind the best iteration of the series. There are some things like schools. Once you build a university, schools as far as I can tell are useless. As a matter of fact, it looked to me like the total number of students simple migrated to the remaining educational facilities when I destroyed one.

    In effect, "lower than university" structures like elementary schools lowered the overall educational level of my city because the "total number of students" would simply be divided according to the number of schools you built... not the type. So after my university was built, by destroying my "lower than university" schools all the students would just migrate to the university thus always maximizing the education level.

    There are some of these types of things that would cause me to thump the designers heads. The issues are small, but that makes the game not perfect. And that's what a ten is.    … Expand
  39. Gil8ert
    Mar 12, 2013
    8
    There used to be a time when I was able to play games without a computer. Now EA have totally messed everything up because I need a computer to play SimCity. And computers crash, sometimes you have to spend ££s just to get them fixed and they're out of action for days! Risk has never crashed on me. That's basically the DRM issue but from a 1990 point of view. Otherwise I'm a UK player andThere used to be a time when I was able to play games without a computer. Now EA have totally messed everything up because I need a computer to play SimCity. And computers crash, sometimes you have to spend ££s just to get them fixed and they're out of action for days! Risk has never crashed on me. That's basically the DRM issue but from a 1990 point of view. Otherwise I'm a UK player and have only had to wait 20 minutes for servers to be working. And I've played well over 30 hours. So no real launch issues as far as I'm aware.
    As for the game it is ludicrously addictive! Everything you already know from the SimCity world, but tweaked in new ways. The smaller city size is limiting in some ways but it adds a new level of addiction an playability because those individual Cities can share resources which means you now no longer begin a new city and just go through the motions now you have an objective to your new city. Maybe you need to outsource sewage or rubbish to another city, or maybe you need a University. Because of the limits in the map size it means you cannot place everything in one City which means you have to be more tactical about your placements. Oh and word of advice don't place a University on a City, leave it a few hours and then delete it Industrial get right uppity about it and complain about unskilled workers!
    I really do like this game a lot. Too much, I couldn't stop playing it.
    Once you get passed the initial city building stages and you are getting better residents in, the balancing act of money and resources is quite a difficult one requiring a fair amount of attention. And before you know it 18 hours have gone in the real world.
    I'm a big fan of the Tropico series (Though what the difference between 3 and 4 was....I have no idea) and so far I think SimCity is going to trump Tropico in terms of longevity and charm. Because it is really rather charming in most respects. But don't listen to me and don't listen to any of the DRM nay-sayers either, because they're not reviewing the game! Go and have a play yourself, and come back to me when you've totally ruined your entire Real World life because you can't stop being Mayor!    … Expand
  40. Gamecrafter
    Mar 11, 2013
    8
    I frankly don't agree with all the derision out there; although, yes, it is annoying when the servers don't allow you to play clearly needs to be worked out. However I have been able to play enough times to know that the game is actually pretty bad-ass once you get into it. More fun than previous in the franchise. So I'm giving an 8 on the presumption that when Maxis works out theirI frankly don't agree with all the derision out there; although, yes, it is annoying when the servers don't allow you to play clearly needs to be worked out. However I have been able to play enough times to know that the game is actually pretty bad-ass once you get into it. More fun than previous in the franchise. So I'm giving an 8 on the presumption that when Maxis works out their server situation (and hires new IT guys I assume, ahem) that this game will be solid. Zero problem with the design of being online with others in your region that's cool imo. Seriously.. how often is your computer NOT on the internet these days? The off-line argument is old imo.… Expand
  41. Nexus2132
    Mar 27, 2013
    8
    Alright I'm not someone who is going to say "This is the best game ever, and all you people who dislike it are idiots!" However this latest SimCity title is what I would consider to be a fantastic game. Yes it is more of a business game rather than what some would call the "true" SimCity, but there is so much game behind this that its worth every penny. The fact that your Sims actuallyAlright I'm not someone who is going to say "This is the best game ever, and all you people who dislike it are idiots!" However this latest SimCity title is what I would consider to be a fantastic game. Yes it is more of a business game rather than what some would call the "true" SimCity, but there is so much game behind this that its worth every penny. The fact that your Sims actually have their own desires, wants, and needs makes the world live and breathe. This is one of the single best simulation games available to date, regardless of whether or not Hardcore fans agree with that statement. Its defiantly worth buying and with the updates in place its hard to find reasons not to. Don't listen to the hate train, this is a great game. Do yourself a favour and pick this one up.… Expand
  42. the-epikninja
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    A wonderful creative game where you can harness the full potential of your imagination and put it to action. Unfortunately, the server issues tends to be a problem. There are times where people tend to mess around with their city, which greatly affect your own city. DRM can also be an issue, if you want to play SimCity in a place where there's no internet. The game though is good fun and IA wonderful creative game where you can harness the full potential of your imagination and put it to action. Unfortunately, the server issues tends to be a problem. There are times where people tend to mess around with their city, which greatly affect your own city. DRM can also be an issue, if you want to play SimCity in a place where there's no internet. The game though is good fun and I recommend it to everyone. -the-epikninja… Expand
  43. kuehnau
    Apr 1, 2013
    8
    SimCity AKA SimCity 5 is the latest installment of SimCity from EA. It approaches the game in an new, interesting, stream lined manner that any fan of the franchise should appreciate. It adds new content by adding in a "quest" system of sorts, as you try to fulfill Sim's wants, needs and desires while balancing the town.

    They added in a new online co-op style game play in which you can    SimCity AKA SimCity 5 is the latest installment of SimCity from EA. It approaches the game in an new, interesting, stream lined manner that any fan of the franchise should appreciate. It adds new content by adding in a "quest" system of sorts, as you try to fulfill Sim's wants, needs and desires while balancing the town.

    They added in a new online co-op style game play in which you can trade with other local cities, something that should have been added in ages ago, something that the Sims 3 game should have had from the start.

    The game looks good, plays good and handles well.. When you can play it. When the servers are down, you cannot play the game, much like a standard MMO.

    I have two major complaints, the first being that you must always be online to play SimCity, I feel this is one of the worst possible ways to handle DRM. The second complaint is the fact I cannot access this game on STEAM. While this are kind of annoying, they are by no means deal breakers.

    Unfortunately, due to EA's reputation, the always on DRM and several other aspects, a very polished, fun, worthy titles is getting a massive amount of bad feedback from immature children who cannot understand that things can and will change with time. The same thing happened with Diablo 3. Due to some DRM issues and a bad launch day, a triple A title got horrible ratings. Do yourself a favor and try it out for yourself, don't believe all the negative hype surrounding an otherwise fantastic game.    … Expand
  44. Vittor
    Mar 5, 2013
    8
    The game is excellent. I loved that it is not a single player anymore, it's a great multiplayer experience. My main complaint is about the very small size of the town, but I can solve it by having multiple towns in the same region. The game is fun, runs smooth.

    I personally hate EA and origin and this is my first game bought there, but I'm not letting my hate interfere in my opinion on    The game is excellent. I loved that it is not a single player anymore, it's a great multiplayer experience. My main complaint is about the very small size of the town, but I can solve it by having multiple towns in the same region. The game is fun, runs smooth.

    I personally hate EA and origin and this is my first game bought there, but I'm not letting my hate interfere in my opinion on this game. Game's great.    … Expand
  45. DoctorMedic
    May 3, 2013
    8
    I do not get what's with all the hate over this game. Sure, always-online DRM is a bummer, but it's actually pretty good once you get past that. EA may have bad practices, but they aren't worse than New Jersey. Come on.
  46. naxhi24
    Mar 6, 2013
    8
    Going into this game I had high expectations. Being a player of simcity 3000 and simcity 4 I expected this game to be a great game. When I played it, it fullfiled all my hopes and desires for the series. Now most people judge games hardly, one thing out of place and it gets a zero.
    The two biggest reasons are:
    Drm servers, which ea said they would fix. the size of the City and region    Going into this game I had high expectations. Being a player of simcity 3000 and simcity 4 I expected this game to be a great game. When I played it, it fullfiled all my hopes and desires for the series. Now most people judge games hardly, one thing out of place and it gets a zero.
    The two biggest reasons are:

    Drm servers, which ea said they would fix.
    the size of the City and region is smaller, which doesn't bother me because having too many cities in a region made multitasking hard, here I can easily manage the cities in my region without going back and forth every five seconds.

    The gameplay is also much simpler then simcity 4. In simcity 4, none of my cities lasted longer then a day, in this simcity I can easily keep my city going for a long time. The multiplayer is also a good feature because I can now play with other people, and enjoy it. Zoning is also easier, I don't need to do high density, low density, or any of that, I just need to put a road down and BAM, I get skyscrapers. Also the deletion of power lines and water pipes and making it flow by street is also a good bonus making it simpler then it's predecessors.

    Though all this simplicity makes the game to easy at some points, making it tedious to keep going. Though it's not a big deal, I can just make another region with a different play style, or blow up the current city with disasters. In all, simcity is a great game, though flawed in non gameplay components, I give it an 8 out of 10    … Expand
  47. Commodent
    Mar 8, 2013
    8
    My reaction to servers being down a few hours: meh, I'll come back later then.
    Other's reaction: NOOO, this game isn't working and it will probably never do so ever again! It's a fraud and I demand my money back. I'll just rate this game a zero before I go kill myself.
    Seriously, stop being such impatient and accept the fact that all online games (yes, Simcity is an online game) is    My reaction to servers being down a few hours: meh, I'll come back later then.
    Other's reaction: NOOO, this game isn't working and it will probably never do so ever again! It's a fraud and I demand my money back. I'll just rate this game a zero before I go kill myself.

    Seriously, stop being such impatient and accept the fact that all online games (yes, Simcity is an online game) is suffering at launch. Unless you're a bunch of retards (which I sometimes think you are), you knew what you were buying.

    Sorry, for the strong words, but you guys really make me pissed.    … Expand
  48. Alerothi
    Mar 6, 2013
    8
    The lot sizes are too small, and the online-required sucks but the gameplay is fun and challenging. The initial instability, delays, and connectivity problems will hopefully get ironed out.
  49. AnwarBlast
    Mar 11, 2013
    8
    Buen juego. En su lanzamiento tuvo problemas con los servidores nada misterioso que no se pudiera resolver en pocos dias, Diablo III tuvo un comienzo mas caotico. El multiplayer esta bien, pero siguen faltando muchas opciones en la interfaz de unirse a una partida, extrañamos un filtro para conseguir partidas de forma rapida y con algunas caracteristicas, da la impresion que la conexionBuen juego. En su lanzamiento tuvo problemas con los servidores nada misterioso que no se pudiera resolver en pocos dias, Diablo III tuvo un comienzo mas caotico. El multiplayer esta bien, pero siguen faltando muchas opciones en la interfaz de unirse a una partida, extrañamos un filtro para conseguir partidas de forma rapida y con algunas caracteristicas, da la impresion que la conexion multiplayer fue tomado a la ligera, pero seguramente sera resuelto. El juego es muy intuitivo, y facil de jugar, buenos graficos y mucha dinamica, el terreno es muy pequeño pero de alguna forma cumple con las espectativas. Muchas carateristicas de versiones anteriores fueron simplificadas, pienso que como todo lo comercial para darle cabida a un publico mayor.

    En fin, antes de jugarlo pensaba en que iba a ser un 10 seguro, pero finalmente soy generoso con un 8, y no lo hice por los problemas de servidor como muchos calificaron con un 1 por aqui, se que es un problema que sera resuelto, me baso en las caracteristicas del juego, asi que un arrastrado 8 es mas que suficiente    … Expand
  50. Dadadadadadadad
    Mar 5, 2013
    8
    Pros... Several additions to SimCity 4
    Better graphics than SimCity 4
    New multiplayer mode
    Cons... Tiny city size limit
    Must be online to play
    Crashes alot
  51. LeVoiceOfReason
    Mar 5, 2013
    8
    I'm really disappointed with this game and DRM. All I wanted to do was go camping or to a tropical beach and bring my computer to play my favorite sim game on my laptop pc. Crybaby gamers who only want to pirate games, shouldn't be playing games if they can't afford them. Never once have I had an issue with DRM. To be fair the game has been toned down and more "Sim"ified but there is a lotI'm really disappointed with this game and DRM. All I wanted to do was go camping or to a tropical beach and bring my computer to play my favorite sim game on my laptop pc. Crybaby gamers who only want to pirate games, shouldn't be playing games if they can't afford them. Never once have I had an issue with DRM. To be fair the game has been toned down and more "Sim"ified but there is a lot more depth added that is seriously needed for the series. There are elements of Civ involved where you can communicate with your neighboring cities, which just happen to be your friends from your friendslist. The game runs incredibly smooth for how far you can zoom in and out of your city. If you don't like DRM start voting with your wallets, this idea was not up to the developers and coders. It's a sort of a poetic justice when gamers gripe about too much control in a game where the goal is to control. I don't play games while camping.… Expand
  52. greatpaperclip
    Mar 9, 2013
    8
    Now that I've been able to get in, I'm changing my score-it's probably a 9-maybe even a 10, without the previous issues. I'm having a lot of fun. Too bad about the launch, though
  53. CaelFrost
    Mar 5, 2013
    8
    While I would love to give it a 10 to help balance out the ridiculous knee jerk reaction of the mob, I have standards and ethics. I enjoy the game, I understand the problems but do believe they should have been anticipated and planned for. There are features like one way roads and overpasses that are important to citybuilding that aren't included.

    However its a deep game, the simulation    While I would love to give it a 10 to help balance out the ridiculous knee jerk reaction of the mob, I have standards and ethics. I enjoy the game, I understand the problems but do believe they should have been anticipated and planned for. There are features like one way roads and overpasses that are important to citybuilding that aren't included.

    However its a deep game, the simulation is beautiful and it satisfies my inner nerd. Here's to hope that they continue to put genuine effort into it without money gouging for DLC too much.    … Expand
  54. PureAqua
    Mar 5, 2013
    8
    I understand that DRM might be for problem for some people, but seriously you can't give the game 0/10 because of one element of the game that you don't like, regarding the city size limits; you are meant to build upwards and develop your city that way, build sky-scrappers, the developers intended to restrict the city limits to make you have to think through and choose your actions. TheI understand that DRM might be for problem for some people, but seriously you can't give the game 0/10 because of one element of the game that you don't like, regarding the city size limits; you are meant to build upwards and develop your city that way, build sky-scrappers, the developers intended to restrict the city limits to make you have to think through and choose your actions. The day 1 dlc is basically a skin pack for buildings and a preorder bonus, I wouldn't exactly call that day 1 dlc myself. Regarding to the "Oh my gash" Simcity has changed from Simcity 4, "Simcity 4 is so much better than this crap", the developers have adapted to appeal to a larger audience meaning that some elements of the game may have been altered. And I also don't personally like EA and DRM being used in video games but I don't hate on the game and give it a 0/10, it obviously deserves more score than 0/10. The game is greatly designed and has great interaction with different cities, the amount of work put in the game and the potential that can come out of this game is amazing, and still people hate the game because of one aspect.… Expand
  55. winwanwon
    Mar 5, 2013
    8
    I have no problem to play this game. EU West server is OK. Gameplay is great and make me addicted so don't care about it always online. enjoy the game.
  56. SimoxTav
    Mar 6, 2013
    8
    While the "Always On" connection requirement could be strict for someone (not for me, but it's however an "unwelcome" feature), the only thing I would like to see improved (thanks to my uber PC config) is the city size. I've been a gamer for SO MANY years that I found simply silly to complain for servers saturation in the first week of launch. The US servers were satured just because manyWhile the "Always On" connection requirement could be strict for someone (not for me, but it's however an "unwelcome" feature), the only thing I would like to see improved (thanks to my uber PC config) is the city size. I've been a gamer for SO MANY years that I found simply silly to complain for servers saturation in the first week of launch. The US servers were satured just because many guys from EU, waiting for their launch used the VPN and connected to US servers to have people to play with. IMHO before the weekend the issue will be fixed. And no, this simcity isn't a simple "single player" game at least not this time.… Expand
  57. Auticus
    Mar 6, 2013
    8
    I was initially put off by the meta critic scores for this game and was leery, but then realized that on the internet everyone is entitled and that it doesn't take much for someone to rage and drop a "0" for a score over the slightest infraction. As such I went into the game with an open mind.

    A good chunk of the bombs being dropped on this game by users is the complaining of the    I was initially put off by the meta critic scores for this game and was leery, but then realized that on the internet everyone is entitled and that it doesn't take much for someone to rage and drop a "0" for a score over the slightest infraction. As such I went into the game with an open mind.

    A good chunk of the bombs being dropped on this game by users is the complaining of the needing an internet presence to play it. This being 2013, is not a new thing. We can hate it all day long but the end of the day it comes down to piracy and a company wanting to protect their software from being freely shared across the world. I take it as something that is annoying but at this time required, and as much venom spewed at EA for implementing this can equally be spewed at the people who pirate everything that caused this to have to be put in place.

    Sweeping away all of the online presence complaints we get to the meat of the game, which is what I care most about. I was able to log in, the server was down a couple of times but resolved itself within minutes of my loading, and I played pretty much all night.

    I am a huge fan of the series, and I have to say that my impression of Sim City 5 is that it is a fairly solid title. It kept me entertained for most of the night and had me doing the "just another 5 minutes" that few games seem to be able to do for me.

    I enjoy seeing my city in 3D now. The simulation aspect is like it has always been, or seems to be. I think as a Sim City game it does what it has always done, and that was what I personally was looking for. The only gripes that I really had focused on lot sizes, but that's not something that will make me not want to play it. Its also something that I feel can be addressed with an expansion, which I am sure will follow much like the SIMS do (I even see some interactivity between the SIMS and SIM CITY as it was in the past with predecessors of the game)

    So I say if you are a fan of the series, or are looking for a solid city building simulation, this game delivers what it says it will. The DRM crying doesn't affect the game to me. It's an anti-piracy method that is in place because that's the world we live in. Love that or hate it. If you hate DRM, don't buy the game. As to requiring the servers being up all the time to play and in "X years the servers will be gone and you won't be able to play", I leave the logical fallacies out of the review. Jumping to conclusions doesn't really serve a review very well.    … Expand
  58. Jammin411
    Mar 6, 2013
    8
    Ok, the launch was less than a complete success. I had issues with crashes, server outages, even installation issues. The bad aside, this is a good game that takes city building to the next level. A lot of work has been done on improving the graphics, gameplay, and maps as a whole. Small things like rounded streets, free zoning and rezoning, and towns that are actually profitable andOk, the launch was less than a complete success. I had issues with crashes, server outages, even installation issues. The bad aside, this is a good game that takes city building to the next level. A lot of work has been done on improving the graphics, gameplay, and maps as a whole. Small things like rounded streets, free zoning and rezoning, and towns that are actually profitable and can be built in a few hours rather than days. The idea of having neighbors who can share resources like fire stations, police stations, ambulances, and even resources is a great addition to the game. Overall an excellent game that had a rough launch, but is worth the cost and time of playing.… Expand
  59. Kraazi
    Mar 6, 2013
    8
    Honestly, reading the reviews I expected to be have problems with SimCity at launch, but in fact the experience was quite enjoyable. Took a bit over an hour to download and install, which is lengthy but exceeded my expectations for a release day download. Once installed, the 3 available US servers were predictably full during US prime time, so I figured better to avoid the queue and takeHonestly, reading the reviews I expected to be have problems with SimCity at launch, but in fact the experience was quite enjoyable. Took a bit over an hour to download and install, which is lengthy but exceeded my expectations for a release day download. Once installed, the 3 available US servers were predictably full during US prime time, so I figured better to avoid the queue and take a potential performance hit choosing an EU server with space available until load dies down over time. In fact, there was no performance issue at all. Played about 5 hours with one crash, after which I got right back in. If the EU server with my game on it happens to be full during their off hours later and I can't get back to cities I've started, Ill be less pleased.

    The game mechanics so far are great. If you are concerned about city size, you are doing it wrong. The game is designed to have multiple specialized cities in a region working together, not one sprawling metropolis doing it all. It feels like people who complain about this don't understand the mechanic or are stubbornly ignoring to try to play the same style as the previous titles. If you are one of these people, you're gonna have a bad time. In my play time I managed to get an industrial town off the ground and the use its resources to get a casino/residential/commercial town going. The mechanics of sharing resources and services between cities is fun and probably gets pretty challenging to manage in large regions. If you choose a 16 city region, running out of space should be a very distant concern. It can be a bit of an annoyance having to jump to and load another city to tweak some service you are sharing (add more truck bays or what have you), then jump back to the city you are working on. If I got it going on that SSD I've had my eye on, even that modest annoyance would probably become negligible.

    I knocked off a couple of points for the annoying always online DRM, despite the fact that it has yet to cause me any issues. I doubt I will play much, if any, on public regions because, quite frankly, if the people who are writing these reviews are the people playing the game, I don't want to play with any of you!    … Expand
  60. GLaforte
    Mar 6, 2013
    8
    I managed to play the game correctly, by myself, for 2 hours last night.
    I was unable to play the multiplayer game with a friend, though.
    Today, with the new patches, I'm just unable to connect to the server.
    Feels like throwing money down a well would have been more beneficial.
  61. humanpixel
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    SimCity is an excellent game, when it works. I was fortunate in that I was able to play the game for about 12 hours before the server issues started. I know that once they resolve the network issues, this will be revered as one of the best SimCity games yet. Some people take this way too seriously. It's just a game. These types of things are to be expected. I understand the frustration,SimCity is an excellent game, when it works. I was fortunate in that I was able to play the game for about 12 hours before the server issues started. I know that once they resolve the network issues, this will be revered as one of the best SimCity games yet. Some people take this way too seriously. It's just a game. These types of things are to be expected. I understand the frustration, but networking issues shouldn't reflect poorly against the stand alone game dynamics, which are really amazing. We are a nation of addicts and you can tell which posters are struggling to deal with not getting their fix. I've waited for years for this game. A few more hours won't kill me.… Expand
  62. JP1991
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    Lets be honest here, yes the DRM sucks. However, the gameplay doesn't. I don't think the game deserves such low scores from bewildered customers, many of whom haven't actually played the game yet (thanks to the crappy DRM).

    However, had these hacks actually played the game, they'd realize...man, this is a really great game. Its the classic SimCity game. Hits all the right notes, great    Lets be honest here, yes the DRM sucks. However, the gameplay doesn't. I don't think the game deserves such low scores from bewildered customers, many of whom haven't actually played the game yet (thanks to the crappy DRM).

    However, had these hacks actually played the game, they'd realize...man, this is a really great game. Its the classic SimCity game. Hits all the right notes, great graphics, and, when it works, region play with other people is actually quite enjoyable. The ability to pick and choose a specialization is a neat twist to the series, also the ability to "share" your public services (such as fire, police, and medical) offer up great strategy when playing with friends online (allowing you to maybe not purchase that $15000 upgrade at the fire dept, for something more useful...like a trade depot). Oh, and the ability to upgrade your buildings, well that's pretty sweet; not enough fire coverage in your city? Well, instead of buying a whole new fire dept, why not upgrade the one you've got? A great game mechanic, if you ask me. The only problem I have with the gameplay on this version of SimCity...well, is the map size. It's nothing like SC4, with HUGE maps to fill up to your hearts content...no, not this one. You've got a small plot, use it wisely. That takes away from otherwise a superb game.

    8/10; Negatives being the small maps and the crappy DRM...

    See through all this BS, the DRM alone doesn't warrant a bad review alone. It's a shame these imbeciles can't get past that.    … Expand
  63. loran1212
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    I have now sat down with this game constantly for 2.5 hours, and at max got it to work for 20 minutes. this game, although it has nice visuals and from what i can see fine game play, is literally unplayable. it will probably become a whole lot better over the next few weeks. This will be my final lesson. I am not going to by another PC game until at minimum six months after launch.
  64. Toddavich
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    Great game with a major flaw, the flaw being online play only. The reason why I wouldn't give SimCity a score of a100. Get passed that and it's fantastic, from the game play to the music and the graphics at full settings are amazing.
  65. joevsyou
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    This is a TRUE 0 NOT spam. I can't play the game, unplayable. NOTHING more to say!

    Polygon website has reduce their score from 9.5 to 8. Most of these game websites are using SAME pictures for their review. I suggest you got trust them things currently going on ~amazon has Stop selling simcity ~polygon has reduce their review score from 9.5 to 8 ~EA offer refunds BUT then    This is a TRUE 0 NOT spam. I can't play the game, unplayable. NOTHING more to say!

    Polygon website has reduce their score from 9.5 to 8. Most of these game websites are using SAME pictures for their review. I suggest you got trust them things currently going on
    ~amazon has Stop selling simcity

    ~polygon has reduce their review score from 9.5 to 8

    ~EA offer refunds BUT then threaten to ban people accounts

    ~EA supposedly has hire Chinese workers to spam good reviews and has force a number of websites to close "create a account" for the meantime    … Expand
  66. Hyper1
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    If you can overlook the Server problems this is truly a great game.

    The city size is smaller than the old Sim city games but this isn't all bad, it gets you to think about how best to use the space you have, and if you cant fit something in there is always the option of creating a new city in a connected area and using that to cover anything that you don't have. Different map views    If you can overlook the Server problems this is truly a great game.

    The city size is smaller than the old Sim city games but this isn't all bad, it gets you to think about how best to use the space you have, and if you cant fit something in there is always the option of creating a new city in a connected area and using that to cover anything that you don't have.

    Different map views are great at helping you identify any problem areas in your city that are missing anything major.

    Other than the server issues this is an amazing game truly worthy of the SimCity name    … Expand
  67. sidewinder32
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    Very good game in overall. I enjoy it. Graphics are excellents, Game play need some tweak. Essentially server broke only one time for me and DRM is not a big deal at all. Overreaction of fan for the base score.
  68. stn1337
    Mar 11, 2013
    8
    The game is very addictive and fun to play. You just want to play more and more allt the time and it was a long time since I felt that feeling about a game.

    The game is very simple and basic tough, to the better for new player but to the worse for experienced players. The "play whit a friend" thing is a good idea, but doesnt play out well ingame. Me and my friend ended upp in different    The game is very addictive and fun to play. You just want to play more and more allt the time and it was a long time since I felt that feeling about a game.

    The game is very simple and basic tough, to the better for new player but to the worse for experienced players. The "play whit a friend" thing is a good idea, but doesnt play out well ingame. Me and my friend ended upp in different "zones" but still in the same region. So we could build our own cities.    … Expand
  69. Stinius
    Mar 8, 2013
    8
    I'm not giving this game a 0 for a reason: The game itself is great. Apart from the connection problems and the always-online bullsh*t, the game is awesome. I'm enjoying it even more than previous SimCity games. For the time I can play it, that is, because I get kicked out of the servers all the time and I've lost my progress quite sometimes. But, if it would become possible to play thisI'm not giving this game a 0 for a reason: The game itself is great. Apart from the connection problems and the always-online bullsh*t, the game is awesome. I'm enjoying it even more than previous SimCity games. For the time I can play it, that is, because I get kicked out of the servers all the time and I've lost my progress quite sometimes. But, if it would become possible to play this game without EA's bullsh*t, it would by far be an excellent SimCity game.

    So, the game gets a 10, the always-online bullsh*t and not being able to save/load a 0.    … Expand
  70. astrosteve
    Mar 9, 2013
    8
    So, what to make of SimCity? I've been playing SimCity since 1989, when the first one came out. Yes, this game is radically different than the other SimCity games. I've read a lot of reviews that seems to be blasting the game for not being exactly like 4. I think this is an unrealistic expectation. The first change, and something I really can't defend, is the always online requirement. ItSo, what to make of SimCity? I've been playing SimCity since 1989, when the first one came out. Yes, this game is radically different than the other SimCity games. I've read a lot of reviews that seems to be blasting the game for not being exactly like 4. I think this is an unrealistic expectation. The first change, and something I really can't defend, is the always online requirement. It makes no sense. I am happy to report that as of 3/8/13, I've been able to connect with minimal problems. It's still unacceptable, as EA could turn those servers off at any time. I seriously doubt they'll be maintained for more 4-5 years. I was conflicted as to if I should deduct points from my score for the DRM. It's not really the game itself, but it impacts the game. After considering it, I ultimately decided the game loses 1 point for the DRM.

    As for the game play itself, it's enjoyable. While zoning looks different, it's still similar. For instance, I've found if you make roads in a square configuration and lay residential zones around the entire interior, it functions very similarly to the old zoning system. Of course, you can't make the squares too large or this breaks down. The guide lines are your friend for properly placing the roads.

    Another issue mentioned is the size of the lot. Yes, I admit it's small but I find that it's actually not as constricting as one would imagine. I played for about 4 hours on Llama speed for most, but not all, of the time. (I've never enjoyed any of the SimCities on high speed) I had less than half the map filled up, so it doesn't go by quite as fast as some other reviews on here claim. I suppose if you ran it on Cheetah speed the entire time, the time to build might be reduced.

    I eventually started up a second city as I realized I had screwed the first one up beyond fixing unless I wanted to shell out several hundred thousand simoleons to fix it. I did not want to do this. And that brings me to the next part: The "region grid" with the multiple city sites. I like this idea, actually. Very rarely in real life do you get a city that functions entirely on its own. They always need to bring things in from outside, and I found this system to work very well. My first city had a large excess of power, so I bought some for my second city. The first city sometimes sends over cops or ambulances to help out. Sometimes an arsonist escapes from the first city and tries to burn down the second. I'm actually enjoying this very much, and like the idea of making a series of interconnected cities.

    People complain about the lack of infrastructure, and I can understand that. I enjoyed optimally placing power wires. I'd make them incredibly redundant. 4 or 5 power plants with a giant tangle of lines so no one can ever lose power without destroying the power plants. Sure, that was fun, but not really a necessary component of the game. I don't see the loss of infrastructure control as a big thing overall.

    Do I like what the old SimCity games had to offer? Definitely. Do I like what the new SimCity offers? Absolutely. It's a different perspective at a game. It leans just a little towards the casual and, quite honestly, that makes the game better. I can see why hardcore SimCity gamers would hate this, and that's fine. Not everyone will. I may have played SimCity since the start, but I don't consider myself a hardcore fan. Once every few years, I'll pull one of the games out and play them for a few weeks, then put it away and pull it out again a few years later.

    People also complain about Day One DLC. I don't see a problem with it. I like the concept of DLC so long as it doesn't take away from gameplay. What's the day one DLC? The ability to make European-looking cities. (Place a Double Decker Bus Station, for instance, and everything starts looking British.) That's completely visual. It's fine. If the ability to place Industrial Zones was DLC... well, then I'd have a problem. But it isn't, so I don't.

    The way I see it, it comes down to this: If you like SimCity the way it was, and I can absolutely see why someone would, go play that. SimCity 4 holds up wonderfully even by 2013 standards. You want something different? Just as engaging and addictive? Then give SimCity 5 a try. The best endorsement I can give the game is this: I started playing at 10pm a few nights ago. After I played for a while and looked at the clock, it was 5am. Yeah, it's _that_ sort of a game.

    So, final score? Without the DRM, it'd get a solid 9/10. I'd like to see a few changes (variable sized cities would be nice, maybe the ability to place farmland again) but the game is great as is. However, as I stated earlier, the game loses 1 point for its obnoxious DRM. Final verdict is 8/10.    … Expand
  71. sash__sweetie
    Mar 9, 2013
    8
    A few small issues, and nothing with the server. My main problem was that the game didn't update to show I'd done the 'Getting Started', so I couldn't start my own game. But after re-starting the game, and re-starting and quitting 'Getting Started', the game worked exactly as it was meant to. Personally, I found the city size limits a bit frustrating. That said, I love this game inA few small issues, and nothing with the server. My main problem was that the game didn't update to show I'd done the 'Getting Started', so I couldn't start my own game. But after re-starting the game, and re-starting and quitting 'Getting Started', the game worked exactly as it was meant to. Personally, I found the city size limits a bit frustrating. That said, I love this game in comparison to the older versions of SimCity!!… Expand
  72. ArkZilla
    Mar 10, 2013
    8
    Although the launch was a disaster, I can't help but love the game. It is fun, engrossing, and complex. I have not been able to play as much as I'd like to because of the server trouble, but every time I do get in I find myself having a great time. And the music is absolutely some of the best I've heard in a soundtrack in ages. The smaller cities are a little bit of a bummer, but theAlthough the launch was a disaster, I can't help but love the game. It is fun, engrossing, and complex. I have not been able to play as much as I'd like to because of the server trouble, but every time I do get in I find myself having a great time. And the music is absolutely some of the best I've heard in a soundtrack in ages. The smaller cities are a little bit of a bummer, but the fact that your cities link together makes up for it a bit.… Expand
  73. JohnKrisfalusci
    Mar 10, 2013
    8
    Listen, get past the server problems, random crashes, and the queues and when you DO play like I finally did I have to say I LOVE this game! I spent at least 6+ hours straight and I wasn't even aware until I was starving because I had skipped lunch and dinner. You know the devs are working like they said they would because on those new servers, I had no problems in connection. (However,Listen, get past the server problems, random crashes, and the queues and when you DO play like I finally did I have to say I LOVE this game! I spent at least 6+ hours straight and I wasn't even aware until I was starving because I had skipped lunch and dinner. You know the devs are working like they said they would because on those new servers, I had no problems in connection. (However, the 1st and 2nd servers are still very busy). You know the game is good when you spend hours doing a million and one things, and even after all this, you don't feel burned out or bored like many other games out there. Each time I play this game, I can't help but smile because it's like a brand new game everytime! That is my honest opinion and I give it a 8.1. It could have been a 9.1 easy! In conclusion, once this whole login/ server busy/ queue issue gets worked out, this game will become another classic and fan favorite! ^_^ Cheers.… Expand
  74. Wilmaster1
    Mar 11, 2013
    8
    Unlike a lot of gamers here at metacritic i find SimCity an amazing game and definitely worth buying. The first days a lot of problems occured with the DRM and servers where out non-stop, but since this monday i found no problems with connecting anymore. SimCity is a well made game with incredible gameplay and amazing artwork that truly immerges the player in making it's own little worldUnlike a lot of gamers here at metacritic i find SimCity an amazing game and definitely worth buying. The first days a lot of problems occured with the DRM and servers where out non-stop, but since this monday i found no problems with connecting anymore. SimCity is a well made game with incredible gameplay and amazing artwork that truly immerges the player in making it's own little world together with friends. To start the game low skill is required but as the player continues the game will grow harder and more challenging for the player!
    Amazing Game and definitely worth your money!    … Expand
  75. Shaddowdove
    Mar 11, 2013
    8
    Despite the clear lack of foresight with regards to the massive server overload when this game was first released, I really enjoy this game! It builds upon the traditional city building games that we all know and love. They really have out done themselves to create a game where you can govern a city, interact with other cities to create trade deals and still remain connected with theDespite the clear lack of foresight with regards to the massive server overload when this game was first released, I really enjoy this game! It builds upon the traditional city building games that we all know and love. They really have out done themselves to create a game where you can govern a city, interact with other cities to create trade deals and still remain connected with the people of the city. I really enjoyed the fact that you can create one player games as well as the interactive multiplayer games. The game also includes a brief run through of new (and old) controls and goals. People who played pervious Sim City games will no doubt winge and complain, however I found them incredibly helpful. The only major downfall of this game is the lack of and offline mode. Many people have complained about this as well as the server overload. What I dont understand about this is that with similar problems occuring with other online games (such as diablo) why did they not learn from those failures?… Expand
  76. Eruptox
    Mar 18, 2013
    8
    I believe the veterans and players have the right to be mad at this game. However, I found this game very very good. My first ever building game is Anno 2070, so I'm quite a new player to the genre of city building. I know every game has problems, and people are blaming Maxi's and EA for making it always online. Here's the thing, there's no reason why you people should be complaining.I believe the veterans and players have the right to be mad at this game. However, I found this game very very good. My first ever building game is Anno 2070, so I'm quite a new player to the genre of city building. I know every game has problems, and people are blaming Maxi's and EA for making it always online. Here's the thing, there's no reason why you people should be complaining. There's only one reason, the future of gaming. Many games are going to be on the cloud and this is actually a transition where it's showing you a glimpse of the future gaming. (E.g. PS4.) Whether you like it or not, it will be the future of gaming. I completely agree that Maxi's and EA didn't learn from Diablo 3, where their launch was very bad. However, you can't just be angry because of one mistake. I think the haters are a little too overboard, this game worth at least a 6/10. If everyone judges a game by its release, then you really need to realize how pre-mature your comments are coming out. Many problems in SimCity right now are fixable. There's a lot of potential in this game, and I look forward to have more of this game. (I don't work or got paid by EA to say all this) This game is worth to check it out. 59.99 seems a little too much for this game through. If you're new to the city builder genre, or you're hesitant because all this negative comments, get it when it's cheaper.… Expand
  77. Frast2013X
    Aug 2, 2013
    8
    Dawno nie widzieliśmy naprawdę dobrej strategii o zarządzaniu miastem. Maxis dał nam szansę zagrać w to, co tak długo oczekiwaliśmy. Nowe Sim City posiada bardzo ładną grafikę, ogrom ciekawych elementów. Do tego jest zrobiony tak, że każdy może sobie z tą grą poradzić. Wciąga na długie godziny, po prostu zapomina się o realnym czasie. Twórcy odwalili kawał świetnej roboty, robiąc ogromDawno nie widzieliśmy naprawdę dobrej strategii o zarządzaniu miastem. Maxis dał nam szansę zagrać w to, co tak długo oczekiwaliśmy. Nowe Sim City posiada bardzo ładną grafikę, ogrom ciekawych elementów. Do tego jest zrobiony tak, że każdy może sobie z tą grą poradzić. Wciąga na długie godziny, po prostu zapomina się o realnym czasie. Twórcy odwalili kawał świetnej roboty, robiąc ogrom rzeczy których nie miałem szansy zobaczyć w innych strategiach. Maxis I EA musieli jednak jakoś zepsuć sobie moje zdanie. Stałe połączenie z internetem, dlaczego? Ja się pytam dlaczego? Największy błąd jaki może popełnić firma robiąc gre. Do tego dochodzi mały teren na którym możemy budować. Boli mnie też brak kampani, jak i mniejsze niedopracowania. Moja ocena 8/10… Expand
  78. aaarghhhh
    Nov 18, 2013
    8
    Several months after release and I still play this game as it is what I call my go to game. When everything else fails, got to SimCity. That is one of the better ways to while away a few hours. Just look at the youtube channels that are dedicated to SimCity. Rated it 8.934628364 out of 10.00
  79. leomcontos
    Nov 19, 2013
    8
    great game, love the way it handles the interactions with other cities and the fun of building my own city, how I can choose how it runs, say: Green city, or industrial or a smart city. but really, they give you hardly any space to build on and they put adds in the game, with the bloody NISSAN LEAF CAR ADD AND PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE ADD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really is that how low you can gogreat game, love the way it handles the interactions with other cities and the fun of building my own city, how I can choose how it runs, say: Green city, or industrial or a smart city. but really, they give you hardly any space to build on and they put adds in the game, with the bloody NISSAN LEAF CAR ADD AND PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE ADD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really is that how low you can go EA! But they are a minor impact to a fun game,

    SIMCITY:
    +creative choice
    -no space to build
    +online is great
    -ADDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    … Expand
  80. 68Camaro
    Dec 18, 2013
    8
    I like this game. I waited until October 2013 to buy it. The server issues have been fixed. Sometimes during peak times you do find you get bumped or can't log on, and not being able to play offline is a real issue for many. Me included. But most the time now, you can get on. Once your on, the game is very fun and very addictive....if you "get it". I almost wish there was moreI like this game. I waited until October 2013 to buy it. The server issues have been fixed. Sometimes during peak times you do find you get bumped or can't log on, and not being able to play offline is a real issue for many. Me included. But most the time now, you can get on. Once your on, the game is very fun and very addictive....if you "get it". I almost wish there was more "business" in it, but for "the masses" it's a great game now. The only thing that I think of is...what happens when Orgin drops the game or goes bankrupt? I can't play my game. So.... Online only game I'm actually renting the game.… Expand
  81. Nosepicker9000
    Jun 23, 2014
    8
    Simcity (2013)
    Pros:
    +Fun
    +Looks nice
    Cons:
    -Online DRM (but that is fixed because singleplayer has arrived)
    -Not much space
    -No terraforming
    Yes it has it's flaws.
    But cmon! Its fun!
    You can get amazing mods, And build nice cites. The only thing i dont like is no space for cities.

    If you hate i dont give a poopoo.
  82. 99thRangernick
    Oct 3, 2014
    8
    After about a year and a half after release, SimCity has definitely redeemed itself for its always-on DRM release. The game plays as smooth as the past SimCity games, possibly even more so. The graphics only add on to the game's greatness, especially once your city becomes larger. Space limitation is the biggest issue with the game, however, but it still doesn't affect the game enough toAfter about a year and a half after release, SimCity has definitely redeemed itself for its always-on DRM release. The game plays as smooth as the past SimCity games, possibly even more so. The graphics only add on to the game's greatness, especially once your city becomes larger. Space limitation is the biggest issue with the game, however, but it still doesn't affect the game enough to say it makes it awful; just a minor inconvenience. Helps if you get a few friends to play with, as this still does have the multiplayer aspect to it, but singleplayer is still fun. I recommend to catch this game on sale, and also to check out the expansion pack if it is on sale as well.… Expand
  83. TheJari
    Oct 19, 2015
    8
    Most of the negative reviews for this game are a bit outdated, since they have added offline, and that seems like the only real problem everyone has with this game and the rest of the games EA published. I don't mind DRM too much because I always am connected to the internet when I play games, and a few hiccups in servers aren't enough to destroy my opinion of a game. Sure the cities areMost of the negative reviews for this game are a bit outdated, since they have added offline, and that seems like the only real problem everyone has with this game and the rest of the games EA published. I don't mind DRM too much because I always am connected to the internet when I play games, and a few hiccups in servers aren't enough to destroy my opinion of a game. Sure the cities are very small, but in my opinion it made SimCity better. I thought it made the connection of many specialized cities more necessary, which I for one liked, and forced cities to build up, and not sideways. I believe that the game was built fairly well for the smaller cites. Even though there were a few other shortcomings in some features, they are fairly small, and I think that if the publisher was not EA, nobody would care nearly so much. I play other modern city builders such as Cities: Skylines, and I actually believe that this game has features and ideas that they should learn from. It was made from the master of city builders after all.… Expand
  84. EpicSurvivor
    May 13, 2018
    8
    I am rating an 8 instead of a 7 just because how the game sucks you in if you are new to the series or haven't played Simcity since 4 and get sucked into it like I did. Having spent $5 on Origin Access I acquired access to this game. It was something that caught my attention and was willing to try. Its been 5 days counting the day of this review and I have played well over 10 hoursI am rating an 8 instead of a 7 just because how the game sucks you in if you are new to the series or haven't played Simcity since 4 and get sucked into it like I did. Having spent $5 on Origin Access I acquired access to this game. It was something that caught my attention and was willing to try. Its been 5 days counting the day of this review and I have played well over 10 hours straight every day. I couldn't put it down. I was addicted to it. Unlocking new tech, and trying to master the game and unlock everything was a fun and very rewarding challenge. 54 hours later and I can say I finally feel satisfied that I have accomplished everything available in the game. That being said the game is a solid 7 no less. Its not innovative but it has something about it that just hooks you and makes you want to keep trying and learning until you finally master it. Absolutely worth $5 through Origin access. Hell this game is worth $5 by it self. Really recommend it. Its a good break from R6 Siege (800 hours), COD (BO2 1000 hours) Battlefield 3-4-1, Killing Floor, GTA 5. Totally worth it on sale. Check it out!… Expand
  85. Bloodnes
    Oct 31, 2020
    8
    Неплохой градостроительный симулятор, игра затягивает ровно на неделю, потом становится скучно, графика приятная, возможностей много, но опять все сводится к банальному развитию города и не более. Построив свой идеальный город, второй строить уже и не хочется. Неделю можно поиграть, но более время тратить смысла нет. 8/10 чисто из фанатизма к данному жанруНеплохой градостроительный симулятор, игра затягивает ровно на неделю, потом становится скучно, графика приятная, возможностей много, но опять все сводится к банальному развитию города и не более. Построив свой идеальный город, второй строить уже и не хочется. Неделю можно поиграть, но более время тратить смысла нет. 8/10 чисто из фанатизма к данному жанру
  86. 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
  87. 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
  88. 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
  89. 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
  90. 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
  91. 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!
  92. 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
  93. 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
  94. 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
  95. 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
  96. 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
  97. 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
  98. 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.
  99. 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
  100. 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.
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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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