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. dr_mibbles
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    A great franchise, ruined by EA. People are buying the game in good faith, despite reservations about always-online DRM. They are then finding they cannot log into the server, or constant disconnects, or cities failing to save/being constantly rolled back. The game is unplayable, and getting a refund is very challenging when the only way to contact EA is though live chat support with a 6A great franchise, ruined by EA. People are buying the game in good faith, despite reservations about always-online DRM. They are then finding they cannot log into the server, or constant disconnects, or cities failing to save/being constantly rolled back. The game is unplayable, and getting a refund is very challenging when the only way to contact EA is though live chat support with a 6 hour wait. Yes, six hours.

    When they realise that the (unnecessary) DRM is preventing them from playing a game they paid good money for, or wasting hours of their time by not saving their cities, they are understandably feeling let down. They believe the product is at fault. The reviews on Amazon/Metacritic reflect that sentiment with total and complete accuracy.    … Expand
  2. staglianno
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    don't even bother to buy this game. In 3 years time (or less) EA will shut down the servers and you will never be able to play this game ever again. Why? EA will probably come out with another simcity game and will force gamers to buy the new one instead. Not to mention this game came out with DAY 1 DLC, city sizes are smaller than an actual small town in the middle of no where. nodon't even bother to buy this game. In 3 years time (or less) EA will shut down the servers and you will never be able to play this game ever again. Why? EA will probably come out with another simcity game and will force gamers to buy the new one instead. Not to mention this game came out with DAY 1 DLC, city sizes are smaller than an actual small town in the middle of no where. no subways, no terraforming, forced mutliplayer, no save games to go back to so that means that if you disaster your city there is no way back. everything bad that you can put in simcity is there. Oh and the city sizes are small because the game connects to the servers constantly and cant handle more data from bigger cities. I hope EA dies in a hole somewhere. SHOW EA THAT THIS DRM and balatant rippoffs are not welcome. vote with your wallet.… Expand
  3. parkour86
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Always online DRM, what more do I have to say?
  4. PunkStarStudios
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Anyone giving this game a positive review must be a shill.... someone working for EA who can actually play the game as opposed to the poor slobs trying to play it from home.
  5. Geofferic
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    The game simply does not work. I've been in queue for 40 minutes at a time, get disconnected, have to get back in queue The Day 0 DLC is shockingly insulting. The cities are tiny. Very, very little innovation other than slightly snazzier interface. $80 bucks to get the game as it is intended to be played is ridiculous. This is garbage. Stay away. Ignore the raw lies that are theThe game simply does not work. I've been in queue for 40 minutes at a time, get disconnected, have to get back in queue The Day 0 DLC is shockingly insulting. The cities are tiny. Very, very little innovation other than slightly snazzier interface. $80 bucks to get the game as it is intended to be played is ridiculous. This is garbage. Stay away. Ignore the raw lies that are the 'journalism' reviews.… Expand
  6. Faery
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This isn't a 'review bomb', as some hack EA-brown-nosing news sites are claiming. These are legitimate consumer complaints based on their inability to even run the game that they purchased, for absolutely no good reason, for reasons that EA were warned would happen and yet did nothing to prevent it. As it stands I've had to wait unreasonable lengths of time to even play my game. The fewThis isn't a 'review bomb', as some hack EA-brown-nosing news sites are claiming. These are legitimate consumer complaints based on their inability to even run the game that they purchased, for absolutely no good reason, for reasons that EA were warned would happen and yet did nothing to prevent it. As it stands I've had to wait unreasonable lengths of time to even play my game. The few times I could play it, I have been disconnected at random resulting in save corruption, rollbacks or general loss of data. This isn't my problem. This is EA's problem. I will be seeking a refund, otherwise I will be looking into a chargeback for being sold a non-functional product. I advise anyone else with these problems to do the same.… Expand
  7. TheFandango
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    I've tried to play this game a few times now. Like everybody else is saying cannot connect to the server. DRM is the worst idea in the world. I'll be asking for a refund.
  8. Poroz
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I am changing my review, This game is not worth the head aches in the last 2 days... No amount of fun is worth all the crashes all the times the serves are down, all the time loading the game to not being able to make/start a game. The game is fun, but it is NOT worth all this waiting for nothing. you wait start the game and its down, or you go into a server and cant make a game, StartingI am changing my review, This game is not worth the head aches in the last 2 days... No amount of fun is worth all the crashes all the times the serves are down, all the time loading the game to not being able to make/start a game. The game is fun, but it is NOT worth all this waiting for nothing. you wait start the game and its down, or you go into a server and cant make a game, Starting this game for the 5th time is not as fun as it was playing it the first time.… Expand
  9. toocheap
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Have been a fan ever since the first SimCity. I can't believe EA and their anti-consumer policies. I'll be getting a refund and will never by another EA game. Terrible, just terrible experience.
  10. Lightang3l
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    EA.... people who pirate your game WOULD HAVE NOT BOUGHT IT TO BEGIN WITH!
    Thous 15.000 people who would have donwnloaded it would have done so because it was FREE! They are not going to come running to you...they will just play something else!
    Now the people who LOVE Simcity have to go through all your and have no control over the game, no saves, no nothing! I can't play on a train,    EA.... people who pirate your game WOULD HAVE NOT BOUGHT IT TO BEGIN WITH!
    Thous 15.000 people who would have donwnloaded it would have done so because it was FREE! They are not going to come running to you...they will just play something else!
    Now the people who LOVE Simcity have to go through all your and have no control over the game, no saves, no nothing!
    I can't play on a train, can't play on a long trip, can't play when there is no internet, can't play when your servers go down.. I CAN'T PLAY !
    And what about 5 years down the road...what then EA when your servers close down and I'm left with a plastic disk shaped corpse of a game??? I can play simcity2000 50 years from now...can I play this game then??
    REVIEW: The game is awesome... but EA made it unplayable and not worth the trouble!
    sad...    … Expand
  11. moedin
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This game was going to be a winner but the total mess with DRM has limited to one play session, can't log back in due to server capacity and EA support has been useless in telling me to be patient. Not one apology or showing any form of culpable responsibility for this mess. For that, I offer you this score EA. As always, you never fail to flop on something with such promise.
  12. OCsmart
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Servers always booting me out. connection lost how i am hard wired into the internet! be only to play on-line is a huge pain in the a** am cant save your city on your desktop and then have it sync to the cloud. then you can swap server because you lose your city completely i been playing this game since the launch date. my computer at home plays it just fine. then i get to work and playsServers always booting me out. connection lost how i am hard wired into the internet! be only to play on-line is a huge pain in the a** am cant save your city on your desktop and then have it sync to the cloud. then you can swap server because you lose your city completely i been playing this game since the launch date. my computer at home plays it just fine. then i get to work and plays for like an hour then boom game stops responding, it due to the graphics card over heating video card hog. my call of duy Black Ops 2 doesnt even take that i can play for hours and they dont get hot. this game is a heat generator. i wish i could play it on the plane or in the car but you have to be connected always to the internet make me wonder how much data is being transfered all the time. and there is no auto sync so if you get blown out of the game you have to start all over again sucks.… Expand
  13. nightred
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    The updated graphics is nice but the lack of options for transportation that makes any difference the lack of larger maps where you would actually care about creating a large city with interesting design.
    This feels like a demo of a full game we will get next year.
    Oh ya and the DRM is horrid constraining and adds nothing, absolutely nothing to the game.
  14. uncoldolan
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This game is the steaming pile of raw sewage you would have been able to pump into neighboring cities had the game servers actually worked. EA has proved they simply care about the money and not the product. This games launch issues were worse than Diablo 3 and have not gotten any better. Sad EA ruined such a historic franchise.
  15. strcrft15
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    The game is completely unplayable. Can't create a city, can't join an already existing game, can't run the tutorial... this isn't just a launch day issue. This is second day. I didn't pay money to wait to play. Waste of time.
  16. mrpuck
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    So I took the bait. Even after all the research I did on other Simcity forums from those who played beta I bought the game.
    Spent about 4 hours with it yesterday and I am quite disappointed in it.
    Let's get out the Pro's: Graphics Yes it looks very pretty. Even though I was shocked to see the "sims" looking like lego characters, overall the buildings and houses etc are very pretty.    So I took the bait. Even after all the research I did on other Simcity forums from those who played beta I bought the game.
    Spent about 4 hours with it yesterday and I am quite disappointed in it.

    Let's get out the Pro's:

    Graphics Yes it looks very pretty. Even though I was shocked to see the "sims" looking like lego characters, overall the buildings and houses etc are very pretty.

    Modular upgrades Excellent idea, and works very well. I never did like the idea behind "I need more firetrucks? build 5 more fire stations". Now I can add onto the Firehouse and expand it's coverage that way. Works very well for Police, Fire, Schools, etc.

    Curved Roads I can actually build a realistic looking town. The curved roads are great. However they leave issues with putting down homes and buildings on them at times.

    Now for all the Cons:

    Online DRM I know everyone complains about this. I was willing to deal with it. Then the servers went down and I couldn't play. Is it first day issues? I'm not sure but it was almost ironic when the servers went down.

    City Size Of course a huge complaint, other reviews mention this. Filled up my entire town in a little over an hour.

    Diversity of buildings Where are all the buildings I want to build? I'm talking places like Museums, Churches, Zoo's, Post Offices, etc. etc. I can think of tons of missing content. Were these left out so EA can sell us buildings for $1 each later down the road?

    Transportation So far it seems all you get are buses. No Train stations, no subways, etc. I do believe you can build an airport eventually.

    The whole "Upgrade town hall to unlock stuff" Seems silly and unnecessary. I can't build a hospital because I already used my TownHall upgrade for something unrelated so I have to wait.

    It's hard to really say all the issues with the game in just bullet points. One of the biggest issues I have is simply with the density of zones. Let me paint a picture for you. You have a nice suburban part of your town, where say you want your middle to upper class to live. They would live on nice single lane roads with maybe some cul da sacs shooting off that road etc. You can build the road system, and then zone it for residential. That's it.... So what happens? You get mobile homes all over, and the only way to get the houses to "upgrade" to nicer establishment is to put parks/recreation all over nearby (and their effect is small size wise). Or you have to upgrade the road. Now who lives on a 4 lane road in a mansion? Not many people I can think of. It's absolutely idiotic.

    The game is definitely driven to have you share resources with neighboring regions. If you try to do it all in your one small city, you're in for a mess. So you have to essentially pause your game, and go to another city and start fresh there. Whether in the other city it's creating better jobs, or focusing on utilities to provide to your other city, etc.

    Overall, I am extremely disappointed in this game. A lot of the issues CAN be patched, fixed, upgraded with a lot of work from Maxis. But in the state the game is now, it should never have been released. This will probably be a game I shelve for a bit, and hope that in a few months it becomes playable. As it sits now, I paid for a beta copy. If I could return this to EA I would.    … Expand
  17. 102Viking
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Forced online DRM, worst servers ever, extremely limited building area (should be called SimVillage or something like that. EA, never go full greed.
  18. spewey
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Maxis should never have rolled this out without providing for the robust server support it should have known was necessary. I've hardly been able to log in; most attempts failed. At least this has kept me from fuming about the small size of cities we are limited to. Maxis' insistence on DRM may protect them from a few pirates, but it has greatly inconvenienced thousands of their users,Maxis should never have rolled this out without providing for the robust server support it should have known was necessary. I've hardly been able to log in; most attempts failed. At least this has kept me from fuming about the small size of cities we are limited to. Maxis' insistence on DRM may protect them from a few pirates, but it has greatly inconvenienced thousands of their users, and turned the most anticipated game of the year into a massive disappointment.… Expand
  19. supamun
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Purchased game, installed, started game, created city, game crashed, no saves. Restarted game, created city, played for 15 minutes, game crashes, no saves. Ate lunch. Restarted game, unable to created city due to error. Closed and restarted game, unable to authenticate with server, tried different server, unable to authenticate. Closed game. Write review.
  20. Sharra65
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I purchased this game to the hefty tune of 60 X2 yes both myself and Boyfriend have a copy. Here's what I've seen so far. The game itself is good. The mechanics are well thought out, and complex enough to keep interest. There's some graphical glitches. The plot size for the cities are smaller than preferred. You definatley have to manage your space effectively. Now for the problems andI purchased this game to the hefty tune of 60 X2 yes both myself and Boyfriend have a copy. Here's what I've seen so far. The game itself is good. The mechanics are well thought out, and complex enough to keep interest. There's some graphical glitches. The plot size for the cities are smaller than preferred. You definatley have to manage your space effectively. Now for the problems and they are game breaking. In 5 hours of attempted play on two computers here is what we experienced. Delays in invites to the game, 10 minutes. In ability to claim a city once the invite was accepted. Once we sorted that out and got our cities claimed, and were playing two of the 3 people in our region were kicked from the server, re logging in showed we weren't invited to the game we'd been playing at all. Had to be re-invited to get back to our existing cities, which had reset completely to the default although were showing we'd claimed them. 3 disconnects a piece for myself and the boyfriend. Never at the same time, so it wasn't really servers crashing. I should mention we play in the same house. Inability to get back into the game without a 20 minute queue. At one point the 20 minute queue ticked down and reset to another 20 minutes... at this point i shut it down. This morning when i logged in, it had lost 2 hours of progress from last night due to synching issues. My bf experienced this a couple times yesterday as well. Basically the online component need fixed yesterday or the games dead.… Expand
  21. ND3G
    Mar 12, 2013
    0
    How soon we forget. The uproar over Simcity started long before the game was even released. The issue never had anything to do with whether or not the servers worked properly, it had to do with the fact that they shouldn't be necessary at all. Until EA removes the online requirement this game remains a very deserved zero.
  22. Chewieflakes
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    If you condone EA's terribly consumer-unfriendly business practices and countless butchered classics by buying this game you should be ashamed. If you are lucky enough to even be able to PLAY the game you payed so much money for then you'll be surprised to see most of the official game reviewers have been paid off by EA for favorable ratings, which is typical. Also expect dozens of dlc forIf you condone EA's terribly consumer-unfriendly business practices and countless butchered classics by buying this game you should be ashamed. If you are lucky enough to even be able to PLAY the game you payed so much money for then you'll be surprised to see most of the official game reviewers have been paid off by EA for favorable ratings, which is typical. Also expect dozens of dlc for content that was suppose to be in the original game. Do not buy this game.… Expand
  23. BlueOtter
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Unfortunately, this edition of SimCity, while fun to play and far more challenging in its intricacy than its predecessors, is completely unusable to those wishing to play on the go. Using my laptop, I'm unable to launch or play the game much of the time because if the always-online DRM requirement the publisher has imposed on this game. It's bad enough to call a critical bug that rendersUnfortunately, this edition of SimCity, while fun to play and far more challenging in its intricacy than its predecessors, is completely unusable to those wishing to play on the go. Using my laptop, I'm unable to launch or play the game much of the time because if the always-online DRM requirement the publisher has imposed on this game. It's bad enough to call a critical bug that renders my game play unusable.… Expand
  24. ErrantPoster
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I made an account here just to express my disappointment with this game...a game I've really been looking forward to. It's tiny, It doesn't look nearly as good as I was expecting. It runs rough on a good rig. DRM. The social gaming thing seems...necessary. At least if you buy this...buy it with your eyes open.
  25. gonzothegunnut
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Can not access game. Always on DRM. If you want to play this game just download it for "free" the first chance you get. Single player games should not require you to be online, it's as simple as that. I bought this game for my wife, she was super excited.. I bought her lunch and took our son out so she could have some fun alone time that she hasn't gotten in months. So of course sheCan not access game. Always on DRM. If you want to play this game just download it for "free" the first chance you get. Single player games should not require you to be online, it's as simple as that. I bought this game for my wife, she was super excited.. I bought her lunch and took our son out so she could have some fun alone time that she hasn't gotten in months. So of course she was upset when she couldn't play it. If Blizzard can't pull off always-online DRM without screw ups, I don't know what makes EA think they can.… Expand
  26. RoboGeoff
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I can't review the actual game since I'm not on a privileged reviewers server, but it's been 2 days of constant struggles and no more than 10 minutes worth of actual in game play. First, EA's failure to allow preloads meant that I waited 3+ hours from launch before I was given the priviledge of downloading the game I paid for. Secondly, once installed, the user must play server roulette,I can't review the actual game since I'm not on a privileged reviewers server, but it's been 2 days of constant struggles and no more than 10 minutes worth of actual in game play. First, EA's failure to allow preloads meant that I waited 3+ hours from launch before I was given the priviledge of downloading the game I paid for. Secondly, once installed, the user must play server roulette, in hopes of finding of simply starting a private game. The last of local saving, and the always-on DRM design of the game means everyone who plays this game is at the mercy of the server Gods. Despite ensuring everyone that always-on DRM will not be a concern and there will be plenty of servers, this is not the case. Maybe one day I'll actually get to play this game. Don't expect anything but the most frustrating gaming experience ever if you buy Simcity from EA Origin. Stay away until they figure things out... if they can.… Expand
  27. xaxxos
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    I've had it since midnight launch day (3 days now) and STILL have yet to be able to play multiplayer. No big deal, I'll just play single player. Wait I can't because the servers are down, full or being 'patched'. What a POS. I paid full price for an awesomely-reviewed game and, instead, have to settle for the intro music. I've never been more disappointed in a game.
  28. Alphabrava
    Mar 13, 2013
    0
    Let me state before you read this review that I have not been able to play this game. I want to play this game. I was ready to purchase and had been awaiting release until I found out about the always online DRM. Now I can't buy it because I can't play it in many areas that I travel to. I find Sim City 4 a good escape and a continuing puzzle for me to solve whilst i am on the road. AnLet me state before you read this review that I have not been able to play this game. I want to play this game. I was ready to purchase and had been awaiting release until I found out about the always online DRM. Now I can't buy it because I can't play it in many areas that I travel to. I find Sim City 4 a good escape and a continuing puzzle for me to solve whilst i am on the road. An upgrade would have meant hours of boredom in hotels eleviated whilst I work away. But alas no EA not only wants my money it wants to get into my house and start controling where I can be and when I can play thisis no good. Therefore i have to score zero.… Expand
  29. DaBigMac
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I loved playing the betas and would probably love to play the game too except having shelled out for the deluxe edition I am still unable to play. Origin says I have played it for 9 hours haha! Three times I was able to get on the game crashed. Three others times I lost contact with the server and all progress on the game. I have had to use three different servers and can now no longerI loved playing the betas and would probably love to play the game too except having shelled out for the deluxe edition I am still unable to play. Origin says I have played it for 9 hours haha! Three times I was able to get on the game crashed. Three others times I lost contact with the server and all progress on the game. I have had to use three different servers and can now no longer access any of them as they are on busy servers. Now I cannot even connect to available servers. No Origin I have not had 9 hours of playing I have had what feels like days of frustration (and this is after I was only able to downlaod it 6 hours after launch). I am sorry to review like this but it is rubbish and I feel conned. EA, be very ashamed.… Expand
  30. SplendidGrendel
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This Game Doesn't Work! how could you give it a 9? Its us unplayable by sooooo many people! I don't buy the reasons they gave for this! I want a refund.
  31. Blacknegger
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I'm (was?) a huge fan of the SimCity franchise. But in this game, i gotta admit: EA really *ucked it up. You need an internet connection to play a single player game, and sometimes you got even to wait in order to play it. This was definetly my last purchase at origin. Don't waste your money in this game.
  32. brunchman
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Im a prepurchaser and was not only let down by the launch, but as a loyal gamer was slapped in the face by this "always online" RDM ball and chain. I will not be supporting this type of RDM game again.
  33. Stiksu
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Last game I'll be buying from EA. Dragon age 2 was a disaster, mass effect 3 ending was a piece of and now this always on DRM crap for simcity. I really would not be that much pissed off if it worked but expending 5 hours in a city and then crash and lose all of it is the final drop.

    The always on DRM is not the only issue, getting to have multiplayer without any kind of matchmaking    Last game I'll be buying from EA. Dragon age 2 was a disaster, mass effect 3 ending was a piece of and now this always on DRM crap for simcity. I really would not be that much pissed off if it worked but expending 5 hours in a city and then crash and lose all of it is the final drop.

    The always on DRM is not the only issue, getting to have multiplayer without any kind of matchmaking and players dcing on a multi city based (sadly) game can ruin the experience that is not so good to begin with.

    EA killed my childhood franchise, I'll do what I can to help see them rot as a company.    … Expand
  34. jonathanyts
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Server issues and Constant On-line requirement screw this game up. Started multiple cities to only have them erased. Then later on every 5-10 minutes the game would crash.
  35. YOUDY
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Honestly simcity is a beautiful game and a great addition to the series been on it last few days, but i cannot over look the always online DRM, poor decision EA,
  36. rav_
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I don't believe the reasons EA gives for always-online-DRM.
    PCs can handle definitely the calculations.
    Cloud save should be optionally on top of local save just like "Steam". This is EA's strategy to sell an online service model and DLC/microtransaction. They should not have sold it at retail price. This type of model is ok for free-to-play; not retail. All the convolutions to make    I don't believe the reasons EA gives for always-online-DRM.
    PCs can handle definitely the calculations.
    Cloud save should be optionally on top of local save just like "Steam".
    This is EA's strategy to sell an online service model and DLC/microtransaction.
    They should not have sold it at retail price.
    This type of model is ok for free-to-play; not retail.
    All the convolutions to make a single player game to appear as an online multiplayer game to justify their model.    … Expand
  37. damnleperchons
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Always on DRM for a single player game. Unable to login to actually play. Brilliant idea EA, to sell a product that we are unable to use! Worthless way to prevent pirating. If any it will encourage it.
  38. Soulure
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Absolutely unacceptable. Game forces the install of Origin bloatware. Downloads are slow for large post-launch updates. Games are saved per server so if the server you created your saved game on is down or under maintenance, you cannot access your city. You cannot play this as a single-player game at all without always-connected forced DRM, meaning you cannot take it with you on a getawayAbsolutely unacceptable. Game forces the install of Origin bloatware. Downloads are slow for large post-launch updates. Games are saved per server so if the server you created your saved game on is down or under maintenance, you cannot access your city. You cannot play this as a single-player game at all without always-connected forced DRM, meaning you cannot take it with you on a getaway vacation to a location with limited or no internet. Cannot resell the game when you're done. Worst part of it all is that after the last maintenance, game saves on the servers were all reset so all the work you put into your city was lost with no way to do a local restore. Can't rate a game higher than 0 that you can't play. Best part of the game is that Amazon is allowing returns.… Expand
  39. sudz
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    The Game itself is not bad at all. A bit glitchy, But overall quite nice. It gets difficult when your city becomes larger, and disasters seem to be rather frequent (once an hour?) However on the whole, it is a very enjoyable game to play. My Main complaint, however, is that I cant play it. Despite many assurances that this launch would go without a hitch, I was able to play for 2 hours onThe Game itself is not bad at all. A bit glitchy, But overall quite nice. It gets difficult when your city becomes larger, and disasters seem to be rather frequent (once an hour?) However on the whole, it is a very enjoyable game to play. My Main complaint, however, is that I cant play it. Despite many assurances that this launch would go without a hitch, I was able to play for 2 hours on release day before it crashed, and crashed, and crashed, then no longer allowing me to log in. There was a Beta to test load How did they get caught unaware? The preorder and Number of games shipped/printed should have been enough to allow them to predict load. next time, Stagger the launch date by location. Maybe this will help.

    For this reason, I give it a zero, as I paid 60 dollars to be frustrated for 2 days, and for that, Ultimately, the entertainment value of this purchase was non existent. I'd rather have wasted the 60 dollars to go see all 4 twilight films in theater.

    Ok no, I take that back. But you get the picture.    … Expand
  40. BSaget
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Always online for no reason, can't play at launch because of server queues for a largely single player game. Poor graphics, bugs, pathetically small "city" size. Should have called it SimTowns or SimNeighborhoods.
  41. LanSacro
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This should go back to the oven. It's clearly not done yet.

    I have to rate this pretty low, which is unfortunate as the brief time I was allowed to play seemed like fun. However, the fact that I cannot even load up the game consistently means that I have to rate it as such.
  42. eppurcentral
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Es un gran juego pero no está acabado, para poder disfrutar de el tienes que estar pagando todo el rato los contenidos descargables, desde el primer día. Además hay que estar constantemente conectado a internet ¿que pasa si quiero jugar en otro lugar donde no tengo internet? He pagado pro el y no puedo disfrutar de el donde quiera, además de tener que instalar Origins aunque no quiera.
  43. bstmstrxellos
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    SimCity is a single player game, but since EA is insisting on an always online connection to prevent piracy, I am unable to play if their serves are full. There needs to be a local single player option as EA does not have the ability have enough servers for everyone to play. I paid $60 to have a game that I cannot play at all. Even when you can get on a different server, since theSimCity is a single player game, but since EA is insisting on an always online connection to prevent piracy, I am unable to play if their serves are full. There needs to be a local single player option as EA does not have the ability have enough servers for everyone to play. I paid $60 to have a game that I cannot play at all. Even when you can get on a different server, since the cities are not saved locally but on the server, you cannot load your city.… Expand
  44. Grey3000
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    After much anticipation I bought the game, while game play seems up to snuff, EA's handling of the launch and insistence of always on DRM has pretty much killed the joy. The servers have been bouncing every few hours. While the SimCity userbase warned EA of the problems of always on DRM and no offline play, EA ignored them and the users predictions came true. As of this review the gameAfter much anticipation I bought the game, while game play seems up to snuff, EA's handling of the launch and insistence of always on DRM has pretty much killed the joy. The servers have been bouncing every few hours. While the SimCity userbase warned EA of the problems of always on DRM and no offline play, EA ignored them and the users predictions came true. As of this review the game is really unplayable, which is very sad considering the cost.… Expand
  45. h2theizzo
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Just want my money back at this point. Here are the cons:

    1. Always on DRM. nuff said. 2. rinky dink map size. The interesting thing is that as long as #2 exists, #1 is a non issue as nobody will be playing this game in a year, nevermind 5 years when the shut it down. If they fix 2 we're still SOL as we need to be online to f-ing play. Can we start a petition to try and    Just want my money back at this point. Here are the cons:

    1. Always on DRM. nuff said.
    2. rinky dink map size.

    The interesting thing is that as long as #2 exists, #1 is a non issue as nobody will be playing this game in a year, nevermind 5 years when the shut it down.

    If they fix 2 we're still SOL as we need to be online to f-ing play.

    Can we start a petition to try and get refunds?

    What a POS.    … Expand
  46. Cerulean
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I was really psyched for Sim City. Everything I read about it from the gaming sites made it sound really interesting, but all the comments from gamers wanred me about EA and their dreaded online-only play. So I shellled out $90 for the DELUXE edition of the game and have spent two days doing nothing. EA servers are down and I cant play the game. When I can get on, my cities areI was really psyched for Sim City. Everything I read about it from the gaming sites made it sound really interesting, but all the comments from gamers wanred me about EA and their dreaded online-only play. So I shellled out $90 for the DELUXE edition of the game and have spent two days doing nothing. EA servers are down and I cant play the game. When I can get on, my cities are missing. I'm sorry to say I have learned my lesson. Don't buy EA games. Dont buy games from companies that let DRM get in the way of enjoying the game. Waste of $90.… Expand
  47. wtfea
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I paid $59 for a game that I cant play 2 nights in a row. Cannot in any way play. If multplayer was temporarily broken, I would have no problem, but the game is simply unplayable. Im done with EA. Let them keep their sports game monopoly, they are running those into the ground anyway.
  48. Ollirg
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    It took me two and a half hours to cover all map. Two. And a half. But let's track it back a bit, for the moment I thought of Buying Sim City. .
    The first time I've played a SC was on my SNES. No, not the computer, but Nintendo Console, and it drag me in. I was fascinated with the idea of building my city in a way the game punish me for my mistakes by making the city drown in it's own    It took me two and a half hours to cover all map. Two. And a half. But let's track it back a bit, for the moment I thought of Buying Sim City. .
    The first time I've played a SC was on my SNES. No, not the computer, but Nintendo Console, and it drag me in. I was fascinated with the idea of building my city in a way the game punish me for my mistakes by making the city drown in it's own failed concept. Loved it so much that bought SC 2000 to my PC. And the game had turned into an adult experience. I was a boy, but the game didn't care: If I think like a child, my city will fail. .
    So it came 3000, and it brought a even more complex and awesome face to the series. Sim City 4 got everything they've done right in All Sim City and turned it into one of the best video-games ever! Then, years of gameplay in SC4 has passed and they announced SC, the reboot. I smiled and praise every god! Then they told me about the Always-on. I don't buy games with AO or DRM, but this is Sim City, man! So I decided to make an exception. And now totally regreted it. TOTALLY! .
    First of it all: It took me almost a day to download it. I was anxious. I wanted to play my game, 'cause I've already bought it, Right? They shoud have given me more band. After the long wait, the game was FINALLY here. So LET'S PLAY... not. The first hour (Yes, HOUR) I couldn't connect to the server. Then, almost like a miracle, I logged in. .
    "Where are the Graphs?", I asked myself. How can I Manage my city to total Awesomeness by seeing my development in curves to compare to other cities? Well, I can't. The game is officially dumbed down, with a crappy live economy that only exists to make you stay on-line. .
    "Wait, I can't do ANYTHING with the terrain?" No, I can't. I have to accept the map as it is. No big mountains. No great planning for a really awesome tunnel.
    .
    The map is really, really small! Smaller then I thought it was by looking at pictures. I made a road the crossed all the map and started planning my city. Some minutes passed and I've tried to sell resources (electricity and water) to neighbour cities. For some reason I couldn't (still don't know, and the same is happening for many people). .
    And then things got worse: I was Diconnected! Yes, I've played arround 40 minutes and somehow I couldn't play anymore. On the screen, they're telling me it will try to connect again in 20 minutes. TWENTY. F**KING. MINUTES. Clock reaches zero AND... Couldn't log in. AGAIN IN 20 MINUTES! WHAT THE F**K? I've just bought the DAMN game and can't play it because YOUR servers are DOWN and this CRAPPY DRM won't let me even see my city? WTF, EA? .
    So I waited. And sometime later it connected again. And I'm building my city. And it's growing. Despite the lack of administration tools with minimum complexity, I'm getting richier. First I expanded North (the place I called North, anyway), and when I reached the border, started to expand south. And then I realized I had NO MORE ROOM TO BUILD! I'ts Over, friends! Can't expand anymore! It Took me two and a half hours to ocuppy the WHOLE map! From this point on, if you wish to keep playing, it turns out you are in a SOCIAL THE SIMS, where you need to keep looking at the mood of sims to make them happy. No more Building, just a clown trying to make people smile! Want to play more? Try building another small boring city!
    . And that's how my love for Sim City is officially over. It was a good fun, but EA needed to cheat on me. And That's why, since I can't give this game back, I'm giving it a zero on my first review on metacritics.    … Expand
  49. EAruinedgaming
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    A hard copy of the game SC5 arrived at 10:00. Thanks Amazon. I went home and installed it. And updated it... And updated it.. and updated it. East coast servers down. Put me on west coast Europe. I got into a region. It wouldn't let me choose a city. I was booted. I opened Origin again. This time I was asked to do the tutorial. It loaded. I couldn't do anything but move the camera. ItsA hard copy of the game SC5 arrived at 10:00. Thanks Amazon. I went home and installed it. And updated it... And updated it.. and updated it. East coast servers down. Put me on west coast Europe. I got into a region. It wouldn't let me choose a city. I was booted. I opened Origin again. This time I was asked to do the tutorial. It loaded. I couldn't do anything but move the camera. Its been almost 48hrs since launch. Whats the hold up?
    I Hate EA.    … Expand
  50. HighAltitudes
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Another great game franchise down the toilet. Microsoft screwed up Flight Simulator with the abomination "Flight" and now EA sends this stinky effluent called "SimCity" down the pipe. The online problem is a deal killer, no way, no how. Why not just have a logon and then a choice of online play or offline? That way your installation is verified to satisfy EA and you get to play atAnother great game franchise down the toilet. Microsoft screwed up Flight Simulator with the abomination "Flight" and now EA sends this stinky effluent called "SimCity" down the pipe. The online problem is a deal killer, no way, no how. Why not just have a logon and then a choice of online play or offline? That way your installation is verified to satisfy EA and you get to play at your own leisure without dropping off the server and losing your work. Epic failure. Avoid like herpes.… Expand
  51. ragedujoi
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I remember the days of failure in WOW, it seems like nirvana compared to the complete lack of direction by Origin
    This is a city simulation, let us do that offline!
    I have had 4 cities wiped by them
    2013 and we still cant have persistent server access
    oh wait we can, GW2
    I think i may want my monies back I am also a little pissed i cant have subways
  52. Omnizero
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Installed game, updated drivers, waited 3 hours before i was able to play for 15min before the crash and had to change servers to play for another 20min, repeat most of night. I'm sure they will streamline the server issues, however it's no longer a fun and relaxing game. I want a refund and will be sending emails to the board of directors of EA. They need new executives in that company.
  53. HateDRM
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    i cannot believe the always on DRM. it is absolutely ridiculous, and there is no reason for it. i hate drm, hence my handle. and also its stupid. but we still all gave EA money. i dont know how to solve this problem
  54. davesmylie
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Always on drm? For a single player game? DRM that breaks and stops you from even playing the game that you LEGITIMATELY PURCHASED? Don't waste your money

    This is absolute rubbish....
  55. FancyTuxedo
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Can't connect to servers, can't create a new city, just awful. I have an excellent online connection, EA's servers just can't handle the influx of gamers. How can such a wealthy company not have the hardware to handle their games? Hate DRM, I hate everything about it. This is NOT an mmo, there's no reason for a constant connection.
  56. BustyMcSeamus
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Just saw another commercial for Sim City......Maybe they should have spent more money on their server budgets instead of their giant marketing blitz...
  57. mnl148
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Always on DRM ruins the game. Day 2 and still can't play because EA servers are down. Be prepared to not be able to play when you want. The game has a lot of problems. Only one of them actually matters. Never support always online DRM for a single player game. Lots of people cannot play their single player game because of this and gamers need to do everything they can to stop developersAlways on DRM ruins the game. Day 2 and still can't play because EA servers are down. Be prepared to not be able to play when you want. The game has a lot of problems. Only one of them actually matters. Never support always online DRM for a single player game. Lots of people cannot play their single player game because of this and gamers need to do everything they can to stop developers from including it.… Expand
  58. Latros
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Cant give this game anything except a 0 right now. A game that will not let me play it is no game at all.

    On top of the Fact that you are required to be logged into a server to play even if you want to play by youself/singleplayer you cant because it wont let you. I attempted to play last night for over 4 hours with 0 sucess today i get home from work... oh way 20minute login que that    Cant give this game anything except a 0 right now. A game that will not let me play it is no game at all.

    On top of the Fact that you are required to be logged into a server to play even if you want to play by youself/singleplayer you cant because it wont let you. I attempted to play last night for over 4 hours with 0 sucess today i get home from work... oh way 20minute login que that counts down from 20minutes before itll let you play. That is complete bs.

    On top of that:
    -Very disapointed with the features left out of this game such as (public transportation etc..) -No terra forming -Forced sence of multiplayer
    -Map size entirelly too small they have limited the actuall map size to a fraction of the last sim city! how the hell does that work 10 years later and you have less space to build your city? complete bs you can run out of land to develop and have to start tearing down in a very short time.

    Biggest gaming disapointment in my 29years on this planet.    … Expand
  59. DirtyJRH
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    They have taken what could have been have been a gem and turned it into a proper turd! How in the heck are you supposed to play when the beyond trash servers are always busy or full? You can't save it so if you want to keep playing your city your stuck on the same server that never works, oh you want to switch servers that's cool, have fun starting over. You have to wait for the crappyThey have taken what could have been have been a gem and turned it into a proper turd! How in the heck are you supposed to play when the beyond trash servers are always busy or full? You can't save it so if you want to keep playing your city your stuck on the same server that never works, oh you want to switch servers that's cool, have fun starting over. You have to wait for the crappy server you were on to access your city. I knew always online DRM would suck but I had NOOOOO idea how bad! Had the game 2 days gotten in only a few hours, many less than I have spent trying to log on to a junk server to play a nice SINGLE Player game. I would rather actually PLAY the game than to be able to theoretically play with other people, which is impossible due to NEVER BEING ABLE TO LOG ON AND STAY ON. Do not buy, just wait until they get this trash sorted proper!… Expand
  60. tompunch
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I bet this game would be great if I could actually play it. Pathetic job by EA to force a singleplayer game into this horrible DRM system. O yeah, the cities are too small!
  61. FabianBravo
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    It would be great if I could actually play it. Also, if it is great because now it has a lot of social features, thanks for not allowing me to invite my friends.

    EA disappointing again.
  62. evilbacon87
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This is the most frustrating thing I have ever paid to do. The game hardly ever works, and it is clear EA dosn't care. I don't ever want to play this online, along with most people that bought this game. They fource you to play online, with servers that take over 3 hours to connect to. If this was a restaurant, all the costumers would have walked out, unfortuently we can't or I wouldThis is the most frustrating thing I have ever paid to do. The game hardly ever works, and it is clear EA dosn't care. I don't ever want to play this online, along with most people that bought this game. They fource you to play online, with servers that take over 3 hours to connect to. If this was a restaurant, all the costumers would have walked out, unfortuently we can't or I would demand my money back. Even when the game does work, it has many flaws. You can't edit the terrain, for example I tried moving my airport to a location so that it could expand. This cost hundreds of thouands of simeleons, and when it was all moved, I couldnt expand anyway because the terrain "wasnt level". By the low score you can see I'm not the only one with these issues, I'm very lucky I was even able to play for a short time. I made a metacritic account just now just to give this game a zero to warn everyone else thats waited 10 years... You might have to wait another 10.… Expand
  63. FredSnodgrass
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    "Dang, Waiting in a cue to play sim city." Never thought I'd hear myself say that. Refund plz, this game blows.

    I did manage to log in for a bit earlier though, and I was in the process of creating my region before I got booted off. That was annoying as I had to go through each of them to find one with a high wind resource. It's cool that terrain matters for this stuff, but it's not    "Dang, Waiting in a cue to play sim city." Never thought I'd hear myself say that. Refund plz, this game blows.

    I did manage to log in for a bit earlier though, and I was in the process of creating my region before I got booted off. That was annoying as I had to go through each of them to find one with a high wind resource. It's cool that terrain matters for this stuff, but it's not cool that the terrain is predetermined. I had assumed it would be somewhat random. Nope. EA has ruined another treasure. PS, Ocean Quigley can eat it. What a liar. Shame on him.    … Expand
  64. Mankl7
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I was really looking forward to this game's release, but this online all the time bs is not going to fly with me. It's too bad the concept is unique and I'm sure the actual game it at least comparable to simcity 4. Sadly they've made an expensive game you'll never actually own. I bought simcity 4, and I would have bought this one too, but they took the freedom to play the game the way II was really looking forward to this game's release, but this online all the time bs is not going to fly with me. It's too bad the concept is unique and I'm sure the actual game it at least comparable to simcity 4. Sadly they've made an expensive game you'll never actually own. I bought simcity 4, and I would have bought this one too, but they took the freedom to play the game the way I want, and designing my own world is all the fun. A long disappointing wait for a flop of a game. I will not be purchasing it, and I hope EA realizes their mistake, because they certainly have lost more customers than me. I guess I'll check out cities xl or something, maybe I'll just stick with simcity 4, at least that's still pretty good.… Expand
  65. gnilbert
    Mar 15, 2013
    0
    This game is the result of catastrophic failure at every level of the design process. Even if you *can* stomach the always-online DRM that's been spun as "a rich social experience," you can't help but notice that (a) the "rich" social experience is clearly incidental to the core game play, and (b) it doesn't actually work 10 days after launch. That means the decision to force-feed theThis game is the result of catastrophic failure at every level of the design process. Even if you *can* stomach the always-online DRM that's been spun as "a rich social experience," you can't help but notice that (a) the "rich" social experience is clearly incidental to the core game play, and (b) it doesn't actually work 10 days after launch. That means the decision to force-feed the consumer a dubious collection of non-functional features was clearly made by someone in a suit who's never actually played a game.

    What makes the promotion of these "rich" online features particularly painful is that they are offered in place of a wide variety of features found in earlier SimCity games. You can't place one-way roads, you can't zone mixed density along a single street, you can't use subways, the cities aren't as large as the tiniest maps available previous incarnations, there are no city ordinances, there are no histograms for age groups, education levels the list goes on. It's sickening to read a review of SimCity 4 and compare the features of that game to this travesty. The next complete failure in this title is the much-hyped simulation itself: GlassBox. Everything in the simulation sims, stundents, garbage trucks, buses *everything* is simulated using the same logic they use to simulate the sewage that flows in pipes under the city. Maxis said this explciticly. And the quality of traffic, power, water coverage, and all the rest are a complete trainwreck. But the worst part about this game's release? There is no game. There is no strategy. The entire concept of balancing the needs of your city is completely gone. You don't need industrial. You don't need commercial. In fact, you can build massively profitable cities using only a few service buildings, residential zoning, and some parks. That's it. And the developers are standing by this joke of simulation as "working as designed."

    NO ONE should EVER buy a game that was so badly designed, so ineptly delivered, or so grossly deceptive in its marketing. Maxis has burned SimCity and salted the ground I can only pray they never attempt a sequel.    … Expand
  66. IamtheToph
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    A game can try to be as good as it wants, but if it doesn't work as intended, it's worthless. Not only that, but these concerns involving servers, DRM and forced multiplayer have been voiced by the masses since they were brought to our attention. To disregard this, and then push a not-ready game out with not-ready system support is just asking for trouble. If EA really wanted to force usA game can try to be as good as it wants, but if it doesn't work as intended, it's worthless. Not only that, but these concerns involving servers, DRM and forced multiplayer have been voiced by the masses since they were brought to our attention. To disregard this, and then push a not-ready game out with not-ready system support is just asking for trouble. If EA really wanted to force us into this new setup, they should have ensured a flawless transition. Instead, they have released what is one of the most broken releases in video game history. This is a huge shame, because the SimCity franchise has some of the most loyal, and not to mention patient, fans in all of gaming. They have done their fans, some of which got into gaming with the original SimCity, a massive disservice, and the poor designers of the game are left with their hardwork in pieces. SimCity has always been a single player experience. It was something that a kid used to be able to load up and get lost in their own imaginations. That magic is gone, forcing a mechanic no one wanted and worst of all, not even giving us a working version of the mechanics they're forcing us to use. Do yourself a favor, and stay away. Other great games came out this week, including the incredible Tomb Raider reboot. Speed your money there, buy or "find" an older version of SimCity, and you'll be a much happier gamer. Cheers!… Expand
  67. wew2
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Looks like it might be good but I can't play!! How can a company release an unplayable game. Server error, no servers, choose a different server... It's a single player game, why can't I install it on my computer and just play. I think I'll try to get a refund save your $60.00!!!!
  68. egn
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    No amount of paid for, EA-sponsored reviews can make up for the ill-conceived fraud that this game is. Sim City has the following restrictions (features) that have all been stated by Maxis employees:

    You must be connected to the internet 100% of the time you are playing. ...... You must connect to Origin to load or save your city (see next item). ...... Games are saved to the cloud    No amount of paid for, EA-sponsored reviews can make up for the ill-conceived fraud that this game is. Sim City has the following restrictions (features) that have all been stated by Maxis employees:

    You must be connected to the internet 100% of the time you are playing.
    ...... You must connect to Origin to load or save your city (see next item).
    ...... Games are saved to the cloud (EA Servers).
    ...... If you're net connection goes down for more than a couple of minutes then all gameplay since last save is lost.
    ...... The installed game is only half the software, the rest is on EA's Serves so requires a fast, reliable internet connection to transfer data.
    ...... Other players Cities will influence yours even in 'single player' mode.
    ...... Saved games once loaded must be saved so you can't change your mind and go back and reload the city.
    ...... If the game flops and servers are switched off (EA averages 2 years or so) it will become unplayable.

    No god mode terraforming. (This includes how much resources are available and where they are).
    No modding allowed at launch (if at all due to online requirements/cloud computing).
    No building density zoning.
    Buildings may spam along a single road.
    Dumbed down micro-management.
    Limited population (Max 100,000 Sims per city)
    The city tile size is only equivalent to a medium city in SC4, and that is the only size available.
    You only get European building sets if you buy the game as a digital download direct from origin.

    I don't care how fun a game is; Any amount of money you pay for this software should basically just be considered rent, because EA will inevitably shut down the servers that you NEED to run this game within the next six months to 2.5 years; after which you'll never be able to play it again.    … Expand
  69. Putz173
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    always on DRM, 2 days and ive got to the tutorial screen... not acceptable, online DRM doesn't work, so it gets a 0 since it simply doesnt work..funny my credit card payment did right away even
  70. dfinch
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Assuming a persistent online connection is a guarantee of failure for this game that has been played solo for years, even decades. The forced multi-player design means you can't succeed if you try to play alone anyway. I was able to play for a few minutes before the game crashed due to server issues. Servers listed as "available" aren't and if you try to play on a different server fromAssuming a persistent online connection is a guarantee of failure for this game that has been played solo for years, even decades. The forced multi-player design means you can't succeed if you try to play alone anyway. I was able to play for a few minutes before the game crashed due to server issues. Servers listed as "available" aren't and if you try to play on a different server from your last game, you will have to start over with your mayoral duties nothing syncs between servers. Save yourself the and don't make the mistake that I did thinking that Simcity 2013 would be even remotely as awesome as SimCity 2000. Apparently some things DON'T get better with age.… Expand
  71. jeff_rioux
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Pre-ordered this game in december. Bought the Digital Deluxe Edition.

    One of the following keeps happening: -Can't connect to server -Can't connect to authenticate to server -Server times out -Server is busy, getting in a wait queue between 18 minutes and 3 hours -Game starts but getting stuck in the Tutorial with no way out (done it 3 times already) -Game starts but unable to    Pre-ordered this game in december. Bought the Digital Deluxe Edition.

    One of the following keeps happening:
    -Can't connect to server
    -Can't connect to authenticate to server
    -Server times out
    -Server is busy, getting in a wait queue between 18 minutes and 3 hours
    -Game starts but getting stuck in the Tutorial with no way out (done it 3 times already)
    -Game starts but unable to claim any city
    -Game starts but nothing works as nothing shows up in the menus, so impossible to create road and starting a city.

    Rince and repeat.

    Feels like it was rushed out, half done.

    I hope heads will roll at EA. But I'm sure nothing of the sort will happen, as they seems to have stop caring about customers a few years ago.

    Avoid.    … Expand
  72. Pious24
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Seeing the beta videos on youtube I was excited to okay the game. Unfortunately after installing the game today and reading the other terrible reviews I regret buying this game, servers are down and I am yet to be able to even play it.
  73. CypherDivine
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Played it for a while last night, a real step down from Simcity 4. Hated the tiny maps, I want to build huge metropolis with millions of people, instead I get to build small little towns.
    But the worst thing is losing connection to the server and losing an hours worth of progress for some reason.
  74. Boneve_de_Neco
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This DRM feature is Orwellian! It is a game breaking feature, since I can be playing for 4 hours and all of the sudden server logs me out and there is no save... Also, If my internet is down, I can't play a game which was payed for. Who though punishing the paying customer would put a stop on piracy? Genius!
  75. Chucklestein
    Apr 2, 2013
    0
    I decided to come back to update my previous review score of 3, to make it more in line with my feelings on the game. My new score is an unfortunate 0, as that is what the game is worth. While the game offers a glimmer of the greatness that SimCity used to be; crippling bugs make the game all but unplayable. Most of the advertised features are still stripped from the game, with emptyI decided to come back to update my previous review score of 3, to make it more in line with my feelings on the game. My new score is an unfortunate 0, as that is what the game is worth. While the game offers a glimmer of the greatness that SimCity used to be; crippling bugs make the game all but unplayable. Most of the advertised features are still stripped from the game, with empty promises that things will be better "Soon" (TM). For the diehard fans who pre-ordered, many are stuck with a single region filter on; almost a month after the game was released. Traffic issues can only be solved by finding ways to exploit bugs in the way pathfinding works. Water does not replenish, unless you give your citizens sewage water to drink. Don't bother with commercial or industrial; just residential, and your city will flourish with no work on your part. Perhaps if the game is ever fixed, I will update my review; but a month in with still not fix in sight, I cannot endorse this game to anyone.… Expand
  76. LarryDavid
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Game is great but EA ruins it once again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  77. mondo3D
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Another horrible EA launch (shoccccccccccking!). I've being trying to play for the last 2 days and have been able to connect twice games failed to save both times! Once in, I come to the sad realization that the game is riddled with bugs. I work in the industry and I've seen less bugs in alpha releases. I feel as if I just bought a Gremlin for the price of a Ferrari that's missing it's tires and engine and there's no return policy. For those of you looking forward to the next EA PC game launch Spoiler Alert! There will be server issues.… Expand
  78. KinjiruRM
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Interesting to note that if you consider only critic reviews that apply to when the game actually started play (3/5, onward), their critic review score would be 69.
  79. sdmccrimmon
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I bought the deluxe d/l of SimCity 5 (2013) on Origin ($80!) and it was unplayable. Servers were overloaded and I was never able to log on. There also is no option to play offline and save the game locally on your computer, a fact I had been unaware of until I tried to play the game. At this point, anyone lucky enough to get on a server and play would have to have a Midas touch of luck toI bought the deluxe d/l of SimCity 5 (2013) on Origin ($80!) and it was unplayable. Servers were overloaded and I was never able to log on. There also is no option to play offline and save the game locally on your computer, a fact I had been unaware of until I tried to play the game. At this point, anyone lucky enough to get on a server and play would have to have a Midas touch of luck to get back on to that same server to retrieve and play their saved game later. After more than two hours on hold with customer service (in queue with other dissatisfied customers), a refund was issued and I unhappily uninstalled the game. I have been a fan since the first iteration of SimCity, and would consider a repurchase IF, and only IF, EA provides an offline, single player option.… Expand
  80. mgblair
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Thank you for erasing my 10 hour old city. Thank you for forcing me to play that stupid intro scenario again. I genuinely wish nothing but the worst for the entire corporate staff at EA. There's such a thing as making money, and there's such a thing as being a perfect douche about it.
  81. IceMan1763
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    If you haven't bought this game, don't bother. Your ability to enjoy what is admittedly a pretty good game will be completely frustrated by EA's inability to properly launch the game and their decision to require an online connection to their crap servers. Oh, and it's like WOW servers too so if your main server has a 2 hour queue you can't play any regions you have on that server untilIf you haven't bought this game, don't bother. Your ability to enjoy what is admittedly a pretty good game will be completely frustrated by EA's inability to properly launch the game and their decision to require an online connection to their crap servers. Oh, and it's like WOW servers too so if your main server has a 2 hour queue you can't play any regions you have on that server until they let you on. They deserve every bad user review they're getting. I'm sorry but I hate supporting a company that makes decisions based on (supposedly) keeping small amount of revenue they may have lost due to pirating over keeping their loyal fan base happy (don't forget that they've actually totally abandoned fans who have limited internet access).

    Don't buy this game.    … Expand
  82. Olivier11986
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Installed the game tonight around 5PM, it is now 9:30 PM, can't play yet, servers are "busy". I'm never, NEVER, buying anything EA again. Thanks for ruining this great franchise. And for those saying servers issues are not that bad, well I can confirm otherwise. I just want to play a single player game I bought for 60$... 60$ to wait for 4.5h, this should be illegal, it's theft! I want myInstalled the game tonight around 5PM, it is now 9:30 PM, can't play yet, servers are "busy". I'm never, NEVER, buying anything EA again. Thanks for ruining this great franchise. And for those saying servers issues are not that bad, well I can confirm otherwise. I just want to play a single player game I bought for 60$... 60$ to wait for 4.5h, this should be illegal, it's theft! I want my money back! I'll say it again, never, ever buying an EA product. (or even downloading a free mobile app)… Expand
  83. brazen521
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    If EA wants to force invasive DRM down everyone's throats, I guess that's their choice, but you'd think they could at least make it work. Servers full, and nobody can play because you can't play without being tethered to big brother EA. This is embarrassing. I haven't bought an EA game in years, and this will definitely be the last. I'd return it if I could.
  84. alex_cramm
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    The DMR hobbles this game. You often can't log into servers, the game doesn't save cities, it crashes often, and the city size is extremely limited. After try to play for two hours, I gave up on this unplayable game. Also lacking is that you can't terraform, can't lay subways, you no longer lay water pipes, and many other city features are simply gone.
  85. ScrewYouEA
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I bought SimCity. Apparently, playing it means clicking over and over to attempt to login or claim a city. Then you restart it every once and awhile. Whatever the server problems are, which are horrible right now, the UI freezes up during updates or when connection is lost. The game launched with a back screen, then said it couldn't connect, then no buttons work, and then it sat frozen forI bought SimCity. Apparently, playing it means clicking over and over to attempt to login or claim a city. Then you restart it every once and awhile. Whatever the server problems are, which are horrible right now, the UI freezes up during updates or when connection is lost. The game launched with a back screen, then said it couldn't connect, then no buttons work, and then it sat frozen for a minute when I tried to close it. That's some really bad client design. The UI should gracefully react to server problems instead of locking up. EA, you have my money for this one, but I'll never get another Maxis game again.… Expand
  86. ZeroGravityX
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Why cant I give this game a negative score... It certainly deserves it... Forced online DRM... Terrible support... Even worse servers (ONLY 4 for all of North America!!!!)
  87. pasqua_76
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Ok so we all know the game is unplayable at the moment. We paid $80 dollars for something we can't play. And there's only one way EA can get away with this. When the PSN was down for some months a few years ago, they came with the "welcome back" gift. An apology from the interruption of a FREE service. Now, EA has taken 80 DOLLARS from us and is not offering ANYTHING back. We should giveOk so we all know the game is unplayable at the moment. We paid $80 dollars for something we can't play. And there's only one way EA can get away with this. When the PSN was down for some months a few years ago, they came with the "welcome back" gift. An apology from the interruption of a FREE service. Now, EA has taken 80 DOLLARS from us and is not offering ANYTHING back. We should give them 2 weeks to sort out the problems and if they don't, we should flood them with demands to allow us to choose 2 or 3 games from their catalogue in Origin Store, FOR FREE. They won't refund us on SimCity, but at least they can take the high road just as Sony did.… Expand
  88. Arash10h
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    The game forces you to go through a tutorial before playing. During the tutorial you have to shift between cities and because of their servers, the game disconnects during this process. Therefore, you have play the goddamn tutorial over and over again until you can actually play the game. What happened the last time I tired to finish the tutorial was the best of all: The on-screenThe game forces you to go through a tutorial before playing. During the tutorial you have to shift between cities and because of their servers, the game disconnects during this process. Therefore, you have play the goddamn tutorial over and over again until you can actually play the game. What happened the last time I tired to finish the tutorial was the best of all: The on-screen instructions for the tutorial disappeared and I couldn't do anything. So basically, right now, I'm stuck in the tutorial with all the buttons being unresponsive. Thank you for your unplayable game EA.… Expand
  89. dontuzo
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Terrible customer service and servers doesn't work. EA this game, even if you try to play a single player game you need to be online all the time and when you do then the servers crash.
  90. Tweak
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Do not buy this game! Not because of it's DRM, not because of it's server issues, but because EA has openly stated that they WILL NOT refund your money when they fail to deliver the product that you paid for. I have been unable to even play the TUTORIAL level because the server crashes every time I attempt to play, and I have been trying to play for 3 hours across two days. EA doesn'tDo not buy this game! Not because of it's DRM, not because of it's server issues, but because EA has openly stated that they WILL NOT refund your money when they fail to deliver the product that you paid for. I have been unable to even play the TUTORIAL level because the server crashes every time I attempt to play, and I have been trying to play for 3 hours across two days. EA doesn't deserve any money from anyone because of such blatant disregard for their customers.

    For those of you that think "Server issues are the norm, don't blame the company", this is a terrible mentality to have. Companies can easily afford to have enough servers in place to handle the load, they just don't care to spend the money on them. Don't encourage companies to have this kind of behavior.

    For proof, here is the link to EA's return policy: https://help.ea.com/article/returns-and-cancellations    … Expand
  91. Effexor
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Please DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. I am presently attempting to get a refund myself.

    This "must always be connected" DRM is unacceptable. I made the mistake of buying this from the Origin site and 2 days later, have only able to play for about 15min in total. After those 15min, I had some "unknown error" and it completely crashed. The game saves are server specific and can't be transferred to    Please DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. I am presently attempting to get a refund myself.

    This "must always be connected" DRM is unacceptable. I made the mistake of buying this from the Origin site and 2 days later, have only able to play for about 15min in total. After those 15min, I had some "unknown error" and it completely crashed. The game saves are server specific and can't be transferred to other servers. They do not reside locally. If you manage to actually get online to play, the next time you will HAVE to pick the same server, or wait until a spot opens up otherwise you will have to start over.

    The city size limit is so small its shameful. This should be called SimTown, SimBoro, SimEnclave or SimEAScrewsYouAgain.

    I repeat. Do NOT buy this game.    … Expand
  92. elumpkin81
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    It has now been two days and I still cannot play this $60 game. I purchased this from Origin/EA. They now have the nerve to state NO REFUNDS will be given! I am currently in contact with my credit card company disputing the charge, which EA states will have me BANNED from my account! What Nerve, if you haven't bought this game... I would save my money headache. Total FAIL SimCity/Maxis/EA!
  93. bw2082
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Horrible. First of all the game was not available for download for hours after launch date for the preoders... Next, you have to wait in line to actually play the game. If you get lucky and are able to get into the game, you have to roll the dice again as to whether or not your city will load. If you do get into the game, you're greeted with a dumbed down version of Sim City, whichHorrible. First of all the game was not available for download for hours after launch date for the preoders... Next, you have to wait in line to actually play the game. If you get lucky and are able to get into the game, you have to roll the dice again as to whether or not your city will load. If you do get into the game, you're greeted with a dumbed down version of Sim City, which really should be called SimBlock, since the area you can build in is so small.… Expand
  94. OnenOnlyWalter
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Marking it as a zero for the easy fact that this game launched but I have yet to play it. It's not like I haven't tried. Server queues, buggy city creation and an inability to complete the tutorial means I haven't actually started a real game yet.

    For that reason I have to give it a 0/10 No Show
  95. Fudman
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    For a primarily single player game to have ALWAYS ONLINE is a crime against video games, this game deserves a 0/10, EA and Devs deserve jail time.
  96. robmcg125
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I really enjoy paying 60.00 for broken games that when they do actually allow you to play them on their serves the game was coded like such crap it crashes every 5 minutes. No other brand new game I play does this..... wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiierd
  97. encryptid
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Like everyone else, I have not been able to play this product due to the inadequate servers. My friends and I woke up early Tuesday morning to start the download since pre-loading was not available, only to find that the game servers were completely bugged out and overloaded. This problem continues tonight, and I have given up hope and have been biding my time trying to spread awareness ofLike everyone else, I have not been able to play this product due to the inadequate servers. My friends and I woke up early Tuesday morning to start the download since pre-loading was not available, only to find that the game servers were completely bugged out and overloaded. This problem continues tonight, and I have given up hope and have been biding my time trying to spread awareness of EA and how terrible they are. This isn't the first release they have had these problems with (Bad Company 2), and I'm sure it won't be their last. One thing is certain... I'm done buying titles from EA. Done.… Expand
  98. shorekent
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I paid $80.00 for the "Limited Edition". Two days later I still haven't been able to play the game due to server errors and other bugs in the program. I did not realize there would not be an option to play offline. Do NOT waste your money on this game!
  99. Audiejo0117
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Awful, awful game. I have yet to even open the game because of all the issues going on. It is completely unresponsive, will not connect to any server or give me server options, and I feel like I just flushed $60 of my hard earned money down the toilet due to EA's lack of response on the issue. Several people are recommending you buy an older version of SimCity, and previously I was all forAwful, awful game. I have yet to even open the game because of all the issues going on. It is completely unresponsive, will not connect to any server or give me server options, and I feel like I just flushed $60 of my hard earned money down the toilet due to EA's lack of response on the issue. Several people are recommending you buy an older version of SimCity, and previously I was all for Sims and Simcity, but Ea has burned their bridge with me. I previously purchased Sims, expansion packs, etc and am infuriated by the fact that I can't even play my game. Do NOT by this game!!… Expand
  100. Vincent81
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Dear EA,

    Sadly your company has again pushed me away from the right path. I realize after a friend has told me that Sim City 5 was released. First thing I thought was its EA..I don't want to support you but the second thought came into my mind was, its Maxis. A company who was created by a brilliant programmer Will Wright (which to be honest I look up to and hope to one day achieve    Dear EA,

    Sadly your company has again pushed me away from the right path. I realize after a friend has told me that Sim City 5 was released. First thing I thought was its EA..I don't want to support you but the second thought came into my mind was, its Maxis. A company who was created by a brilliant programmer Will Wright (which to be honest I look up to and hope to one day achieve something great like him.) However after downloading the game and unable to play after 8 or so hours after I paid $80 (in support to Maxis) I am still unable to create one single city. Its either server are down, unable to login to server please login again, and unable to claim city (this was earlier in the day.) This is a horrendous experience for any customer.

    How does a large company such as yourself able to pour so much money into marketing a game yet unable to provide the support or infrastructure it needs for it to work? Its like Lamborghini made a new car and once they give you the key you can't drive it anywhere. How worthless is that to the buyer?

    Anyways, to go on with what I want to say, you have my $80.00 keep it for your unemployment checks once people are finally fed up with your B.S. I hope every single one of your executives that have had any say in pushing this product out, loose their job, loose their wealth, and have to go live in a homeless shelter. Maybe then that they would learn how to earn a respectable living before falsifying a product and shamelessly using a dearly beloved brand name to fill their pockets first.

    Also I'm probably no longer going to wait for EA to fix this crap. I'll wait for one of the hacker groups out there who are only a team of 10 or so or less able to throw in some codes to make it work offline. Seriously a group of hackers can make this game offline and a GIANT Fing company can't make a mode for offline gaming.

    P.S. If there was an offline gaming, there wouldn't be this rant, SimCity was an offline game. You want online fine, make it an option not a NECCESSARY!

    P.S.S. Comments on hackers, I really hope EA reads it and learn that hackers are going to be this brand savior instead of the opposite. We(consumers) buy legitimate games that we can't play(because of the company foolishness) but if they(pirates) get it illegitimately they will be able to play it...that is one @SS backward way to sell your games! All I can say is I root for the pirates this time all the way!    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

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