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. sjurhamre
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    WARNING! DRM and Always Online so far, I haven't actually got to playing my game. Servers are a mess, and as many have pointed out what will happen when EA decides that they've had enough of it? Bye bye, money and saved files...
  2. medv4380
    Mar 6, 2013
    3
    If the game had an Offline Option after logging in like SC2 had then it wouldn't be that bad of a game. The basic problem this model has is that in the long term you only provision for 20% of your users being online at any one point in time. However, during launch that's not exactly the case. You can easily have 80% or more logging in all at the same time. Without an offline mode toIf the game had an Offline Option after logging in like SC2 had then it wouldn't be that bad of a game. The basic problem this model has is that in the long term you only provision for 20% of your users being online at any one point in time. However, during launch that's not exactly the case. You can easily have 80% or more logging in all at the same time. Without an offline mode to release the stress of everyone logging in you end up with people taking the day off to play and being justifiably upset that they can't even start-up the game. The tutorial could have and should have been an offline option. It would have made it so that people could have a taste of the game without hammering the servers all at once. This model also requires the servers to be up-to-date. If you were able to get on last night and then later this morning you may have found yourself faced with a forced tutorial button that you weren't last night. This is clearly due to the servers being on a different version of the software. The is the most likely cause of game corruptions this morning. A 60$ franchise title is not the time or place to test out new strategies. You should know this will work long before you launch. Instead we're faced with inexperienced admins who didn't know to keep the servers up to date for launch or to turn them Off if they were on the wrong version. This is stuff you only learn with experience, and Sim City was not the time or place to get that experience. This tells me that they're using an Ad-Hoc methodology, and we should expect more hiccups as long as they insist on an instant roll-out of updates and not have the server go though some burn time to make sure it works first. For Single Player the maps are a bit small. You can work around it a bit, and I can see how this encourages Multi-Player. However, I'm the type of person who plays MMOs Single Player so I personally get very little benefit from this model. The game play from prior versions is vastly improved. If you're willing to wait a Month for server load to die down you probably should wait. You'll be able to get a far superior experience if you do.… Expand
  3. 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
  4. subpop
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    First off, kudos to the developers, I'm sure it's a great game...but you're only getting a 1, and here's why.

    As a consumer, you deserve the above user score. When you announced SimCity, you suspected people wouldn't even notice that you'd have always be online in order to enjoy your game...you lied, and now we, the consumer, are eagerly waiting in digital "lineups" to play the game we    First off, kudos to the developers, I'm sure it's a great game...but you're only getting a 1, and here's why.

    As a consumer, you deserve the above user score. When you announced SimCity, you suspected people wouldn't even notice that you'd have always be online in order to enjoy your game...you lied, and now we, the consumer, are eagerly waiting in digital "lineups" to play the game we purchased, and expected to enjoy on launch day, and now you're getting what you deserve, that terrible user score on the dreaded Metacritic.

    You deserved this, EA. You should have listened, but you didn't. You need to listen closely to the customers suggestions. This game won't do as well as it should have, unfortunately, but that's because of the mistakes you COULD have prevented, again, by listening to US, the consumer.

    Always online DRM doesn't work for a core single player game, so DROP IT.

    I do not plan on purchasing this game at any point, or even plan to recommend it to my friends/online friends, or even the anonymous internet lurker. My involvement with Origin will be non-existant, especially when all of my friends are on Steam. Origin has nothing to offer to me, or my friends. Consider releasing your products on Steam or GreenManGaming, and we might be able to work something out, but for now, you're not getting any of my money.

    Cheers, and enjoy the color red.    … Expand
  5. 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.
  6. Harmor
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    If you buy this game, you just tell EA that cloudsaving is totally okay and you have no problem with not being able to play in case the servers are down. You'll also tell EA that it's perfectly fine to buy a SIM CITY game that in reality should rather be called Sim Village, while you're eagerly waiting for the DLC that gives you HUGE maps like they were in the earlier games of the series.If you buy this game, you just tell EA that cloudsaving is totally okay and you have no problem with not being able to play in case the servers are down. You'll also tell EA that it's perfectly fine to buy a SIM CITY game that in reality should rather be called Sim Village, while you're eagerly waiting for the DLC that gives you HUGE maps like they were in the earlier games of the series. EA, you're nothing short of disgusting! Don't buy this game, because that's our only voice to tell the publishers enough is enough!… Expand
  7. Karnonos
    Mar 6, 2013
    10
    Absolutely the best iteration of the Sim City series. It's nothing short of genius, and insanely addictive. I've not had any problems with servers or DRM.
  8. ibDennis
    Mar 6, 2013
    4
    Ah sim city, we meet again. I have lost so many days/weeks/months of my life to your series. From the original all the way to now. I find that I have a childish giddyness inside me as I login to the game. It seems that the serves are full, well I guess I can wait, if I could give Diablo 3 the patience that its launch needed, then I most certainly can give sim city as much patience. I justAh sim city, we meet again. I have lost so many days/weeks/months of my life to your series. From the original all the way to now. I find that I have a childish giddyness inside me as I login to the game. It seems that the serves are full, well I guess I can wait, if I could give Diablo 3 the patience that its launch needed, then I most certainly can give sim city as much patience. I just hope it's not as much of a let down. Front of the queue at last, I whiled away the wait time with my plans for the grand city of "Our Land", and so begin my first steps back in the land of sim city. While playing I must say that I did enjoy the game. It was beautiful and deep (obligatory that's what she said comment!) My city was beginning to take shape, no longer a village but a town! Then I got dropped:-( You see, I live in an area where I can only get a pretty poor internet connection. 3MB, and it isn't the most reliable either. There are the random drop offs and what not. Now, none of this is EA's fault, however when I reconnected I was back in the queue.... again..... and so I waited..... and unfortunately due to a phonecall I missed my window to get back into the game so I was placed into the queue again.

    Now I admit, I should have been prepared for the always on, but due to my current experience's with their queue and their DRM I have found myself unable to play the single player game I wanted to play. This has left a bitter taste in my mouth and has seriously got me contemplating a pirated copy: I don't pirate "arrrrrr" as I have a job, so I purchase all my games. But this experience made me feel that pirating could be the way to go. Which is a shame, as there is a shining jewel of a game beneath this stool water that is the always on DRM.    … Expand
  9. Geniusgizmo
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Always on DRM, PAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT BUY. Sim city for me anyways is a game I come back to time and time again. I still play the Old sim cities. I am certain I will have problems with this game in future. For this to be an always online game and EA to have problems with Servers on launch is a disgrace
  10. dubesor
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I paid 80 EUR (that's $104) for a game I can't play. The DRM is simply BS. I had to wait 30 minutes in a queue just to get told once that time was over that servers are busy and the client was closed. This is unacceptable.
  11. MacNamedDre
    Mar 6, 2013
    2
    There isn't anything more offensive than cloud computing errors causing game to me nonexistent. Moreover, spending nearly $60-$80 on a title so HIGHLY exclaimed as the GOY, and yet comes off as a huge failure. When the game is playing, it's fun, social, and is a refreshing update to the simcity franchise. What ruins the game for me is as follows: No single player, No save option outsideThere isn't anything more offensive than cloud computing errors causing game to me nonexistent. Moreover, spending nearly $60-$80 on a title so HIGHLY exclaimed as the GOY, and yet comes off as a huge failure. When the game is playing, it's fun, social, and is a refreshing update to the simcity franchise. What ruins the game for me is as follows: No single player, No save option outside of forced incontinent cloud storage), server errors (you think they would have gotten this ready for the launch), inaccurate protesting (crime levels down to zero, yet protests for high crime change power source for town when paused and after relaunching game town protests lost of power), force closing (it's the only game in the last 3 years I've played with massive force closures on a regular basis) EA support (no upgrades after launch day errors, and seemingly weak support), ORIGIN ran.… Expand
  12. nitehawk
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    EA ruins a great franchise. Always on DRM means this game will not endure into the future and that paying customers cannot play a game they paid for. EA's policy of Nickel-and-Dime downloadable content policy makes you pay a ton for the right to pay a ton for the game. Tiny cities go against the classic gameplay.
  13. kafkaten
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    The level of disdain that this company must have for its customers is unreal. To force paying customers into an "always-on-line" system for an ostensibly single-player game is already a dangerous, anti-consumer road for the industry to go down. But then to have that system be a miserable failure at launch? And this after a extensive Beta? Wow. I sincerely hope their sales take a hit,The level of disdain that this company must have for its customers is unreal. To force paying customers into an "always-on-line" system for an ostensibly single-player game is already a dangerous, anti-consumer road for the industry to go down. But then to have that system be a miserable failure at launch? And this after a extensive Beta? Wow. I sincerely hope their sales take a hit, because I'd hate to think that EA could get away with this kind of business practice and still make a massive profit.… Expand
  14. MikeF
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    Garbage DRM, Windows only. Really? In this day and age, Windows is old news; cross-platform is the future. Get with the times Devs. These big game companies are dying, grasping for air with reboots and old content.
  15. Shrugnick
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Day 0 DLC as a blatant attempt to squeeze more money out of you, always online requirement for a single player game, tiny city sizes forcing you to specialize and take part in a region, and no saves? Yeah... what was I thinking. There is a reason they didn't call this Sim City 5 and just Sim City. Really what they should have called it was Sim City Online. This is not the sequel to SimDay 0 DLC as a blatant attempt to squeeze more money out of you, always online requirement for a single player game, tiny city sizes forcing you to specialize and take part in a region, and no saves? Yeah... what was I thinking. There is a reason they didn't call this Sim City 5 and just Sim City. Really what they should have called it was Sim City Online. This is not the sequel to Sim City 4 that I was looking for.… Expand
  16. 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.
  17. darthpoopies
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Overall the game could be great, when playable. Finding a server at night is impossible, forcing you to join another server, which in turn you end up doing the tutorial repeatedly. Then you might get some game progress to be greeted with the game crashing and not being able to rejoin, or the map gets corrupted. If it were non reliant on being connected to an overseas server, it might be aOverall the game could be great, when playable. Finding a server at night is impossible, forcing you to join another server, which in turn you end up doing the tutorial repeatedly. Then you might get some game progress to be greeted with the game crashing and not being able to rejoin, or the map gets corrupted. If it were non reliant on being connected to an overseas server, it might be a good game. the beta was a blast, but much less people on at that times as well. Graphics are good, you can turn them all the way up on a good system and plays well on lower system under the lower settings.… Expand
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. damionp
    Mar 6, 2013
    5
    Overall, its not that great. Main points: The bad:
    - The DRM is lame, yes. Its not a deal breaker. After server availability issues a couple hours after launch, I haven't had any problems connecting and playing.
    - The city size is laughable. 2 square kilometers per "city", with the number of "cities" determined by the region you pick to play in. Basically, they designed the game to    Overall, its not that great. Main points: The bad:
    - The DRM is lame, yes. Its not a deal breaker. After server availability issues a couple hours after launch, I haven't had any problems connecting and playing.
    - The city size is laughable. 2 square kilometers per "city", with the number of "cities" determined by the region you pick to play in. Basically, they designed the game to force you to specialize each "city" for a role to support another "city" in your region. No option to just make/play in one large area anymore. Oh, and you may as well section off a huge portion of your already tiny play area to expand your town hall...
    - Loading/switching between the tiny cities on the region view seems to take forever. If you're going to force me to micro-manage resource/utility sharing between "cities", you could at least make it run smoothly. The good:
    - Nice graphics.
    - The changes made to streamline building are nice. I realize there are people out there that like to build every last water pipe and power line, but I thought including all of that built-in to the roads was a good idea. The city specializations are interesting and fun to tinker with.
    - Allowing friends and/or other random people build in your region has potential.

    Overall its pretty "meh". Its more "SimTown" inside of a "SimRegion" than it is "SimCity".    … Expand
  21. Zman922
    Mar 6, 2013
    4
    I had to sign up to reply to some of these positive reviews. Someone said they recommend buying a $60 game first and than to get the 10 year old game. Why not start with the better 10 year old game since you can play it when where you want. Sim City 4 you can save your own game you can build an actual city. Sim City 4 is not a little square confined by white dotted lines. Sim CityI had to sign up to reply to some of these positive reviews. Someone said they recommend buying a $60 game first and than to get the 10 year old game. Why not start with the better 10 year old game since you can play it when where you want. Sim City 4 you can save your own game you can build an actual city. Sim City 4 is not a little square confined by white dotted lines. Sim City (5) has fun gameplay until you fill up the map in a couple hours. This by far is the most jarring thing to me. 10 years later and the maps get smaller and confined by dotted lines. I hope they fix this without charging more money for DLC that should be standard in a AAA release. DLC is fine if its not removed from the original game to sell later… Expand
  22. AronSora
    Mar 6, 2013
    5
    I like the small maps, the game play mechanic is amazing. Each city is an interesting puzzle and there is no solution as the global market prices for stuff are ever changing. IT's cool having to rebuild who sections of your city. I wish I had 10% more space, I just quiet solve the puzzle, but it's fun. The dam servers however, are crap. I would wait for about a month until they tripleI like the small maps, the game play mechanic is amazing. Each city is an interesting puzzle and there is no solution as the global market prices for stuff are ever changing. IT's cool having to rebuild who sections of your city. I wish I had 10% more space, I just quiet solve the puzzle, but it's fun. The dam servers however, are crap. I would wait for about a month until they triple their server capacity. It also sucks that regions don't transfer between servers.… Expand
  23. Kaminocloners
    Mar 6, 2013
    10
    Absolutely love this game. I haven't had any problems other than being addicted. It is really easy to learn and use. The always online feature really adds to the dynamic of cross city deals and the cooperative nature is great. I sent excess fire trucks and police cars to a neighboring city experiencing a zombie epidemic. I highly recommend this game.
  24. RyanMorgan
    Mar 6, 2013
    2
    Awful game. This is not SimCity. This is SimVillage. You cannot build a city: for starters, a 2 by 2 kilometre map is far from a city. I get real cities are many hundreds of square kilometres, and this would be impossible to simulate, but 8 by 8 km would provide satisfactory room. Honestly, it takes just a few hours to fill up a city. Secondly, the cities are separated by retarded openAwful game. This is not SimCity. This is SimVillage. You cannot build a city: for starters, a 2 by 2 kilometre map is far from a city. I get real cities are many hundreds of square kilometres, and this would be impossible to simulate, but 8 by 8 km would provide satisfactory room. Honestly, it takes just a few hours to fill up a city. Secondly, the cities are separated by retarded open land, and cities are "in a bubble", contradictory to Lucy Bradshaw and others. If city tiles were contiguous, small maps wouldn't be such a problem. but then roads and rail would still be fixed in place another thing that really annoys me. The graphics are fantastic and the gameplay is great, but this doesn't mean much when I play for a few an hour and have fully developed my city. Then, there's Origin. I couldn't play SimCity because of EA's pathetic platform for almost ten hours, unable to download it. Once I did download it, I took me half and hour to eventually connect to a server. Simcity's online-only aspect has bit EA on the backside, proving that, for now, it is not a reliable way to deliver a game. I've played SimCity 3000 and 4, and it looks like I will continue to do so after this train-wreck.

    Please, avoid this game, you will be disappointed (unless you're just a casual "gamer")    … Expand
  25. Sneetches
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    TL;DR Here lies the corpse of SimCity, slain by the dishonorable EA.

    Don't even waste your time or your money, let alone give another cent to EA, please just don't do it. You're basically paying for a neutered SimCity that removes many key features in exchange for "Always online" to play a strictly SINGLE PLAYER GAME. Besides the Always Online, DRM, bad graphics, neutered gameplay, full    TL;DR Here lies the corpse of SimCity, slain by the dishonorable EA.

    Don't even waste your time or your money, let alone give another cent to EA, please just don't do it. You're basically paying for a neutered SimCity that removes many key features in exchange for "Always online" to play a strictly SINGLE PLAYER GAME. Besides the Always Online, DRM, bad graphics, neutered gameplay, full servers that don't enable you to even play, and just about everything else that could go wrong, this game could have been released for free and been just as bad. All the critic scores having an average of 91 could make me puke, welcome to the current state of paid reviews.I can go dig out the disk (well you don't need one actually) for SimCity 2000 right now and play it. What are the chances, that in 13 years, that you'll be able to play this pile of garbage? EA will have to cancel the servers or release an offline version, but I wouldn't even bet on those scumbags to do that.    … Expand
  26. parkour86
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Always online DRM, what more do I have to say?
  27. Drago99
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Small City Map, DRM, Server Problems, they probably plan to sell us add-on that should had already been included the original game at that price. All I can say is that I won't get caught buying a game like this again.
  28. lleti
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    DRM Aside, I would score this at around a 3 or a 4; the fact that EA insist on making me wait in an online queue in order to play an offline game, bounces us straight down to zero; paying $60+ for nothing, is worth a negative score if anything.

    Zoning density is gone missing. Cities are tiny you can barely fit a village into your map space. Terraforming/God mode is gone the way of the    DRM Aside, I would score this at around a 3 or a 4; the fact that EA insist on making me wait in an online queue in order to play an offline game, bounces us straight down to zero; paying $60+ for nothing, is worth a negative score if anything.

    Zoning density is gone missing. Cities are tiny you can barely fit a village into your map space. Terraforming/God mode is gone the way of the Dodo. Games will only save/load if EA's server can accommodate your request; often times it can't, and you lose data. Also adds to the sluggish behavior of the game, as contacting and sending packets to an overseas, overloaded server, is a lot slower than writing to your local disk.

    Looking forward to the teams that will be working on a local server emulator to remove the DRM requirement hopefully the loss in income will send a strong message, as clearly, shouting "screw you" to your customer base is still resulting in sales.    … Expand
  29. 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
  30. HateInternet
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    EA lost my business because I only use the internet at work. I do not have Internet access at home. I will never play a strictly online game. I think that to go strictly online is a complete waste of money and time. I will stick with Sim City 4 where I can do what I want and have the big striving metropolitan cities and not online games.
  31. Hilliary
    Mar 6, 2013
    2
    This game is awesome! When I'm able to play it... Unfortunately, the always-online DRM that comes with this game makes it very difficult to do so. Yes, it is only the first few days of launch, but it sure would be nice if I didn't have to worry about server loads, disconnects, rollbacks, downtime, maintenance, losing hours on my cities, ect. I understand it's no longer a single playerThis game is awesome! When I'm able to play it... Unfortunately, the always-online DRM that comes with this game makes it very difficult to do so. Yes, it is only the first few days of launch, but it sure would be nice if I didn't have to worry about server loads, disconnects, rollbacks, downtime, maintenance, losing hours on my cities, ect. I understand it's no longer a single player game, but I'd much rather have the option to play online with friends rather than be forced to play by their server scheduled when all I want to do is play in my own region.

    I defended Diablo 3s always-online model, mostly because I was blinded by fan-girl-ism and I thought a game shouldn't be rated based on a games servers. Not anymore. This game deserves the metascore that the critics give it, but I just can't feel the same as long as this DRM is in place. It's such a terrible model to prevent piracy and companies like EA and Blizzard need to learn this. Fast. It only hurts the consumers that paid actual money.    … Expand
  32. Zolimox
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Always on DRM. Can't play unless its at EA's whims. City sizes 1/10th of prior games. No save games (wtf?). Yah thank you, EA, refund time. I dont know why i broke my "never another EA game" vow but i did. Disgusting.
  33. Hornybeast
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    Dear EA can i please play my single player game i purchased from you
    some may think i'm asking too much of a big company like EA to see me as worthy of playing their game
    but after parting with it would be nice to "have a go"
  34. Globular
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Aside from the grotesque DRM and the inevitable overpriced DLCs for a game that costs $60, this game is too casual and streamlined, and lacks a lot of what the previous simcitys were about. This game should be called SimTown, not SimCity; the plot sizes in the new SimCity are embarrassingly small, but even if they increased the size I don't think the game would look much like a cityAside from the grotesque DRM and the inevitable overpriced DLCs for a game that costs $60, this game is too casual and streamlined, and lacks a lot of what the previous simcitys were about. This game should be called SimTown, not SimCity; the plot sizes in the new SimCity are embarrassingly small, but even if they increased the size I don't think the game would look much like a city because the buildings look disproportionate/cartoonish/repetitive and the spaces between buildings look like eye sores (they should at least fill them in the way the game CitiesXL does). A single plot can be filled within the first 10 minutes then all you do is stare at your city, upgrade here and there, and struggle to fit in some of the new buildings you end up unlocking it's a miserable experience after you fill up the entire plot of land. The only creativity in this game is making those unconventional curved roads. This game feels more like a node simulator than a city simulator (if that makes any sense), and everything is automatic this game was made for lazy people it seems. There is no terraforming. The cities in the regions are separated, so there are no super metropolises or your very own created rail and road systems in your very own created wilderness areas which separate your other cities. No farming. No subways. I also found a lot of the features like the statistic maps, the different kinds of roads, the people walking on the streets, etc.. to be gimmicky, for example, you'll always end up using the high capacity roads, so why not just start out with them (it's also a pain to upgrade your low density roads later on in game) so the presence of dirt roads and such are gimmicky to me make the most of the small land you are given, right?… Expand
  35. wild_quinine
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Love this game or hate this game, here is what you need to know before purchase: 1. ONLINE only. Not just for activation, but all of the time, which requires a server slot. 2. If you can't get a server slot, the program will wait 30 minutes before *trying to log in again*, which may well result in the same failure to get in. 3. Savegames are not stored on your computer, but on EA'sLove this game or hate this game, here is what you need to know before purchase: 1. ONLINE only. Not just for activation, but all of the time, which requires a server slot. 2. If you can't get a server slot, the program will wait 30 minutes before *trying to log in again*, which may well result in the same failure to get in. 3. Savegames are not stored on your computer, but on EA's servers. 4. Savegames are not stored on all their servers, only one. So if you want to load a save game, you have to log in to the same server as before (see above). To date people have spent more time waiting than playing, and as the waiting game isn't *really* a game, I'm rating ZERO.… Expand
  36. david22585
    Mar 6, 2013
    2
    Small city sizes makes the game not true to the simcity series. In addition, the always on connection required with servers that cannot handle the loads just further drops the ball. Maxis had a great idea, great game plan, great foundation, but failed to deliver with the execution of the final simcity game. I call it the final, because they will lose a lot of long time fans of the seriesSmall city sizes makes the game not true to the simcity series. In addition, the always on connection required with servers that cannot handle the loads just further drops the ball. Maxis had a great idea, great game plan, great foundation, but failed to deliver with the execution of the final simcity game. I call it the final, because they will lose a lot of long time fans of the series with this one.… Expand
  37. JimmyE3
    Mar 6, 2013
    2
    DRM, small map size, forced "social" gaming. I want to like this game so very badly, but those 3 things alone are almost enough for me to not want to pick up where I left off on my city.....ohhhh WAIT, no, I cant pick up because the servers wont let me right now. Thats right...
  38. 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
  39. SteveGC
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    The online-only nature of this game is an absolute deal breaker. Do not buy!! Poor service history by Origin means don't get bitten again. Until EA wakes up and delivers a stand-alone version, don't waste your money.
  40. Cosmin
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Requesting online presence just to play an offline game is simply unacceptable.

    Having said that, there were plenty of publishers out there that had the same problems (see Blizzard and their Diablo III). The only real solution is to not buy the game. Problem is for instance that EA doesn't accept refunds, so not buying the game in the first place is the only way to go. In an era    Requesting online presence just to play an offline game is simply unacceptable.

    Having said that, there were plenty of publishers out there that had the same problems (see Blizzard and their Diablo III). The only real solution is to not buy the game. Problem is for instance that EA doesn't accept refunds, so not buying the game in the first place is the only way to go.

    In an era where games like The Witcher 1 and 2 are launched also DRM-free (GOG.com), EA should actually learn how to adapt or perish. Either way, strongy not reccomended to buy Simcity 5.    … Expand
  41. dude913
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    We as consumers have no one to blame but ourselves for continuing to buy EA products. You get what you pay for and each of us has gotten exactly what we bought. An online only game that you can't play and will be dead in a few years when EA decides they are no longer making money enough to keep the servers up. I am taking a stand here and now and vow this will never happen to me again.We as consumers have no one to blame but ourselves for continuing to buy EA products. You get what you pay for and each of us has gotten exactly what we bought. An online only game that you can't play and will be dead in a few years when EA decides they are no longer making money enough to keep the servers up. I am taking a stand here and now and vow this will never happen to me again. Who is with me?… Expand
  42. Memmett
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    If they would have called it 'SimCity Social I wouldn't have minded so much. As it stands, it's more like false advertising.

    Let's go through this quickly: horrendous server issues, a pretty much unnecessary mandatory online only connection, almost facist DRM, tiny plots of land that are not much bigger than the village I live in, horrible right-angle 'freeway' connections, which are    If they would have called it 'SimCity Social I wouldn't have minded so much. As it stands, it's more like false advertising.

    Let's go through this quickly: horrendous server issues, a pretty much unnecessary mandatory online only connection, almost facist DRM, tiny plots of land that are not much bigger than the village I live in, horrible right-angle 'freeway' connections, which are totally uneditable, huge swathes of land that are permanently out of reach, overcomplicated and completely unnecessary information on individual citizens (this isn't Tropico...), a permanently depleting water table, inability to restore cities (probably the thing I hate most about this game). I mean, the server issues and ridiculous price they expect people to pay for this game seem trivial compared to this.

    For balance, i'll put the things I enjoy: curved roads (excellent!), tilt shift works pretty well, modular building is an excellent idea, the ability to share utilities and buildings between cities is BRILLIANT, some parts of the social experiment are quite interesting.

    But it just isn't SimCity. That's what a lot of 'us' expected, and I think we were quite right too. It's not everyday that a game that has been as a good as dead for 10 years comes back to life. It's not everyday that this inspires such a huge reaction, and (fortunately) it's not everyday that a game that was previously a thoroughly fun, expansive and dare I say it adult experience gets reduced to a glorified Facebook game.

    Appalling.    … Expand
  43. Blackhawk2000
    Mar 6, 2013
    2
    This review is based on my personal experience with the game. I pre-ordered the limited edition of the Sim City, however I wasn't able to actually start downloading the game until 8:00 the next morning. Seems to defeat the purpose of pre-ordering. After the game was installed, I was able to play for about 2 hours before I got a message saying the the SimCity servers were down,This review is based on my personal experience with the game. I pre-ordered the limited edition of the Sim City, however I wasn't able to actually start downloading the game until 8:00 the next morning. Seems to defeat the purpose of pre-ordering. After the game was installed, I was able to play for about 2 hours before I got a message saying the the SimCity servers were down, attempting to reconnect. I don't care about the DRM, but when it effects my gameplay experience, it is unacceptable. The 2 hours of game time I had were fun, but the game comes with so much baggage that it completely sucks the fun out of it. I know that when I am able to play again I'm going to constantly have "SimCity servers are down, attempting to reconnect" in the back of my mind, and wondering how long I'll be able to play. For a company as large as EA this is just ridiculous. They have raised the price of their games, forced you to download Origin in order to play, and then shown complete disregard for their customers. It is a fun game to play but I honestly cannot recommend purchasing it until EA straightens out its problems.… Expand
  44. 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.
  45. sburtonhome
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    What a waste of money! I'm was a HUGE fan of the franchise no longer. Glaring flaws like a miniscule 2x2 map, always online play, and no local save games make this unbearable. On top of that and after waiting years for this release, I have to wait 15 minutes in line to play single player!?!
  46. frankywashere
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    The Online play completely ruins the game, NO support is offered by EA.

    If they released an OFFLINE version tommorow, this game would get a 9/10.

    But right now the game is litterally UNPLAYABLE. I'm telling you DO NOT make the mistake of buying this game, YOU WILL BE DISSAPOINTED.

    You litterally won't be able to play it.
  47. 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
  48. t_h
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Always online DRM blows hard. What if someone wanted to play while abroad, offline or in an area with no internet connection? There are those who love multiplayer games and there are those who love their single player games. SimCity will always be remembered for catering to the latter. "These are games that a lot of people like to play single-player," says Graham Smith, the editor of PCAlways online DRM blows hard. What if someone wanted to play while abroad, offline or in an area with no internet connection? There are those who love multiplayer games and there are those who love their single player games. SimCity will always be remembered for catering to the latter. "These are games that a lot of people like to play single-player," says Graham Smith, the editor of PC Gamer magazine. "People don’t want to play with other people. They want to play alone."

    Way to ruin an excellent single player franchise, EA.    … Expand
  49. 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
  50. kaitgamer
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Just incredible..

    Over the years i've purchased many games.. I played the original Sim City The stupidity, greed and incompetence of these people is amazing... I am an easy to please gamer and love all types of games... i was wary when i pre-ordered.. but i was so interested I made the plunge... Shame on EA, shame on Origin, and i don't give maxis a pass either...they hooked    Just incredible..

    Over the years i've purchased many games.. I played the original Sim City

    The stupidity, greed and incompetence of these people is amazing... I am an easy to please gamer and love all types of games...

    i was wary when i pre-ordered.. but i was so interested I made the plunge...

    Shame on EA, shame on Origin, and i don't give maxis a pass either...they hooked up with these people..they made the choices to destroy a game franchise that stood on top of all others.. I actually did get to play for 45 minutes last nite...the experience is uncompelling and the how anybody thought the tiny areas to build your city was a good thing beggars belief...

    its a shame.. basically i just spent $60 to reinstall Sim City4.    … Expand
  51. jerudamaja
    Mar 6, 2013
    10
    this game is fun and certainly not desrving of 0-6 scores..come on people stop with the agenda.
    Makes me have to counter it with a 10 score.
    Its such a breath of fresh air in this game market. Everyone that is commenting that this should be a single player game is obviously thinking of past versions of the game. All the hard work and creativity this team has given should not be    this game is fun and certainly not desrving of 0-6 scores..come on people stop with the agenda.
    Makes me have to counter it with a 10 score.
    Its such a breath of fresh air in this game market.
    Everyone that is commenting that this should be a single player game is obviously thinking of past versions of the game. All the hard work and creativity this team has given should not be overshadowed by a vocal group of emotional nerds.
    This is not a forum for activism, its a review site for legitimate reviews. Play the game and enjoy all the great things about it instead of focusing on 3 things like some OCD child.
    Yes.. first day launch was bad, what did you expect Blizzard even screwed this up, and they have tons of experience in this realm.

    If your going to write something negative, please stop beating a dead horse, say something new.
    As a player I would much rather hear about problems you had or a bug report or something like that versus your unique way of repeating how boxes should be bigger, and DRM doesn't work, and online only why?!!!, in the same cut and paste way.    … Expand
  52. kazy
    Mar 6, 2013
    9
    Ignore the people complaining about the "always online" part, they do not get that we live in 2013 and everyone is perfectly capable of being always online. Sure, there are some server issues currently, but that's something to expect during a huge launch. EA does need to fix up their servers, and there is a "queue" (spoilers: it's just a reconnection timer, relaunch the game) to get onIgnore the people complaining about the "always online" part, they do not get that we live in 2013 and everyone is perfectly capable of being always online. Sure, there are some server issues currently, but that's something to expect during a huge launch. EA does need to fix up their servers, and there is a "queue" (spoilers: it's just a reconnection timer, relaunch the game) to get on the servers, even to play single player. But the thing is, there really is no "single player" mode. Even in what could be construed as a single player mode, you're invited to invite friends to take over other cities in the region.

    Definitely a fun game, no matter the DRM, and I found my self up way past when I should be playing it. Fun as all hell.    … Expand
  53. Antipika
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    >Small cities (smaller than the SNES version lol...)
    >Always online DRM
    >Forced to use Origin
    >DLCs to have access to bigger cities
    >MSRP above £40 in the UK (£45), which is a complete rip off as 98% of new game release, including AAA games such CoD are released for £39.99 or less.

    EA/10
  54. Nomus
    Mar 6, 2013
    2
    It's incredible how the greed for money can ruin user experience. And those EA guys trying to convince us that DRM implemented in the game is totally alright. Seriously EA i stop buying your games you don't deserve it. YOu deserve to die as a company that kills nice IPs and gamedev companies. That DRM that doesn't allow you to play SP is just a last drop.
  55. MFT
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This game is a sham. Not only its bland and overly-simplified, just like Dead Space 3 or Crysis 3, it also bugged and flawed at its very core. Cities, even regions can disappear and become permanently unavailable. Trading and sending gifts takes ages because of constant server synchronization issues. AI is disgusting cars always take shorter routes even if there are free roads available.This game is a sham. Not only its bland and overly-simplified, just like Dead Space 3 or Crysis 3, it also bugged and flawed at its very core. Cities, even regions can disappear and become permanently unavailable. Trading and sending gifts takes ages because of constant server synchronization issues. AI is disgusting cars always take shorter routes even if there are free roads available. Police stations, fire stations, hospitals, schools, buses nothing works properly. Nothing can completely cover an entire city even though they suppose to cover entire regions. Cities themselves are very small and impossible to be self-sufficient, effective or even aesthetically pleasing. Its impossible to place symmetric streets. You cant even rotate buildings, you cant even place parks properly they have to be aligned to roads and take a lot of space. I am horrified at critics reaction and scores this game received. Everyone can see just how flawed and bugged this game is. Nobody likes constant online connection or slow server response times and yet they keep giving away 9 out of 10, 90% and A grades to EA. Its unexplainable and despicable how they keep deceiving the gamers and pander to industry giants which keep releasing casual/console oriented, bugged, unpolished, unfinished products.… Expand
  56. FleetAdmiral
    Mar 6, 2013
    9
    Ok, first things first: Does it suck that you have to always be online, rely on unreliable servers, pay for DLC (which will definitely happen), and blah blah blah with this game? Yes. Does it suck that we are falling hook, line and sinker for these big business gimmicks? Yes. But, for me, being a gamer, it is the price to pay so I can play...at least now-a-days. Is it worth it? YouOk, first things first: Does it suck that you have to always be online, rely on unreliable servers, pay for DLC (which will definitely happen), and blah blah blah with this game? Yes. Does it suck that we are falling hook, line and sinker for these big business gimmicks? Yes. But, for me, being a gamer, it is the price to pay so I can play...at least now-a-days. Is it worth it? You be the judge...everyone is different. I mean, look at Metacritic (no offense Metapeeps), in order to even write or comment on here, you have to sign up, give them your email addy, birth date, blood type, first born, etc (ok, kidding on those last few...I don't want to get any Meta-lawsuits). Why? Cuz they want to just keep things organized? No way! They want to email you stuff that makes them money. I don't like it, but I put up with it (and also check the box that says "don't send me your crap"). Why do I do this, because I'm "paying for the service." I weigh the pros and cons and figure, "ok, I like Metacritic, so I'm willing to give you my email address, etc, so that I can use your site." So, the same thing goes with EA and all they're BS. I don't like it, but it's the price to pay. For those who are just protesting, good for you. But sadly nothing will happen, guys. I mean, if Occupy Wallstreet didn't really do anything, do you think Occupy EA is really going to do anything? Pick your battles. Instead of protesting, design your own stuff. Competition is how you "change" big business, not picketing. Now with that all behind me, here is the truth about the game a real score to get a sense of what this game is really like (with above problems "ignored"...or just not worried about). If you like Sim City games, you will like this game. If you like city building games, you will like this game. If you like being creative, you'll like this game. This is a cool, fun game. The graphics are modernized Simcity graphics. Do they look like Battlefield 3 graphics? No, but they're not going for that here. What they're going for is Simcity graphics, and they look good (and for some reason they just make me happy). The music and sound fx are great, too. As for game play, being able to zoom in and really get a VERY good sense of how things are going, is really amazing. The simulation is out of this world. I am surprised the game runs so smoothly considering how much computing all that unique simulating must take up. To be honest, I think that is why the map sizes are so small. They just can't run that sort of simulation on a map the size of the ones in Simcity 4. Which leads me to map size. Yes, they're small, and at first (before really playing), I was bummed out about it. But then I started doing what I think the Maxis people wanted us to do, and that is specialize cities, and make your region be one big city. So, instead of setting aside one area of my map for industry, the other side for residential, etc, I use one map for things like power, water, etc, and the others for things like education and big buildings...or whatever else you want to do. If you go at this game with that sort of goal, you really start to not mind the smaller plots (but hopefully future DLC give us bigger plots). Other than that, the game is a lot of fun. On a fun factor scale, it's a solid 10. Most people say prayers or kiss their wife good night right before falling asleep....losers like me found themselves thinking about this game and what I'd do differently next time I played, before going to sleep. So, be warned, you will waste hours and hours on this game. In conclusion and in my opinion, get the game...it's really fun. Yes, the required-to-play servers will eventually be turned off, but that won't be for a long, long time (there will probably be a new Simcity by then). In the meantime, you'll be able to enjoy a lot of time playing this very fun game.… Expand
  57. BluSpecter
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    I cant believe how disastrous this "final product" is (though we all know this games current dlc is just the beginning). No manual, less than helpful tutorial, unbelievably small maps, utter lack of support, draconian wait times, bugs abound, coupled with the obviously massaged critic reviews that will inevitably "trick" less people into buying the game than EA thinks, this has got to beI cant believe how disastrous this "final product" is (though we all know this games current dlc is just the beginning). No manual, less than helpful tutorial, unbelievably small maps, utter lack of support, draconian wait times, bugs abound, coupled with the obviously massaged critic reviews that will inevitably "trick" less people into buying the game than EA thinks, this has got to be one of the worst follow-ups to one of my all time favorite game series. I still play SimCity 4 to this day. EA has failed the gaming community......… Expand
  58. ratt22
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    EA has lost my business forever! I can't even play the game by myself; have to have an Internet connection and there is no guarantee the server will save your game! EA saw this coming and did nothing to fix it before it actually became a problem. With all the preorders, how in the hell were they not able to fix this problem! EA is a bunch of turds!
  59. Broofist
    Mar 6, 2013
    4
    The maps are unbelievably small and that scale takes away from any real experience in creativity you could have. I've created about 5 "cities" in the same region, and have had others join my region and fill about 3. I've basically seen every feature in about 6-8 hours. If you don't zone a formulaic grid of high density streets around a central avenue, you won't get anywhere near 100kThe maps are unbelievably small and that scale takes away from any real experience in creativity you could have. I've created about 5 "cities" in the same region, and have had others join my region and fill about 3. I've basically seen every feature in about 6-8 hours. If you don't zone a formulaic grid of high density streets around a central avenue, you won't get anywhere near 100k population. The size of the cities is an absolute joke considering many aspects that provided depth in sc4 have been removed. Yes, I can zoom in and watch my sims, but what part of watching them is considered "gameplay". I guess it's no big deal that I've explored the same space 5 times and plopped almost every item in the first day of playtime. Avoid buying this, it's nowhere near the quality of game you'd expect. It needs a serious patch right now to address the scale. A "major sports arena" or other large park or landmark will take up so much space(a few "blocks"), that you won't want to place many at all, because it will knock out about 5-10%(not exaggerating, maps are that small) of your housing!… Expand
  60. 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
  61. Beefnose
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This game would be much better if it was actually playable. User interface failures on epic levels (I am unable to even see the buttons that are needed to progress through the tutorial, and there is very poor support in the manuals to assist this process), Preposterously bad DRM, (this is a single player game, no matter how much they want you to be able to interact with your neighbors)This game would be much better if it was actually playable. User interface failures on epic levels (I am unable to even see the buttons that are needed to progress through the tutorial, and there is very poor support in the manuals to assist this process), Preposterously bad DRM, (this is a single player game, no matter how much they want you to be able to interact with your neighbors) and depressingly small cities (even when the game is playable you are limited because of the forced "multiplayer" nature of the game) all combine to make a depressingly awful experience. If you don't own it, don't buy it.… Expand
  62. Kagd
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    NEVER SUPPORT ONLINE DRM FOR SINGLE PLAYER GAMES. Period.
    I cant enjoy this single player game because it forces me to be online. Worse then that EA's servers are broken.

    As for gameplay; the city limits are a complete disgrace. You end up with patches of heavy developed squares surrounded by empty grass. Just trash.
  63. Puk3ify
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Always online even to play singleplayer, and then the server is down. DO NOT BUY! WASTE OF MONEY. EA is clearly buying good reviews from critics. Besides, they kill all the good series anyway.
  64. justcausetx
    Mar 6, 2013
    9
    I always find it funny when these site are overwhelmed by trolls posting ratings of 0 and 1 when they never purchased the game. Yes, the game had some issues at launch. Connecting to server but unable to claim a city, able to claim a city but the game crashed 2 mins later and no ability to invite a friend to a region. All these issues were resolved around 9 pm last night. If anyone hasI always find it funny when these site are overwhelmed by trolls posting ratings of 0 and 1 when they never purchased the game. Yes, the game had some issues at launch. Connecting to server but unable to claim a city, able to claim a city but the game crashed 2 mins later and no ability to invite a friend to a region. All these issues were resolved around 9 pm last night. If anyone has been through a Blizzard launch they will agree that these setbacks were nothing. People complaining about always on DRM, Hello and welcome to the 21st century. Everything is going this way. Unfortunately it is a necessary evil and wont be going away anytime soon.

    I must say this game is the most addicting one I have played in a while. It has been a good 3 or 4 years since a game has sucked me only for me to finally check the clock and realize I need to go to bed for work. I thought the city size was going to be a bad thing but it actually enhances the game play. You are able to start a second, third or even fourth city in your region.

    My first city is now over 50,000 residents and going strong. I have just started my second city in the region and can see myself being sucked in for a long time. Which is going to really put a damped on the Starcraft expansion coming out next week.    … Expand
  65. Koreenium
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I understand that EA wants to earn money but why add DRM for single player??? WHY??? There are just way too many problems with this BS. I go to my summer home and can't play this because I DON'T HAVE INTERNET IN MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!!! Can't you just come up with some anti pirating system that does not need internet connection?
  66. Clean515
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    For a game called Sim City it's certainly dissapointing that you can only build small european towns. What a waste of potential by restricting their users like this, always online is not a deal breaker for me but it's also dissapointing that it results in the game not actually working half the time, EA with their approach to games having to be online and have micro transactions inFor a game called Sim City it's certainly dissapointing that you can only build small european towns. What a waste of potential by restricting their users like this, always online is not a deal breaker for me but it's also dissapointing that it results in the game not actually working half the time, EA with their approach to games having to be online and have micro transactions in everything should be ashamed and Maxis should put their foot in the door and not let themselves be pushed around by EA who constantly messes up any IP.… Expand
  67. DoctorPloxo
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    So after spending $80 ($20 more than I should) to play this game, I was greeted with very long queue times. To play a single player game. So, okay, whatever. After waiting forever to get in the game, I started playing. I did not enjoy myself. The cities were tiny, there were limited transporation options, no terraforming you all know this by not. But, maybe it'll pick up soon, I thought.So after spending $80 ($20 more than I should) to play this game, I was greeted with very long queue times. To play a single player game. So, okay, whatever. After waiting forever to get in the game, I started playing. I did not enjoy myself. The cities were tiny, there were limited transporation options, no terraforming you all know this by not. But, maybe it'll pick up soon, I thought. So I continued. Then the servers went down (or maybe a slight hickup on my end), and I got kicked out of the game. Due to an internet issue. In a single player game. Fine, whatever. Relaunched the game, more queues. Got pretty frustrated now, but wanted to eat least get to the meat of the game. I wanted through yet another queue, only to log in and find my city was corrupted. It was saved on their servers. Why the hell was it corrupted?

    So I uninstalled and asked for a refund. Giving the game 1 star instead of 0 because I actually got one. Thanks for ruining another franchise, EA.    … Expand
  68. copper7op
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    I literally signed up just to write a review. The game honestly looks excellent. But I wouldn't know, because I can't play it. 24 hours after purchasing the game (in store) I have yet to be able to login to these servers. And while a DRM-Free version of the game would probably get a 9/10 from me there are legitimate game issues, like small maps) I can't give a positive review to a game II literally signed up just to write a review. The game honestly looks excellent. But I wouldn't know, because I can't play it. 24 hours after purchasing the game (in store) I have yet to be able to login to these servers. And while a DRM-Free version of the game would probably get a 9/10 from me there are legitimate game issues, like small maps) I can't give a positive review to a game I can't play. They've taken my money, and now told me "wait up to a week for the servers to stabilize".

    Sorry Maxis, EA has ruined your game     … Expand
  69. loydb
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    They've taken a what used to be a great offline game and ruined it. I do not want always-on, and their screwup of the launch proves why. EA will end up like Ubisoft, crawling back to gamers to offer fake apologies for their draconian crap. Too little, too late.
  70. OnlyJoe
    Mar 6, 2013
    6
    This game has many good parts to it, as well as some frustrating parts. I was amount the group of people who couldn't actually download the game until hours after it was released. So that put me in a bad mood at the start. Then there is the whole cloud and always online issue, being online didn't seem too much of a problem for me, but not know when it saves is annoying. A number of timesThis game has many good parts to it, as well as some frustrating parts. I was amount the group of people who couldn't actually download the game until hours after it was released. So that put me in a bad mood at the start. Then there is the whole cloud and always online issue, being online didn't seem too much of a problem for me, but not know when it saves is annoying. A number of times it has crashed, and taken me to the desktop, so I log back in and the city has gone. But the good things are the sims, amazing seeing every person and every car, and you can follow them all the way to work. It like they are actual people, and traffic is real because too many cars. Public transport does seem very used by sims, put in busses and the car more than half.
    They have put more focus onto having to get the buildings to upgrade, which give more of a challenge. And upgrading buildings is great, and means you spend less time waiting to save up to buy something. Bad things: 1. the map size feels so small, and there is not enough space to match the demands. For me sim city was always about rapid expansion.
    2. When you play with other people, there are loads of plots of land someone has claimed and then not built anything in. And other cities are really important in this version, you have to share sims and resources. And people don't really work together, they just make a tiny city the same as everyone else on the map. Plus everyone wants to get the nice flat area's first, leaving just the cliffs or island levels.
    3. There feels like there is so much missing content. One way streets, highways, subways, etc.    … Expand
  71. guardian41
    Mar 6, 2013
    3
    My gaming rig is top notch the problem with crashes is at the server. This is a poor choice if you dont' have perfect Internet all the time. The detail is awesome as are the missions, but the overall limitations are annoying. If I could, I'd return this game!
  72. bukhrin
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Can't even claim a city to play. And I was dumb enough to buy the Collector's Edition version. Why can't they just disable the servers authentication for sandbox games. Oh EA you moron.
  73. Porzelan
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    No Singleplayer option Offline? What the What happened to the Sim City I loved? Also the sizes of the Citys are just laughable. It is not satisfieng in any sense. Goodbye Sim City...
  74. greanthai420
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    The large city in this game is smaller than the smallest city you could build in earlier games.
    Log on queue when i just want to play my game alone.
    Cartoony graphics designed for autistic child.

    Cancer of gaming. Blunder of the year.
  75. biowarez
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    It's error 34 all over again! and EA killed the modding community for this POS (you know how modders keep SC 4 a game that fun to play even until today!!) So we should expect this game to died out probably up to two years from now.. Let's just wait for some competitor to publish city simulator games without greed in mind.
  76. bar10dr
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    It should be named Sim Town, not Sim City, because you can't make cities like you could in the previous versions, only small towns. You can switch to different districts and they share some things so you can sell power or garbage to your other towns, they are not even connected, so you see it as different small towns.

    I can't even log in atm. because there is a huge line to play, it's terrible.
  77. Anarchy
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    DRM has made this promising game totally unplayable. People can't download the game, can't join a server, can't save their game and are having their cities wiped all because EA have unimaginably forced always-online DRM even though they know the risks and the fact that it has little to no benefit. In fact, piracy for this game will be through the roof. Shame on EA, disgusting greedy RIP Simcity.
  78. Mark0s
    Mar 6, 2013
    3
    Just signed up here especially to give a comment on this epic and ridicules game. Im not giving a comment on the DMR always online mode, its a wrong choice to make EA, but they have made this choice, nothing to do about it anymore. Played the beta and beta 2, immediately gave some valuable gameplay feedback.
    As an urban planner for me personally the map size DOES matter, the tiny size    Just signed up here especially to give a comment on this epic and ridicules game. Im not giving a comment on the DMR always online mode, its a wrong choice to make EA, but they have made this choice, nothing to do about it anymore. Played the beta and beta 2, immediately gave some valuable gameplay feedback.
    As an urban planner for me personally the map size DOES matter, the tiny size does not compete with a realistic or sensible way of how a city works. Creativity is bounded due to this 2 by 2km square area. As well as the empty space between buildings, there is no feature that is able to completely fillup the empty space between the buildings. In the urban world this could be a key element to provide inhabitants more useable space, Simcity terms: “happiness”.

    Please EA, improve...    … Expand
  79. LostMyMind
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Love the SimCity games and the review are looking good. I would have bought this game but I'm not going to pay money for a always online single player game. I made that mistake with Diablo 3 already. You lost my money.
  80. Altheo
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This is my first review ever on metacritic. Too bad its not going to be a positive one but unlike the payed of journalist it will be an honest one. Here comes a list of things wrong with this game. Plain simple!
    1. Always online DRM. (For obvious, logical reasons)
    2. SimVille not SimCty (Painfully small building space. A city can NOT be built on 2X2 Km.Period!) 3. DLC    This is my first review ever on metacritic. Too bad its not going to be a positive one but unlike the payed of journalist it will be an honest one. Here comes a list of things wrong with this game. Plain simple!
    1. Always online DRM. (For obvious, logical reasons)

    2. SimVille not SimCty (Painfully small building space. A city can NOT be built on 2X2 Km.Period!)

    3. DLC microtransactions (Fine for a free-to-play game. NOT acceptable for a game you are renting for 80$, yeah you read correctly; renting. )

    4. Not possible to create your own regions or terrain for that matter. (Maxis, ever heard of terraforming? If you are simulating something, do it slightly believable. Or is this not a simulation game?) 5. Suck you dry. (Yes, the layout of this game is made for sucking you dry and in the bad way- if there is a good one. They will probably open up the possibility for you to have bigger regions. But they will charge you for it. One lot at a time. They will also open up landmarks and cool new building. But they will charge you for it. They will open up terraforming. And again they will charge you for it. In the end you have spent 300$ on a game you wont be able to play say in 5 years time since you are renting it from EA!! )

    4. Not possible to save your cities since the game autosaves for you. (If you make a misstake you stick with it just as in real life. Matbe this is a good thing? But wait, what if my cat jumps up on my keybord and places a really expensive building in the wrong place. That's right its a cat mistake but you'll have to live with it) 5. Me and You. Guys, we have just supported everything we think is wrong with this game. Be it Origin, EA, whatever. We have just condoned the destruction of a game we were all suppose to love and which many of us enjoyed as kids. How did we do this? Simply by donating 80$ to EA. Yes donated, the game is on their servers. Not on your computer! Right now we are EA's How does it feel?    … Expand
  81. Danceswithsheep
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Its more like Sim Town given the size restrictions. Suggest you read this for a nice compilation of how restrictive the game is: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/03/simcity-impressions-we-waited-ten-years-for-this/
  82. 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!
  83. 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
  84. Godeau
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    'Unable to create a city at this time. Please claim a city later.' is the only experience i'm getting from paying my money for this game. Help Center is broken. Getting Started tutorial is also broken! Avoid this game at all cost. 1/10 for the SimCity name.
  85. bowedoak
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    It's not just the fact that for thousands of players the game is crashing every five minutes, or that none of the games can be saved or even that support is non-existent. The issue for me is the handful of maps to choose from and the minuscule city size with very defined boundaries. The game has lost it's sense of open play. The intuitiveness that made Sim City so much fun is gone. InIt's not just the fact that for thousands of players the game is crashing every five minutes, or that none of the games can be saved or even that support is non-existent. The issue for me is the handful of maps to choose from and the minuscule city size with very defined boundaries. The game has lost it's sense of open play. The intuitiveness that made Sim City so much fun is gone. In all the games I have ever bought, this one is the only one I can truly say "I want a refund."… Expand
  86. wurmphlegm
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Online DRM and DRM in general is always the wrong idea. Having to log into a server just to play a Single Player game? why the hell would you need to do that? Have the game save it all in a folder on your computer., just like every other single player game. Once EA has your money, it's gone. That's all i have to say about EA. They will go through hoops to make sure you dont get a refund.Online DRM and DRM in general is always the wrong idea. Having to log into a server just to play a Single Player game? why the hell would you need to do that? Have the game save it all in a folder on your computer., just like every other single player game. Once EA has your money, it's gone. That's all i have to say about EA. They will go through hoops to make sure you dont get a refund. As for a patch to fix it..im sure it wont be patchable, and it would probly require a new engine, cause im sure that's how indepth this DRM is. My other main reason i avoided buying this game, was because there was no Linux version. It should of been EA that went bankrupt, and not THQ. Maybe this is their way of keeping themselves above water. Pure thievery.… Expand
  87. gibbsman
    Mar 6, 2013
    9
    Granted EA screwed up with the whole server load issue, but the game itself is great. Very deep, very enjoyable and overall a great game. It's a great upgrade from SimCity 4 and certainly better than Cities XL.

    Is it perfect? no, definitely not, but it's very very good. Does "always online" suck? Sure it does. Are the cities small? yep, at least to begin with. Once the initial wave of    Granted EA screwed up with the whole server load issue, but the game itself is great. Very deep, very enjoyable and overall a great game. It's a great upgrade from SimCity 4 and certainly better than Cities XL.

    Is it perfect? no, definitely not, but it's very very good. Does "always online" suck? Sure it does. Are the cities small? yep, at least to begin with. Once the initial wave of launch traffic dies down nobody will think about these issues. Overall I would recommend this game to everyone. Please ignore the bad reviews on here as most are complaining about the server issues upon launch. While those do contribute to the game, the depth of the gameplay itself is not reflective of these launch issues. Let's give Maxis and the SimCity team some credit for all the hard work they did on a great game and not base everything on EA's lack of ability to have a smooth launch.    … Expand
  88. belnac
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Just registered on this website to voice my strong criticism of always-online DRM that affects the single player mode of the game. Although any form of DRM is evil and should be resisted by us, the consumers, the fact that the single player mode of Simcity was designed to require a persistent connection to EA's servers is simply beyond belief. Electronic Arts, the biggest video gameJust registered on this website to voice my strong criticism of always-online DRM that affects the single player mode of the game. Although any form of DRM is evil and should be resisted by us, the consumers, the fact that the single player mode of Simcity was designed to require a persistent connection to EA's servers is simply beyond belief. Electronic Arts, the biggest video game publisher/developer in the world should know better. Don't buy this game; if you have, get a refund.… Expand
  89. Bunker
    Mar 5, 2013
    2
    PROS: Fresh look for a good classic, resources or speciality services, shared goals within game, on line play.

    CONS: DRM tech (for such a "unpopular" game, based on EA's preparedness level), SC Veterans will miss a single player mode, EA's support structure was not scaled appropriately for this games data/connection requirements and/or the demand thereof. Im not sure what type of    PROS: Fresh look for a good classic, resources or speciality services, shared goals within game, on line play.

    CONS: DRM tech (for such a "unpopular" game, based on EA's preparedness level), SC Veterans will miss a single player mode, EA's support structure was not scaled appropriately for this games data/connection requirements and/or the demand thereof.

    Im not sure what type of this latest title the Critics got a taste of, but I assure you, it wasn't the one that consumers beta tested or paid for. Finally, with all that can go wrong(and has) with games that have gone this route, I'm not even sure if you can call this a game at this stage.....maybe software or program as a game is fundamentally redundant if it cannot be played and just merely stared at, in awestruck disappointment.    … Expand
  90. XenFox
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    This game so far has been a waste of time and money. In the words of the IGN Launch Day Review "Who could possibly have predicted that SimCity would experience launch day problems due to its online requirement? Right: everyone. Everyone predicted that. With waiting an entire evening with my family watching the 20 minute clock counter go by for the 900th time and getting a whopping totalThis game so far has been a waste of time and money. In the words of the IGN Launch Day Review "Who could possibly have predicted that SimCity would experience launch day problems due to its online requirement? Right: everyone. Everyone predicted that. With waiting an entire evening with my family watching the 20 minute clock counter go by for the 900th time and getting a whopping total of 10 minutes of game play before the game crashed, I know that SimCity was not worth my hard earned money or the time to play it.… Expand
  91. Radz
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    Imagine you just bought a brand-new Corvette after waiting months for it. You jump in the car and turn the key to fire up the massive V8 engine. Instead of satisfying roars, the dashboard flashes at you. "Gas Pump not connected. Aborting."

    This sums up my experience so far with SimCity. I bought a new game to sit indefinitely in a queue that says, "ATTEMPTING to reconnect in 20    Imagine you just bought a brand-new Corvette after waiting months for it. You jump in the car and turn the key to fire up the massive V8 engine. Instead of satisfying roars, the dashboard flashes at you. "Gas Pump not connected. Aborting."

    This sums up my experience so far with SimCity. I bought a new game to sit indefinitely in a queue that says, "ATTEMPTING to reconnect in 20 minutes". In other words, not persistent. No idea how long the queue is, just that it will try again in 20 minutes. Nice, right?

    In game, the tutorial, which you must complete, is broken. Buttons get greyed out. Random crashes happen, your SERVER-BASED saves don't sync and are deleted. Hours of gameplay down the drain. The only question on my mind now is, how long until the pull the login server plug and my $60 game becomes a $60 Frisbee? In fact, take your $60, walk up to a musclehead, and hand it to him. Ask him to punch you in the face. Not only will you get more for your money, but it will be less painful to watch.

    PASS.    … Expand
  92. Splackity
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    Will update when game is playable. Game is not playable. Game has not been playable for over 6 hours. Game queue is not a queue, it's a time waster. Game is worthless. Single most pointless launch ever. Capacity is a joke.
  93. DZ511
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    Basically, this is a $60 rental. It only works (WHEN it works) when you're connected to the internet and even then you're a slave to EA's crap servers. If they are having problems, you can't play. Home net down? Can't play. Looking to kill time on that flight? Can't play. Etc...
  94. ruiner4u
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    This steaming pile of coded crap is nothing but a polished up version of Societies. There is nothing new, or innovative to this game. The small city plot size is a joke.

    DO NOT BUY THIS GAME IF you loved simcity 4, or 2000.

    However, if you want a POS facebook game, waste 60 bux.
  95. willythekid3030
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    I don't even know. Just wow. EA has ruined it for us. They ruined it. And you know what sucks? Nothing is going to be done about it. They're still gonna make loads of money and always will. People will always buy their games even though they're a greedy company that could care less about the customer. We are not appreciated anymore. They screwed us over now and they'll screw us over again,I don't even know. Just wow. EA has ruined it for us. They ruined it. And you know what sucks? Nothing is going to be done about it. They're still gonna make loads of money and always will. People will always buy their games even though they're a greedy company that could care less about the customer. We are not appreciated anymore. They screwed us over now and they'll screw us over again, but no matter what they will always be there. Nothing will ever be done.… Expand
  96. Ravel
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    With all of the releases, supposed stress testing, etc. I'm surprised at the issues though I guess I shouldn't be (EA... sigh). As a gamer now in his 30s, I can't believe I'm still surprised by this, but each year and with each blockbuster release (assuming they'd learn from the previous one), the issues seem to get progressively worse?

    I don't mind the always online DRM in general,    With all of the releases, supposed stress testing, etc. I'm surprised at the issues though I guess I shouldn't be (EA... sigh). As a gamer now in his 30s, I can't believe I'm still surprised by this, but each year and with each blockbuster release (assuming they'd learn from the previous one), the issues seem to get progressively worse?

    I don't mind the always online DRM in general, nor do I mind the fact that this game required a download only method. I DO mind the fact that despite "pre-ordering" (which was really a pre-buy, thanks Origin!) approximately 6 months ago, I lose out on the $20 bonus that people who recently pre-ordered get? Doesn't make sense. If anything these types of issues only reinforce the idea that I need to stick with Steam as my sole place for digital distribution.

    Its now after waiting 2AM EST, the fact that no servers are still available and I can't log in Not good. The game may be great, but if I can't play it, then how can I give it a positive review? 0 playability 0 rating.    … Expand
  97. LordLothair
    Mar 5, 2013
    5
    Alright gang, let's get the obligatory complaining out of the way:

    1. Always online DRM 2. Only 2 US servers (5 total) 3. 0 customer service response or presence (255+ minute wait time to speak to an online rep, suddenly removed phone and email support access) The combination of these things has resulted in a horrible release for EA. Can I say I'm surprised: no, not really.    Alright gang, let's get the obligatory complaining out of the way:

    1. Always online DRM
    2. Only 2 US servers (5 total)
    3. 0 customer service response or presence (255+ minute wait time to speak to an online rep, suddenly removed phone and email support access)

    The combination of these things has resulted in a horrible release for EA. Can I say I'm surprised: no, not really. We, as consumers have allowed this behavior, and even excuse it with: It's release day, just wait... Every game has these problems at start... No one can expect the server load... and various other excuse that gets tossed up on a forum complaining about the game. The fact is NOT every game has this problem, because not every game requires online access, not every game requires you to link up with a limited server farm, and not every game is released with almost zero customer service... sigh, now that's out of the way, my review of what (little) I've gotten to play:

    The visuals of the game are wonderful. The city grows very organically, and is pleasing to watch. The detail used to express and track the individual Sims in your city as they go about their daily lives is a great feat and adds so much to the depth of simulation. Musical effects are fitting for the scene and don't draw attention to themselves, while adding just enough ambiance to fill out the effect.

    For those that have played previous SimCity games before, you will find some issues though. First and foremost to me is the limited size you have to build your city in. Due to the "specialization" that you are "encouraged" to use for each city, you are limited to what appears to be about 2 square kilometers for each city. These are not very large spaces, especially compared to some of the huge blocks of space you could use in SimCity 4. Secondly, you will find that things have been streamlined. This is not always a bad thing. Everything runs through streets (power, water, sewage), so you can layout utilities and transport all in one go, however this also feels like "training wheels" to experienced SimCity players. The snap-to guides are handy, but lack any sense of sizing for future development. How big of a zone do I need to have a sky scraper in a few years? I don't know, I guess I'll just put these roads wherever.

    Region interconnectivity is an interesting, but less than stellar additon. The ability to work with friends and assist them to start off by providing Goods or Services is nice, but really rather meaningless if you aren't specializing your city.

    Graphic glitches do exist, but aren't game-breaking (many times my buildings simply dissapear or roads become transparent). The biggest issues are server issues. Any time I have attempted to play I have had to sit and wait for atleast 30 minutes before being able to join a server (yes, I'm sitting for the fifth time today as I write this). This wouldn't be too bad expect for frequent crashes and glitches on cities becoming no responsive that require restarting the game, and sitting the server que... again.

    Another frustraion comes from the division of the servers themselves. The most common response we (people seeking support from EA) have gotten is: "Just join a server that isn't full". That's all fine and good, except the city I just spent three hours on only exists on one server. When you go to a new server, you have to restart with the tutorial (something that you can't skip and is bugged out on some servers), and start all over. Also, you only have access to 10 regions at any one time. You can delete a region to free up space, but this is bugged and currently not releasing the save slot on some servers. The ability to have a private region is nice for those of us that really don't want someone creating a bunch of pollution in our areas, but makes the always online DRM rather oppressive.

    All told, the few hours of play time I have gotten have been enjoyable. It's nice to have a pretty SimCity to poke around with, and I look forward to experimenting with the city specialization and regional superprojects, however, I have spent as much time waiting for tech support and sitting in server lines as I have played in the last 24 hours since release, and that is unacceptable to me.

    Is this a great sequel to SimCity 4... sadly, no. Is it a good game, yes I'd say it is. It is fun, a great time sink, and something that has been lacking in recent games, but as always Buyer Beware when it comes to EA and any other distributors that restricts your access to the game you purchased. My other major concern is future content being distributed as purchased DLC, server instability, or the fact that at any time EA could decide to shut down the SimCity servers and your $60 game is suddenly gone.

    Use your personal scales to decide if you want to play SimCity badly enough to support such bad business practices. If you do, the game itself isn't bad.    … Expand
  98. hotcheese
    Mar 5, 2013
    1
    Yup once again the evil EA and their always on DRM had ruined the experience. It's worst than the Diablo 3 launch. I swear this is the last time I'll buy anything from EA again. In fact, I am gonna pirate this game later. I bet the cracked off line version is so much better.
  99. Winkee
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    BEWARE: Forced online DRM, will you be playing this 10 years down the track like previous Sim Cities? No, you wont. And they want this, so you buy the next one. Servers go down? Well screw you, EA already has your money. DLC available from release, server side save-games. I repeat, FORCED ONLINE DRM Also, server queues at launch. Thanks for destroying video gaming and my most treasured franchise.
  100. SimSuck
    Mar 5, 2013
    1
    Created an account just to sign this petition of pissed-off users. Since I cannot even use this game when promised, I give it a zero. I decided to be generous and give it a 1; you do have pretty pictures of what I think the game will look like. Too bad pictures on a website and a launcher that doesn't launch is all I get for my cash. MAXIS, you have my $60 and I have 30 gigs of wastedCreated an account just to sign this petition of pissed-off users. Since I cannot even use this game when promised, I give it a zero. I decided to be generous and give it a 1; you do have pretty pictures of what I think the game will look like. Too bad pictures on a website and a launcher that doesn't launch is all I get for my cash. MAXIS, you have my $60 and I have 30 gigs of wasted hard drive space. Thanks.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

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