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. mjfan97
    Mar 21, 2013
    0
    I'm sure I'd be happy to pay for a good game from a hard-working company, but that's not you, EA. Because of your BS unacceptable business practices I must insist on giving this game a definitive 0 for two reasons:
    1. Always-online DRM
    2. Broken gameplay elements This is complete BS EA! It's alienating gamers and your solution will be to probably buy some more DLC Packs. That's    I'm sure I'd be happy to pay for a good game from a hard-working company, but that's not you, EA. Because of your BS unacceptable business practices I must insist on giving this game a definitive 0 for two reasons:
    1. Always-online DRM
    2. Broken gameplay elements

    This is complete BS EA! It's alienating gamers and your solution will be to probably buy some more DLC Packs. That's alright. I'll just give my money to companies who actually DO deserve it.    … Expand
  2. sanka
    Mar 21, 2013
    3
    In short, better you know about how a real city is developed, higher the chance that you'd be disappointed. From the first SimCity to SimCity 4, each new title give you improved simulation on city development, at the same time embrace you more on creativity and value judgment. However, this SimCity is a much simplified game than the previous: Agriculture is gone, density control is gone,In short, better you know about how a real city is developed, higher the chance that you'd be disappointed. From the first SimCity to SimCity 4, each new title give you improved simulation on city development, at the same time embrace you more on creativity and value judgment. However, this SimCity is a much simplified game than the previous: Agriculture is gone, density control is gone, policy/legislation is gone... While one would expect that the new game gives more options in city building, it just doesn't. For example, you may think of using subway system or even cycle tracks to solve traffic jam, like in many real world cities during the last ten years. None of these are allowed, you can either upgrade your roads or build more roads. The basic system is population oriented, you need to boost the city and regional population to unlock higher tier infrastructure, which is nonsense (Before you have enough population to upgrade your city hall, you are not even allowed to do waste recycling in your city, ridiculous) The "city specialty" feel so mining focused, that you wonder whether it is sponsored by real world mining companies. You can build a oil well in an urban area and it is cleaner than one would imagine. The game may be fun for those who just want to see buildings pop up and vehicles running around the city; but if you are those "thinkers" type that look for a planning challenge and build a dream city your way, I am sure that you will be disappointed. I would give the game a 5 (that some may find it fun), but it have "sim" in the title, which the game does not offer.… Expand
  3. ktamlyn
    Mar 21, 2013
    4
    DRM is a reality of the future of social games. Maxis attempted to make this game social and in the end ruined it because of that. This is not a complaint, its a fact. This is a game that is still in beta as far as I'm concerned, yet it was released, possibly by executive order. Someone near the top needs to be fired.

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

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

    On to the actual game, the cities are too small, and things like "airports" have become a part of the "region". This alone kills the game for me. Creativity in this game is lower than ever before. Its not fun once you have played it through once to a dense city. I will admit that first run though was really fun, but not deserving of a good score at the cost of $60. This game is worth $10 even if it took 50 million dollars to develop.    … Expand
  4. Sphirex
    Mar 21, 2013
    1
    Let's put aside all those server issues and the personal opinions on online DRM, other critics and reviews already said enough about them. Nevertheless I still have to say this game is not worth buying yet. You can compare SimCity with any MMO(RPG)'s of your choice, the game starts awful in every aspect, a heap of major game bugs, graphical issues and lack of content. As matters now standLet's put aside all those server issues and the personal opinions on online DRM, other critics and reviews already said enough about them. Nevertheless I still have to say this game is not worth buying yet. You can compare SimCity with any MMO(RPG)'s of your choice, the game starts awful in every aspect, a heap of major game bugs, graphical issues and lack of content. As matters now stand SimCity (or rather Maxis) needs time to fix this game to make it somewhat enjoyable. The first hour(s) of this new SimCity is actually awesome as you can see your city growing in full animation, however the following hour(s) are just a pain! Sooner or later you will encounter major game bugs killing all that fun you had the hour(s) before, for example a Giant Lizard, followed by a meteorite impact, tornado and an earthquake in just one hour game session destroying and contaminating a big part of your city. The contamination stays quite a while and the chance of another meteorite impact is higher than having your city cured. As a closing remark a list of major game bugs and graphical issues I found on the web:

    Major game bugs: Not enough rain to refill water supply.
    - AI always takes the shortest route, never the fastest or best.
    - Recycling Centers can stop working, and once they do, they never start processing incoming materials again, and the collection trucks stop running.
    - Power/waste/water does not trade properly with region neighbors. City A can have huge excess for sale but city B may only be buying 10% of the excess and be short on power/waste/water. Ambulances are not being dispatched. You can look at the Health data map and don't see any ambulances.
    - No Railroad Discovery Delta has a city with no railroad connection but a railroad that stops at a bridge (the Island City) City to city trades (gift) are late, slow or not occurring at all. Frieght not being bought properly by region neighbors. Excess can be in city A and city B is not accepting it.
    - Excess workers not being employed properly by region neighbors. Excess workers can be in city A and city B is not employing them. AI services (fire, ambulances, recycle, garbo, police) don't get to region neighbors properly. Excess sik can be in city A and city B has ambo's doing nothing yet not getting them to hospital. May be related to traffic issues.
    - Regional roads causing MASSIVE congestion. Need ability to add regional roads. AI services (fire, ambulances, recycle, garbage, police) don't "cheat" around traffic and get around them.
    - Cars driving in circles with no reason.
    - Service cars (police, fire, dump, etc.) distribution seems off, they often drive in a pack which decreases the overall range.
    - Accidents aren't handled properly by emergency services. Great works do not update resource count until all players in the region exit. Additions to Great Hall do not translate over to the entire region. Build a department of transportation, but neighbors couldn't build train stations. Same with dept. of education as well. Sims not using mass transit well, filling streets, adding to traffic AI problems. Tourism fluctuation from 30,000 to 1000 for seemingly no reason. Some buildings not affecting entire region. Trade/Metals/Petroleum HQ upgrades don't all work. Sometimes roads can become completely broken and traffic gets indefinitely stuck on them. You need to delete the road to get the flow moving again. Agents get stuck when deleting or downgrading road. Also when deleting building where agents are out in the region.
    - Despite having multiple schools/colleges/universities, your people will become uneducated for no reason.
    - Water and power will sometimes break down and stop delivering correctly to all buildings. You need to remove roads and/or close buildings to fix the flow.
    - You can't buy 100% of water ajouter city CAN sell to you (if you need 110L and a city can sell you 150L, you'll only buy 100L) Educated sims won't commute and create medium/high tech industries in other cities. Amount of free classroom spaces in region view is sometimes not calculated. In some case, the amount of non unrolled students is not updated and is equal to total of students in the city which makes the number of school place not good. Cars can get stuck at the exit of a building a lock the street until you leave the city and reload it When a delivery truck cannot unload its delivery to a factory (i.e. multiple trucks were dispatched but the factory only needed one truckload), the trucks return to their home depots/ports and any undeliverable resources disappear instead of being transferred back into the depot/port. Graphical Issues:
    - The roads disappear at certain zoom levels.
    - Roads underwater.
    - Buildings on avenues.
    - Ploppables not graphically connecting to roads properly (e.g.: Tram depot).
    - Buildings on top of other buildings.    … Expand
  5. Facet
    Mar 21, 2013
    2
    EA have done it again.. made a great promotion of the new simcity. make it all fine and shiny.. But what the hell is wrong with these people! This game is not anything near done. The game is pretty much broken. It have so huge great potential. but the the greed from EA just goes to new levels once again. They don't even understand the backfire they make on them self.
    For many years i    EA have done it again.. made a great promotion of the new simcity. make it all fine and shiny.. But what the hell is wrong with these people! This game is not anything near done. The game is pretty much broken. It have so huge great potential. but the the greed from EA just goes to new levels once again. They don't even understand the backfire they make on them self.
    For many years i haven't bought anything that have EA on the cover. i know how much crappy beta games they pop out. Just can't support it.. But i ended up falling for this simcity trap. Its so sad how great the fundamental of this game is. But just get completely broken by EA profit run..
    TO ALL... DON'T SUPPORT EA GAMES     … Expand
  6. AoR
    Mar 21, 2013
    3
    I'm in a good mood (and I love the SimCity series) so I start with the Pro's.

    + Dataviews: The presentation of issues and shortages is excelent and even better (because more accurate) than in Sim City 4. + Modular extensibility of civic buildings: Other than in Sim City 4 police stations, schools and other similar buildings don't have a sphere of influence. If your school doesn't have    I'm in a good mood (and I love the SimCity series) so I start with the Pro's.

    + Dataviews: The presentation of issues and shortages is excelent and even better (because more accurate) than in Sim City 4.
    + Modular extensibility of civic buildings: Other than in Sim City 4 police stations, schools and other similar buildings don't have a sphere of influence. If your school doesn't have enough space for al the pupils you simply build a new extension and improve the capacity of this school. Awesome!

    It's right, these two points are the single positive aspects of the new Sim City. My fan-heart is bleeding when I think about the possibilities of a real Sim City 5, based on SC4 with an advanced region part.

    - Small Maps: Okay, the maps are not small they're tiny absurd puny!
    - Curvy roads: This should be a Pro, but according to the point above, it's a absolut senseless feature.
    - Bugs: The "new" Glassbox-Engine, which simulate the whole behavior of the sims/residents, commercial interactions and so on, is so buggy atm that I'm not able to numerate half of the varios bugs and errors. The traffic bug is only the tip of the iceberg.
    - Multiplayer: Had anyone ever thought "Hey it would be cool to play together with a friend of me now." during playing Sim City 4? I never, but multiplayer sounds funny in the first presentations. But Sim City has no "real" multiplayer: Everything you could do with other players together, you're able to do it solo. There is absolut no real reason for the existence of the multiplayer modus in the actual design.
    - Always-On: I'm not a fan of DRM but I understand the reasons to make some games always-on. To example Diablo 3 to prefent dupes and to secure the auction house. But in Sim City there is no gameplay reason to be always online. And the so-called social features: This is only a game! If I want to contact my friends I grap my phone or start my IM. I don't need these functionality in a single-player game!    … Expand
  7. matticitt
    Mar 21, 2013
    5
    It's not a bad game, and it really deserves more that 1.7 user score. However it has many flaws. For me SimCity always was the best city simulator. Now, after 10 years since SC4 release, it should redefine its genre. It should be much better than Cities XL for example. Instead, it not only isn't better than Cities XL, in many ways it's worse than SimCity 4! The city size is way too small.It's not a bad game, and it really deserves more that 1.7 user score. However it has many flaws. For me SimCity always was the best city simulator. Now, after 10 years since SC4 release, it should redefine its genre. It should be much better than Cities XL for example. Instead, it not only isn't better than Cities XL, in many ways it's worse than SimCity 4! The city size is way too small. That means that after max 8 hours you need to abandon your city, because there's noting left to do in it except for watching traffic jams. That also means that you won't be able to ever build 50% of the buildings, because they take up so much space! Also the AI is completely broken. This causes huge traffic jams. You need 3x more trams, busses, police cars and garbage trucks, because instead of spreading, they all follow the same route! It's so bad that busses, instead of reducing traffic, are causing it! There's also no terraforming, no highways, not metro. The graphics are quite good, but too childish and sims-ish for me. Music is also good, but not as good as in SC4.

    It's a nice game with good music and sound effects, and quite nice graphics. Unfortunately it's also quite broken and is twice the money of Cities XL. Also the performance isn't great and there are some graphics options that are clearly broken and cause huge fps drops even on a high end pc.    … Expand
  8. staino
    Mar 21, 2013
    1
    Gave up. Hours of time wasted when I was booted and lost my game as it didnt save. Started a new game and was booted again after 2 hours with a "Simcity save corruption" error. EA refused a refund, instead told me to call a 1902 number which is charged at $2.50 per minute. I went to the bank and got my money back. Game was released 6 to 12 months too early.
  9. Mog1
    Mar 21, 2013
    0
    Absolutely, appalling forgetting for a second that we've been completely mislead about the always online features which are a complete joke and just an excuse for the always on DRM the game is buggy, unfinished and completely flawed. This is not the game marketing has described, the gloss of enjoyment will fade after a couple of hours after you realize nothing works the pathing, theAbsolutely, appalling forgetting for a second that we've been completely mislead about the always online features which are a complete joke and just an excuse for the always on DRM the game is buggy, unfinished and completely flawed. This is not the game marketing has described, the gloss of enjoyment will fade after a couple of hours after you realize nothing works the pathing, the sims, the economy. It's a joke avoid at all costs. Of course, that's when it works at all the always on DRM means you can't even play it most of the time. People who buy this, be warned, when EA pull the plug on the servers, which they do routinely for games that are no longer new and profitable, you'll be left with nothing. You don't own this game, you're just playing until EA tires of running the server then it's game over. This would all be fine if there was any point to it, but the online play is pointless. AVOID AVOID AVOID.… Expand
  10. idogaydrugs
    Mar 20, 2013
    1
    Let me first note the positive: this is a scarily addictive, fun, radical, awesome, and epic game. I have played SimCity games in the past and they didn't hold my interest nearly as well SimCity 2000 was great, but SimCity is greater! ...except for this one little problem I've been having. You see, one of my first cities reached 190,000 populace and then I was booted from it and asked toLet me first note the positive: this is a scarily addictive, fun, radical, awesome, and epic game. I have played SimCity games in the past and they didn't hold my interest nearly as well SimCity 2000 was great, but SimCity is greater! ...except for this one little problem I've been having. You see, one of my first cities reached 190,000 populace and then I was booted from it and asked to roll it back or abandon it. I chose to roll it back. Instead, I ended up with 0 populace, 0 money. It was a painful loss but it happens, so I charged on! Another 190,000 city came and then thanks to some bad austerity-related decisions made by my co-Mayor, we ended up losing 80,000 populace and $1 million (thanks bonds and windfarm!), but we dredged our way back up to 200,000 and then... roll back or abandon.

    Now, two weeks later, countless cities have had this problem. You know, I'm fairly easy to please with games, if they're fun and addictive, cool, cool. A few bugs? I'll stick it out. But you know, I at least expect a gaming company to have the common courtesy to release a game that is playable. SimCity almost made it. Almost. I never had the server issues common to others, everything ran absurdly smoothly from day one... except this. And it's not just 190,000 populace cities, my most recent loss was yesterday and it was a city of 50,000 that was doing way better monetarily and had way better social services than the prior ones, with delicate tax control that encouraged rapid population growth. With the population booming from 30,000 to over 50,000 in a matter of minutes, the error occurred. It's not just me, either. On the official EA forum, there is a 9-page thread on unlucky people like me who have experienced this repeatedly from day one. EA needs to get their act together and fix this mess. If they had put a little bit more quality control into this game, it could have been easily in 2013's top 5. Instead, it remains thus far at the bottom. For shame, EA, for shame.    … Expand
  11. Quinzal
    Mar 20, 2013
    7
    EDIT:
    This game is amazing and is the best thing since sliced bread when it finally gets working. When it isnt working, its the best loading simulator ever.
  12. Nebenezer
    Mar 20, 2013
    0
    This is not the worst game ever. This is however the worst and most disappointing case of anti-consumerism I have witnessed in my lifetime.

    As a life long fan of the SimCity games series I am in shock EA would release this game under the name SimCity. Anyone who played sc4 will immediately see the glaring diversion from the legacy established by previous games. As a gamer with a brain I    This is not the worst game ever. This is however the worst and most disappointing case of anti-consumerism I have witnessed in my lifetime.

    As a life long fan of the SimCity games series I am in shock EA would release this game under the name SimCity. Anyone who played sc4 will immediately see the glaring diversion from the legacy established by previous games. As a gamer with a brain I am saddened and intellectually offended that EA would hold back fundamental aspects of the previous iterations (terraforming, subways, reasonably sized building areas, etc) with the intention of selling these things as dlc in the future.

    This game is incomplete. EA is selling a fraction of a game for full retail price.

    This game could have been epic but EA has exploited and destroyed yet another legacy from what used to be a consumer driven industry.

    EA states that releasing a version of this game consistent with its legacy does not fit their "vision" for the new SimCity... I state that paying $60 for a fraction of a game experience then purchasing the rest of what should have been part of the initial game in the form of DLC over a period of time does fit with my vision of what I want and expect from a SimCity game.

    Absolute exploitation of a legendary game series. Tantamount to fraud.    … Expand
  13. TheHeff
    Mar 20, 2013
    0
    Always on requirement, tiny city sizes and single point of entry into a city. Absolute crap. I am a long time fan of the SimCity franchise but EA/Maxis have done what one comes to expect from EA and EA brands these days... the player base over and screw the game.

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

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

    5 examples of EA's cluster****ed approach to gaming. There are loads more examples.    … Expand
  14. SlubbertKing
    Mar 20, 2013
    7
    Its a good game though i feal that the cities ar a bit to small and the fact that you got an allways online drm on it kinda drags it down. THough when it works its a fun game.
  15. pick999
    Mar 20, 2013
    0
    Seriously this game is a letdown. EA keeps ruining franchises. Simplified game, overpriced game, the infamous DRM, day 0 DLC. Not only ruin the franchise, the gaming industry.
  16. RANDUMB
    Mar 20, 2013
    0
    If you create anything more dense than a small city suburb 3 things will happen. 1) Your streets will become completely congested with traffic. 2) You will use up about one half of the playable space of your city to provide water, sewage treatment and garbage disposal. 3) Once you have enough enough civil services (ie. police fire coverage) you will go bankrupt because you are using upIf you create anything more dense than a small city suburb 3 things will happen. 1) Your streets will become completely congested with traffic. 2) You will use up about one half of the playable space of your city to provide water, sewage treatment and garbage disposal. 3) Once you have enough enough civil services (ie. police fire coverage) you will go bankrupt because you are using up so much of the usable space for your city. This game should have been called 'SimSuburb' not 'SimCity'.… Expand
  17. Barranoid
    Mar 20, 2013
    5
    I won't go into much detail about the DRM stuff. It's EA's Origin. Like it or hate it.

    The game itself however, once you finally manage to log in, plays pretty fun for a couple of hours. The cities are rather small so you have to expand inside your region to create new cities that can provide each other with different services. This makes a huge part of the so called multiplayer    I won't go into much detail about the DRM stuff. It's EA's Origin. Like it or hate it.

    The game itself however, once you finally manage to log in, plays pretty fun for a couple of hours. The cities are rather small so you have to expand inside your region to create new cities that can provide each other with different services. This makes a huge part of the so called multiplayer experience, since you can either choose to build up several cities in one region all by yourself or let your friends build some in your region. A good idea actually but server instabilities, slow response times (e.g. it takes AGES to send someone inside your region a gift. Hell it even takes ages to do so while playing all on your own with different cities inside YOUR region).

    After a couple of mostly pretty entertaining hours however the game starts to behave "strange". A city with a HUGE load of residents and nearly no industry whatsoever suddently starts complaining about not enough workers?! At first you might start to compensate by building "support cities" that provide more workforce for your main city but this doesn't help at all. The reason is that the actual resident size is more or less a hoax. Doing the math (google it, I really don't want to go into detail here), a city of 100000 residents might just have 10000 real ones, logicaly not providing enough workers for the industry.

    The flaws of SimCity really make it hard to enjoy after a while and although it could be a very very good game, it isn't. Sadly.    … Expand
  18. MajorProbes
    Mar 20, 2013
    9
    I'm absolutely loving this game. Most of the initial bugs are now solved. I've not had a single connection issue in over a week (EU based). The region play with friends is great and brings a new element to SimCity that i never expected! If your a fan of the series and can deal with the always online, then pick this up you won't regret it.
  19. icedanielizatio
    Mar 20, 2013
    5
    First off, I had no connection problems, it probably helped that i'm in New New Zealand. So as I began exploring the game and its features I thought to myself, wow, this is a well built game, the modding capabilities are going to be huge. But every now and then something would crop up and cause a confused face; the first one was the small plot of land, I shrugged it off and thought theFirst off, I had no connection problems, it probably helped that i'm in New New Zealand. So as I began exploring the game and its features I thought to myself, wow, this is a well built game, the modding capabilities are going to be huge. But every now and then something would crop up and cause a confused face; the first one was the small plot of land, I shrugged it off and thought the mechanics must be different. The second confusion showed its face when I first hit the 100,000 mark, at that point I noticed the city I had built had become so squished with tall buildings that it no longer resembled a typical city, to make matters worse, I could not build all the structures I would have liked to, this led me to understand that the game does not want me to play alone, it wants me to either play other plots of land in the same region and specialize them to support each other, or wait for online players to join in. The frustration was starting to set in heavy at that point. 1. I do not like loading and reloading all these different cities that don't even look like cities just to support the one city you care about. 2. When I attempted to start a multiplayer game, no body joined. So with a final attempt at giving the game a chance, I looked for existing maps to join, but very few were active longer than 3 days and those that were, are full; so no hope there either.

    Maxis, if you read this, you have a valuable game sitting here, this is only going to be successful for you right now: release the modding tools, but if you won't do that, at least focus the game for single player, doubling the plot size would be a welcome start. If something does not happen within the next few weeks, I'm sorry to say goodbye to another could-have-been. Just take the plunge and listen to us gamers for once.    … Expand
  20. dkao12
    Mar 19, 2013
    7
    Simcity 5 is an intriguing game and has a lot of potential such as specialization and the complex gameplay. It isn't a bad game, it just had a really bad launch and EA is trying to fix their servers (heck they're willing to give out a free title with your purchase of Simcity). It's the steep learning curve makes it really difficult to start out and inability to change the settings andSimcity 5 is an intriguing game and has a lot of potential such as specialization and the complex gameplay. It isn't a bad game, it just had a really bad launch and EA is trying to fix their servers (heck they're willing to give out a free title with your purchase of Simcity). It's the steep learning curve makes it really difficult to start out and inability to change the settings and rules of the map is ridiculous. The tutorials don't help much and the in-game tips barely give me useful information. I couldn't even start my own city by myself because the amount of money is given to you at the beginning is too little (playing at normal) and the fact that I have to specialize on one thing and cooperate with the other city is even harder. Since you have to upgrade your town hall to city hall which needs a lot of residents then add a department of transportation to ship or gain workers and a trade depot to trade resources WITH ONLY $50,000 which I find ridiculous! It forces you to play with others or claim other lands which shouldn't make me do that and the land size is so small that I can barely call this game simCITY... hey I'm not talking about a metropolis here but the amount of space you get is a one block in the map. The more I played this game the lower my score got... and I'm not judging this game on its servers which I never do. It had great potential and I'm pretty sure it must have been awesome on paper! But I think this game falls short and it does not impress me very well. Bummer... I really wanted to immerse myself in this game but i can't unless I build multiple cities by myself or have to constantly rely on other cities. It's not a bad game but it is disappointing to anyone who is a SimCity fan, it just missing a lot things and the basics.… Expand
  21. BadEnglishGuy
    Mar 19, 2013
    0
    John Riccitiello leaves his job in EA and accorinig to ancient Russian proverb:
  22. Atticas14
    Mar 19, 2013
    8
    This is my amended review. The original game gave the game a 1 out of 10. It really seems that EA is taking steps to improve the gameplay experience, and even awarded a free game to those who purchased at launch. I got Dead Space 3 for free and I really appreciate the offer. The new Sim City is really fun to play as long as the server aspects don't get in the way. I'm sure it'll all getThis is my amended review. The original game gave the game a 1 out of 10. It really seems that EA is taking steps to improve the gameplay experience, and even awarded a free game to those who purchased at launch. I got Dead Space 3 for free and I really appreciate the offer. The new Sim City is really fun to play as long as the server aspects don't get in the way. I'm sure it'll all get ironed out eventually and I'll have tons of fun in the future.… Expand
  23. blondie_mcgee
    Mar 19, 2013
    4
    I had high hopes for Simscity.. not only was there such a huge build up for it, but they made it look awesome. HOWEVER... I was hugely disappointed. Not only is it online based (annoyingly), but the server crashes all the time, the cities are tiny AND the game crashes.
    Okay the online issue. They should have made this optional. A lot of my time is spent on travelling, which has no    I had high hopes for Simscity.. not only was there such a huge build up for it, but they made it look awesome. HOWEVER... I was hugely disappointed. Not only is it online based (annoyingly), but the server crashes all the time, the cities are tiny AND the game crashes.
    Okay the online issue. They should have made this optional. A lot of my time is spent on travelling, which has no internet... so how am I supposed to keep track off my cities.
    Notice I said cities.. not only do you have to use internet, you have to put up with tiny cities which run out of spaced ridiculously fast and constantly give you bad reviews as you cant satisfy your cities need for expansion, you have to control numerous cities, or rent them to strangers.
    The only good factor about this is that you can share resources,
    SO yes.
    it has relatively good graphics; compared with the older simscity; but I much prefer simcity the older ones for the simple fact I can make them as large as I want, without having to worry about running out of space so quickly.
    DO NOT BUY!    … Expand
  24. Mujaidin
    Mar 19, 2013
    1
    I have a feeling that the residents in the city will increase beyond the things we do as mayor. I think the game mechanics are too simple and trivial!
  25. DadoWolf
    Mar 19, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Origin F....... Gaming on-line F......
    Too much troubles.
    I,ve been lost my 20 hours city builder!!!
    F....!!!
    Go home EA Origin, you're a loosers. Just like your F.... server.    … Expand
  26. Osito
    Mar 19, 2013
    0
    I registered purely to give this game a zero, which is exactly what it deserves. Even if you can get over the disingenous excuses for the DRM, this game will let you play it for two days solid, then casually delete your game as if it never existed. Happened to me on 19/03/13 after two days playing, so it can't even be excused as a launch issue. The one good thing is that they gave meI registered purely to give this game a zero, which is exactly what it deserves. Even if you can get over the disingenous excuses for the DRM, this game will let you play it for two days solid, then casually delete your game as if it never existed. Happened to me on 19/03/13 after two days playing, so it can't even be excused as a launch issue. The one good thing is that they gave me simcity 4 deluxe for free, which I'm now playing instead.… Expand
  27. godlymonkey
    Mar 19, 2013
    6
    Buggy gameplay leads to a frustrating gameplay experience. Resources not shared, or being used when readily available. Cant join multiplayer games, all suggested are always the same and are full.
  28. krunchysock
    Mar 19, 2013
    0
    I am completely ignoring the DRM issue. My issue is with both Size, and complexity you have neither in this game. Even when you expect to have at least one or the other. Please do not support this product. Give it about 6 months.. and MAYBE they will have it patched enough to be somewhat fun. I honestly can't beleive i pre ordered this game.
  29. Felice
    Mar 19, 2013
    2
    The gameplay is disappointing, it seems that the residents (sims) populate your city whatever you do correctly or incorrectly. The mayor of the city can put a landfill in the middle of the city but residents continue to arrive in the city! I think it is just simulation and realistic, I am very disappointed.
  30. Redfordsto
    Mar 19, 2013
    0
    I promised myself, the only time I would ever give a game a "0" would be if I bought the game, put it in or booted it up, and it didn't play. That's exactly what happened. I was foolish enough to buy the digital download version. This prompted a mass email telling me I would not receive a refund that I had yet to ask for because I was still troubleshooting.
  31. Cschnurr
    Mar 19, 2013
    1
    First, I despise the fact I have to play this game online. I have all the simcities at home play them when I want and how I want. Now to the game.

    I paid $79.99 for this? I have limited control. All the vehicles look the same. Land area is far too small. It is not realistic planning. I have SimCity 4 at home and have played it everyday since I bought it 8 years ago. I never    First, I despise the fact I have to play this game online. I have all the simcities at home play them when I want and how I want. Now to the game.

    I paid $79.99 for this? I have limited control. All the vehicles look the same. Land area is far too small. It is not realistic planning. I have SimCity 4 at home and have played it everyday since I bought it 8 years ago. I never grow tired of it. This "version" of SimCity is the ultimate fail. Yes, I like the graphics; but I was hoping for something even remotely similar to SimCity 4 only even better. Online play should be optional. This game would rock if it was SimCity 4 but with the new enhancements. I can't even construct my own buildings; plops etc. This version reminds me of SimCity on Facebook and it's free! ULTIMATE FAIL, EA! I want my money back.    … Expand
  32. Boombastix
    Mar 19, 2013
    2
    Always on connection and server problems are bad but they'll be fixed. The worst thing about the game, and something that not many people have even acknowledged is the map size: it's stupidly small!! I had pretty much accomplished everything I wanted to within a few hours and filled every square inch of land. And no, it's called 'Simcity', not 'Simcities' so I don't want to have to make aAlways on connection and server problems are bad but they'll be fixed. The worst thing about the game, and something that not many people have even acknowledged is the map size: it's stupidly small!! I had pretty much accomplished everything I wanted to within a few hours and filled every square inch of land. And no, it's called 'Simcity', not 'Simcities' so I don't want to have to make a whole lot of small crappy cities and have them 'interconnected'. They just had to make a slightly updated and better version of Simcity 4 and they would of made millions of people happy, and millions of dollars. Why reboot what's not broken??… Expand
  33. murut87
    Mar 19, 2013
    0
    I rated it Unplayable or 0 because it keeps refusing to run this game,the server overloaded,bad performance,a dumb-downed Sim City 4,smaller place to build city and a freaking DRM just awful.This is ONLY SINGLE PLAYER GAME....Why need Online,i really lose my faith looking this series anymore...if you are a die-hard fans of Sim City,i suggest that you play the Sim City 4 instead.
  34. DareJedi
    Mar 18, 2013
    0
    EA does not need always DRM cause they killed all special games. Customers do not need to buy EA games. They are game killer. This game isnt SimCity it is SimsCity(Town).
  35. JaguarXJ6
    Mar 18, 2013
    0
    When it works, it's hugely entertaining as you would expect from SimCity and Maxis after a decade. However, they really created a disaster of Maxis proportions and like this server-controlled debacle, there is no reloading the launch or a wave of bad design decisions. I expect a game not to blow up in my face after 30 hours of progress. Forget being online or offline for a moment, toWhen it works, it's hugely entertaining as you would expect from SimCity and Maxis after a decade. However, they really created a disaster of Maxis proportions and like this server-controlled debacle, there is no reloading the launch or a wave of bad design decisions. I expect a game not to blow up in my face after 30 hours of progress. Forget being online or offline for a moment, to have your efforts wiped clean because of a server sync issue and no backup save is extremely amateur. The "Unable to load city. Please try again." error that corrupts your whole region, or one city if you are lucky, has not been acknowledged or fixed. One would argue that region functionality is core to the designers vision, that is definitely true. But it's created a frustrating, unstable gaming experience for which a free game is hardly compensation. They need to rethink their refund policy particularly for those who pre-ordered, as I did, and expected a working game regardless of how it synchronized or required online play. I really want to rate this game what it deserves, but even something as basic as saving your progress isn't completely functional and it's deserving of the lowest rating possible. My bank is reversing the charge with one final step in the investigation. If there is a litany of bug fixes and arse kissing, there might be hope of buying it in the coming months.… Expand
  36. Eruptox
    Mar 18, 2013
    8
    I believe the veterans and players have the right to be mad at this game. However, I found this game very very good. My first ever building game is Anno 2070, so I'm quite a new player to the genre of city building. I know every game has problems, and people are blaming Maxi's and EA for making it always online. Here's the thing, there's no reason why you people should be complaining.I believe the veterans and players have the right to be mad at this game. However, I found this game very very good. My first ever building game is Anno 2070, so I'm quite a new player to the genre of city building. I know every game has problems, and people are blaming Maxi's and EA for making it always online. Here's the thing, there's no reason why you people should be complaining. There's only one reason, the future of gaming. Many games are going to be on the cloud and this is actually a transition where it's showing you a glimpse of the future gaming. (E.g. PS4.) Whether you like it or not, it will be the future of gaming. I completely agree that Maxi's and EA didn't learn from Diablo 3, where their launch was very bad. However, you can't just be angry because of one mistake. I think the haters are a little too overboard, this game worth at least a 6/10. If everyone judges a game by its release, then you really need to realize how pre-mature your comments are coming out. Many problems in SimCity right now are fixable. There's a lot of potential in this game, and I look forward to have more of this game. (I don't work or got paid by EA to say all this) This game is worth to check it out. 59.99 seems a little too much for this game through. If you're new to the city builder genre, or you're hesitant because all this negative comments, get it when it's cheaper.… Expand
  37. BazingaUA
    Mar 18, 2013
    9
    9/10
    The game is just awesome. Graphics are really cute, and the game is not lagging at all. A haven't spotted any problems with servers, so thats not an issue for me. The only bad thing in the game is small city.
  38. SimCityFreak
    Mar 18, 2013
    5
    I deeply respect and commend all efforts made in order to modernize the new SimCity and produce a superb graphics engine with innovative and realistic additions such as expansions to public service buildings, realistic traffic aesthetics, incredible detail, school bus stops, and so on.

    However, for us die-hard SimCity fans, this game falls very short of our expectations, namely for just    I deeply respect and commend all efforts made in order to modernize the new SimCity and produce a superb graphics engine with innovative and realistic additions such as expansions to public service buildings, realistic traffic aesthetics, incredible detail, school bus stops, and so on.

    However, for us die-hard SimCity fans, this game falls very short of our expectations, namely for just a few yet devastatingly consequential reasons:

    No terraforming. Nearly half of the pleasure of the old SimCity was creating a landscape that was entirely a product of your own work and settling the human population where you wished and where the terrain best fitted such development. The satisfaction of "owning your work" and producing an entirely customized terrain that boasts and entirely customized network of human development is indescribable. The loss of this option in the new SimCity is thus also indescribable.

    Tiny city boundaries. In a game where I would be deeply involved in playing a region for months and sometimes years concocting sprawling metropolises, industrial suburbs, bedroom residential communities, satellite cities, extensive interconnected mass transportation networks... I have grown agonizingly frustrated with the fact that my cities are unrealistically constrained by tiny square borders. In fact, the city limits are built-out so quickly that I've already grown bored with the game only after a few days of playing it. No possibility for expansion or realistic regional connections equates to no more motivation for me to play the game.

    City boundaries do not touch each other. Similar to my last point, I cannot "continue" one city into an adjacent one to create a realistic and expansively developed metropolitan area. Instead I am restrained to making rather isolated communities connected by "exits" on a transportation network that is reminiscent of how post-World War II sprawling suburban communities are connected.

    Zoning is regulated by roads. If I want a higher-capacity road in a rural area and simply wish to have some light development along it, I'm out of luck. Mid- and high-rise buildings will unrealistically rise out of what was intended to be a sparsely populated landscape. In real life, zoning is not delegated by road capacity. In fact, there are numerous examples of high density developments on tiny roads. Restricted vehicular mobility in such areas are compensated by extensive mass transportation networks. The game is highly-geared to the road, which in my opinion, is a big step backwards. If I want to zone high density on a small street, please let me do it. My sims will either suffer the consequences or I will figure out a way to make it work through other transit options. In any case, give me the freedom to make that decision.

    Truth be told, the highly controversial move to entirely-online game play does not bother me one bit. In fact, it's great because I don't have to save extensively large files associated with SimCity on my computer anymore. If I wanted to, I could invite friends to make cities in a region with me and we could cooperatively build a metropolitan area together. That is such a great idea and deserves much applause. This does, in fact, push the game into the 21st century.

    Unfortunately, though, despite the wonderful aspects of the new SimCity, the four major downfalls mentioned above, in my opinion, have taken the game back into the 20th century. For "self-proclaimed" veterans and die-hard fans like myself, there are several major disappointments to the new SimCity that degrade the game to the level of undesirable. Having been playing SimCity since I was a small child, I've watched as the game has made leaps and bounds toward more creative, customizable, expansive, and realistic game play. But as I play the new SimCity, it pains me to say that I've been taken backwards. My hands literally feel like they're tied, in so many ways.

    I really do hope that the keys to these handcuffs associated with the new SimCity's game play are not thrown away forever. I strongly urge you to incorporate elements from the previous SimCity (as indicated above in the points above) into the new SimCity and perhaps come out with a serious of patches, updates, or whatever is needed to bring the real SimCity back to life. The innovate and highly appealing elements are there, but some of the most basic, realistic, and quite frankly expected, aspects of the game need to be reincorporated.    … Expand
  39. OrthoStice
    Mar 18, 2013
    5
    The servers generally seem to work when logging in but even now I still experience issues where the game will freeze and I'm told that the server needs to "roll back" my game to an earlier point in time. A few other points: You aren't technically forced to interact with others. You can set your region to private and then create multiple cities within the region, which seems to be the wayThe servers generally seem to work when logging in but even now I still experience issues where the game will freeze and I'm told that the server needs to "roll back" my game to an earlier point in time. A few other points: You aren't technically forced to interact with others. You can set your region to private and then create multiple cities within the region, which seems to be the way to go. Iodiotic AI ensures that your city will apparently always have traffic problems and that tourists may or might not go to your tourist attractions. Problems with the AI seem to multiply when multiple large cities are in the same region. This game should still be in beta. Nevertheless it still looks great and is a lot of fun, when it works. I've played it a lott so I couldn't in good faith give it too low of a score. If it worked more smoothly it would deserve an 8. If plot sizes were bigger then it would be a 9. If you didn't always have to be online, in addition, it would be a 10.… Expand
  40. hardnox
    Mar 18, 2013
    1
    Unfortunately this game is so full of bugs and issues that it's obvious that EA is still releasing unfinished products for the free testing that the paying public is expected to polish up for them. Why pay in house testers minimum wage with overtime when you can just release it and get thousands of bug reports from the public.... this is EA's business model. I used to test for them and doUnfortunately this game is so full of bugs and issues that it's obvious that EA is still releasing unfinished products for the free testing that the paying public is expected to polish up for them. Why pay in house testers minimum wage with overtime when you can just release it and get thousands of bug reports from the public.... this is EA's business model. I used to test for them and do product support and still over a decade later NOTHING has changed, IN fact EA is worse about it now than ever. D3, ME3, now this... The more we (customers) keep buying from them the more the investors think it works and they want to do this more. BOYCOTT EA Until they release fully tested products that are playable and not based solely on DRM and micro transaction greed. BOYCOTT EA!… Expand
  41. Zudeare
    Mar 18, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Let me start off by saying that this game is really good, but the main reason why this game is getting such awful scores is the launch (which i'm sure of many have heard about by now). followed by the fact that the city sizes are too small. but those issues personally don't bother me right now, it seems like most of the server issues have been fixed and since i never played other simcity titles, the small city sizes don't matter to me. i am sure that many people will utterly enjoy this game despite its flaws.… Expand
  42. Moodler
    Mar 18, 2013
    3
    Updated review after servers were fixed and I've been playing it a while:

    1) Cities are too small. No bigger than my real-life suburb!
    2) Sims are not very smart.
    3) Still can't play offline because of stupid DRM.
  43. DaveWave
    Mar 18, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I tried playing this for 40 hours but have given up. To enjoy the game you need to control more than one city. Switching between them takes ages and not possible if the servers are down. This problem will never be fixed.
    On top of all the bugs I've been promised a refund by an EA director.
    Use Google/facebook to find EA employee names then send emails like this for John Doe.
    johndoe@ea.com
    john.doe@ea.com
    jdoe@ea.com

    Good luck    … Expand
  44. Zeph
    Mar 17, 2013
    4
    SimCity is finally *playable.* I'm not going to bother with the always-on DRM pros/cons/WTF EAs except to say I don't feel like it helps the game at all. (Most of you probably have your own opinions on this, and I'll bet 99% of you agree with me) So, the game itself... it is a more simplified game than SimCitys past. And when I say simplified, I mean really simplified in almost everySimCity is finally *playable.* I'm not going to bother with the always-on DRM pros/cons/WTF EAs except to say I don't feel like it helps the game at all. (Most of you probably have your own opinions on this, and I'll bet 99% of you agree with me) So, the game itself... it is a more simplified game than SimCitys past. And when I say simplified, I mean really simplified in almost every way. For a newbie to simulation strategy games, then SimCity may be a decent start for you. The mechanics of the game are easy to learn. The sizes of your cities are tiny. Tiny to the point where if you know what you are doing, you will fill that entire space to maximum capacity within about 6 hours of game time. You can potentially have a city half covered in skyscrapers in that amount of time. That's with Llama speed too (the 2nd fastest game pace, and the fastest available as of writing). So, from there, you either keep growing in... or you make a new city. What does making a new city do? Well, it freezes your other city for starters (your city only progresses when YOU are inside of it), and you basically start a brand new city from complete scratch. Cities in the same region are connected in a sense, regions can share almost any asset possible, ranging from workers, to resources, to wealth. What happens in one city can also make impacts on the rest. Cities in the same region are very intertwined with each other. For example, I have a city in the same region as a friend. My friend is specializing in industry, however, I'm specializing in tourism. Sadly, I'm downwind of him, so all that air pollution he produces is making its way into my region, causing widespread illness. Luckily, hes willing to get those factories upgraded, but there is nothing I can do to force him. Are you seeing the pros and cons of this? On the topic of specializations, while we are mentioning it, they are helpful, but they don't feel significant. What I mean by that is, you could go ahead ignoring all city specializations and be fine. Maxis seemed to emphasize these, but they feel like an afterthought to me unless I am specifically looking for a coal mine or something. So, if you are a long time SimCity fan, this game is going to be a mixed bag. I'm sure many of you will enjoy some of the enhancements, but I'm also certain that that same many of you will loathe a lot more of them. My final score is 4/10. SimCity is a game that has a lot going for it, but the complexity has been diminished severely and relying on the SimCity servers is a pain (I guarantee the servers WILL be the thing you will hate most about SimCity). Otherwise, the game itself plays well when the servers are working.… Expand
  45. gemini420
    Mar 17, 2013
    0
    SimCity has potential, but falls very short of achieving its potential (very short of achieving.)

    If you feel like wasting hours fudging around with traffic jams and broken game dynamics, being kicked out of the single player city you have been creating for hours and then have to start it all over again, then you may be interested ... I feel ashamed for buying this game. D'oh,    SimCity has potential, but falls very short of achieving its potential (very short of achieving.)

    If you feel like wasting hours fudging around with traffic jams and broken game dynamics, being kicked out of the single player city you have been creating for hours and then have to start it all over again, then you may be interested ...

    I feel ashamed for buying this game. D'oh, Electronic Arts! I should have known better     … Expand
  46. Darkcrusader8
    Mar 17, 2013
    6
    I feel that the game has a low survivability, as this is on the cloud and server based. This means that if a hacker decides to screw around with the servers and delete all the datas, you'll possible not get your cities that you painfully made back.

    However the guides stuff and the NPCs are good.

    I won't play this game for a long period of time though, prob once a week or so when I'm bored.
  47. azgoodaz
    Mar 17, 2013
    10
    Amazing Game, Dont listen to people who rate it under 6. SimCity is getting fixed and better everyday with Servers, Bug, and Glitches being fixed. So people rate better and think better.
  48. Cadi2002
    Mar 17, 2013
    0
    Biggest piece of junk yet. Played for 5 hours when i got it yesterday today they cant find my saved city and keep trying to get me to play with others. I don't want to I just want to build a city and have fun like in the old Simcity. Don't wast your money.
  49. MoreBokeh
    Mar 17, 2013
    9
    Politics around this game: 1/10
    Technical restrictions of this game: 6/10
    The actual game if you can get over those: 9/10 This game is smeared by politics. It's like anti-global warming people trashing Happy Feet for it's agenda and not the actual film. Or a movie about gun control being slammed before it even hits theatres. There was no hope for this title, and you can see that in    Politics around this game: 1/10
    Technical restrictions of this game: 6/10
    The actual game if you can get over those: 9/10

    This game is smeared by politics. It's like anti-global warming people trashing Happy Feet for it's agenda and not the actual film. Or a movie about gun control being slammed before it even hits theatres. There was no hope for this title, and you can see that in the 0-day reviews that already have it at 1/10.

    If actually intend to buy the game (instead of pirate it, as it's impossible to pirate it, and partially a reason for the outrage) and play on a computer with guaranteed internet connection, it's amazingly engaging and captivating. This version SimCity is more like Tropico than SimCity 4. Instead of Tropico's outlandish humour, SimCity offers a sense of sleepytown magicalness or pretty tilt shifted skyscraper landlines. It's really cute, engaging, and more fleshed out than Tropico. It's a shame that the Tropico series can get 8/10's but SimCity gets a 1/10 due to politics, as a "blind taste test" of these games would yield SimCity as the better game.    … Expand
  50. Evangellist
    Mar 17, 2013
    0
    Just because the game is good, doesn't mean you should be okay with it. yes, Simcity is a good game, unfortunately EA and Maxis won't get it through their thick skulls that they have a terrible business model, and if we ignore it, then this WILL keep on happening. Keep up the bad reviews so maybe this once EA will learn from their DRM-centric mistakes.
  51. OGKush
    Mar 17, 2013
    4
    Get rid of "origin" PLEASE!!!!!!!!

    Good game, but terrible install process. Long registration and massive file updates make playing the game the same day you bought it, damn near impossible. Confusing registration prompts you to download the game rather then use the actual CD I bought for $60? Why do we even need it then... Microsoft is slipping. You guys need to look at Blizzard    Get rid of "origin" PLEASE!!!!!!!!

    Good game, but terrible install process. Long registration and massive file updates make playing the game the same day you bought it, damn near impossible. Confusing registration prompts you to download the game rather then use the actual CD I bought for $60? Why do we even need it then... Microsoft is slipping. You guys need to look at Blizzard (starcraft, warcraft etc...) install and registration process and take notes.

    When buying the game at Game Stop, the guy behind the counter said, "Before you buy this I must tell you that a lot of customers are trying to return this game because they are having problems installing the product. We do not accept returns on PC games" I took the risk)

    FIX THE INSTALL AND LOAD TIMES. PUT MORE DATA ON THE ACTUAL DISK and stop trying to always "sell" me something of acquire my email for marketing (typical Microsoft sh**t)
    Get rid of "origin" PLEASE!!!!!!!!    … Expand
  52. N7Maintank
    Mar 17, 2013
    10
    Despite the server problem earlier and a few bugs (the gift system kills me), despite the (stupid) DRM, despite the occasional failure to sync with the server, despite the absence of some of my favourite features in city simulation games (farm and underground etc.), SimCity is still the most well made and addictive city simulation game I've ever played. The amazing details of the city, theDespite the server problem earlier and a few bugs (the gift system kills me), despite the (stupid) DRM, despite the occasional failure to sync with the server, despite the absence of some of my favourite features in city simulation games (farm and underground etc.), SimCity is still the most well made and addictive city simulation game I've ever played. The amazing details of the city, the beautiful and dynamic infographics, and the occasional nostalgic elements (It brings tears to my eyes when I hear music from the Sims 1 starts playing when I click on certain buildings), nothing is confusing or redundant, I'd say the latest SimCity is Maxis at its climax.… Expand
  53. MissFelixia
    Mar 17, 2013
    0
    havent even bought the game to know how bad it really is. sims 4 is better than this rubbish. those giving it scores above 7 have never played a sim city game before. when a 10 year old game is better than a game just released you know something is wrong. sim city 4 has nice big plots of land to build on and doesnt need connecting to the internet. game can run perfectly fine offline. andhavent even bought the game to know how bad it really is. sims 4 is better than this rubbish. those giving it scores above 7 have never played a sim city game before. when a 10 year old game is better than a game just released you know something is wrong. sim city 4 has nice big plots of land to build on and doesnt need connecting to the internet. game can run perfectly fine offline. and this game isnt worth the price it is. maybe £9.99 like sim city 4 is now. oh did people mention you have to download spyware called origin to play this terrible game? just buy cities xl or anno 2070. they are much better games and only £20… Expand
  54. wernytitans
    Mar 17, 2013
    10
    The game is tons of fun, and I've experianced no problems. The real score should be 9.5, but of course the internet overacted to this masterpiece after some server problems that had NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CONTENT ITSELF! Buy this game, it's worth every penny. Tons of fun, especially with friends.
  55. Big_Nookie
    Mar 17, 2013
    0
    Huge step back from Simcity 4. Restrictive DRM and online only. Buggy and dumbed down from previous games. Maxis and EA lie about online requirements and "computations" being done by their servers. I will never pre order a EA or Maxis game again. I feel cheated and tooken advantage of. Graphics are nice but I've gone back to Simcity 4. More fun and mod supported, the way PC gamingHuge step back from Simcity 4. Restrictive DRM and online only. Buggy and dumbed down from previous games. Maxis and EA lie about online requirements and "computations" being done by their servers. I will never pre order a EA or Maxis game again. I feel cheated and tooken advantage of. Graphics are nice but I've gone back to Simcity 4. More fun and mod supported, the way PC gaming was meant to be.… Expand
  56. ansvver
    Mar 17, 2013
    10
    Server now ok, and the game it's so beautiful. I'm playng a lot of hour without connection problems.
    I'm building two infrastucture, with helpful of 2 my friend in a private region. The longevity is very long.
    Thanks a lot, maxis for this amazing game
  57. lemacanul
    Mar 17, 2013
    10
    A great game which is a new start for this incredible studio Maxis. A new game totally different of Sim City 4, a total recast of the city management, awesome graphics and gameplay for hours of fun. One last word terrific
  58. Glassbox
    Mar 17, 2013
    10
    The best game in its genre and raises the bar for it. Its only issue that it didn't release with day one DLC and season pass, but thats fine since I can wait.
  59. Deliriouskiller
    Mar 17, 2013
    7
    Although the release of this game has been somewhat of a failure- the in-game aspect of the game is nothing less than superb. The city building game offers thousands of possible scenarios that you could put (or not put) your citizens through. You can use a large region to fashion a sprawling urban empire- or select a somewhat smaller region and create a suburban haven- with one or twoAlthough the release of this game has been somewhat of a failure- the in-game aspect of the game is nothing less than superb. The city building game offers thousands of possible scenarios that you could put (or not put) your citizens through. You can use a large region to fashion a sprawling urban empire- or select a somewhat smaller region and create a suburban haven- with one or two 'city slots'. Crime, fire protection, education, health care, sewage, power, water- are the key aspects that need to be managed when creating a small or large city, and with many types of addons, you can have them function or look exactly how you want them to. Having said all of this, the game is hindered by its omnipresent bugs, errors, crashes and connection issues- leaving it with a positive, yet relatively low score of seven from me.… Expand
  60. Plantface
    Mar 17, 2013
    0
    Weeks after its release and after 'everything returning to normal' according to EA the game is still plagued by connection issues.

    After having spent a lot of hours into several cities on different servers, all my cities got deleted when randomly getting a 'city could not be processed properly' and doing a failed roll back to the last known normal state. Not worth the money, not worth a    Weeks after its release and after 'everything returning to normal' according to EA the game is still plagued by connection issues.

    After having spent a lot of hours into several cities on different servers, all my cities got deleted when randomly getting a 'city could not be processed properly' and doing a failed roll back to the last known normal state. Not worth the money, not worth a in-depth review.    … Expand
  61. pseudoname
    Mar 17, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. always online drm doesn't let you play game because servers don't let you play the game*UPDATE REVIEW*...ok thats bad enough. but now find out there was NO REAL REASON FOR IT http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=525129 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/03/14/modder-runs-simcity-offline-maxis-remains-silent/ eat a dick ea, can't believe I wasted my time and money on a game I can't play. never again. and maxis should be ashamed. *UPDATE REVIEW* servers mostly work now. but doesn't change that ea lied like a politician skin rug(like a rug but it lies more. think bearskin but slimy). never again ea customer. my review score would have gone up as they start fixing it if it weren't for ea's bull**** *UPDATE REVIEW* and now my key has been disabled by ea under false claims I started a chargeback....i hadn't but guess what I just did 10 seconds ago asshats? damnit metacritic. allow negative points in a review zero isn't low enough. it was so terrible I had to make an account here(no offense but I hate this site for some reason) just to review it.… Expand
  62. napalm
    Mar 17, 2013
    0
    A huge disappointment. They ripped the heart out of a once beloved game series and created a shallow shell with not substance, simulation, challenge, depth or size. It looks pretty, but outside of that the game is no longer simcity
  63. Mathew952
    Mar 17, 2013
    5
    I can honestly say I am very disappointed with Sim City (2013) as a lifelong fan of the Sim City Franchise. The game is riddled with bugs; you will watch your city burn as fire trucks drive around the same block over and over, and as cars take the most bizarre routes totally jamming your streets; even with a really thorough mass transit network, the city is impossible to get runningI can honestly say I am very disappointed with Sim City (2013) as a lifelong fan of the Sim City Franchise. The game is riddled with bugs; you will watch your city burn as fire trucks drive around the same block over and over, and as cars take the most bizarre routes totally jamming your streets; even with a really thorough mass transit network, the city is impossible to get running smoothly; perhaps this is to be expected of a very dense city, but building a very dense city is your only choice! The maps are very tiny, especially when the game's balance is totally dependent on specializing on some sort of huge space consuming industry. You have to build mines and oil wells, refineries, trade depots, HQs; There's something absolutely bizarre about having and oilfield in the equivalent of downtown New York!. In addition, everything _must_ connect to a road, which now also provides power, water, and sewage; and it's permanently attached to that road. Want to upgrade a road to an avenue? Say bye bye to EVERYTHING on that road, EVEN IF you _instantly_ replace the road. Not only that, but even parks and ponds need road access, since it would be utterly impossible for people to walk to a park behind their house, and since space is at an ultra premium, you will simply ignore parks. Simply put, Sim City looks nice, sounds nice, and has so much promise, but is crippled by a long series of terrible design choices that ultimately reduce Sim City (2013) to a boring mess. Pass on this, avoid the DRM nightmare, and get either Cities XL or even Sim City 4.… Expand
  64. Spacerogue
    Mar 17, 2013
    5
    I rather like the game, but after a few hours of working I have not been able to play anymore, it simply will not start up and I'v tried EVERYTHING by now. Sadly enough I live in a place where PC games can't be refunded so I'm screwed once again. I'm guessing its the draconian DRM locking me out for no reason. I'm giving it a 5 because I feel sorry for the artists working on this game. I'mI rather like the game, but after a few hours of working I have not been able to play anymore, it simply will not start up and I'v tried EVERYTHING by now. Sadly enough I live in a place where PC games can't be refunded so I'm screwed once again. I'm guessing its the draconian DRM locking me out for no reason. I'm giving it a 5 because I feel sorry for the artists working on this game. I'm guessing the coders where playing Plants VS Zombies and everyone seemed to be fine with this as the PR made up wonderful stories of a game that people wanted but won't exists.… Expand
  65. Painless73
    Mar 17, 2013
    4
    Now after a while, I've played a lot and sadly, the re-occuring bugs, graphical errors, the overall limits of the gameplay has made this game a lot less fun than I initially found it to be. The game gets boring fast. Sadly. I feel I either should have waited until the game had been reviewed and game tested a bit more thoroughly, so I could make a decision of whether to buy or not to buy,Now after a while, I've played a lot and sadly, the re-occuring bugs, graphical errors, the overall limits of the gameplay has made this game a lot less fun than I initially found it to be. The game gets boring fast. Sadly. I feel I either should have waited until the game had been reviewed and game tested a bit more thoroughly, so I could make a decision of whether to buy or not to buy, because at this point it's money out the window. I had such high hopes for this game. I even thought that if I tried it myself, see for myself, it couldn't be that bad? Unfortunately it was. I don't think this game can be fixed through patches and what not you need an entirely NEW game. EA/Maxis you f*cked up!… Expand
  66. will86c
    Mar 17, 2013
    2
    Size city limits are absurd. Having to be online all the time to play even alone is ridiculous. Lack of terraforming and custom regions is disappointing. The game play has been dumbed down to the point where there is no challenge. There are no difficulty levels, every game is the same. If you don't already have friends on Origin then it's impossible to find a game to play in. There is noSize city limits are absurd. Having to be online all the time to play even alone is ridiculous. Lack of terraforming and custom regions is disappointing. The game play has been dumbed down to the point where there is no challenge. There are no difficulty levels, every game is the same. If you don't already have friends on Origin then it's impossible to find a game to play in. There is no way to search for open games or reorder the game list to show available cities. Compared to Sim City 4 this game is garbage, I wish I hadn't even bought it. The only good thing about the game is that the graphics are pretty.… Expand
  67. bakncrax
    Mar 17, 2013
    1
    I'm late to start this because of the bugs, have built 3 cities in single and now its bugging out. Can't switch citiies, sits there in loading limbo land..

    Will never buy another EA product until a year after launch (to iron out any bugs) and then only when they're discounting it
  68. Chaka
    Mar 17, 2013
    0
    Cities collapse at 150k. Pathfinding is a joke (cars always try too reach nearest Position). Fire cars are a joke (all try too reach the same fire). Space for building cities is a joke too...
    Ist not possible to trade oil or coal, you can only make presents ...
    and so on
  69. Daddy_D
    Mar 17, 2013
    6
    The DRM problems are as good as gone, and if you look past the DRM it's a mediocre game that's playable but not perfect. There are still alot of annoying bugs. The traffic for example which is pretty bad where cars take the shortest way rather than the best way causing traffic jams. I really miss the save function, larger areas and offline gameplay, and these are the main reason I can'tThe DRM problems are as good as gone, and if you look past the DRM it's a mediocre game that's playable but not perfect. There are still alot of annoying bugs. The traffic for example which is pretty bad where cars take the shortest way rather than the best way causing traffic jams. I really miss the save function, larger areas and offline gameplay, and these are the main reason I can't give the game more than a 6/10. I can get along with "Always online", but being able to save and larger areas are what makes SimCity great. If EA release a patch in the future and fix these issues I will change my score to 9/10. SimCity is simply not SimCity without these functions. I want to be able to build up a city, save it and wreck it with disasters, but EA says you, I will deside what's fun for you. IF YOU READ THIS EA, FIX THE GAME!!!!!!… Expand
  70. souldream
    Mar 17, 2013
    0
    Game box sold in Europe poland Disk space used 1.8 GB and only 3 langages available, not only they are greedy to put all langages but they have not put English on DVD. Polish hungary russian ).

    The game is fully loaded with bug. Server are overloaded savegame lost in space ... The game is sold as Alpha stage!!!!!!! Would not recommand this game to anyone until a new review    Game box sold in Europe poland Disk space used 1.8 GB and only 3 langages available, not only they are greedy to put all langages but they have not put English on DVD. Polish hungary russian ).

    The game is fully loaded with bug.
    Server are overloaded savegame lost in space ...
    The game is sold as Alpha stage!!!!!!!
    Would not recommand this game to anyone until a new review of fixed server DRM.

    Sim DRM is a no go do not buy it or you will not have any pleasure !
    An old Amiga gamer sad to see that EA/ Maxis do not care about games     … Expand
  71. manilla
    Mar 17, 2013
    1
    Lost approximately 60 hours of playtime due to corrupt saves. Horrible AI, online play is broken in on online only game. Been lied to and spit upon. Rated a 1 for the amusement provided in the form of glitches and bugs.
  72. devinup
    Mar 16, 2013
    4
    This is my first Metacritic review. I'm giving the game a 4. I feel that's an honest score, and it will still raise the user score. The launch was terrible. Completely terrible. The DRM and the map size are two serious issues for anyone considering this game. The game is buggy and feels unfinished. It was a lot of fun for a few hours, but I have little desire to return to it now. It seemsThis is my first Metacritic review. I'm giving the game a 4. I feel that's an honest score, and it will still raise the user score. The launch was terrible. Completely terrible. The DRM and the map size are two serious issues for anyone considering this game. The game is buggy and feels unfinished. It was a lot of fun for a few hours, but I have little desire to return to it now. It seems more like a tech demo that they decided to get ready for public release. I expect a lot of DLC and future store items to buy. I guess spending $60 on the base game isn't quite enough. Luckily, I got a $20 credit with my pre-order, but I still wish I had just not purchased the game and saved the $40 for something better. Anyways, a warning to anyone thinking about purchasing the game: It's kind of fun, but it has a ton of issues. Maybe wait until it's in the bargain bin or wait for an expansion or future patch to iron out the kinks.… Expand
  73. WoongeeNMH
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    It's been 10 days since game release and there are tons of bugs in this game. Of course unstable server roll backs your city and fail to load it later. My whole city just evaporated. Maxis is only adding more servers to solve problem but leaving behind rest of the problems. Still many servers are full with bad condition. I signed up metacritic to give 0 score on this game.
  74. golgo13
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    LOL we take pride in building DRM into every game. We are also proud we put non-sensical money grabbing features into every game and coming up with lame justifications that make it look like we're doing our customers a favour because our customers love participating in our award winning innovations that maximize the user experience with cutting edge technology that is without peer, soLOL we take pride in building DRM into every game. We are also proud we put non-sensical money grabbing features into every game and coming up with lame justifications that make it look like we're doing our customers a favour because our customers love participating in our award winning innovations that maximize the user experience with cutting edge technology that is without peer, so much so our customers will in their pants with sheer excitement. Come join the experience and become our family we love you. EA… Expand
  75. Gaumblet
    Mar 16, 2013
    4
    Against my better judgement, I finally caved in and purchased SimCity. I was quickly faced with server limitations, and had to settle for a server outside of my continent. After many hours of game play, I can clearly see a true gem in this SimCity entry, but it is very difficult to get past all of the bugs, lag and progress loss that commonly occurs do to this ludicrous always online DRMAgainst my better judgement, I finally caved in and purchased SimCity. I was quickly faced with server limitations, and had to settle for a server outside of my continent. After many hours of game play, I can clearly see a true gem in this SimCity entry, but it is very difficult to get past all of the bugs, lag and progress loss that commonly occurs do to this ludicrous always online DRM forced on paying customers.

    The City sizes are also disappointing, but the sheer depth of the simulation nearly makes up for it. It would be very much appreciated if larger lots were added to the game's regions, even if they were to come with a higher system requirements warning.

    I have had plenty of fun with the game so far, and I have to say the multiplayer feature can be very entertaining, but it should by no means be forced on us. SimCity was always a very single player centric game, and I think that still holds true for the vast majority of fans. If EA/Maxis patches the game to include a TRULY single player mode for those who don't wish to be bothered by the always online requirement, and all the annoyance it can bring, I would gladly give this game a much higher rating and recommend it to friends. Until then, I simply cannot...    … Expand
  76. PunisherNOR
    Mar 16, 2013
    2
    I specifically created this account to express my distaste for this game. Let alone the incredibly horrible and incompetent launch, the always online DRM and the small maps, the game itself is broken and should never have been released in its current state. Let me emphasize that if you do buy the game; know that you’ll feel like you’re participating in a beta test and not a finishedI specifically created this account to express my distaste for this game. Let alone the incredibly horrible and incompetent launch, the always online DRM and the small maps, the game itself is broken and should never have been released in its current state. Let me emphasize that if you do buy the game; know that you’ll feel like you’re participating in a beta test and not a finished product. First, the traffic system does not work and it creates traffic hell. And hey you can’t alleviate it with a subway system, but what you can do is create a snake like road system with no interactions so the AI does not screw itself over. Also, the sewage system is broken (it seems like it follows the same pathing as traffic, that is ALWAYS taking the shortest route even though there are other routes available), the power grid system is broken and the water system is broken too with similar issues as traffic. Even though you have plenty of capacity for these things, the engine does allow distribution between routes A, B and C, but only chooses one route, leading to congestion and full stop. And this did not show up in internal testing? Furthermore, if there is a disaster such as a fire, all your fire trucks are sent at the same time, often driving in weird circles or not arriving at the fire at all. Moving on, the regional trading system is also broken. If you send money to another city, know that the money arrives (if it arrives) several hours or maybe a day or two later. I have not tried sending any other resources in fear of losing them permanently. And then there’s the main problem, the RCI zoning issue. You can build a city completely made up of residential. No need for commercial zones and industrial because parks take care of the jobs! The developers have purposely created a game where residential zoning is independent of commercial zones; they only need industrial for jobs, and in the extreme case you only need parks. The fundamental core of the whole series is in shambles. And good luck with getting a refund if you bought this over origin, it’s impossible.… Expand
  77. Kilmeister
    Mar 16, 2013
    2
    As a long time fan of the series (Played every one including the original). I fell into the trap of thinking that the complaints weren't justified. Well they are. The game is so close to being a real great title, but has too many gamebreaking flaws. Always on DRM. I feel dirty for paying for this since I have balked at other titles for this very reason. At first I thought the smallAs a long time fan of the series (Played every one including the original). I fell into the trap of thinking that the complaints weren't justified. Well they are. The game is so close to being a real great title, but has too many gamebreaking flaws. Always on DRM. I feel dirty for paying for this since I have balked at other titles for this very reason. At first I thought the small city sizes was just a style preference, but I then realized it was a cover for the horrible pathfinding, which unfortunatly hinders not just traffic, but power,water,etc. I think this game still has a chance at redemption, but unless they clean this mess up, pass on it and save your money.… Expand
  78. Giuseppe
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    Get your money back, if local laws allow it. That is all I can recommend about this game. This game has been crippled by a bunch of corporate suits that couldn't care less about their customers.
  79. daeveman
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    Forget about all the other Simcity games you played in the past. This should be renamed Scamcity. According to official statement from Lucy Bradshaw, Maxis General Manager, this is a MMO. All sims are agents, when they go to work they just enter the first building with an open job, when they go home enter the first home with open slot, if its full they move to the next one, just likeForget about all the other Simcity games you played in the past. This should be renamed Scamcity. According to official statement from Lucy Bradshaw, Maxis General Manager, this is a MMO. All sims are agents, when they go to work they just enter the first building with an open job, when they go home enter the first home with open slot, if its full they move to the next one, just like mindless lemmings. Firetrucks and Police can only attend one event at the same time, meaning if you have 20 firetrucks, they all go to the same fire even if the other side of the town is burning down. You can have one city with only residential lots as long as you keep yous sims happy with parks. You don´t need commercial or industrial lots, as ridiculous as this sounds. And to the top of this, the ridiculous DRM which demands you to be always online while playing this "game". RIP Simcity, hello Simville CEO.… Expand
  80. kbar33w
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    This is a revisal of my last review. I can now log into the servers but when I am playing the servers will have issues with my city and force me to roll back and undo an hours of work. Essentially I play for 3 hours then get sent back one. This is a highly annoying and glitchy problem. If I could just play this game on my computer alone and not use EA's servers almost all of the issues IThis is a revisal of my last review. I can now log into the servers but when I am playing the servers will have issues with my city and force me to roll back and undo an hours of work. Essentially I play for 3 hours then get sent back one. This is a highly annoying and glitchy problem. If I could just play this game on my computer alone and not use EA's servers almost all of the issues I have had and continue to have would not happen. TL;DR Maxis/EA needs to stop feeding out lines of PR BS and listen to their customers, this game is broken.… Expand
  81. Xehlwan
    Mar 16, 2013
    3
    I want to like this game, I honestly do. I keep trying to play it, but it always ends the same way: frustration.

    The server, are reasonably ok now, even though most social features are turned off. Other things, like Cheetah Speed, are still missing, and regions are still shaky in their synchronization (even failing to save your work in rare cases). Everything above this paragraph    I want to like this game, I honestly do. I keep trying to play it, but it always ends the same way: frustration.

    The server, are reasonably ok now, even though most social features are turned off. Other things, like Cheetah Speed, are still missing, and regions are still shaky in their synchronization (even failing to save your work in rare cases).

    Everything above this paragraph will be fixed before long, that is guaranteed.

    The greater problem is the actual game. Not only is the balance of the gameplay mediocre at best; the actual simulations are horrible. Earlier SimCity games *tried* to simulate real cities, with varied success. This game, however, doesn't even try. There are no simulations of real-world behavior or city planning. Instead, the game is completely focused on the automated behavior of "agents" in a completely artificial system.

    At best, your population seems a bit dumb. At worst, your city becomes completely irrational, and requires you to build your city the *opposite* way of real cities.

    The game engine is fantastic, and the potential for great simulations is greater than any game I've seen the last 20 years. In fact, the Glassbox engine is much more interesting and revolutionary than any Crytek, Unreal, or Frostbite engine. Not because of graphics, but because of gameplay.

    Unfortunately, the developers lack any knowledge of the subject matter they intend to simulate. And instead of hiring experts to help them out, they let AI programmers build systems that have nothing to do with real cities. The engine could have done great things, but it is fed with sub-par pathfinding and unrealistic behaviors.

    In the ends, you can have a lot of fun with the new SimCity. As long as you don't expect it to actually simulate cities.    … Expand
  82. SandMan13
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    Pretty terrible game to put it nicely. Small city limits, dumb sims, broken region interaction and much much more await you in this joke of a game. Not only do you always have to be online, but the servers can literally eat some of your cities so that they no longer exist. Oh, you spent 5 hours on that city? Too bad it's gone. Save yourself the trouble and just avoid this game. So manyPretty terrible game to put it nicely. Small city limits, dumb sims, broken region interaction and much much more await you in this joke of a game. Not only do you always have to be online, but the servers can literally eat some of your cities so that they no longer exist. Oh, you spent 5 hours on that city? Too bad it's gone. Save yourself the trouble and just avoid this game. So many game breaking problems it's unreal.… Expand
  83. Riga
    Mar 16, 2013
    1
    Nothing but lies.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Here is a game where playing online is fun. LIE

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

    Any simulation game wheres the game creators stat that building all residential and have a working game was there end goal is broken beyond repair.    … Expand
  84. moocat
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    Always-on DRM, servers unavailable, your progress getting corrupted (game servers messing up), hackers able to take over any of your cities and ruin them, blatantly payed off reviewers, misquotes on their web site to make bad reviews sound good, huge traffic issues that ruins any city after just hours of play, severely limited map size unnecessarily dragging out the game, huge amount ofAlways-on DRM, servers unavailable, your progress getting corrupted (game servers messing up), hackers able to take over any of your cities and ruin them, blatantly payed off reviewers, misquotes on their web site to make bad reviews sound good, huge traffic issues that ruins any city after just hours of play, severely limited map size unnecessarily dragging out the game, huge amount of bugs (several game breaking), blatant lies about the simulation (the inhabitants aren't actually simulated, they are just "actors" who take any available job/house), hidden content already in the game that is locked and will be sold as DLC later...… Expand
  85. capthavic
    Mar 16, 2013
    7
    SimCity 5 is a very good game that has been ham stringed by bad corporate decisions. Some changes have been made for better or worse but overall it is a very fun city builder. Getting connected wasn't much of an issue for me, never had to wait in a queue and losing connection doesn't kick you out instantly. My advice: if you are interested then wait a few more weeks for things to settleSimCity 5 is a very good game that has been ham stringed by bad corporate decisions. Some changes have been made for better or worse but overall it is a very fun city builder. Getting connected wasn't much of an issue for me, never had to wait in a queue and losing connection doesn't kick you out instantly. My advice: if you are interested then wait a few more weeks for things to settle down, then get it and enjoy.… Expand
  86. eleus
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    There's so much completely broken in this game beyond the online-only (DRM) aspect and server woes. Purchasing this game is really the purchase of a massive, and massively expensive, beta, which shows the contempt EA and Maxis have on fans of the franchise. The AI is so unbelievably stupid even with the incredibly small size of city areas.

    There's a reason EA won't refund most requests    There's so much completely broken in this game beyond the online-only (DRM) aspect and server woes. Purchasing this game is really the purchase of a massive, and massively expensive, beta, which shows the contempt EA and Maxis have on fans of the franchise. The AI is so unbelievably stupid even with the incredibly small size of city areas.

    There's a reason EA won't refund most requests through Origin. They know you're unlikely to buy it later when it's "fixed." They know that will take a while, if at all, and those quarterly profits are important.

    Purchasing this at this point tells EA and Maxis to continue treating games and gamers the way they have for such a long time. It's accepting the utter crap that comes out of their mouths. The latest blog post with "straight answers" is such a vile piece of trash that I cannot believe that anyone is buying the game and/or defending anyone at EA/Maxis. It's atrocious. It is a fact that EA confirmed there'd be an offline mode and that multiplayer was simply optional for those who wanted that experience; multiplayer was not off the table. It was not a "from the ground up" quasi-MMO. That is an excuse made after it was so obvious that offline was easy to achieve and totally possible and even more fun. It's an excuse after realizing that the servers don't do much, and what they do is done so poorly that you're wasting your time. Nothing is in real-time. Nothing that couldn't be achieved faster from PC to PC. It's just such a crock.

    Seriously, nobody can blame EA and other publishers if they continue to buy games and tacitly approve of their "design" (DRM) or doublespeak. Rubbish.    … Expand
  87. eddy514
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    HORRIBLE GAME and this has NOTHING to do with offline play. They makers use weak excuses like processing power to eliminate the need for the sims to live in their own houses. The sims just show up at whatever house is near so they can wake up poor, sleep rich and then go work in a poor job and end up poor again in less than 48 hours. If you have an industrial city with heavy need forHORRIBLE GAME and this has NOTHING to do with offline play. They makers use weak excuses like processing power to eliminate the need for the sims to live in their own houses. The sims just show up at whatever house is near so they can wake up poor, sleep rich and then go work in a poor job and end up poor again in less than 48 hours. If you have an industrial city with heavy need for workers, they will come for half the day and then your factory will act like it never had workers to begin with so it will become unhappy and abandoned. You can build a freight storage and for what for NOTHING. You can build coal storage and cant send it to another city via trade so whats the point of building mines when you can just import everything. There is no supply chain because of the fact that nothing matters in this game, everything acts on its own. Fire dept send all their trucks to one fire while 10 others burn the city down. garbage goes uncollected, students go without an education, and power takes ages to reach a corner of the city because the yellow dot hast traveled there yet! What yellow dot stops by my house to give me power, once it flows in real life it flows. WEAK VERY WEAK GAME!!!… Expand
  88. infenro
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    Without even judging on the always on DRM the actual gameplay and bugs that are still in this game are incredibly bad and lend themselves to Lazy and Bad testing before launch, This game is not worth the very high price tag and should not be associated with such a great series that has has a great portfolio of previous versions. This is very inferior to all of them, It was interesting whatWithout even judging on the always on DRM the actual gameplay and bugs that are still in this game are incredibly bad and lend themselves to Lazy and Bad testing before launch, This game is not worth the very high price tag and should not be associated with such a great series that has has a great portfolio of previous versions. This is very inferior to all of them, It was interesting what they were trying to create here but see this as a warning too all other game designers out there, this is not how you make a game.… Expand
  89. Alienpope
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    The game is addicting, it is fun... UP UNTIL IT YOU OVER. You can spend hours on a city just to see it fail due to server issues and game bugs. Trading with other cities is not working properly, trading with the global market just halts for unknown reasons, tourist suddenly seize to visit (sucks if your city is based around that), gambling buildings will first make a ton of money then theThe game is addicting, it is fun... UP UNTIL IT YOU OVER. You can spend hours on a city just to see it fail due to server issues and game bugs. Trading with other cities is not working properly, trading with the global market just halts for unknown reasons, tourist suddenly seize to visit (sucks if your city is based around that), gambling buildings will first make a ton of money then the next second it will loose thousand's of simoleons an hour leading to your city's doom. Basically this game is a waste of time and by the time you realize that you have already spent hours upon hours on you city. The game is broken. Don't buy it… Expand
  90. otisbarker
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    This game encouraged me to sign up for metacritic and give it a 0. Could not login to the game last week. This week, I wasn't able to login because I get the message the game hasn't been activated (even though I've done it since Mar. 5th). Wait 90mins to contact Origin customer service, then they tell me the game was in charge back with the Amazon purchase. This online DRM blows big time.
  91. JusA
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    This game is basically a not even playable painting. The simulations are totally messed up. The city size is a joke. The worst part for me is not the online DRM, but the fact, that you can lose your city any time due to flawed cloud saving. Save your money.
  92. NO_FEAR
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    Always online DRM will always keep this game broken as long as it exists, IMO this is a poor investment, the game will only run as long as EA makes money, the day that stops the servers will close and the game will end. It's going to be a short term rental rather than a long term game purchase.
  93. Pixelmelon
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    We all know how companies fail. When you decided you're smarter than your customers. Online game-play should have been an option, not forced upon users. I want to play even when i'm on holiday. My villa in Bali does not have an internet connection since its my holiday home, there's no point in me getting a connection when i'm there 3 times a year. I'm a business owner myself, and know aWe all know how companies fail. When you decided you're smarter than your customers. Online game-play should have been an option, not forced upon users. I want to play even when i'm on holiday. My villa in Bali does not have an internet connection since its my holiday home, there's no point in me getting a connection when i'm there 3 times a year. I'm a business owner myself, and know a thing or two about product life cycles. This is a surefire way to kill off a fantastic franchise with a loyal fan base, do something about it while you still can, patience is wearing thin. Mark my words. Cities XL wouldn't wait too long to jump on this.… Expand
  94. ptiemens
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    Even if you get past the horrible drm problems, This game is still really bad.
    Its basicly a dummed down version of simcity 4
    No terraforming, No underground work, Very limited city size The only thing you get back from other players is crime and pollution The engine is extremely flawed, with these so called agents just looking for the most nearby spot, haveing sims take different    Even if you get past the horrible drm problems, This game is still really bad.
    Its basicly a dummed down version of simcity 4
    No terraforming, No underground work, Very limited city size
    The only thing you get back from other players is crime and pollution
    The engine is extremely flawed, with these so called agents just looking for the most nearby spot, haveing sims take different jobs.houses everyday
    The traffic AI is extrmeley buggged

    Save youreself the money and dont buy this trash
    Go for tropico or Anno series if you want a good city building game    … Expand
  95. Myplague13
    Mar 16, 2013
    1
    A good game is lurking in here somewhere, but the DRM and huge amount of bugs and flaws ruin the experience completely forcing people to play multiplayer online and not offering a single player solution is ludicrous.

    EA and maxis have been disproven a lot of times on what they said about the game having to connect to servers to do crucial computations to the games core, and still fail    A good game is lurking in here somewhere, but the DRM and huge amount of bugs and flaws ruin the experience completely forcing people to play multiplayer online and not offering a single player solution is ludicrous.

    EA and maxis have been disproven a lot of times on what they said about the game having to connect to servers to do crucial computations to the games core, and still fail to admit they have been lying and misleading consumers to cover there own backs. Do not waste your money on this tragic waste of what could of been a great game.    … Expand
  96. PyroSA
    Mar 16, 2013
    1
    A game with great potential broken due to a flawed server implementation. A lot of the old SimCity features were removed, and you are left with a limited feature set that is hamstrung by the broken inter-city working.
    I've stopped playing out of pure frustration.
  97. Chapy
    Mar 16, 2013
    1
    LISTEN, all these red reviews are for a reason, forget the server issues, read on! The game is riddled with bugs, gamebreaking bugs, and I don't even mean crashes or performance issues. Here is a reddit thread dedicated to listing some of these gamebreaking bugs. http://www.reddit.com/r/SimCity/comments/1a0taq/compiled_list_of_suggestions_and_bug_reports_to/ The AI of your utilityLISTEN, all these red reviews are for a reason, forget the server issues, read on! The game is riddled with bugs, gamebreaking bugs, and I don't even mean crashes or performance issues. Here is a reddit thread dedicated to listing some of these gamebreaking bugs. http://www.reddit.com/r/SimCity/comments/1a0taq/compiled_list_of_suggestions_and_bug_reports_to/ The AI of your utility workers are just broken, the pathfinding is atrocious. Just today I discovered a building that costs half a million dollars doesn't actually unlock things that it claims it unlocks in its description. A half a million is not change. These red reviews are acceptable based purely on gameplay bugs alone, but if you incorporate the legitimate server issues that STILL persist (3/16/2013) than this is a game that EA and Maxis should literally be ashamed of.… Expand
  98. Briii
    Mar 16, 2013
    0
    I preordered this game and was able to log in the day of its release with no server issues whatsoever. So I was actually able to play the game and discover: IT SUCKS. The issues in this game are so fundamental, ridiculous and crippling there is no excuse as to why it was released in this state. I was addicted to it at first, LOVED IT, played it for hours on end. I built a crappy city,I preordered this game and was able to log in the day of its release with no server issues whatsoever. So I was actually able to play the game and discover: IT SUCKS. The issues in this game are so fundamental, ridiculous and crippling there is no excuse as to why it was released in this state. I was addicted to it at first, LOVED IT, played it for hours on end. I built a crappy city, figured out the game, and started a new city. It flourished. Then it fell apart. I didn’t understand, at first…
    Nothing works. Here is how every aspect of the game does not work:
    City Service:
    I have three garbage dumps and maxed out garbage trucks in each one. And yet only 2/3rds of the trash in my city was being picked up. I followed a random truck to discover it only carried 0.1/5 tons back to the dump after driving past tons of buildings filled with trash, for no apparent reason. Several other trucks did the same thing.
    Crime was high in my city; to the point buildings were being abandoned. I built a police precinct and plopped ten patrol police cars. Only two go out on patrol every day. Though it still costs me over a thousand dollars an hour to pay for then ten cars, when only two are used. Never seen them use the helicopter either.
    As everyone else has said, fire trucks only respond to one fire at a time. Ten fire trucks at one fire, while the rest of your city burns down and a huge traffic jam is caused by those fire trucks.
    Resources:
    Then there was water. The water table does not replenish in this game. Simulation? In real life it rains. Fail. You have to make a sewage pipe and then a water treatment center next to it, to filter the dirty sewage water and reuse it in your city. However, the sewage pisses off everyone in your town, because you can no longer treat it and it smells. It doesn’t matter if the wind is blowing the opposite direction and your neighborhoods are on the other corner of the town, it still pisses them off. At least 5 buildings are abandoned EVERY SINGLE HOUR (one minute on fast speed) in my game, DUE TO SEWAGE!
    Trading doesn’t work with other regions.
    Civil Service:
    My town has every type of school there is. It has almost every department in the government. It has a hospital, an amazing public transportation system, a police precinct and the big fire station; as well as little ones to help cover the areas. When my city was doing well, I still made 5-6k an hour. When everyone abandoned it because of sewage and garbage not being picked up (thanks to the game’s issues, not me)I went into the red quick. I saw raising my taxes a couple percentages got me back in the green. I mean, my Sim’s are given ALL of the above FREE OF CHARGE, in return for only 9%? I think they could handle 12%. I mean I pay at least 30% in taxes, on top of paying for my own health care, public transport, college etc. Nope. Even more people abandoned due to “high taxes”. What a joke. If sims are so intolerant to taxes: Why even put that option in the game??
    End story:
    This game is a nightmare. It’s depressing to play. It goes well and you have fun; only to watch your city self-destruct to crippling bugs. If they tested this game for more than an hour, they never should have released it with these issues. I don't care if they "patch it" that could take months and I just doubt it could fix problems that are so fundamental and extreme. The area you build in is tiny and the game has been simplified to be LESS than the one they made ten years ago. All to make EA money (smaller amounts of data for their servers and people with crap computers can buy the game). Please don’t buy this game. As a wake up to the developers that they CAN NOT get away with this crap anymore.    … Expand
  99. User_Critic
    Mar 16, 2013
    5
    The GlassBox thing is obviously raw. AI is dumb. Etc, etc. But most of these things can be patched. Yet there is 1 serious issue that cannot be, most likely. It is the plot's size. At present it looks like a small town. And by the sounds of it the GB just cannot handle big and huge maps well. So, if one wants to build a City, Cities XL Platinum is a safer bet. In terms of complexity theyThe GlassBox thing is obviously raw. AI is dumb. Etc, etc. But most of these things can be patched. Yet there is 1 serious issue that cannot be, most likely. It is the plot's size. At present it looks like a small town. And by the sounds of it the GB just cannot handle big and huge maps well. So, if one wants to build a City, Cities XL Platinum is a safer bet. In terms of complexity they are about equally easy (Cities just try to simulate the city in more depth, while SimCity tries to simulate the sims). But Citites looks like a City when you zoom out, while SC looks like a shiny town.… Expand
  100. StrifeSociety
    Mar 15, 2013
    0
    DO NOT BUY!

    If you insist on buying this game, be prepared to spend a vast amount of time on your city only to get a server error that rolls your progress back a few hours worth. Be prepared for this to happen often. Very often. It will frustrate you. It will make you rage. But most of all, it will make you wish you hadn't wasted your hard earned money on this game.
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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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