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. NEWater
    Mar 8, 2013
    2
    I really like the idea and concept that no city lives in a vacuum, and the game attempts to reflect that by including multiplayer elements of cooperation with municipal services and competition in global trade of commodities, but in terms of the simulation it feels like it's "SimCity Lite". There were many features that were central to the SimCity franchise that got cut out in the name ofI really like the idea and concept that no city lives in a vacuum, and the game attempts to reflect that by including multiplayer elements of cooperation with municipal services and competition in global trade of commodities, but in terms of the simulation it feels like it's "SimCity Lite". There were many features that were central to the SimCity franchise that got cut out in the name of "streamlining" i.e. plan your own highway off-ramp locations, tiny plot size, terraforming, etc. Sure, the much-vaunted Glassbox simulation engine that tracks the activity of every individual sim promises a more "accurate simulation", but it's moot when so many aspects of the game's AI behave like retards. Traffic goes into a standstill even if you spend 75% of your budget on public transport if you commit the crime of having more than 5 intersections in your main arteries. Someone even proved how pants-on-head retarded the traffic AI is by making a city out of one single winding snake road spread out across the lot, and managed to have a successful city because of it because 0 intersections 0 gridlock. vOv

    I really want to like the game and the synergy it promotes, but unfortunately there are many things that need to be done for the game to be a success. The Always-Online system is not necessarily a DRM, but also something in-built to the game that had poorly thought-out execution. It failed to account for the contingency that someone's game would disconnect, and does not have an offline save that could be uploaded to the cloud the next time the player reconnects to the server (Diablo III and StarCraft II had that, at least). EA/Maxis also failed to properly stress test in their popular beta stages, and additionally they were piss poor in their communication to their players when they were attempting to sort out their server woes.

    On top of the always-online stuff, the game itself is in need of a significant overhaul. Traffic AI needs to be fixed. The RCI indicator is a lie after 2 days of playing and finding out that zoning according to the RCI indicator did nothing for my economy, I clicked on my population window and found everything I needed to know in the detail tab. I then decided to ignore everything the game was telling me through RCI and the ingame prompts, and did much better in my subsequent cities. There are just way too many aspects of the game that were either because of poor design decisions and poor execution that kind of border on amateurish. Somehow, I think that this SimCity 2013 has become a deeply wounding blow to Maxis's reputation. Lots of fanbois will protest and say that Maxis is perfect, and EA is at fault. But I've been observing this game for a long time, and Maxis is just as complicit as EA in this, from the Online Lead being a Maxis staffer to Maxis designers themselves who wanted the always-online concept to begin with. Lots of people who have been playing Maxis games since the 90s have since lost their trust in Maxis, and it can only go downhill from here.    … Expand
  2. Lutrogale
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    The Short: Save yourself the hassle and don't even buy this game. Don't tell yourself that enough time has passed and you will be able to get on the server much easier too, these same problems could crop up at any time and wreak havoc on your ability to play the game. I can't imagine how awful the servers will be after an expansion is launched. The Long: I feel like I'm just adding aThe Short: Save yourself the hassle and don't even buy this game. Don't tell yourself that enough time has passed and you will be able to get on the server much easier too, these same problems could crop up at any time and wreak havoc on your ability to play the game. I can't imagine how awful the servers will be after an expansion is launched. The Long: I feel like I'm just adding a bunch of poo to a pile of poo that already has entirely too much poo in it. I'm one of the unlucky customers that pre-ordered this game. I was eagerly looking forward to it as well as I have been a fan for nearly two decades and the game looked amazing in the beta and their Let's All Be Mayor campaign. Let's face it, this has all been said before and this poor review will boil down to server issues. It's a shame that this launch was handled so poorly. Not just that I couldn't log in to play the game, but that everyone from Maxis was so quiet about what was going on. When you have upset customers, the last thing you want to do as a company is remain silent. After trying this afternoon and evening to get on the servers once again, and still failing despite adding nearly twice as many servers as a couple days ago, I gave up.

    The silver lining in this whole thing is that Amazon stepped up to bat for me. They gave me a full refund, and apologized for my experience with this game. That's more than I've heard from people who have ordered this game from Origin. At best they get a customer service rep who is nice enough to refund them, most likely they get one who flat out refuses to refund the money and at worst they (supposedly) threaten a ban of the entire Origin account.

    It's a shame that such a big company cannot treat its customers better. Maxis has lost a loyal customer here, and EA has lost any business from a formerly neutral customer, now anti-fanboy.    … Expand
  3. Roger72
    Mar 8, 2013
    3
    I'm going to be extremely generous in this review by pretending I'm writing from the perspective of six months from now, that all the server issues have been fixed, and that perhaps EA has even modified some of the most egregious limitations of the online DRM. As a longtime SimCity fan who's played every iteration of the game, though, going back to Will Wright's original classic, it trulyI'm going to be extremely generous in this review by pretending I'm writing from the perspective of six months from now, that all the server issues have been fixed, and that perhaps EA has even modified some of the most egregious limitations of the online DRM. As a longtime SimCity fan who's played every iteration of the game, though, going back to Will Wright's original classic, it truly pains me to say I still cannot recommend this game.

    The city size issue mentioned by many here is actually not new, but it's become so bad that it actually undermines the core premise of the game (that one is simulating a "city"). I can still recall being disappointed at how small SimCity 4's city areas seemed relative to SimCity 3000, but here the typical "city" is, without exaggeration, neighborhood-size. At 2x2 km, a typical city lot is slightly larger than Park Slope in Brooklyn, assuming there is no water or other unbuildable terrain. Truth be told, SimCity never handled scale all that well, but with these dimensions, the very notion of mass transit itself becomes absurd, as a pedestrian could walk across the city in a matter of minutes. It's little wonder that agricultural zoning and subways have disappeared. The cities are simply too small for them.

    This alone is enough to severely limit the appeal of the game to me, but the regional system, too, is poorly implemented. The essence of SimCity was, after all, always the Mayorship, and the Mayor's authority extends only to the borders of his city. Attempting to create regional economies and specializations, where players are forced to constantly deal with neighbors (whether in multiplayer or single-player) ultimately detracts from the experience, IMO. This is not SimCounty or SimState or SimRegionalEconomicPartnership, it's SimCity! The scale and shape of the cities, moreover, makes the "regions" appear quite ridiculous and not at all realistic.

    Zoning, a core element of the game, has been given an overhaul, but not for the better. Previous versions built in infrastructure cost as part of the zoning itself (higher densities cost more to zone), but did not care what size street they fronted. Here, zoning is free, but all depends on the type of fronting street. This makes it impossible to construct anything like Lower Manhattan or downtown Boston. Your options are basically Phoenix, Las Vegas or Houston, on a tiny scale. The streets can be curvy now, yes, but since building lots remain square (was it really that hard to snap lots and buildings to irregular spaces?), this produces a tremendous amount of wasted space.

    The time scale of SimCity was always perplexing, with the early emphasis on dirty industry, later transitioning to electronics and white collar services, suggestive of a starting point during the industrial revolution and moving through the late 20th century (I believe SC 2000 had a possible starting year of 1900 A.D., though contemporary tech was always available, and culminated with futuristic arcologies). The tantalizing possibilities of building a game that captures the sweep of urban history in this manner, a sort of Civilization of city-building, has been left unexplored here. Instead, the player lives in a perpetual now, with only a handful of technological enhancements here and there. About the AI, many uncomplimentary things could be said. Multiple fire trucks respond to a single modest house fire even as a wall of flame sweeps through the industrial district. Residents make contradictory statements about their proximity to shopping. And so on.

    I'm trying to think of a few positive things to say here, and I do like the option of simply adding on to, rather than demolishing and rebuilding, certain buildings. The graphics are attractive enough, if a bit cartoony. Overall, though, it's just not a step up from SC 4, or even from the two before it. Did fans really wait 10 years for this? Perhaps Maxis can, in time, mend some of the flaws. Others are here to stay, reflective of what looks like a long-term shift away from single-player in-depth games to a ones better suited to an era of smart phones and short attention spans. For SimCity, though, one of the ultimate time wasters and friend to micromanagers everywhere, that design imperative may very well be fatal to the venerable franchise.    … Expand
  4. larzle
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I could look past the DRM and pointless online garbage if the basic game was intact. But this is beyond broken. Simcity as we know it has been raped.
  5. jaketyler48
    Mar 8, 2013
    4
    Ok, I understand having to have an internet connection to play the game. But if the servers are junk or full and you can't even play the damn game that's just stupid! EA dropped the ball on this one! I don't care who but since I can't even enjoy a single player game. Because the servers are unavailable or down or full. This game is going back and I'll save some money and get Cities XL. IOk, I understand having to have an internet connection to play the game. But if the servers are junk or full and you can't even play the damn game that's just stupid! EA dropped the ball on this one! I don't care who but since I can't even enjoy a single player game. Because the servers are unavailable or down or full. This game is going back and I'll save some money and get Cities XL. I don't care who eats the cash but its not going to be me!… Expand
  6. AProcrastinator
    Mar 8, 2013
    3
    This game looks pretty good, but then there's the always online DRM. This means that when a new sim city is released, EA will start killing off the servers for this sim city, and the game will be dead and unable to play. The maps are also smaller than other sim city games, and even the 1980/1990's sim city was better, and had bigger maps. One more thing is that you can't save the game toThis game looks pretty good, but then there's the always online DRM. This means that when a new sim city is released, EA will start killing off the servers for this sim city, and the game will be dead and unable to play. The maps are also smaller than other sim city games, and even the 1980/1990's sim city was better, and had bigger maps. One more thing is that you can't save the game to your hardrive, it goes straight to EA's cloud. This means that you can't load up a save of one of your games. Say you have a city saved, and then it gets destroyed. You are unable to open it up and load the game, it goes straight to the cloud, where it is impossible to get. 3/10, gorgeous, seems pretty good, but then there's the drm and save/load items.… Expand
  7. greywolf00
    Mar 8, 2013
    4
    This review is based on the current state of the game (minus connection issues). This game has online only DRM which was justified by making a single player game multiplayer by having regions share resources. However, this feature currently doesn't work and EA has admitted as much. You cannot share workers, resources, or money. City Hall upgrades do not sync with the region and carry overThis review is based on the current state of the game (minus connection issues). This game has online only DRM which was justified by making a single player game multiplayer by having regions share resources. However, this feature currently doesn't work and EA has admitted as much. You cannot share workers, resources, or money. City Hall upgrades do not sync with the region and carry over into other towns. As usual for an EA game it is infested with all kinds of other bugs. IE water is supposed to refill when it rains: Not working. Emergency vehicles will sit in long traffic lines even when there's an open road near by. You will also see fire fighters drive around in circles on the roads rather than go to fires. Fire Marshalls Wellness vans will randomly target buildings rather than prioritize high fire/gem prone areas. Not worth buying for a few months until they 1) Fix connection issues and add servers. 2) Patch all the broken features and revamp traffic AI.… Expand
  8. DetectiveCake
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    DRM..really? EA you are ruining the gaming industry. I will never buy another EA game again. All they bring out are mediocre half finished games and if you want the full experience you have to buy there DLC even though you already paid 70$ for the game. DO NOT BUY!
  9. JLishere
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    The negatives: Single-player mode should not require a constant internet connection. Some game play features have been retracted by EA in order to alleviate server issues. Game progress may be lost. Cannot save anything locally. Regional players are dependent on you being logged to the same server. City size is too small. Transportation modes that previously existed in SC4 are missing.The negatives: Single-player mode should not require a constant internet connection. Some game play features have been retracted by EA in order to alleviate server issues. Game progress may be lost. Cannot save anything locally. Regional players are dependent on you being logged to the same server. City size is too small. Transportation modes that previously existed in SC4 are missing. Multiple AI problems, including emergency vehicles that stop at every intersection and are stuck in traffic. Specializations are too limited. The graphics are amazing. SimCity is ruined by EA and Origin's insistence on making this a locked down DRM game.… Expand
  10. noneverno
    Mar 8, 2013
    2
    Had high hopes for the game, but it's now nearly day 4 after release and the game remains, for the most part, unplayable. Even in the few hours I was able to get on, I was discouraged by the prohibitively small city size. From the lack of refunds, to the full servers, to the 2+ hour waits for customer service via phone/chat, I am sorely disappointed with this release.
  11. AshtonVibe
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    This game looks to be a VERY good game. Completely online will have its advantages. However, I purchased a game that I want to play when I want to. This has not happened. I can get it, and I just want to play as simple as possible. I even don't care if the data I made is lost forever, but I hate the lag. It is very uncomfortable to sit through.
  12. EndTheory
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    You can expect anything that comes from EA to be utter garbage, they have tarnished the good records of countless titles and franchises, you can thank them for destroying the command and conquer franchise RTS fans.
  13. MattDavBen
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I haven't even gotten to play the game yet. It's a $60.00 clock that repeatedly counts down from 20 minutes...because you're not really waiting to get in, you're waiting to be denied again. Definitely ensures I will never purchase an EA product again, and likely has stopped me from ever preordering a video game again. After three days and dozens of attempts, I still haven't gotten to play.
  14. nintyblue44
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    This game is a summarization of everything wrong with video games today. You have microtransactions/DLC for starters. On day one even. But the most glaring thing is this always-online DRM. It stopped people playing it for about three days, simply because it was too difficult to get online and "claim a city", whatever that means. And here's the kicker... it stopped pirates from playing itThis game is a summarization of everything wrong with video games today. You have microtransactions/DLC for starters. On day one even. But the most glaring thing is this always-online DRM. It stopped people playing it for about three days, simply because it was too difficult to get online and "claim a city", whatever that means. And here's the kicker... it stopped pirates from playing it for exactly the same amount of time. That's right. There's ALREADY something out to bypass this crap. This whole exercise has served only to punish paying customers and kill their reputation further. Did they learn nothing from Spore?

    If you support good video games done in the name of art with attention paid to things like morals and integrity, then I beg of you, do not now or ever purchase this title. Talk to your friends about this too. People have to be willing to use willpower and abstain from being manipulated by this garbage if we are ever to return to a time where big publishers put out nice, decent things that reward paying customers.    … Expand
  15. Makeelee
    Mar 8, 2013
    5
    I haven't purchased the game (yet), but I've honestly gotten more entertainment from watching EA getting scorched than I have had in a long time. So I give the game a 5.
  16. Aethande
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    The game is impossible to score without taking into account the miserable DRM (always connected to EA-servers, in so many words). Since the servers are totally overloaded, information about your single-player cities is lost and the game is barely even playable due to connection issues, server hiccups etc. There is no reason what so ever to buy this game at this time and I stronglyThe game is impossible to score without taking into account the miserable DRM (always connected to EA-servers, in so many words). Since the servers are totally overloaded, information about your single-player cities is lost and the game is barely even playable due to connection issues, server hiccups etc. There is no reason what so ever to buy this game at this time and I strongly recommend reading IGN:s continuing reporting on these and other Sim City related issues. Also I recommend buying the game physically rather than over Origin, due to EA:s EUA. Sim City (5) may well become a great game once all the server-issues are solved but until then it is not worth buying and I only wish I had more patience but here I am a few shorter with a non-functioning product.… Expand
  17. vironsusi
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    My, my... how could a company screw up this badly? The complete and utter catastrophe that is trying to log on to play the game, the horrible DRM. You'd think someone at Maxis would've had the the brains to work around this. How did this happen? How in the world did this happen? All right, I won't waste my with an essay on the horrible practices used by the majority of big developersMy, my... how could a company screw up this badly? The complete and utter catastrophe that is trying to log on to play the game, the horrible DRM. You'd think someone at Maxis would've had the the brains to work around this. How did this happen? How in the world did this happen? All right, I won't waste my with an essay on the horrible practices used by the majority of big developers because who would actually read them? How about I just help the opposition with the zeros and hope in vein that EA learns their lesson. Psh... as if that'll happen.… Expand
  18. scuba2121
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    This game was fun when I could play it. I take back everything I said about DRM not mattering. It absolutely does matter and needs to go away forever.
  19. Matadorian
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    EA, you need to wake up.
  20. Mirinu
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    This is a disaster. EA why have you screwed the SimCity Franchise. Curse you!! 1. Always online DRM 2. No local saves 3. Buggy mechanics 4. My crap dump size is bigger than your city maps 5. FCKIN Huge login queues what??? did I buy this game to stand in the queue to play?
  21. whereiwannab
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Unable to connect. Why did I pay $59 again? I really hope EA gets their act together with this horrid experience. I am hoping for a some kind of action to alleviate any lost time trying to play a game. Maybe some free dlc? Either way, f* this game.
  22. Luckless
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Lack of forethought by the developers truly spoils what would otherwise have been a mostly acceptable but not exceptionally notable game. Every aspect of their "Always online" 'service' could easily have been simulated for offline play, or configured to work in an ad-hoc peer to peer system. City saves are limited, and out of your control. There are no means (That I've been able to find)Lack of forethought by the developers truly spoils what would otherwise have been a mostly acceptable but not exceptionally notable game. Every aspect of their "Always online" 'service' could easily have been simulated for offline play, or configured to work in an ad-hoc peer to peer system. City saves are limited, and out of your control. There are no means (That I've been able to find) to backup your games, to split your saves to take the same city in two directions, or share the cities themselves between friends.

    Users are completely at the mercy of servers being up and working properly. I can currently log in without issue, but I can't create a new city.

    Half a thought about what happens when the user was offline would have made this game a decent 7.

    City lots are small, much of your choices are limited to "Doesn't do much" and "Does a all you can ask but costs a fortune" with limited middle ground. Options are also highly limited for what I had expected.

    Simulation aspects frequently fail. With one city having industry begging for workers, but a solid mix of all 3 wealth classes of residential each begging for jobs in a city with nearly zero traffic problems and solid public transit?    … Expand
  23. dizzbert
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    $60 for an utterly unplayable game. Digital downloaders have no recourse for refunds Brilliant strategy EA! Take the money and run! You would think the decision makers at EA would have reviewed the history of always online DRM.
  24. Tornnight
    Mar 8, 2013
    5
    -3 for Server downtime fiasco during release. Even if their division isn't big on multiplayer, this is unforgivable. They should have known better. I can forgive DRM and online only, but not if it doesn't work. This is worse than an alpha game in this state.
    -2 for Map Size which is ridiculously small. You can almost 'finish' a 'city' in one play session
    +1 for over fun while you're    -3 for Server downtime fiasco during release. Even if their division isn't big on multiplayer, this is unforgivable. They should have known better. I can forgive DRM and online only, but not if it doesn't work. This is worse than an alpha game in this state.
    -2 for Map Size which is ridiculously small. You can almost 'finish' a 'city' in one play session
    +1 for over fun while you're still developing your 'town'
    -1 for blurry graphics and poor terrain textures unless you zoom in enough.
    +1 for the fun disasters
    -1 for lack of any terrain adjustment options. A little, limited ones would have gone a long way.    … Expand
  25. FiammaTheGreat
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I just want my money back.
    Well, if i buy myself a game, i want it to work. Im not interested in waiting ~5 hours to log in somehow and then get a disconnect.
    Yes, you heard me right: disconnect. Single player game. Logging in for five hours. This is wrong in so many ways that i dont even think that i will try buying something from EA anymore. And if ill get lucky enough to get my money    I just want my money back.
    Well, if i buy myself a game, i want it to work. Im not interested in waiting ~5 hours to log in somehow and then get a disconnect.
    Yes, you heard me right: disconnect. Single player game. Logging in for five hours. This is wrong in so many ways that i dont even think that i will try buying something from EA anymore. And if ill get lucky enough to get my money back i will just pirate it from some tracker instead of paying for this unworking crap.    … Expand
  26. Jjjjjoe
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I bought this game and have yet to be able to play it. It is completely worthless. I wish I has read a few reviews before I made this purchase. What a complete failure in planning. Simcity is a single player game and should be available for offline playing and saving.
  27. peekitup
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    The game is simply unplayable and is a complete waste of money. Even if you can log in, your city will often not save to the servers, all of the regional interaction between cities. In fact, everything done on the server end seems to be broken by bugs or lag. You will lost hours of gametime, will be unable to play with your friends, unable to build anything of reasonable size that isThe game is simply unplayable and is a complete waste of money. Even if you can log in, your city will often not save to the servers, all of the regional interaction between cities. In fact, everything done on the server end seems to be broken by bugs or lag. You will lost hours of gametime, will be unable to play with your friends, unable to build anything of reasonable size that is functioning. A complete crash and burn in regards to trusting some server to be reliable.

    Do not buy.

    The War Z was better about giving out refunds.    … Expand
  28. Freaky
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Online DRM, the biggest pile of for single player games. A great franchise gets butchered because of it. Nobody can play the game on launch and a week after it. These companies need to be crucified to set an example of. So that Online DRM goes down in history like nazism.
  29. GolferGuy
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I cannot connect! This is incredibly frustrating. How can you release a game that requires connectivity and not have your back end servers ready and deployed.
  30. reubensandwich2
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I feel that the entire staff should be fired and replaced with feces throwing chimps. At least something will stick unlike the complete waste that Maxis and EA created. I'm sure this server condition is a ploy from EA to make people pay simtaxes to play the game after they ponied up the cash to buy it. But what do I know, I haven't had a chance to even play the stupid game in 3 days.I feel that the entire staff should be fired and replaced with feces throwing chimps. At least something will stick unlike the complete waste that Maxis and EA created. I'm sure this server condition is a ploy from EA to make people pay simtaxes to play the game after they ponied up the cash to buy it. But what do I know, I haven't had a chance to even play the stupid game in 3 days. Never in my 20 years of computer gaming have I seen such a level of incompetence.… Expand
  31. tatr76
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Putting server issues aside game is very disappointing. Animations may look better than previous versions but that is it. No single player, individual cities in region too small, no terraforming, saved games do not transfer across servers so continual restarts if not able to connect to same one... list could go on and on. Like a lot of thinks now appearance over substance! They can notPutting server issues aside game is very disappointing. Animations may look better than previous versions but that is it. No single player, individual cities in region too small, no terraforming, saved games do not transfer across servers so continual restarts if not able to connect to same one... list could go on and on. Like a lot of thinks now appearance over substance! They can not even man up and the honorable thing of giving digital refunds, be warned if thinking of buying.… Expand
  32. Burry
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I paid 80 bucks for a game I can't even play! When I have been able to log on the game freezes or wont let me create a city. And what is with the single size city plot? This should have been a updated SC4 not this garbage EA has shoved down our throats.
  33. Ecaelia
    Mar 8, 2013
    3
    I waited some days with the review, to give Maxis a chance to go over the launch day issues. However, 3 days after launch and I'm still unable to connect to the servers shows a clear fail in the design development or the game.
    Update 4 days after launch: I was able to play today, so up my rating to 3 points. The game appears great, but all the region benefits are switched off to reduce    I waited some days with the review, to give Maxis a chance to go over the launch day issues. However, 3 days after launch and I'm still unable to connect to the servers shows a clear fail in the design development or the game.
    Update 4 days after launch: I was able to play today, so up my rating to 3 points. The game appears great, but all the region benefits are switched off to reduce load on the servers. However, the region interaction was the main justification of the tiny maps, so right now we have tiny maps and a dysfunctional region (so the worst of both world: all cities must be universal and self-sustained, but don't have the size to achieve this goal)    … Expand
  34. jim109109
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    When I read SimCity had constant online DRM I didn't buy it. When I read Deadspace 3 had microtransactions I didn't buy it. It seems EA is including these things that players DO NOT WANT in their games and they are now sourly paying the price. EA is the next THQ, watch it go bankrupt. The only difference is that EA actually deserves it.
  35. Yargdpirate
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I can forgive all the internet connections and requirements. But they left out the most important feature of a SimCity game, the ability to use save states. Sandbox games need that so you can play around, and it's not there.
  36. bakyelli
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Probably the worst piece of software I have download to my PC in a long time. I was charged $60 for a non-functioning computer program and was denied a refund. I wish there was a negative score I could give to this game.
  37. shempm
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    Silly me for not reading the reviews first but I thought it was a fair assumption that with 20 more years of computer gaming technology behind us that this game would be truly amazing given how great the old sim cities were. So in my excitement I bought it. I am so disappointed on 4 blatantly obvious factors:
    1/ I can't get in most the time this 100% reliance on the internet is a    Silly me for not reading the reviews first but I thought it was a fair assumption that with 20 more years of computer gaming technology behind us that this game would be truly amazing given how great the old sim cities were. So in my excitement I bought it. I am so disappointed on 4 blatantly obvious factors:
    1/ I can't get in most the time this 100% reliance on the internet is a disgrace.
    2/ SimCity takes up a lot of time.....make saving the game easy and minimise the risk of losing all your work please! This is crucial for the SimCity game.
    3/ I couldn't give a rat's arse about multi player....I just love being immersed in my own city so scrap the need for me to use the internet please!
    3/ This shouldn't be called SimCity call it SimVillage.....give me a big metropolis to build like the other ones! Not a tiny little box to build in! It looks completely stupid.

    What a complete waste of my time and money. After being so excited (the most I ever have about a game) I am left wondering how the hell could they stuff this up so much.....what an anti-climax.    … Expand
  38. austindoggie
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    This game is literally worse than Hitler. I have to wait 30 minutes for the always-online holocaust. Amazon even is refusing to sell this awful game. They pulled it because it is broken. EA disabled some features of the game because their server couldn't handle it! Worst game of all time.
  39. Fuu
    Mar 8, 2013
    2
    Sim City has really flopped, even if you remove the server issues from the equation. I feel really bad for the guys at Maxis who had to make the game like this, I have a feeling that it wasn't their decision. Over the last two days I've managed to play for about 10 hours on the Europe West 2 server despite the horrible server problems, and I'm already getting bored with the game. HavingSim City has really flopped, even if you remove the server issues from the equation. I feel really bad for the guys at Maxis who had to make the game like this, I have a feeling that it wasn't their decision. Over the last two days I've managed to play for about 10 hours on the Europe West 2 server despite the horrible server problems, and I'm already getting bored with the game. Having spent thousands of hours to all of the previous versions of Sim City, that is a surprise I didn't expect when paying 60€ for the game. At 6€/h that is a pretty steep price for two frustrating days of queuing to the servers and constantly being afraid to loose your progress.

    Severe points reduction from the city sizes that are probably the most crippling aspect of this game. The current map is full to the edges after only few hours of play and you get a claustrophobic feeling in the game with no space to expand. Moving to second region just postpones it a few hours and frustration returns even stronger when it also runs out of space. Your city looks like a downtown of a real city that's cut out from a larger entity with real suburbs and all that nice surrounding built area. Developers say that the choice was made so that even low end PCs could play the game. I don't understand why they couldn't use the same approach that has been taken in Sim City 4: variable size maps. You just pick the map that your PC can handle when it's maxed out and that's it. If the choice was too large one, try again with a smaller one. Problem solved. It's annoying how the developers are trying to explain away design decisions with "pretend logic" and hoping that players don't notice. I'm guessing most likely the orders came from above to limit the city sizes for some future DLC release. Or some other crap like that. I just want to refuse to believe a serious game designer wouldn't notice how much the city size limit affects the game experience.

    Lots of minus from roads, somehow all the fun is missing from building the roads because of the minuscule city sizes and lack of choice on how to connect to neighboring cities. That's a shame because building roads and designing road networks has always been one of the key aspects of Sim City. It's also annoying how you have to upgrade all your roads to high density because otherwise your city just won't grow in population, and then you have a city with only high buildings. Having the curvy roads is great, but doesn't compensate for all the other lacks.

    To add insult to injury, there is the always on DRM that doesn't let me choose when to save regions, or allow me to reload regions at previous states. I don't have possession of my own save games from private region where I'm the only player. The pollution that crosses city boundaries into neighboring cities and abandoned city slots pretty much guarantees that I have no intention to play on public regions where I can't control actions of the other cities.

    The game is pretty and smooth, credits for that. The simulation engine seems to work nicely. But I'm not going to spend hundreds of hours to this game just because it looks pretty and I can follow each Sim around in the city. It must be fun to play, the City Building must be the primary activity and the current version just isn't any of that. Many of official reviews said the game is a lot of fun. I disagree.

    Looking at how EA did their calculations about the required amount of servers to support their player base, it seems that they need at least 4-8 times more server capacity to do the job than estimated. After the doubling of the initial capacity that I've seen today, the servers are still completely bogged even with the cheetah speed and game features disabled. So here's an interesting thought to ponder: How much is EA willing to spend on running these servers for an extended period? How many hours of server time at amazon did my 60€ buy? At what point is EA going to decide that it's time to pull the plug or they will start loosing money for every hour I spend on this game? Their initial estimates on the server costs were 4-8 times under the mark, and you can bet your house on it that EA is not going to allow Sim City to add to the red side of their balance sheet if the investors have any say on it. Be prepared to make a door stop from your Sim City DVD much sooner than you thought, this one is not going to be kicking for 10 years like it's predecessor. Please, don't repeat my mistake and support this horrible business model of always on-line single player games that pretend to be serious multi-player games to get your moneys. I would ask for my money back, but apparently EA doesn't refund games bought from Origin. Thanks EA for ruining Sim City.    … Expand
  40. QSquared
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    There is NO Offline Mode. None.

    That means to play SINGLE PLAYER you have to put yourself through the never ending head-ache of tyring to connect to woefully inadequate services. OH! AND the single player is missing features it does nto need to be missing, and does actually run on your local computer s you can play for about 30 minutes while the servers are unavailable before it kicks    There is NO Offline Mode. None.

    That means to play SINGLE PLAYER you have to put yourself through the never ending head-ache of tyring to connect to woefully inadequate services. OH! AND the single player is missing features it does nto need to be missing, and does actually run on your local computer s you can play for about 30 minutes while the servers are unavailable before it kicks you out.

    Connecting to servers just means you will get a 20 minute countdown that keeps repeating (If the server is "Busy") or a 5 minute count down that keeps repeating if the server is "Available"

    Yay!

    If you CAN get on, most of the time you can;t create or join a region, or restart your own region.

    If you can do any of those you can expect brutal lag, and glitchyness, like the in-game clock being stuck at a particular time.

    If you can get in, but not to the server you were on you have to start a brand new city.

    If you can get some good play (usually between 3 AM and 5 AM EST you can get on a server for a little while.) Then the city sizes are very small, and you can not build in the region, no highways, no real rail, no subways, ugh.

    You can no longer control your zone density, except by street density.

    FYI if you can get in they have eliminated cheetah speed, and several other aspects of play including the regional great works, which basically means a lot of waiting, and also the only meaningful new feature they added are gone.

    If you buy this game digitally they WILL NOT REFUND YOUR     … Expand
  41. ssfire
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    DRM fail. It would like to play the game, but I can't because the DRM can't connect to the servers. Apparently, EA is disabling some of the features to get the servers to handle the load. So not only is DRM preventing me from playing the game, it's forcing EA to remove features. Epic fail.
  42. UnbiasedAndFair
    Mar 8, 2013
    2
    We should open class action lawsuits against those companies. I few like asking for refund is not enough. I bought a product that didn't work and the manual nor the manufacturer can solve. It´s like buying a ticket for a show and the band didn't show off, so they send some lame local cover band. Maybe is time to gamers start to demand quality over achievements.
  43. peaky2
    Mar 8, 2013
    9
    For me this game has had very little problems, disregarding the launch server issues. The game-play for me overall was and still is great. I love the amount of detail and the actual simulation going on. This game is not by any means casualized. I would very strongly recommend giving this game its chance and would even go as far as saying that its better than SC4.
    P.S. In my eyes SimCity    For me this game has had very little problems, disregarding the launch server issues. The game-play for me overall was and still is great. I love the amount of detail and the actual simulation going on. This game is not by any means casualized. I would very strongly recommend giving this game its chance and would even go as far as saying that its better than SC4.
    P.S. In my eyes SimCity has never been an on-the-go game, it was always a desktop game which is what this one it *to me.* So the fact of always online, DRM, blah blah blah doesn't effect me that much.    … Expand
  44. DrLlama
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I should have cancelled my preorder when I saw these negative reviews, because they were right. Simcity is a complete and utter train-wreck. I used to pirate most games when I did not have the money, but have lately made it a point to buy all my games. But now I think most of us would rather pay MORE for a pirated version. Anyway, there are a lot of other great releases coming soon noI should have cancelled my preorder when I saw these negative reviews, because they were right. Simcity is a complete and utter train-wreck. I used to pirate most games when I did not have the money, but have lately made it a point to buy all my games. But now I think most of us would rather pay MORE for a pirated version. Anyway, there are a lot of other great releases coming soon no need to waste time on a technical headache like this!… Expand
  45. KiwwHi
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    OMG This is such a foutage de gueule as they say in french. Day one DLC is a shame Servers not working at all Game is as complicated as the last Dora The Explorer What a game. Doesn't even deserve a single point.
  46. Xclusive
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    I pre-ordered the game and since Tuesday, I havent played for more than 2 hours... but tried connecting for about 20 Now its friday, and servers are still all busy and been waiting an hour in front of my screen for the game to load... This is ridiculous that you can only play the game online. Additionally, maps are very small. Within 30 minutes, you can easily finish a city. Graphics areI pre-ordered the game and since Tuesday, I havent played for more than 2 hours... but tried connecting for about 20 Now its friday, and servers are still all busy and been waiting an hour in front of my screen for the game to load... This is ridiculous that you can only play the game online. Additionally, maps are very small. Within 30 minutes, you can easily finish a city. Graphics are generally good, but still a lot of bugs to fix, especially roads that get blended into the surronding environment. They took out a lot of important features such as customization of terrain and glitches occur with services and trades between cities. All in all, I give this game a 2 out 10 for not only the current problems, but also because of the lack of professionalism on behalf of EA/MAXIS. Updates are few on their forums and they erase bad comments from Facebook... and BEWARE of certain reviews, they have paid certain people in different countries to post positive comments... a really unprofessional company...… Expand
  47. JihadJonny
    Mar 8, 2013
    3
    Oh SimCity, how I yearned for you. I needed my city building fix and I had such high hopes for you. It's not your fault SimCity. Maxis sold you, and EA raped you. This game has more problems than Calculus book, and the issues are centered around the Always Online DRM...that and the fact that no content is saved locally. If you can look past the fact you can't log in to play, EA removingOh SimCity, how I yearned for you. I needed my city building fix and I had such high hopes for you. It's not your fault SimCity. Maxis sold you, and EA raped you. This game has more problems than Calculus book, and the issues are centered around the Always Online DRM...that and the fact that no content is saved locally. If you can look past the fact you can't log in to play, EA removing game features to smooth out server side issued, the fact that EA as the worst customer service in the world, and the real sticker for a massive city building simulation....the lots are WAY too small. Overlooking all of that, the game, for the 45 minutes I've been able to play, is fun and the graphics are nice. The only reason I gave this game a 3 is because some poor peon at EA has slaved away to make this, for that he or she deserves some recognition.… Expand
  48. castigere
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Can't really add anything thats not already written, awesome game ruined by forced multiplayer and online dependency. Avoid at all costs! And I'll like to add that EA ruined origin!
  49. TrickyD
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Love how the game says I've played 3 hours so far....Guess time spent encountering login failures count as game play time. Because I have not been able to connect even once. Haven't played one second.
  50. scoobyff666
    Mar 8, 2013
    3
    This game was seriously affected by a really bad choice of making a essentially single-player game into a "online-only" game. You can only play connected to EA servers, even if you want to play alone. I will probably never use any of the online features of the game, so I really hate this. You can't save your game to your hard drive and even in the servers you can't save when you want. IfThis game was seriously affected by a really bad choice of making a essentially single-player game into a "online-only" game. You can only play connected to EA servers, even if you want to play alone. I will probably never use any of the online features of the game, so I really hate this. You can't save your game to your hard drive and even in the servers you can't save when you want. If you're thinking about trying something with your city that you may regret, it's better not to do it, because there's no way back. I have already paid for this game and it is very expensive, but when someone out there make a pirated version with no online requirements, I will start using it and forget about the original game.

    If you are thinking about buying this game, my advice is: DON'T!

    And I would like everybody to note that I'm not even talking about the server problems, because I know it can happen and I know when they fix it it will be alright. My problem is with the internet connection requirement. I can't play my game when I want because I don't always have a internet connection (and of course EA won't keep the servers running forever). If the game had an offline mode, I would not even care about the servers. They could even explode.    … Expand
  51. phentix
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Let this be a lesson to other companies. Sell a trash product and you get trashed by user reviews. To those who say just wait till the servers get running, I would rather just refund but unfortunately many of the player base do not have that option. I don't care if it it will be enjoyable in 2 weeks or 2 months from now, I bought the game to enjoy now. A company as big as EA shouldLet this be a lesson to other companies. Sell a trash product and you get trashed by user reviews. To those who say just wait till the servers get running, I would rather just refund but unfortunately many of the player base do not have that option. I don't care if it it will be enjoyable in 2 weeks or 2 months from now, I bought the game to enjoy now. A company as big as EA should have ZERO excuses. EA does not deserve to have my money. First and last product.… Expand
  52. Modano09
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    Actually Can't get on the game.. even when it says I am connected and try to play it then drops connection to the servers constantly.. tried all night and couldn't get on.. will try again tomorrow but I'm not hopeful!
  53. hawdskinna
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I am giving this game a rating based on the content I have experienced so far... and since I bought the game on release, and have yet to be able to play it, despite many efforts... I give it a 0. Only online play to prevent piracy, don't have servers to even support a fraction of the player base... and guess what... Skidrow cracked it ANYWAY... and in less than 24 hours. Good job. AnotherI am giving this game a rating based on the content I have experienced so far... and since I bought the game on release, and have yet to be able to play it, despite many efforts... I give it a 0. Only online play to prevent piracy, don't have servers to even support a fraction of the player base... and guess what... Skidrow cracked it ANYWAY... and in less than 24 hours. Good job. Another EA masterpiece… Expand
  54. Sh4rk82
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    It 's the second day and still there are problems accessing the server. It 's amazing that a person who spends 60 euro for a game bought legally can not play for days. You should compensate all the fans who have spent money on not being able to play with their legal copy. FRAUD ...
    A server that show the word "available" get stuck for hours when authenticating with servers simcity. Shame!
  55. Myvoiceisdubbed
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I know this is beating a dead horse, but buying a game that you can't even play? In the three days since I've bought this, I have had the ability to go through the walkthrough once, but not the actual game. Servers are up and down constantly. What schmuck thought it was a good idea to make this game strictly online, even when playing single player, was a moron. Yes yes, I am aware of theI know this is beating a dead horse, but buying a game that you can't even play? In the three days since I've bought this, I have had the ability to go through the walkthrough once, but not the actual game. Servers are up and down constantly. What schmuck thought it was a good idea to make this game strictly online, even when playing single player, was a moron. Yes yes, I am aware of the DRM consideration but there are so many indie games coming out that are just throwing the whole DRM thing out the window. The vast majority of people who pirate were probably not going to buy your game anyways. *facepalm* I wish I had bought this as a physical copy, so I could return it. Now I am probably going to have to wait a month before everything is mostly usable.

    Thanks EA. Think about your players occasionally, and not just your coffers.    … Expand
  56. Papa_Paul
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Pre-Ordered the Digital Deluxe edition from origin. Used a vacation day for 3/5/2013 to play it could not log on a server. Now 3/8/2013 still unable to even log onto a server. This is the the government need to allow consumers to hold these companies accountable for their fraudulent sales and allow us refunds on software!
  57. greymorte
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    DRM, CITY SIZES SMALLER THAN MY BALLS, SERVER ISSUES, SERVER WAIT, BUGS, DUM MULTIPLAYER MODE, okay and it is addicting i give you that and it looks a bit better than sc4. EA WTF!!!!!!!! AND ITS 60 BUCKS FOR THIS TRASH!!!! I BETTER GET COMPENSATED FOR THIS AFTER ITS ALL FIXED!!!
  58. BrockSamsonV
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I paid $60 for a product I cannot use over 50% of the time. Any brand new product that functions less than half of the time deserves a horrible review. 0/10. Don't support this kind of behavioral from EA. I hope to get my money back, but it's looking like I will not be able.
  59. thouse007
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I think we should get a lawyer to fill a class-action law suit for breach of warranty. They sold us a broken game. I think it's about time that us gamers get some power back and stop the game developers from screwing us like this.
  60. FukUEA
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    EA What a bunch of incompetent neanderthals! Kicking myself for wasting my money for a product that does not work, and a company that does not care. Your Lame!
  61. theatomicfrog
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Absolutely the last dollar EA will ever see from me, EVER.
    The online drm, I thought I could live with it... nope.

    There is NEVER a need for this kind of Draconian control over software.
    DUMB does not even describe this.

    Wish this reviewing had negative digits.

    BOOOOOO EA
  62. firefly212
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I love the SimCity franchise, which is why this pains me so much. I owned the original SimCity, SimCity2000, SimCity4, and I think one other somewhere in the mix. This game is unworthy of the name. From tiny maps that are not even a fraction of the size of SimCity2000 and artificially scarce resources meant to push this "connective" social experience (meant to justify the always onlineI love the SimCity franchise, which is why this pains me so much. I owned the original SimCity, SimCity2000, SimCity4, and I think one other somewhere in the mix. This game is unworthy of the name. From tiny maps that are not even a fraction of the size of SimCity2000 and artificially scarce resources meant to push this "connective" social experience (meant to justify the always online DRM), the game is simply terrible. Gone are features like subways and pipe laying to make your town more efficient, and the ability to save games or go back to old saves... introduced are hours-long waits to connect to DRM servers, random city deletion from their servers, and excuse after excuse as to how the always-online feature would make the game better if you could play it.

    It might merit a 1 on any other day, but EA/Origins is denying customers who bought directly a refund, if you purchased from Amazon or anywhere else, you're in luck, but if you bought the game directly from the maker... they want you to be far more patient with demanding a refund than they were with charging you for their non-functional product.

    Between the abject failure of the game and the absolutely terrible customer service, my only regret is that I cannot give this game a negative score. Not only have I not enjoyed it, purchasing this game has caused considerable stress and frustration as I either waited to play or waited on the phone with my bank to get the chargeback. This experience has been so awful that not only would I not recommend purchasing this particular title, I would strongly urge readers to not purchase anything from EA ever again.    … Expand
  63. Axepage
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    What a waste of time. Totally annoyed with this game so far. Why turn gold into fools' gold by making it online only with horrible servers. Hope they fix this.
  64. alewares
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Online DRM by an extremely terrible and controlling company, which seeks to squeeze money out of its consumers at every possible opportunity. Game doesn't play due to server load, which is also 100% EA's fault for implementing such a stupid way to "prevent pirating." Absolute shame to one of my favorite childhood games, and a spit in the face of any self-respecting game enthusiast. Pathetic.
  65. PreLighter
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Always-on DRM with awful servers, disappearing saves, useless support, small cities. this game is meant to be like the sims 2 and 3, to be able to can in from long time fans and sell them DLCs with awful service and high price.
  66. HudsonFalcon
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I per-ordered the uber expensive version of the game right from Origin so it was waiting for me on the morning of the release. I was able play without issue for 10 hours or so before the infamous server crash. I was actually in game when the crash was starting to unfold and could see a "searching for connection" bubble fruitlessly searching for a connection like a bar fly searching forI per-ordered the uber expensive version of the game right from Origin so it was waiting for me on the morning of the release. I was able play without issue for 10 hours or so before the infamous server crash. I was actually in game when the crash was starting to unfold and could see a "searching for connection" bubble fruitlessly searching for a connection like a bar fly searching for love at closing time. A friend called and asked if I was in game and I said yes but no for long apparently. He recommended I say a eulogy for my city as it would be going into the cyber graveyard very soon.

    I haven't connected since the issue but I'm hearing there's a lot of changes to the game and apparently they're not fixes but features being scaled to limit strain on the servers?
    I haven't experienced them for myself so I'm not really sure.

    What I can do is give feedback from the 10 or so hours I have dedicated to this game and the bottom line is it's mediocre at best and at worst a disaster and a plague upon the Maxis house.

    The Good:
    I"m racking my brain here but maybe the graphics? I don't know they look kind of cartoonish to me.
    Upgrade roads feature
    Curved roads

    The Bad:
    No offline single-player (there is, or at least was, an option to create a private region while playing online.)

    No Terra-forming. No more creating custom terrain that you can be proud of.

    Always have to be online to play. Sim City is traditionally a game you spend hours upon hours playing by by yourself so why do I have to be online when I'm not, and don't want to be, interacting with other mayors.

    No local saving. If the server issues are ever fixed how many people are going to lose saves and hours of work due to a saving error. You can see this one coming a mile away.

    City size (or lack thereof) In the last Sim City you can spend hours, days, months, and even years carefully building, destroying and rebuilding your mega-cities in huge regions. Now in only a matter of hours you can use up all your land and you're left scratching your head saying "what's next?" I'm sure this space constraint is also a result of this DRM EA is pushing. All the more reason we should have an offline single-player mode and with huge regions. In fact for the money that was spent by folks it shouldn't be a suggestion it should be a demand.

    I'm sure there are a few more positives, and a lot more negatives, but the bottom line is EA missed the mark with this game big time and tarnished a great franchise.

    Will I keep playing the game? Maybe if I can connect but even then I see the staying power of this game won't last long.

    I'll be reinstalling Sim City 4 on my PC once again!    … Expand
  67. civicshelf
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Cant play becouse the always online DRM to EA.. Servers always has down time when i want to start a single player game... I regret i bought this game when the publiser punish me for bying it!.
  68. ckount
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Everything that needs to be said has already been said. EA is the real culprit here and it's a sad moment for us gamers as well as the designers and the developers of this long awaited title. If I only could hope that any lesson was learned by the bean counters I wouldn't fret as much but EA/Origin (as well as UBISoft/UPlay) has proven that that isn't the case. I have the money. I believeEverything that needs to be said has already been said. EA is the real culprit here and it's a sad moment for us gamers as well as the designers and the developers of this long awaited title. If I only could hope that any lesson was learned by the bean counters I wouldn't fret as much but EA/Origin (as well as UBISoft/UPlay) has proven that that isn't the case. I have the money. I believe in paying for my entertainment but the distributors are making it harder and harder to not turn to other suppliers. Sure I could wait a while and this will settle.
    But I paid for this. And pre-ordered it to be able to play come launch day.
    This way of treating me, the customer, is not alright.
    I want the product. I just don't want EA or Origin to be any part of it. Nor UBISoft and UPlay either.    … Expand
  69. Slaw
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    This product is marketed as a game but is in fact a service platform for delivering content already built and located inside the software and making it available for a fee.

    This service can only be accessed when and how EA wishes it to be done so. Additionally any actions taken while using this service are located and stored within EA's servers. At time of writing almost all of these    This product is marketed as a game but is in fact a service platform for delivering content already built and located inside the software and making it available for a fee.

    This service can only be accessed when and how EA wishes it to be done so. Additionally any actions taken while using this service are located and stored within EA's servers. At time of writing almost all of these servers are inaccessible as are key features.

    Product is INOPERABLE.    … Expand
  70. xtom
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Can't play because of stupid online only requirements for what is essentially a single player game. Not interested in socializing or any of the other "in the cloud" rubbish features. Just want to play what was always a fun single player game.
  71. SpaceMonkee420
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Don't make an online only game and then not plan for enough space for all players. I just bought the game for 60 dollars, and now the game is telling me that all the servers are full. WTF. I paid for a game, not the privledge to wait in a 5 min countdown over and over again. DO NOT BUY! I think to no ones surprise EA has put profit ahead of its customers satisfaction. These companies won'tDon't make an online only game and then not plan for enough space for all players. I just bought the game for 60 dollars, and now the game is telling me that all the servers are full. WTF. I paid for a game, not the privledge to wait in a 5 min countdown over and over again. DO NOT BUY! I think to no ones surprise EA has put profit ahead of its customers satisfaction. These companies won't change unless we stop supporting them by buying these garbage titles.… Expand
  72. Redstripe420
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Forced to be connected to the internet for piracy is fail, there servers are doing the same thing that blizzards did with diablo 3.

    EA should have known better, knowing they are allready not liked much in the gaming industry but i guess they failed to realise what a impact this was going to have on them.

    well we games live and learn, and trust me we have learned.
  73. Jarmitz
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    This is my first review and I have to say this release of Simcity has ruined my love of this game. I've been looking forward to it's release for months and have never been so disappointed! I hate Origin! I want to play the game alone, not on a public server and it shouldn't be a requirement. I tried to download it and it didn't work. Took me two months to get my money back. Then I boughtThis is my first review and I have to say this release of Simcity has ruined my love of this game. I've been looking forward to it's release for months and have never been so disappointed! I hate Origin! I want to play the game alone, not on a public server and it shouldn't be a requirement. I tried to download it and it didn't work. Took me two months to get my money back. Then I bought the CD and I still can't play! What a ripoff!… Expand
  74. ramha
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    Pay and do not play by EA is the height of arrogance!
    Ubisoft has also had an experience on hard DRM protection, but EA did not listen to other people's mistakes and have started to do the same. It's a shame when good projects EA spoils And it is not the first time
  75. Ryster
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I actually bought the Digital Deluxe version on Origin for over £60... what I fool I now feel.

    I haven't been able to play a single minute yet due to EA's completely inadequate server infrastructure, and the requirement to be online to even play the game single player. An absolute disgrace. As they have sold me a product that is clearly defective, do I not have rights to demand a    I actually bought the Digital Deluxe version on Origin for over £60... what I fool I now feel.

    I haven't been able to play a single minute yet due to EA's completely inadequate server infrastructure, and the requirement to be online to even play the game single player. An absolute disgrace.

    As they have sold me a product that is clearly defective, do I not have rights to demand a refund? So far they are refusing, and claim they will ban my account preventing me from playing every other game I ever bought for them if I get my credit card company to reverse the charge. Do they have a right to do that?    … Expand
  76. mcussell
    Mar 8, 2013
    2
    After building a gaming PC for this game and a couple of other recent releases I have to say I'm pretty disappointed. I can't even play the tutorial level at the moment as I keep getting a 'servers are full' message. Not quite the gaming experience I hoped for when paying nearly £50 for a digital release!
  77. cablv
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    Worst crash since the Challenger!!!! EA I would like my $78.00 back!!!!!! First time ever reviewing a game signed up just so I could post here. EA should refund everyone!!!!!!!
  78. Rothy
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    There was absolutely no reason... NO reason at all to have contact online DRM for this game. EA was warned prior to launch that there would be issues and they ignored them. This is poor, very very poor.
  79. chavboy
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    To EA staff reading this, it is completely fair for us to judge your games for the first 15 minutes, and since I haven't been able to log in for 2 whole days now, I think it's fair to say I've had enough!

    I've been a game designer for 20+ years and this is why games my studio creates doesn't require an "always on connection". In fact, I'd fire the person who even suggests it at my    To EA staff reading this, it is completely fair for us to judge your games for the first 15 minutes, and since I haven't been able to log in for 2 whole days now, I think it's fair to say I've had enough!

    I've been a game designer for 20+ years and this is why games my studio creates doesn't require an "always on connection". In fact, I'd fire the person who even suggests it at my studio.

    Games are supposed to be low barrier to entry, all users want, is to play the game straight after installation.    … Expand
  80. Cubster1980
    Mar 8, 2013
    2
    Had high hopes, but was disappointed by several things. Obviously the connection issues and launch problems, but those are temporary issues for the most part. Overall I was was most annoyed by limited city size, and what seems like watered down tools. Multi-player isn't my thing so I'm forced to manage several small "cities" to get every thing going, which only makes the annoying loadHad high hopes, but was disappointed by several things. Obviously the connection issues and launch problems, but those are temporary issues for the most part. Overall I was was most annoyed by limited city size, and what seems like watered down tools. Multi-player isn't my thing so I'm forced to manage several small "cities" to get every thing going, which only makes the annoying load times when switching that much more annoying. I live in a rural area and the occasional drop in connection is expected, losing work to server issues is frustrating. Thankfully I purchased through Amazon and got my refund. The graphics are good and when it works it was ok. Launch issues, limited size, and the likelihood of paying to increase that size through DLC, limited life of the game, and terrible communication by EA are the reason for my rating. I won't complain about the DRM masked as multi-player/server side processing, but that isn't a plus. BTW roughly half the PRO Reviews where done on EA's private server before launch, and polygon lowered it's score.… Expand
  81. Archammer
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    So sad that Maxis gave this game to EA to handle because they COMPLETELY BRICKED IT!!!! Now they're refusing refunds for a non-functioning game! We will get our refunds and you will find new jobs! Get some respect and some ethics!
    When you're done reading this because you're angry too, sign this:
    http://www.change.org/petitions/electronic-arts-100-refund-for-simcity-2013
  82. ahallsworth
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Can't even play all the servers are busy. I feel that the always on internet connection as added so much to this single player game. My fibre optic broadband clearly showing its value with this title. What a joke EA at least I can use the CD as a coaster.
  83. Stinius
    Mar 8, 2013
    8
    I'm not giving this game a 0 for a reason: The game itself is great. Apart from the connection problems and the always-online bullsh*t, the game is awesome. I'm enjoying it even more than previous SimCity games. For the time I can play it, that is, because I get kicked out of the servers all the time and I've lost my progress quite sometimes. But, if it would become possible to play thisI'm not giving this game a 0 for a reason: The game itself is great. Apart from the connection problems and the always-online bullsh*t, the game is awesome. I'm enjoying it even more than previous SimCity games. For the time I can play it, that is, because I get kicked out of the servers all the time and I've lost my progress quite sometimes. But, if it would become possible to play this game without EA's bullsh*t, it would by far be an excellent SimCity game.

    So, the game gets a 10, the always-online bullsh*t and not being able to save/load a 0.    … Expand
  84. Bdubs
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    No Farms. No Terraforming. No Single Player. No Subways. No Water Pipes. No Power Lines. No Medium or Large Cities. No Local Saves. No Density Zoning. No Highways... The sequester is really hitting simcity hard.... lol, but seriously this game is actually a pretty simplified and boring version of Sim City. I only recommend buying it if you are between 11 and 14 years old, then you mightNo Farms. No Terraforming. No Single Player. No Subways. No Water Pipes. No Power Lines. No Medium or Large Cities. No Local Saves. No Density Zoning. No Highways... The sequester is really hitting simcity hard.... lol, but seriously this game is actually a pretty simplified and boring version of Sim City. I only recommend buying it if you are between 11 and 14 years old, then you might enjoy it as long as you can stomach the 20 minute wait time to log in.… Expand
  85. Wonderlemon
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    Having played the game for an hour before it crashed, I was impressed by the depth, the lightness of touch and the the balance between small cities and wider regions. The online features look good, if unnecessary. However, none of that is really important. Despite what could be a strong game, the complete ineptitude of the roll out has basically ruined this one. To play for an hour, itHaving played the game for an hour before it crashed, I was impressed by the depth, the lightness of touch and the the balance between small cities and wider regions. The online features look good, if unnecessary. However, none of that is really important. Despite what could be a strong game, the complete ineptitude of the roll out has basically ruined this one. To play for an hour, it took me 6 times that to log in. The completely idiotic mix of an always on solution without a decent server selection, for what was clearly going to be a huge release, has basically shafted this one. I would asked for my money back, but EA have helpfully also not got an adequate server for that either....… Expand
  86. WillMBarbosa
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    You can't play, so 0. Also, even if you could play, I would give a 5 because of the always online DRM, even though the game itself is really great. If there was an offline mode, it would easily get a 10/10
  87. Vaenn
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    My only gripe as far as gameplay is that the maps are small and cramped. Other than that it's an awesome game. It's these server issues that are annoying. I'll get put into a login queue for 20 minutes, then fail to connect and get put in another 20 minute queue. Then I get on and my city won't load and I'm forced to Alt+F4 and try again, potentially getting queued again. Then it sometimesMy only gripe as far as gameplay is that the maps are small and cramped. Other than that it's an awesome game. It's these server issues that are annoying. I'll get put into a login queue for 20 minutes, then fail to connect and get put in another 20 minute queue. Then I get on and my city won't load and I'm forced to Alt+F4 and try again, potentially getting queued again. Then it sometimes loads but a half hour into playing the game, I'm told that my city isn't processing properly and I'm given the choice of reverting to an earlier copy or abandoning the city all together. Thus, progress has been slow. I normally refuse to by "always online" games (excluding MMOs) but it's freakin' SimCity! So I took a chance. Wish I had waited. I can honestly say that I will never again buy a game with this type of DRM. It's just not worth it, not even for SimCity. If I knew this is how it was going to be, I would have just stuck with SC4 or looked into some indie city simulation games.… Expand
  88. tidecmb1974
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Anyone that tells you this game is not seriously flawed is delusional. First off, the "always online" component is a disaster. EA/Maxis was adamant they could handle this...THEY CAN'T. The second problem is the game play itself: Tiny city sizes, lacking features. It's a massive misfire! Everything you loved about previous SimCity games has been reduced to rubble to make way for this awfulAnyone that tells you this game is not seriously flawed is delusional. First off, the "always online" component is a disaster. EA/Maxis was adamant they could handle this...THEY CAN'T. The second problem is the game play itself: Tiny city sizes, lacking features. It's a massive misfire! Everything you loved about previous SimCity games has been reduced to rubble to make way for this awful multiplayer mess. In order to alleviate strain on their servers they are now removing game features. Game features the public has paid for...such as Cheetah speed. This removal alone has rendered the game play wretched (when you can actually play). It doesn't save cities...if you change servers...you're cities do not go with you. It's all in the SimCity cloud service. AVOID THIS GAME! I honestly don't think EA/Maxis can fix this debacle. I think in a few days everyone will get a refund and this think will be shut down. A FAILED EXPERIMENT!… Expand
  89. tonyneville
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I've been excited about this game ever since I heard about it 12 months ago. I played and loved Sim City 4 and after reading about this game I couldn't wait to play it. And there in lies the irony; I'm still waiting to play it even though EA have got my money. Even having bought a DVD copy in to attempt to avoid to download pain I still cannot connect to the servers. I'm sure the game isI've been excited about this game ever since I heard about it 12 months ago. I played and loved Sim City 4 and after reading about this game I couldn't wait to play it. And there in lies the irony; I'm still waiting to play it even though EA have got my money. Even having bought a DVD copy in to attempt to avoid to download pain I still cannot connect to the servers. I'm sure the game is very good from the critics reviews I had read. My rating is based on the DRM method. I have many other games that I play through Steam which is a similar concept and I have never had a problem like this. Suddenly piracy seems like an attractive option...… Expand
  90. curfew
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    What a mess that Maxis/EA have made of such a well loved franchise. All involved in making the game online only should be ashamed of themselves. You cant sign in to play, if you do then you can lose everything when the servers go down. Do not buy until Sim City becomes available for offline play.
  91. indigojoe
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Not happy at all with this game as it locked up constantly and could not even start a game more than half the time. After several hours i was finally able to play, and simply was not impressed.
  92. ScumbagJoseph
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    I gotta say this game really turned my life around, while frustratingly trying to log in, i actually did something with my life, i got a new job, made some friends, a wife, and hey, i even bought a new house. Why would anybody want to miss out on that? So thank you Simcity for giving me motivation to be a better person, im just kidding im a gamer this game why the would anyone pay 60I gotta say this game really turned my life around, while frustratingly trying to log in, i actually did something with my life, i got a new job, made some friends, a wife, and hey, i even bought a new house. Why would anybody want to miss out on that? So thank you Simcity for giving me motivation to be a better person, im just kidding im a gamer this game why the would anyone pay 60 bucks for a game they cant even play this… Expand
  93. dannyjerome0
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Well, I paid $60 for a game I haven't been able to play at all. 'Nuff said. No need to buy this one. May as well wait at least a couple weeks for EA to fix their game.
  94. Nuttyman02
    Mar 8, 2013
    3
    The inability to play single player offline is a major drawback. Even without the issues that they have had during launch, a hiccup in my internet connection could likely nullify hours of progress. The prospect of not being able to play this game years down the road because of servers no longer existing is also ominous. There are many games that I still enjoy today that are a decadeThe inability to play single player offline is a major drawback. Even without the issues that they have had during launch, a hiccup in my internet connection could likely nullify hours of progress. The prospect of not being able to play this game years down the road because of servers no longer existing is also ominous. There are many games that I still enjoy today that are a decade older or more. Unless there are plans for a patch to allow this game to be played when servers will no longer support it, I don't believe the series fan base will stick around for much more abuse.… Expand
  95. setezerocinco
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Is just not possible to play the game. I did try several times and everything they did is show to me a counter of how many minutes I should wait again. This is a shame.
  96. yannos
    Mar 8, 2013
    10
    Whenever I see a low rating for a restaurant on Yelp, I go ahead and look at the reasons for people's marking them down. I don't really think "the waiter had a cold," "the music was too loud," or "I went to a wings place and the nachos were awful" are valid criteria to measure the food...

    I understand that people are disappointed/mad. I am DEFINITELY disappointed/mad. But the game is    Whenever I see a low rating for a restaurant on Yelp, I go ahead and look at the reasons for people's marking them down. I don't really think "the waiter had a cold," "the music was too loud," or "I went to a wings place and the nachos were awful" are valid criteria to measure the food...

    I understand that people are disappointed/mad. I am DEFINITELY disappointed/mad. But the game is FANTASTIC! It's a brilliant update of the core game and genre to current-day parameters. The ambitions to create a shared experience is something I always wanted to see in SC4, and the ability to manage some (or all) of the cities in a region is exactly what I loved doing in that older iteration (one town for dirty industry, one for tech, one for dense commercial, etc.).

    Origin/EA has done a mortifying job unrolling a very ambitious project. Surely they should provide all who purchased the game ahead-of-time some sort of consolation, even if it's just token in size. Upgrade us all to deluxe, or give us credits to buy future DLC. Anything!

    HAVING SAID THIS: I feel terrible for everyone who made this game and has worked to get the servers optimized. How affected are our lives, really? The creators and administrators (not to mention the PR reps) are A) pariahs to the entire gaming community, B) working as hard as they can to fix the problems (albeit way too little, too late) C) soon to be out of a job (some will be black-sheeped for it all, of course). Again, what is that pain against our minor-to-moderate annoyance?

    Long-winded way to say: Please rate the game, not the way the launch has gone. Creative criticism would speak so much louder than this double-barreled hatred.    … Expand
  97. EAPissed
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    I paid for the game 48 hours ago and have yet been able to connect to a server. What a joke! EA must have completely ignored the recommendations to up the server capacity. They cheated the client and the brand!
  98. GregoryGoblin
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS GAME AND THE IMPLEMENTATION IS FLAWED, COMPLETELY F***ED!Very dissapointing, seeing we've waited years for this release and it's been ruined by pure greed! I want to play this game alone, chilled out and relaxed. I don't want to be connected and online all the time, nor do I want to wait 6 hours to play, then only to find after 4 hours my entire game vanished. What aEVERYTHING ABOUT THIS GAME AND THE IMPLEMENTATION IS FLAWED, COMPLETELY F***ED!Very dissapointing, seeing we've waited years for this release and it's been ruined by pure greed! I want to play this game alone, chilled out and relaxed. I don't want to be connected and online all the time, nor do I want to wait 6 hours to play, then only to find after 4 hours my entire game vanished. What a total drag, I'll be reversing my payment for this turd of a title!… Expand
  99. Chongychoo
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    What a crock. “Generating wave of unhappiness”? indeed
    So much for confidence in fixing the problems b4 the UK launch. I can’t get in to play at all. I have every error imaginable
    Failed to load Friend Unable to load region and city data at this time SimCity server are down attempting to reconnect Thousands of very angry and frustrated customers. Nice going EA. Heads must roll for    What a crock. “Generating wave of unhappiness”? indeed
    So much for confidence in fixing the problems b4 the UK launch. I can’t get in to play at all. I have every error imaginable
    Failed to load Friend
    Unable to load region and city data at this time
    SimCity server are down attempting to reconnect

    Thousands of very angry and frustrated customers. Nice going EA. Heads must roll for the millions you have made from the real hard working sims out there. Shame on you. Oh btw. Fool me once.... nah NEVER again. Nil point    … Expand
  100. FlavaFlave
    Mar 8, 2013
    3
    I don't even know how to begin this review, since I've only been able to log 4 hours in this game since launch day (and it's now 4 days past launch). I've been a SimCity fan ever since I played the original on the SNES and PC, so waiting 10 years between the last proper game and this was excruciating to say the least. Imagine my disappointment when they take a single player game and forceI don't even know how to begin this review, since I've only been able to log 4 hours in this game since launch day (and it's now 4 days past launch). I've been a SimCity fan ever since I played the original on the SNES and PC, so waiting 10 years between the last proper game and this was excruciating to say the least. Imagine my disappointment when they take a single player game and force multiplayer on you, cut the map sizes down to almost nothing, and charge you $80 for a digital copy of the game (yes, you can buy it for $60, but you're missing features that you know will be mandatory later). It's a complete bust, as the game is 100% broken. I expected some connection woes on day 1, but shockingly that's the only day I was able to actually play. Since then I've logged on 3 times in 4 days, only to lose my connection after getting into a region, and I've completely lost 3 cities since they are stored on EA servers and not my PC. I've not been a fan of EA for a long time, but this is the final straw. They've completely lost me as a customer. Sorry Maxis it's been a great ride.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

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