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. luist3k
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    I bought a game that I can not play. I am dumb. After all the hype created, and the cost of $60. EA has once again destroyed a successful franchise because of their greed. When is it gonna be over?
  2. Icely
    Mar 7, 2013
    1
    I think when the servers are up and running this game will be one of the best. But as of right now it is busted. I would suggest waiting on buying the game as of right now. if one has bought it and is not happy. dont bother trying to go to EA for a refund they will just deny you. I would call your credit card company and ask for a Charge Back. Its to bad EA is greedy they could of had aI think when the servers are up and running this game will be one of the best. But as of right now it is busted. I would suggest waiting on buying the game as of right now. if one has bought it and is not happy. dont bother trying to go to EA for a refund they will just deny you. I would call your credit card company and ask for a Charge Back. Its to bad EA is greedy they could of had a great game. Would have worked allot better with Steam.… Expand
  3. groonis
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    BOUGHT GAME FOR 699 SWEDISH KRONA APROX $110) 24h ago.

    Havent been able to log in.
    Want my money back because: EA/MAXXIS dont give me any information or ETA when it should be fixxed.
  4. Suicidemoon
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Unlocked at an unknown time so i could BUY A NON PREORDER COPY AND PLAY RIGHT AWAY! This game is NOT online DRM for Cloud saving and servers helping your PC run the game! This is ONLINE ONLY for the milking of DLC and a CASHSHOP for drip feeding you buildings that SHOULD BE IN THE GAME. Just like the DAY ONE DLC for 80 dollars. 2 Days after launch and still problems playing a game i PAIDUnlocked at an unknown time so i could BUY A NON PREORDER COPY AND PLAY RIGHT AWAY! This game is NOT online DRM for Cloud saving and servers helping your PC run the game! This is ONLINE ONLY for the milking of DLC and a CASHSHOP for drip feeding you buildings that SHOULD BE IN THE GAME. Just like the DAY ONE DLC for 80 dollars. 2 Days after launch and still problems playing a game i PAID FOR. AMAZON even took it off their site till EA GETS THEIR together. STAY AWAY FROM THIS GAME UNTIL ORIGIN AND ONLINE ONLY IS REMOVED!!!!… Expand
  5. Rnadmo
    Mar 7, 2013
    3
    SimCity is an amazing game. There's hours worth of challenges just getting the game installed and operating at a base level, then then later trying to get it to connect. Once you can actually get a region started, you might be able to actually start a city. Once you do start a city, the ACTUAL amazing game starts. And it is really good. Deserving of the name and the franchise. Until youSimCity is an amazing game. There's hours worth of challenges just getting the game installed and operating at a base level, then then later trying to get it to connect. Once you can actually get a region started, you might be able to actually start a city. Once you do start a city, the ACTUAL amazing game starts. And it is really good. Deserving of the name and the franchise. Until you try and save the game that is, which is when you'll notice that there is no manual save option. You have to trust that the game has managed to save your progress. Which is fine except it usually doesn't save anything. Anyway, this game doesn't work, don't buy it right now. Once it does actually work though, it's a great game.… Expand
  6. Neves_Meid
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Bought this game against my better judgment, and my better judgment proved right. DRM is very, very bad unless it's done right and stable, like good MMOs do, but EA is not up to the task of maintaining a cloud-based game, apparently. I can put up with DRM, but not broken DRM. Anyway, after getting about 10 hours of gameplay about 80% of which was lost to rollbacks, crashes, andBought this game against my better judgment, and my better judgment proved right. DRM is very, very bad unless it's done right and stable, like good MMOs do, but EA is not up to the task of maintaining a cloud-based game, apparently. I can put up with DRM, but not broken DRM. Anyway, after getting about 10 hours of gameplay about 80% of which was lost to rollbacks, crashes, and disconnects, I decided I no longer wanted to play SimCity, that it was not worth the 60 bucks. I called GameStop customer support to check the return policy and the customer support person basically said I was SOL, and that they'd told me that the last time I called... I only called once, and hearing this messed-up Jedi-mind-trick tactic from GameStop Support, to try and insinuate that I was some kind of repeat caller who couldn't take no for an answer...WTF? Was this a $60 ticket to The Twilight Zone? Anyway, I told the fail Jedi customer service rep that I was okay with keeping the useless game disk, they could keep my $60, and I would keep the rest of my money because I would never shop at GameStop or buy another EA product again! On a side note, I thought people giving low reviews to this release were being heavy-handed, but NOW I KNOW WHY! CAVEAT EMPTOR!… Expand
  7. MrPotato123
    Mar 7, 2013
    10
    the review of the people are so subjective and there are so many trolls apart that we can put whatever you want. I say the best game of the century, omitting the crappy Origin
  8. rockmegax
    Mar 7, 2013
    1
    What were they thinking?
    We tried to warn them to not do this "on-line only" but they refused to listen! Now they have a bunch of players who can't play the game because of connection issues. Never support this kind of DRM! It will just harm the consumer! They will shut down the servers in a few years and the players will be locked out.
    They should have made Sim City just like a normal    What were they thinking?
    We tried to warn them to not do this "on-line only" but they refused to listen! Now they have a bunch of players who can't play the game because of connection issues. Never support this kind of DRM! It will just harm the consumer! They will shut down the servers in a few years and the players will be locked out.
    They should have made Sim City just like a normal game, but with multiplayer capabilities. Remember Sim City 2000 Network Edition? I don't know if it had a good multiplayer (I played the normal 2000), but it's close to what I am trying to describe.
    Come on! What's up with the city size? Why is it so small? Where are the huge cities from SC4? I was playing another city simulator game today and realized that the city I spent 30 minutes building already reached the same size as Sim City's.
    Good work EA! You guys destroyed many franchises I loved (C&C, Sim City, SWTOR, DA).
    I am giving this game a 1 because the "Sim Villages" looks cute from very far away.    … Expand
  9. freezer
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Game is unplayable. Paid 80 Euro for this crap titlecannot play at all.

    Server Busy.
    Server Disconnect
    Could not log in to SimCity due to a network error.
    Unable to connect to the SimCity servers. Please try again,
    When u do login cannot create game.
    Authenticating with servers and play button greyed out.

    It is Error 37 but then even worse
  10. udine
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    As the other users already said, the game is currently unplayable and in the future you also have to rely on EA to be gracious enough to let you. Maybe if we all sign the petition at:

    https://www.change.org/petitions/electronic-arts-inc-remove-always-online-drm-from-simcity-and-future-games

    EA and other publishers will realize that we will not accept their behavior!
  11. Mawz
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Bruuuuuutal. Not what I thought I was buying. So much anticipation for this game... and let down. It looks far to cartoony, and too damn easy. The taxes are a joooke.
  12. TheFandango
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    I've tried to play this game a few times now. Like everybody else is saying cannot connect to the server. DRM is the worst idea in the world. I'll be asking for a refund.
  13. Orphanmaker
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Ok, I bought it and I can't play, so my score 0... simple like that... Need to be online to play single player? Oh, "internet and providers never fails..."... what a joke...
  14. esocid
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Waited an hour and a half to get into the game. Played for a good 20 minutes until the game crashed. Guess what? I had to wait even longer to get back into the game.

    Pros: My computer didn't come to life and kill me.
    Cons: My computer didn't come to life and put me out of my misery while waiting.
  15. CoachCager
    Mar 7, 2013
    7
    The Sim itself is amazing.
    I am not a fan of the DRM, though I understand where they are coming from.

    My major dislike is the size of the "towns" I used to love building big sprawling metropolises. I can understand that why the size is small due to the level at which they are simming.
  16. Susperio
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    It is just this simple: EA is essentially selling hot air, and making HUGE profits on gullible people like me. Do not buy this game. Do not be swindled out of your hard-earned money like me and so many other gamers.
  17. tomke78
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    For DRM Online i will never buy this game, await for scene release then play as well as other EA games never buy again, waste of money. Simcity sales would be down below forecast for this.
  18. Slaunyeh
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    With a gameplay so shallow it could be a facebook game an obligation to have internet connection to play sigle player, all this under the patethic excuse its how "modern games are", once more EA is cheering a boost in sells while a brand has been thrown in a pit .
    Microscopic cities, pretty grafic and dumbstreamed gameplay doesn t cut it. EA is as Ubisoft, are a cancer for the future of    With a gameplay so shallow it could be a facebook game an obligation to have internet connection to play sigle player, all this under the patethic excuse its how "modern games are", once more EA is cheering a boost in sells while a brand has been thrown in a pit .
    Microscopic cities, pretty grafic and dumbstreamed gameplay doesn t cut it. EA is as Ubisoft, are a cancer for the future of gaming. And once more it is clear you can ttrust the corrupted payed to review gaming publications.    … Expand
  19. 0M9H4X
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    This is an offline, single player game that one plays ALONE in front of their computer. I have played Sim City 4 and Sim City 3000 before, and enjoyed them for quite some time. This one however forces you to connect with EAs Servers in order to do anything such as playing an offline game by yourself. That alone is almost reasoning enough for a 0 rating, but it gets better. EAs servers DOThis is an offline, single player game that one plays ALONE in front of their computer. I have played Sim City 4 and Sim City 3000 before, and enjoyed them for quite some time. This one however forces you to connect with EAs Servers in order to do anything such as playing an offline game by yourself. That alone is almost reasoning enough for a 0 rating, but it gets better. EAs servers DO NOT WORK. They cannot be reached, and even if you manage to connect to one (so it lets you play AN OFFLINE GAME) it crashes after taking 10 minutes to load the tutorial which you cannot skip. I have literally not played a single game yet because I AM NOT ABLE TO. This game is a waste beyond believe, I would not recommend it if you can find it for $10. Although I haven't been able to play the game yet, I heard it's not even that good. The CITYS you are supposed to be able to build are supposedly more like nano-villages, and if you want to build bigger and wider you will have to start a new city and connect the two. Online or something I don't get it. Maybe I'd be able to look into it, if the game would function. A definite 0/10.… Expand
  20. sambo7
    Mar 7, 2013
    3
    Ignoring the whole server issues and always online DRM (which I don't mind that much if it wasn't for this terrible launch) the game still completely falls flat for me.
    Apart from the traffic and population simulators it's a complete downgrade from simcity 4 in almost every way. tiny as cities
    -no farms -no terraforming -barely no public transport -Day 1 DLC -always online DRM    Ignoring the whole server issues and always online DRM (which I don't mind that much if it wasn't for this terrible launch) the game still completely falls flat for me.
    Apart from the traffic and population simulators it's a complete downgrade from simcity 4 in almost every way. tiny as cities
    -no farms
    -no terraforming
    -barely no public transport
    -Day 1 DLC
    -always online DRM -bugs, bad graphics errywhere

    I don't play simcity to muck around with a tiny village, I play it to create a huge, thriving megalopolis. What a disappointment... I may return to the game once they add all the features sim city 4 had (and more) but no doubt this will be payed DLC.    … Expand
  21. NilartPax
    Mar 7, 2013
    1
    I go and buy SimCity in a retail store... only to find out the only thing on the disk is actually something called "Origins", which apparently some kind of crappy steam wannabe. THE GAME IS NOT ON THE DISK! I have to download something like 13-14 GB of data, which is the actual game! YOU THINK THIS IS OKAY! DO YOU REALLY! NO WHERE ON THE BOX DOES IT SAY "GAME NOT INCLUDED: MUST BEI go and buy SimCity in a retail store... only to find out the only thing on the disk is actually something called "Origins", which apparently some kind of crappy steam wannabe. THE GAME IS NOT ON THE DISK! I have to download something like 13-14 GB of data, which is the actual game! YOU THINK THIS IS OKAY! DO YOU REALLY! NO WHERE ON THE BOX DOES IT SAY "GAME NOT INCLUDED: MUST BE DOWNLOADED. THIS IS JUST A GAME CLIENT HIDDEN IN THIS BOX."

    After I wait the 4-ish hours it takes to download (clearly not using torrent-type installer... download way lower than max speeds for my connection). the game servers are full... unable to play.

    last night at about midnight MST I was able to play... for about an hour. The game itself was... okay. Cities are smaller than even the original simcity. the game is fun... but not the "deepest simcity" it was touted as.

    Then "Unable to sync with server". I have a feeling that my city didn't get saved on the so-called cloud servers though this morning I was unable to log in to check.

    I filed a complaint with the BBB during lunch after again trying to log in and being unable to.    … Expand
  22. Agarwel
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    It is sad, but if I would spend my 80eur on empty DVD box from Tesco, I would received more content :-/
    Simcity so far took my money, time (googling for status updates) and provided no content at all.
  23. Complexes
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    I'm confused why this is in the PC games section. I thought you were meant to play games, not watch a server time tick away for hours. I strongly suggest this is moved to the movies section.
  24. RogerWilco2099
    Mar 7, 2013
    2
    The premise has been lost with this game, with a name like Sim City you want to create just that. A vibrant metropolis of large scale. Unfortunately this has been lost forever now it seems. Maps are smaller then ever and while it has many great features these are virtually the same as the four games before it. The innovation that was promised really isn't there. The game forces you moreThe premise has been lost with this game, with a name like Sim City you want to create just that. A vibrant metropolis of large scale. Unfortunately this has been lost forever now it seems. Maps are smaller then ever and while it has many great features these are virtually the same as the four games before it. The innovation that was promised really isn't there. The game forces you more so then ever to link your city to neighbors which I felt was the fundamental flaw in Sim City 4. Everything under one roof so to speak now doesn't work. The choice isn't even there and has been simply removed. The are bugs and I had to hard restart the game on two occasions due to crashes. These didn't seem linked either so two hard restart bugs on launch isn't good at all. The biggest issue so far is the constant connecting to server issues associated with the needlessly over the top DRM. This function shouldn't make a game non-playable but it does. It kind of shocking that EA are so over-protective now that they will willingly hamper a players experience. I hope this is quickly patched. If so my rating will be higher, but in its current state the game is verging on unplayable.… Expand
  25. cbam101
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    This is a good Game, IF you can play it. EVERY server is either down or dose not work. Maxis says that they are currently working on the problem and they said that is will be resolved by today but it isn't, Until they fix it don't waste your money.
  26. Alkanine
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    No mitigation strategies for downloads (Preloading).

    Severe disregard for possible server needs. Horrible customer service. Releasing in Europe when most United States players are using those servers just to play already. If you are going to release a game that is online only, you better damn well be ready to support the thousands or millions of sales that you expect. This    No mitigation strategies for downloads (Preloading).

    Severe disregard for possible server needs.

    Horrible customer service.

    Releasing in Europe when most United States players are using those servers just to play already.

    If you are going to release a game that is online only, you better damn well be ready to support the thousands or millions of sales that you expect. This criticism is only important because there is absolutely no way to play the game without their server infrastructure. Denial of service to their own customers. No excuses.

    As for the game its self.

    Extremely small city size. I managed a fully grown city with great income/traffic/population in just under 5 hours. Almost funding a archology all on my own. This of course, before the servers crashed.

    It's not very challenging, too small, and quite frankly, a step backwards from Sim City4.

    Emergency services are now a part of your traffic, but the AI can't determine their importance. They stop at lights, traffic does not let them by. A criminal can hold up traffic which holds up the police that are trying to catch him. Not very intuitive.

    It has its moments, I'll give it that, but it is truly a disaster. I assume there will be fixes to many of these things in the future, but wouldn't be half surprised if EA mandated them as DLC costs to the consumer.

    Overall, extremely despairing. It deserves nothing more than a 0. Any merits the game had are lost in horrid customer service and flaws that 10 years of development couldn't possibly miss.    … Expand
  27. XitArS
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Yesterday I was able to connect to the servers, but I was unable to play a game. Apparently there was some global issues with the tutorial not working (you have to play the tutorial before you can play the actual game). Well, I thought that problems can always happen so let's just wait until tomorrow, read today. And now, ALL servers are FULL so I am unable to even launch the game :D. WhatYesterday I was able to connect to the servers, but I was unable to play a game. Apparently there was some global issues with the tutorial not working (you have to play the tutorial before you can play the actual game). Well, I thought that problems can always happen so let's just wait until tomorrow, read today. And now, ALL servers are FULL so I am unable to even launch the game :D. What a joke, I spent €60 on a game that I can't even play becuse their mandatory online servers (for a single-player game) are full :D. It's hilarious. Never EVER AGAIN will I buy anything from MAXIS!… Expand
  28. bayareaartist
    Mar 7, 2013
    2
    Loaded the game the night before, took an HOUR at least to load. Then it updated another hour, THEN the servers were busy.
    Finally got on in the morning. Slow and clunky. Servers busy AGAIN, then the game drops the connection to the server??? did I lose my information???
    Simcity 4 was great, I eventually had to cut the disk in half because I was spending TOO much time on it. With this    Loaded the game the night before, took an HOUR at least to load. Then it updated another hour, THEN the servers were busy.
    Finally got on in the morning. Slow and clunky. Servers busy AGAIN, then the game drops the connection to the server??? did I lose my information???
    Simcity 4 was great, I eventually had to cut the disk in half because I was spending TOO much time on it. With this UNPLAYABLE game my time is my own. A $60 game should not have you waiting in a que. With all the power of computers and memory and gig's one should be able to play stand alone and then go to the server to update WHEN I WANT TO. where can I get my money back???
    and supposedly my graphics card is not powerful enough also???

    Real Amateur hour Maxis...    … Expand
  29. ymqwtqoq
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Made a metacritic account just to say how bad this game is. I paid $60 and have not been able to play even one moment. The servers are constantly "Busy" or "Full" and even if you find one that is available it will make you wait upwards of half an hour just to play. DO NOT BUY!
  30. EvilTerrorizer
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Besides having to wait an inordinate amount of time to play, get used to being kicked out once in a while when you lose connection to the server. Who cares what's inside the game if you can't play it whenever you want and for however long you want.
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

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