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. c0dem0nkey
    Mar 24, 2013
    0
    It takes Ubisoft to learn that it just not worth having persistently connected games and deal with the potential customer backlash afterward. I've since wary of buying anything coming out of Ubisoft. I will stay out of EA too if this persist and vote with my money, until they learn
  2. Gargus
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    I won't bother going into the all "I can't play it because EA uses always online DRM" because thousands of others already have so that's a tired speech to make. But no I can't play it because of EA's backwards thinking always online DRM garbage they forced in which only causes problems for their paying customers. Anyone who pirated this game has cracked it and happily been playing it whileI won't bother going into the all "I can't play it because EA uses always online DRM" because thousands of others already have so that's a tired speech to make. But no I can't play it because of EA's backwards thinking always online DRM garbage they forced in which only causes problems for their paying customers. Anyone who pirated this game has cracked it and happily been playing it while people who paid for it are stuck with intrusive DRM that messes up our ability to use the product we paid for.

    Personally from what I was able to play I did not like it much at all. In fact I went over to gog.com (I love those guys) and I got sim city 4 instead and I am sending sim city 5 back for a refund and probably will never buy it again.

    Sim city 5 first of all felt incomplete, a lot of things seemed missing like I dont like how the city size is limited as I remember EA saying they had much larger cities running themselves but scaled them back for the final product, you can't teraform like in past games, no subways, no farmlands, no power lines, no water lines and so on. A lot of little things are absent from the game which I fear means they will be sold to us later through microtransactions or DLC packs. Because EA has a nasty habit of nickel and diming their customers to death with over priced DLC and they love to force microtransactions into every game they make, even the ones where it makes no sense like dead space 3. Like the sims 3 for instance is not a new game, its many years old but yet if you want to buy it and all the content (including packs with pets, furniture and other such trivial things) you would spend upwards of 400 bucks or maybe more.

    I hate the fact everything is stored on Cloud. I don't actually have anything saved that I do on my pc. I dependant on having to access their servers to play the game even by myself.

    Multiplayer. While a interesting idea is being shoe horned into the game whether you want it or not. Personally I feel it is just an excuse to use always on DRM and force players to play their games and save content on their servers. I don't like it myself but others might. I want to sit, plot, plan and build my cities how I want with no interference from others. I don't want to play sim city to be social.

    It requires Origin which I still dislike for numerous reasons. I don't even care for Steam really but I use steam and one digital service is enough for me. I don't want to spread my games out on multiple online services.

    It has the look and feel of the sims, which I don't care for. It feels too cartoony, too unrealistic and it just feels like I am playing a sims game.

    It also doesn't spark my creativity and desire to articulate every little thing in my head. I don't want to go into great detail and consideration when building. I found myself trying to very hard, but not actually "feeling it" so to speak. I was trying to force myself to enjoy it like I did previous games but it wasn't happening. But as soon as I loaded up sim city 4 it all came flooding back to me.    … Expand
  3. yakuzah
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    What can I say EA Strikes again. They seem to like to repeat poor and bad ideas from the past. They tried DRM with Spore and other games and every time and having to be tethered to the a single server for a Single Player game fails! They have ruined this game and everything it could have been with their delivery of the service to the consumer. Personally I avoid EA like the plague theseWhat can I say EA Strikes again. They seem to like to repeat poor and bad ideas from the past. They tried DRM with Spore and other games and every time and having to be tethered to the a single server for a Single Player game fails! They have ruined this game and everything it could have been with their delivery of the service to the consumer. Personally I avoid EA like the plague these days and only by PC Games through Steam. The company is a dinosaur and is fast becoming the Microsoft of gaming.… Expand
  4. jnoctis
    Mar 13, 2013
    0
    Someone told me EA and Maxis fixed the servers.... Lets say there were wrong. I haven't even been able to play this game yet because of the stupid connection issues. $55.00 wasted. Thanks EA for ruining another franchise.
  5. momochoco
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Paid for nothing. Cannot run the game due to server issues. Why put a always-online-DRM on a single player game. What were they thinking? Following the path of THQ?
  6. Ciugi
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    All I can currently say is "Go yourself, EA". Your politics of game distribution accessibility are a terrible excuse. You're no longer a company worth of publishing any quality product. This SimCity got broken due to your ignorance, inability to accept the fact that people does not want to be milked cows, buy and smile. Forget your huge profits. Soon, they'll be gone for the greater goodAll I can currently say is "Go yourself, EA". Your politics of game distribution accessibility are a terrible excuse. You're no longer a company worth of publishing any quality product. This SimCity got broken due to your ignorance, inability to accept the fact that people does not want to be milked cows, buy and smile. Forget your huge profits. Soon, they'll be gone for the greater good of games industry. Wait and see, you filthy whore, EA. Gamers still hold the power to control your greed.… Expand
  7. hotcheese
    Mar 5, 2013
    1
    Yup once again the evil EA and their always on DRM had ruined the experience. It's worst than the Diablo 3 launch. I swear this is the last time I'll buy anything from EA again. In fact, I am gonna pirate this game later. I bet the cracked off line version is so much better.
  8. 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
  9. volksmeta128
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    The game is crippled by always-on DRM. How is it acceptable to wait in a queue to play single player? The plot sizes are reduced and the town relations happen on their own. Stay away from this game,
  10. soggyburrito
    Mar 6, 2013
    4
    when you buy a game you probably expect to be able to play it. EA's servers are constantly down so playing this game when you want to is not something you can expect. You'll be playing when EA wants you to and a few years down the road when they stop paying for servers, you won't be able to play at all. This happens to MMOs when they cease to be profitable. This should never happen to awhen you buy a game you probably expect to be able to play it. EA's servers are constantly down so playing this game when you want to is not something you can expect. You'll be playing when EA wants you to and a few years down the road when they stop paying for servers, you won't be able to play at all. This happens to MMOs when they cease to be profitable. This should never happen to a single-player game like SimCity.… Expand
  11. eclipsemod
    Mar 14, 2013
    1
    No. Just no. This game doesn't even deserve a decent review from me. EA has ruined what should've been a great single player game with it's always online DRM.
  12. imnumberQ
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    Bought the game through amazon. Put the product code in and it told me the game was unreleased.....so I'm gonna be that guy and slam the user reviews until they can figure something out
  13. vzey
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Always on DRM. No Terraforming. Small cities. Very disappointing, why get the basics so wrong on such an anticipated game. Refund please. Thanks...
  14. Quiksilva
    Mar 7, 2013
    3
    On day one I was one of the lucky ones who got it and played for several hours straight and loved every second. On that first day I gave this game a score of 9. That joy however was sadly short lived, and I too have been forced to reevaluate the game because the shortcomings at the moment are substantial enough to merit a score that encourages people not to buy, for now. I have not beenOn day one I was one of the lucky ones who got it and played for several hours straight and loved every second. On that first day I gave this game a score of 9. That joy however was sadly short lived, and I too have been forced to reevaluate the game because the shortcomings at the moment are substantial enough to merit a score that encourages people not to buy, for now. I have not been able to play the game for two nights in a row. I understand the game's need for a persistent internet connection, for global economy and for playing with friends, but the fact that they have not foreseen the level of demand for what is unquestionably one of gaming's best known and best loved franchises is unforgivable. As to the game itself, i dont worry about city size limits because I take a whole region to myself with up to 16 cities and make it invite only and dont invite anyone. This provides for a huge game. There really is very little wrong with the game... when you can play it.… Expand
  15. rabblemaster
    Mar 5, 2013
    2
    The online DRM I can get past. Kinda pissed I won't be able to play anymore once ea decides its no longer worth their time, but overall not that big of a deal. The big problem though is the fact that I can't play for longer than 10 minutes before it crashes. In addition, it took me an hour before I could get it to work since it redirected me to a non-working tutorial over and over againThe online DRM I can get past. Kinda pissed I won't be able to play anymore once ea decides its no longer worth their time, but overall not that big of a deal. The big problem though is the fact that I can't play for longer than 10 minutes before it crashes. In addition, it took me an hour before I could get it to work since it redirected me to a non-working tutorial over and over again until I reset the mini-tutorial option by chance. After that it randomly let me get back to my city. All of this was after having to try about 15 times to create a city and getting an error message telling me to try again.

    The tiny map size is annoying, and if I ever get to play for any length of time, I'll be able to accurately evaluate that.    … Expand
  16. freakinbox
    Mar 5, 2013
    2
    Although the game itself is amazing it really doesn't mean anything when you can't play it. Between the massive problems EA had getting the game to even release to the issues where you wait 20 min in a queue just to have it reset or allow you to join for an endless loading screen. Although you expect issues with a day 1 release those bugs usually still let you play the game, such asAlthough the game itself is amazing it really doesn't mean anything when you can't play it. Between the massive problems EA had getting the game to even release to the issues where you wait 20 min in a queue just to have it reset or allow you to join for an endless loading screen. Although you expect issues with a day 1 release those bugs usually still let you play the game, such as endless audio loops or menus disappearing which I have had happen in Simcity. People would be willing to deal with always online DRM if it actually let us play the game we paid $60. I hope that EA offers some sort of credit or in game items for all of the mess. If not I'll just go buy the physical copy if I buy it at all.… Expand
  17. VikingInTheBay
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    I have loved SimCity from the first one but EA has ruined the game for me. Just return this defective buggy product. That what I have done and will most likely never buy it unless they make major changes. Amazon was great about offering me a full refund for my opened game. EA says they will give refunds in press release but you can always stop/dispute payment with your credit card forI have loved SimCity from the first one but EA has ruined the game for me. Just return this defective buggy product. That what I have done and will most likely never buy it unless they make major changes. Amazon was great about offering me a full refund for my opened game. EA says they will give refunds in press release but you can always stop/dispute payment with your credit card for faulty product. Hurting EA's bottom line is the only way they will ever pay attention. The biggest problem is not the DRM but that you have to always play on a server. You log on to play a "Single Player Game" and if server is down you are out of luck. The sever goes down while you are playing and you cannot save losing your progress and you are out of luck. Server is busy and there is a wait line and nothing you can do. EA decides it doesn't want to support the server and gives 30 days notice that your game will break and you are out of luck.

    In addition the little bit of play time that I was able to do there seems to be holes/missing buildings and options in the game. I can only suspect that this will be the Sims 3 again costing several hundreds of dollars to own the complete game.

    Again decide to pass and pickup any copy of the older SimCities and you'll be vastly more satisfied.    … Expand
  18. ramenos
    Mar 6, 2013
    4
    Sim City is beautiful and the interface is perfect (really good job on it guys). But what happened to the real Sim City This game is really frustrating for 2 major points and 1 other reason:
    - The size of map is ridiculous (we can fill a map in 2 hours max). No possibilities of creation for a gigantic city.
    - The game is easy. Even if I add a lot of taxes to my population, it's still    Sim City is beautiful and the interface is perfect (really good job on it guys). But what happened to the real Sim City This game is really frustrating for 2 major points and 1 other reason:
    - The size of map is ridiculous (we can fill a map in 2 hours max). No possibilities of creation for a gigantic city.
    - The game is easy. Even if I add a lot of taxes to my population, it's still easy to keep your city safe.

    The last point concerns your DRM it's fully on-line and this is annoying. If Origin doesn't work, you can't play. Why did you do the same mistake as Diablo 3 ?

    My fear concerns the future: if Maxims adds a lot of paid DRM for special building bigger maps, that would be the glory of shame. I hope I am wrong but for now, as a Sim City fan, I am disappointed.    … Expand
  19. FreddyGotF
    Mar 6, 2013
    3
    I don't understand why a lot of the backlash is a surprise to anyone, least of all Maxis and EA. Every one of these issues were raised ad nauseum in the months leading up to the release and neither Maxis nor EA refused to acknowledge that they were problems. Instead, it was all about justification and explaining that they were 'heading in a different direction'. What company in their rightI don't understand why a lot of the backlash is a surprise to anyone, least of all Maxis and EA. Every one of these issues were raised ad nauseum in the months leading up to the release and neither Maxis nor EA refused to acknowledge that they were problems. Instead, it was all about justification and explaining that they were 'heading in a different direction'. What company in their right mind tries to tell the consumer what they want? The problem is, I doubt EA will learn any lessons from this because they're surfing the wave of popularity that already surrounds SimCity. They didn't earn it for themselves. What a bunch of pricks.

    Sure, the graphics are updated and 3D and the civic buildings can be modified and it's nice to watch sims running around doing their 'thang', but this is a SIMULATION, which demands realism and high levels of control, especially because this is the sixth incarnation and by this stage Maxis should freakin' know what works and what doesn't. What do we get? No subways. No terraforming. No highways. No control outside of the assigned squares. PITIFUL square sizes (what's the point of making curvy roads when you're discouraged from using them because there's no space). No ability to use height restrictions. Determining density from the type of road is just plain bizarre and awkward. And, I might add, not what's done in the real world.

    The thing I truly hate about this is that even if I try to be as creative as possible and build up my population, it's just gonna look pathetic because it'll be a bunch of small square skyscrapers with nothing but grass in between.

    Hey Maxis and EA here's a newsflash for you. I want to decide where my highways go, and what parts of my region are green, and how big my cities are, and where I want high density to go, and if my city has a subway system or not. I want it all to be my choice, not YOURS.

    And I haven't even mentioned the DRM or DLC, which no doubt will attempt to correct some of the glaring problems... for a modest fee, of course.

    I want a refund.    … Expand
  20. Tweak
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Do not buy this game! Not because of it's DRM, not because of it's server issues, but because EA has openly stated that they WILL NOT refund your money when they fail to deliver the product that you paid for. I have been unable to even play the TUTORIAL level because the server crashes every time I attempt to play, and I have been trying to play for 3 hours across two days. EA doesn'tDo not buy this game! Not because of it's DRM, not because of it's server issues, but because EA has openly stated that they WILL NOT refund your money when they fail to deliver the product that you paid for. I have been unable to even play the TUTORIAL level because the server crashes every time I attempt to play, and I have been trying to play for 3 hours across two days. EA doesn't deserve any money from anyone because of such blatant disregard for their customers.

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

    For proof, here is the link to EA's return policy: https://help.ea.com/article/returns-and-cancellations    … Expand
  21. uncdotcom
    Mar 6, 2013
    2
    It's a waste of time and money, and the fact that they're BLATANTLY LYING about having fixed servers and are not doing ANYTHING to compensate for this massive failure of a launch is an enormous slap in the face. The game was actually really fun for the few hours i got to play, after waiting 4 hours to install a game FROM A DISC because i needed to connect to the servers to install it forIt's a waste of time and money, and the fact that they're BLATANTLY LYING about having fixed servers and are not doing ANYTHING to compensate for this massive failure of a launch is an enormous slap in the face. The game was actually really fun for the few hours i got to play, after waiting 4 hours to install a game FROM A DISC because i needed to connect to the servers to install it for some stupid reason, and before the server crashed and I lost MY ENTIRE CITY. The fact that it forces you be be always online was a horrible mistake on EAs part. This isn't an MMO its a single player city simulation. Their customer service is non-existent and the announcements being given by the company saying that servers are patched and running have all been false. Absolutely ridiculous.… Expand
  22. Graloth
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Even though EA promised to have fixed the issues for the international launch of the game, they failed to do so, I have yet to be able to play, I can connect to the server fine, but cannot create my SINGLE PLAYER world.
    Do NOT buy this game until they fixed all the issues or removed the horrible always-on DRM.
    Not only does it stop your game if you loose connection, you also have ZERO    Even though EA promised to have fixed the issues for the international launch of the game, they failed to do so, I have yet to be able to play, I can connect to the server fine, but cannot create my SINGLE PLAYER world.
    Do NOT buy this game until they fixed all the issues or removed the horrible always-on DRM.
    Not only does it stop your game if you loose connection, you also have ZERO control over your saved-games, you can't even transfer them between servers.    … Expand
  23. Gritz
    Mar 7, 2013
    3
    The game is not bad, but the server has a lot of problems. I played a few hours and every 5 minutes it disconnected. The graphic is very good. I hope that the server will be better the next days
  24. darvius
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    I've played the game and it is, indeed, all I expected. I'm kind of lucky to have paid $15,00 in my country because, really, I don't see myself playing this game for long.

    Of the last 3 days, I've played over 24 hours but I've lost cities, lost 10 hours of game out of nowhere and, the worse, you never know if it will sinc up your data. They are taking the servers down without telling    I've played the game and it is, indeed, all I expected. I'm kind of lucky to have paid $15,00 in my country because, really, I don't see myself playing this game for long.

    Of the last 3 days, I've played over 24 hours but I've lost cities, lost 10 hours of game out of nowhere and, the worse, you never know if it will sinc up your data. They are taking the servers down without telling the players so they can "save" their progress...

    This always-online DRM, I really think they could have made a simple single-player 1 city map, perhaps even a bigger map, for the sake of avoiding this catastrophic launch... It's a good game, but the false promises of stability of their DRM really makes me give them a round ZERO.    … Expand
  25. londoner144
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Attempting to play Sim City is a pointless waste of time. I wonder if EA is purposely trying to kill PC games by causing such an overwhelmingly poor experience. Sim City was looking like a sure fire hit, with excellent graphics and an enjoyable immersive world to create in. However it has become an absolute shambles which seems so unimaginably inept as to make me think it had to be intentional.
  26. badthingfactory
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Any game I can't play after paying money for it gets a zero. EA has seen the last of my money. No one should support always-online DRM. Its unfortunate EA had to do this to one of the most beloved games from my childhood. First Diablo 3 and now this.

    Additionally, Origin sucks. I avoided it like the plague until SimCity came out and then I was forced to use it. No one likes you, EA. If    Any game I can't play after paying money for it gets a zero. EA has seen the last of my money. No one should support always-online DRM. Its unfortunate EA had to do this to one of the most beloved games from my childhood. First Diablo 3 and now this.

    Additionally, Origin sucks. I avoided it like the plague until SimCity came out and then I was forced to use it. No one likes you, EA. If I could wish bankruptcy on any company, it would probably be them.    … Expand
  27. DigitalAdhesive
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    There's a hint, a glimmer of a good game running under the hood, but it's plagued by terrible decisions. Let's get the DRM discussion out of the way: the always-online DRM requirement punishes paying customers while providing a mere speed bump to pirates. It's a poor idea and should be abandoned. Moving on.

    My biggest gripe with the game is the absolutely tiny size of the cities.    There's a hint, a glimmer of a good game running under the hood, but it's plagued by terrible decisions. Let's get the DRM discussion out of the way: the always-online DRM requirement punishes paying customers while providing a mere speed bump to pirates. It's a poor idea and should be abandoned. Moving on.

    My biggest gripe with the game is the absolutely tiny size of the cities. To be honest, it reminds me of a span of 12 blocks in Manhattan from one subway point to the next. You fill up your allotted town space within a couple hours, and then every town ends up looking like a Borg cube. I understand they're trying to push region play with cities interacting with each other, but the cities (towns, really) look very artificial. There's no organic life to them like in prior SimCity games or even more recent independent entries in city simulation like CitiesXL (for all its warts).

    The game is fun for a little while, but ultimately leaves one wanting and is depressing because it's a testament to what could have been.    … Expand
  28. Yanishka
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Sooner EA goes bust the better... EA represent everything wrong with the game industry. Guess what EA it is too late.... even if you do patch out the awful DRM
  29. itonez
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Lets see.
    Require Always online meaning if the server were to go down while you are still playing and kept on playing for few hours without reconnecting to the server, then you would lose any progress after that point as it happened to me. Unable to authenticate with the server but if you were lucky to pass that then..
    Unable to load the tutorial.. but if you pass that then.. Unable to    Lets see.
    Require Always online meaning if the server were to go down while you are still playing and kept on playing for few hours without reconnecting to the server, then you would lose any progress after that point as it happened to me. Unable to authenticate with the server but if you were lucky to pass that then..
    Unable to load the tutorial.. but if you pass that then..
    Unable to create game. lol..but if you were to create a game Then you would just disconnect and start over again..
    U    … Expand
  30. bobend
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Unplayable: always-on-DRM ruins a promising game. I would recommend to wait for EA/Origin to remove their broken DRM system; it only hurts paying customers.
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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 »