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. ohz
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    The critic reviews are undeniable proof of "gaming journalism" being rotten to the core. This is the exact same game as SimCity Social, except you have to pay $80 before you're allowed to start paying for extras.
  2. neko_ceko
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    Terrible, just terrible. And yes, the game does deserve this low score just because of the DRM. If it had the best gameplay on the world it wouldn't be worth barely 2/10 with this s**t DRM system.
  3. barboris
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    I'm surprised that so many people were able to get to the point of at least having difficulty accessing the game servers, because I wasn't even able to get the game I paid for. After fully paying for the game and receiving the order confirmation email half a day ago, the game is still not showing up on my Origin for download. I am currently trying really hard to reach EA to request anI'm surprised that so many people were able to get to the point of at least having difficulty accessing the game servers, because I wasn't even able to get the game I paid for. After fully paying for the game and receiving the order confirmation email half a day ago, the game is still not showing up on my Origin for download. I am currently trying really hard to reach EA to request an immediate refund, after such low quality service, for such not at all low priced product. I will stick to Steam and play my games as soon as I pay for them.… Expand
  4. MeganFoxThumbs
    Mar 5, 2013
    1
    First of all, please stop making fun of my thumbs.
    Second of all, DRM...really EA? oh wait, it is EA after all and they like sucking our money. Think of EA like the federal reserve unregulated and unethical
  5. yogibbear
    Mar 6, 2013
    5
    Played the game for 3 hrs today. Thought waiting two days would make everything OK. Game crashes after 3 hrs of happily playing an online game with 6 other people... guess what... this is why online saves are terrible and you get metacritic stomped... because the entire save is gone and none of us have any of our 3-4 hrs of progress to continue with. The experience of all building ourPlayed the game for 3 hrs today. Thought waiting two days would make everything OK. Game crashes after 3 hrs of happily playing an online game with 6 other people... guess what... this is why online saves are terrible and you get metacritic stomped... because the entire save is gone and none of us have any of our 3-4 hrs of progress to continue with. The experience of all building our cities to help each other is simply lost in the cloud forever. Well that's a 5/10 or below in anyone's book. Fix this please. It is depressing that even 2 days post launch you still don't have the cloud side save system figured out if you're going to go live with this sort of DRM it better damn well at least save the game.… Expand
  6. Piata
    Mar 5, 2013
    1
    Always online, no true single player, no way to save and reload your games, extremely small city size, lots of microtransactions planned and no way of knowing when EA will pull the plug.

    Best save your dollars and skip this one.
  7. andraip
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    This game is a 10 out of then, if not for: -micro-transactions -very small city size -always on DRM (on a single-player game) -multiplayer feels forced down you throat

    and worst, you CAN'T PLAY the f***ing game because the servers are busy.

    oh, and just to make matters worse it forces you to use Origin.

    Seriously EA, rethink you business strategy.
  8. hunghung
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    Unable to play due to server at capacity. In a single-player game. This is ridiculous. Simplified gameplay that does not provide as deep an experience as any of the previous SimCity games. While I'm sure that the server errors will be ironed out over time, the simplified gameplay will not
  9. psyestorm
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    The game I'm sure is great. Maxis always does a great job. Unfortunately, I can't play it right now because of Server issues. There was no pre-load available. Can't play a a single player game because of always on DRM. THIS WILL NOT STOP PIRACY. All EA is doing is inconveniencing paying customers. Of course they wont listen to reason. So we all vote this game down.
  10. Xel
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    Paid $60 to be unable to play the game on release due to EA's DRM, thanks Should have never bought and supported a DRM game. Clearly I won't be making that mistake again.
  11. curbes
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    Absolute Fail Im gona kill my self if every game gona have Forced online DRM The game is good but EA want money in every way like day 1 DLC or microtransactions It fells like the game ist finisd and wee must buy the Patch DLC to make play normal i buy ME 3 and im never gona buy game from EA again and now u guys know why
  12. WJ12P
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    For everyone who says that constant DRM and a botched release are not a good enough reason to destroy this game's ratings they are wrong. EA needs to learn that these types of releases cannot happen. Three hours after registering my game and it hasn't even shown up in the "My Games Library" on Origin. Pathetic and unacceptable.
  13. PhileDealer
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    Always on DRM. Do not buy. Waiting in a queue to play a single player game? No thanks. I had high hopes for this game. I hope this is patched to go online for install, but offline after that.
  14. Darkmater
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    A game is truly poor when its unable to be enjoyed, and this game falls completely in this category. With the always on DRM and a very poor delivery of server services. I am unable to play a game that is installed on my machine. For the only reason so that I can be social, its interesting then that in EA's mind that they have chosen social as the main means of driving their game design. ToA game is truly poor when its unable to be enjoyed, and this game falls completely in this category. With the always on DRM and a very poor delivery of server services. I am unable to play a game that is installed on my machine. For the only reason so that I can be social, its interesting then that in EA's mind that they have chosen social as the main means of driving their game design. To which they are a complete success, I have not even played the game, but I am pushed into the world of social sharing by the game to state, "its poor, and unplayable due to the server restriction and poor overhead server capacity. Thank you, Simcity you have delivered me into the social space per your game, and it is making meaningful connections for me, and hopefully those connections that read this will think twice about purchasing a game that is so limited in ones ability to play it.… Expand
  15. rawsl
    Sep 4, 2014
    5
    It's a very beautiful game, but the simulation is lacking depth and the size of cities is just to small. I can only recommend it to people who want to play it as casual game.
  16. tigule
    Mar 10, 2013
    0
    I managed to play for a while on one of the new servers. Today I go back and "I'm in a Queue". OK, Ill try a different server! Wait... no I don't want to play the tutorial again, and where are my saved games? Oh, they're on the other server? WTF EA.
  17. Antiqua
    Mar 5, 2013
    5
    Ignoring the DRM the game is at this point still not worth buying. While for the most part this is a good upgrade of the sim city series the one thing that really hampers it is the map size.
    While in theory the addition of curved roads that allow you more freedom in how you design your city should be awesome the reality is that because the maps are so tiny any creativity will be severely    Ignoring the DRM the game is at this point still not worth buying. While for the most part this is a good upgrade of the sim city series the one thing that really hampers it is the map size.
    While in theory the addition of curved roads that allow you more freedom in how you design your city should be awesome the reality is that because the maps are so tiny any creativity will be severely punished since it's not as dense as a grid type city. The game is also kind of bad at fitting in buildings to the area available which also punishes being creative as you will get tons of unused space either because you got too much space between roads or too little.
    After playing the game for even an hour you will start feeling very cramped and you will basically be left with the option to build inwards, that is tearing down and reconstructing existing plots. For me a bare minimum before I would concider actually giving money for this game would be four times the size but I would really prefer nine or more.
    Of course seeing as this is EA they will milk their customers for everything they got. Expect to see building themes, larger map sizes and everything else that this game should have had at release for sale soon.    … Expand
  18. LordLothair
    Mar 5, 2013
    5
    Alright gang, let's get the obligatory complaining out of the way:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Use your personal scales to decide if you want to play SimCity badly enough to support such bad business practices. If you do, the game itself isn't bad.    … Expand
  19. MayhemMike83
    Mar 5, 2013
    5
    My gf bought it, but wasn't at home the whole day so I had the pleasure to try it out so here are my impressions:

    1. Pricing: It looks like a typical EA cash grab. The game isn't feature complete (subways?) so expect a lot of expensive but low value DLCs coming our way. I wouldn't buy it until they release a discounted "Gold" version including most of the upcoming extras. 2.    My gf bought it, but wasn't at home the whole day so I had the pleasure to try it out so here are my impressions:

    1. Pricing: It looks like a typical EA cash grab. The game isn't feature complete (subways?) so expect a lot of expensive but low value DLCs coming our way. I wouldn't buy it until they release a discounted "Gold" version including most of the upcoming extras. 2. Always-On-DRM: It took ages until I was able to log in. This is just unacceptable and shows the flaws of this kind of DRM. Also keep in mind that EA will shutdown the servers once the game doesn't make enough profit, or when a newer version gets released. 3. Look and Feel: It looks really nice and watching the little sims doing their thing is amazing. It really feels like a living and breathing city.
    4. The building part: The maps are just too small. Takes you around 1-2h to fill up the entire square and then you can either refine the city or move on to another one so don't expect to spend days or even weeks on a single city. If you have several cities in a region then they will work together but it is just not the same.

    Overall some interesting new ideas, a nice look and feel but a lack in its core city-building mechanic.    … Expand
  20. danielkyp
    Mar 7, 2013
    7
    If you bought the game already please head my advice! In origin use the Call Me help option, when an agent calls you, simply ask for a refund. I managed to get a refund very simply even though they say they won't give you one for digital downloads form origin. They didn't ask questions, don't vent, don't complain, just simply state that you would like a refund. I only gave this a 7 soIf you bought the game already please head my advice! In origin use the Call Me help option, when an agent calls you, simply ask for a refund. I managed to get a refund very simply even though they say they won't give you one for digital downloads form origin. They didn't ask questions, don't vent, don't complain, just simply state that you would like a refund. I only gave this a 7 so that the icon would turn green and more people would notice my message.… Expand
  21. Tridus
    Mar 8, 2013
    0
    Revising downward, because the game is still broken and at this point it's just a total joke. Even Polygon's review has been changed to 40 (from 95) on their website. EA has resorted to disabling all the social features that they claimed made always-online necessary in the first place, so now it's just a bald faced lie. It's DRM, period. That DRM is breaking the game. As it stands rightRevising downward, because the game is still broken and at this point it's just a total joke. Even Polygon's review has been changed to 40 (from 95) on their website. EA has resorted to disabling all the social features that they claimed made always-online necessary in the first place, so now it's just a bald faced lie. It's DRM, period. That DRM is breaking the game. As it stands right now this product is not fit for sale. They also disabled cheetah speed, a feature of every other Simcity game. Pathetic. If you get past all the server problems, the city size is still absurdly small (no doubt because their servers can't handle larger ones), but who cares about that when the game flat out doesn't work reliably?… Expand
  22. Atticas14
    Mar 19, 2013
    8
    This is my amended review. The original game gave the game a 1 out of 10. It really seems that EA is taking steps to improve the gameplay experience, and even awarded a free game to those who purchased at launch. I got Dead Space 3 for free and I really appreciate the offer. The new Sim City is really fun to play as long as the server aspects don't get in the way. I'm sure it'll all getThis is my amended review. The original game gave the game a 1 out of 10. It really seems that EA is taking steps to improve the gameplay experience, and even awarded a free game to those who purchased at launch. I got Dead Space 3 for free and I really appreciate the offer. The new Sim City is really fun to play as long as the server aspects don't get in the way. I'm sure it'll all get ironed out eventually and I'll have tons of fun in the future.… Expand
  23. Victory
    Mar 14, 2013
    3
    I am assessing this game based on my 25 hours of experience. This game is fun up to a point but the mid to late game mechanics are horrendously broken. Traffic is a hideous monster to control and if you do by some miracle manage to organised it the game is incredibly easy. The only challenge is traffic management. It feels more and more like a glorified Facebook game without the socialI am assessing this game based on my 25 hours of experience. This game is fun up to a point but the mid to late game mechanics are horrendously broken. Traffic is a hideous monster to control and if you do by some miracle manage to organised it the game is incredibly easy. The only challenge is traffic management. It feels more and more like a glorified Facebook game without the social game requirements. Region trading is horrendously broken, commuters commute but when they do the traffic is so horrendous because you only have one entrance to your city. EVEN WITH mass transit maxed out including trains and boats, it's just ridiculous. The online requirements suck too, I've lost a 9 hour city due to the servers. Also the region play is rubbish due to the servers, I was playing a region with my girlfriend (hot seat style) and I waited TEN MINUTES for the servers to update our own singleplayer region so I could send power to my girlfriends city. This is just dumb, it isn't fun. tldr: it starts out very fun but after you get over the "creativity" aspect of creating a city it becomes very boring and very broken. Might be good in a few months when it's patched although many features are not as advertised (such as "full simulation" which is a flat out lie). The DRM just makes everything worse.… Expand
  24. nopistons420
    Mar 11, 2013
    8
    incredibly addicting and well made city simulator. its not the same old simcity you used to play a lot has changed but in my eyes for the better. the core game-play here is so good and so addictive once you start its hard to put down. the multiplayer aspects of region play are also very satisfying when they work!

    there is a very fun and challenging game to be found trying to manage    incredibly addicting and well made city simulator. its not the same old simcity you used to play a lot has changed but in my eyes for the better. the core game-play here is so good and so addictive once you start its hard to put down. the multiplayer aspects of region play are also very satisfying when they work!

    there is a very fun and challenging game to be found trying to manage your city as it grows from a cozy little town into a full on metropolis.    … Expand
  25. greatpaperclip
    Mar 9, 2013
    8
    Now that I've been able to get in, I'm changing my score-it's probably a 9-maybe even a 10, without the previous issues. I'm having a lot of fun. Too bad about the launch, though
  26. GLaforte
    Mar 6, 2013
    8
    I managed to play the game correctly, by myself, for 2 hours last night.
    I was unable to play the multiplayer game with a friend, though.
    Today, with the new patches, I'm just unable to connect to the server.
    Feels like throwing money down a well would have been more beneficial.
  27. threepm
    Mar 5, 2013
    10
    Yes it uses always on, yes it is having some hiccups... but so far this game is absolutely fantastic. A lot of the issues that people are complaining about I suspect will addressed in future patches.
  28. cadburry
    Mar 5, 2013
    10
    A good SimCity that is different than it's predecessors, but still captures that typical SimCity feeling. It takes some time to get used to a few new approaches like the city size and the connected cities, but can get you hooked up in no time, leaving lots of options to optimize in later gameplay stages.I'd buy it again, no server problems as welI.
    I honestly don't get however people try    A good SimCity that is different than it's predecessors, but still captures that typical SimCity feeling. It takes some time to get used to a few new approaches like the city size and the connected cities, but can get you hooked up in no time, leaving lots of options to optimize in later gameplay stages.I'd buy it again, no server problems as welI.
    I honestly don't get however people try to give negative impressions without playing the game, or trying to manipulate the rating with multiple accounts that have copy&paste rants that repeat themselves.You don't have to buy, just let the people who enjoy it enjoy it.    … Expand
  29. madfox777
    Mar 5, 2013
    9
    Ratings based on DRM alone are ridiculous and make a false representation of how good the game is. The servers will get smoothed out, its release day. Its made to be a different game than SC2000 or SC4. Small map size is the only con so far of this game.
  30. gamesrus
    Mar 5, 2013
    10
    apart from not be being able to connect t servers this sim city is everthing you could want from a new simcity game better graphics. real sense of care for my lttile sims. good amount of depth in the gameplay and stargery side to make you build city after city seeing how different staregrys change your citys look and feel. i used love buidling huge citys on simcity 4 but this sim cityapart from not be being able to connect t servers this sim city is everthing you could want from a new simcity game better graphics. real sense of care for my lttile sims. good amount of depth in the gameplay and stargery side to make you build city after city seeing how different staregrys change your citys look and feel. i used love buidling huge citys on simcity 4 but this sim city offers so much more but in a smaller place and people may complain about size of the build plots but a quality well built city with a real sense that its is a live is better than just being able to build more. in future they may even be able to add larger build plots but rember not all people have gaming rigs like mine and these massive build plots may be to diffuclt to run for many computers. 8/10 game but all the other bad scores made me give it 10/10 those people need to learn pateince and that simcity 4 was terrible lagging on realease and they sorted so they will sort the server issues to.… Expand
  31. Phear
    Mar 5, 2013
    9
    DRM isn't an issue for me so far. (It was for Diablo 3) The city maps are smaller then I am used to but once you start playing I didn't notice it that much. The game seem much more lively than then the previous versions which got boring after awhile. So far it has been real fun to play and can't to play some more after work.
  32. Nicotroll
    Mar 5, 2013
    9
    his game is awesome. I've never had that much fun in a simulation game since Simcity 4 to be honest.
    All in all, my experience was fantastic.
    I didn't experience any lag and everything worked correctly.
  33. Valuzion
    Mar 5, 2013
    9
    The small cities can be annoying at times, but its made up with the multiple city play because you should not be stacking everything into one city. Now complaining about any game about its server availability within the first day is just outrageous. Complaints about this can only come from people who have never played a game at release in the modern age of gaming. Even Blizzard in allThe small cities can be annoying at times, but its made up with the multiple city play because you should not be stacking everything into one city. Now complaining about any game about its server availability within the first day is just outrageous. Complaints about this can only come from people who have never played a game at release in the modern age of gaming. Even Blizzard in all their glory fail at release dates because holding massive servers when everyone jumps on at once does cause problems. The servers will be fixed and adjusted and everything will be fine.Already noticeable improvements have been made to the servers. Its a great game for anyone who likes management games and I'm sure once they fix the minuscule problems even the bad reviewers will love the game. I recommend to anyone who loves the SimCity franchise.… Expand
  34. Ian277
    Mar 11, 2013
    3
    Ok now that the servers are back up and running alright, here is my proper review. my rating was a 3/10 because of all the crap this game threw at us at its launch. to be honest this game had one of the worst launches of any game, in history. i don't think this game will ever truly recover from it, this 1.5 rating is way too low for a game like this. and many people will not change theirOk now that the servers are back up and running alright, here is my proper review. my rating was a 3/10 because of all the crap this game threw at us at its launch. to be honest this game had one of the worst launches of any game, in history. i don't think this game will ever truly recover from it, this 1.5 rating is way too low for a game like this. and many people will not change their reviews because they are too fed up with the DRM. which is totally understandable. but the game is really fun. you can create entire trade networks and intricate cities. this increases the depth from the previous simcity games. managing the city is very fun. managing buildings is an amazing feature. although map sizes restrict you from building more advanced structures later on that is really my only complaint. this game has tons of potential and will have DLC i assure you (mostly because EA is a jerk) good game. sucks the EA gave it a bad rep. this DRM is a horrible thing for the gaming community but that doesn't mean simcity is a bad game… Expand
  35. gaxkang123
    Mar 5, 2013
    10
    Very addicting game. Very enjoyable. I'm having a ton of fun. The simulation is extremely deep, like none I have ever seen and overall, the gameplay is fantastic!
  36. JennieP23
    Mar 5, 2013
    10
    I've been playing with my boyfriend and we've had a TON of fun so far!! :D. We're both playing in one of the smaller regions available and we're both playing our own city. I have built a city that's heavy on education so my cities are very educated. My boyfriend on the other hand has a city that revolves around oil and exports. His city is big in industry and some of my sims commute toI've been playing with my boyfriend and we've had a TON of fun so far!! :D. We're both playing in one of the smaller regions available and we're both playing our own city. I have built a city that's heavy on education so my cities are very educated. My boyfriend on the other hand has a city that revolves around oil and exports. His city is big in industry and some of my sims commute to work in his computer processsor plant. It's fun toying around with all the different aspects of the game. One of the things I like a lot about the game is the simulation. The simulation is very deep and it's unlike any of the previous SimCity games...or any city building game really. Gameplay is fantastic of course. If you ask me, game is amazing really. Very fun and addictive. I'm very pleased with the game CHECK IT OUT!… Expand
  37. SteadyMercury
    Mar 5, 2013
    9
    Take the user scores with a grain of salt. The DRM is annoying... But it wasn't sprung on anyone. If your commenting on Metacritic you have enough of an online presence that you knew either from IGN or a city sim forum that this game required internet and Origin. Besides this is standard industry stuff now.... Along with day one DLC. I'm going to throw out a caveat here and say that dayTake the user scores with a grain of salt. The DRM is annoying... But it wasn't sprung on anyone. If your commenting on Metacritic you have enough of an online presence that you knew either from IGN or a city sim forum that this game required internet and Origin. Besides this is standard industry stuff now.... Along with day one DLC. I'm going to throw out a caveat here and say that day one DLC is just fine EXCEPT when it is an essential part of beating a game or gives an unfair advantage in competitive multiplayer. None of this DLC does that. Don't want it don't buy it. Feel like you should get it for free? Well there isn't any saving you then. As for shutting off the servers? EA won't shut down the servers so long as a vibrant online community still exists for the game. No they won't spend millions running servers for you and five friends but that's the reality of modern online gaming, it all has an expiry date. The gameplay mechanics are perfectly represented by the review sites. The smaller build sites are an optimization feature that keeps the game running better with good graphics and the more demanding simulation system on the less then perfect rigs people have out there. In return you get a nice mechanic as a trade off; namely cities can't have everything now, just like in the real world cities share resources due to space, population or money constraints. Hopefully bigger maps come eventually for those of us who can run them but I'm happy now. Now this game isn't a 100 as a few earlier professional European review sites stated. Nothing is 100. But on the flip side saying the game is great but day on DLC and the required internet connection that is clearly advertised make it a zero? That's a tantrum. The games a solid nine. Play it for the mechanics. It's great. If you want buy the day one DLC but doubtless there will be a sale eventually, thats what I'll be waiting for. Origin is what Origin is. Turn it off when your done with it and it takes like no space. I agree it could be a 9.5 if it had an offline mode and bigger maps available at launch but this game has a solid chance of becoming a classic.… Expand
  38. Dadadadadadadad
    Mar 5, 2013
    8
    Pros... Several additions to SimCity 4
    Better graphics than SimCity 4
    New multiplayer mode
    Cons... Tiny city size limit
    Must be online to play
    Crashes alot
  39. Yaweeeeeeee
    Mar 8, 2013
    2
    EA MURDERED THE NEW SIMCITY!
    In case you have not yet noticed, SimCity has what is called constantly online DRM. This means if the game is running, you MUST be online and logged into Origin, EA's sales platform, and response to Steam. Now this sounds excellent, in theory. Everyone gets updates automatically, you can play with anyone all over the world, etc. However, the viability of this    EA MURDERED THE NEW SIMCITY!
    In case you have not yet noticed, SimCity has what is called constantly online DRM. This means if the game is running, you MUST be online and logged into Origin, EA's sales platform, and response to Steam. Now this sounds excellent, in theory. Everyone gets updates automatically, you can play with anyone all over the world, etc. However, the viability of this method ends at THEORY. In reality, this is the smoking gun for this game. I have only had the opportunity to play this game once, for 1 hour and 30 minutes, before I was kicked from the server due to high volume. This is completely unreasonable, and I feel EA was completely unprepared to handle so many users on the server. That is major, obvious oversight on their part, and it ruined the game.
    Further, totally offline mode is completely eliminated. When I play a game such as SimCity, I expect to be able to play the classic mode where I can quietly play, ALONE. This is no longer an option, as all the cities in a region must co-mingle and supply each other with services, or the city itself is penalized! As an experiment, I attempted to play on a server with other players and remain independent, and rejected the assistance offered to me by other players. After a while, my economy collapsed because all my workers were automatically leaving my city to work at a neighbor's city. They are programmed to do this for absolutely no reason, other than penalizing players who wish to remain independent from others.

    In short, the Online Requirement murdered this game, and I regret wasting my hard earned money on it. I encourage all prospective customers to NOT purchase this game, as it will only lead to your disappointment.    … Expand
  40. angreyplayers
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    No log in No game!
    ****
    No Game No Life.
    please come back my time.
    please add offline Game play mode.
    on line, only ....****
    I play SimCity 4.

    good -bye SimCity
  41. mfusco76
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Here is a spoiler... No one can play the game. Wow what a useless piece of crap. This has to be the worst release of all time. Working on day 2 of not being able to play the game. Hoping that at some point it might get there. The response from EA/Origin is terrible. Yeah your cutesy tweets aimed at "Mayors" are just even more infuriating. How about they come out with something thatHere is a spoiler... No one can play the game. Wow what a useless piece of crap. This has to be the worst release of all time. Working on day 2 of not being able to play the game. Hoping that at some point it might get there. The response from EA/Origin is terrible. Yeah your cutesy tweets aimed at "Mayors" are just even more infuriating. How about they come out with something that actually resembles an apology and an offer to make things right for the people who have been completely screwed over by EA/Origin's inability to provide the service that many people have paid good money for. Or just turn the damn always online DRM off already. You people suck.… Expand
  42. SlyDragons
    Mar 12, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I pre-ordered and deliberately waited a week before reviewing to give EA a chance to bounce back from their self-inflicted launch debaucle. After that, my rating is still "meh". Though I give credit to their server team for standing up so many servers so quickly and a furrow of my brow to whatever management bean-counter prevented them from doing so prior to the launch. As of writing, Origin says I have 121 hours played, but some of that is just watching my my city burn and playing until 5 am (as that's when you can actually get on the servers)

    Some of the positives: When they said they'd be tracking every sim, I feared this would turn out more like the Sims, which was only fun when you mercilessly took away the only pool ladders. However, being able to click on any car travelling on the map and see where it's going, whether it has spending money, and follow it is actually pretty neat.

    Region play. It was in Sim City 4 to some extent, but it's cool to have all the cities work together to build great works. And with it, Multiplayer is a great idea. Sometimes I like a little teamwork, or to flood my neighbouring city with murderers and arsonists.

    Finite resources. Go ahead put all your eggs into the oil mining business and plop some high tax entitlements like education and fire safety for a better society. What's the worst that could happen? Tip: Diversify and plan for renewable income before the well runs dry

    Some of the negatives:

    DRM always on requirement. When I'm not sabotaging my neighbors, sometimes I like to play with myself and I want to build my Dystopian region without the condescending glares of my neighbors. But even as I write this a week after launch, I cannot log into Sim City to do so. One tip, if you get logged in, stay logged in. While you're playing you'll see "server disconnected" messages happen all the time, but then they'll reconnect and presumably everything will be peachy. If you disconnect, however, it's much harder to get connected and a region loaded.

    Difficulty. It's not. Pretty much any city (except one I'm playing now which it about 50% water) can be turned into a cash cow pretty easily. If your planning right, the only thing that throws you a curve is the occasional disaster. I like the idea of the global market, but as near as I can tell, there are hard lines at the minimum prices for buying and selling that pretty much guarantee you can make a ton of profit buying (then refining, smelting, producing) and reselling. I guess it'd be nice if there were bad investments. The only way to screw that up is misjudging your input or output rate, or bottlenecking your supply line.

    City Size. You run out of room fast. Because it's so easy to make money, you end up bulging at the borders in no time and your city become.

    Region play. The idea of region play is great. The implementation of region play is still a little off. Nothing is more frustrating than overloading a city with sweet nuke plants and the other cities in the region not recognizing that there is power available to buy. Or when collaborating on a great work, some cities will recognize that all of a specific resource (metal, allow, oil) has been provided, while others do not or only see that half has been provided.

    Multiple servers. Spreading out the load was a great idea to increase server availability. The downside is that the regions aren't shared between servers. So, if you've spent countless hours building a perfect replica of Trenton, New Jersey and that server is unavailable, EA supports answer is try a different server (where your region does not exist and you get to start all over). The result of this is a bunch of cities in the public regions that don't look like people are playing them. So it ends up as a Multiplayer environment where you're the only one on.

    Summary: After 10 years, they fell on their face at the starting line, but were able to get an Ok game out. They've hinted at some changes (bigger cities is the last one I heard), but I suspect a lot of these enhancements will cost you real-world Simoleans.    … Expand
  43. KalanYamato
    Mar 12, 2013
    2
    Haha, oh wow, my god, it hurts me so much to see this actually happening.
    Well, that was the last straw. I already made the mistake of buying HP2010 and BF3, I won't repeat it.
  44. EchoBlack
    Mar 11, 2013
    0
    The game cannot be played at all. At the time of this writing, the content cannot be accessed due to server problems. The consumer's experience has been, for the past few days, one of paying and getting nothing in return.
  45. PunkStarStudios
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Anyone giving this game a positive review must be a shill.... someone working for EA who can actually play the game as opposed to the poor slobs trying to play it from home.
  46. moedin
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    This game was going to be a winner but the total mess with DRM has limited to one play session, can't log back in due to server capacity and EA support has been useless in telling me to be patient. Not one apology or showing any form of culpable responsibility for this mess. For that, I offer you this score EA. As always, you never fail to flop on something with such promise.
  47. OCsmart
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Servers always booting me out. connection lost how i am hard wired into the internet! be only to play on-line is a huge pain in the a** am cant save your city on your desktop and then have it sync to the cloud. then you can swap server because you lose your city completely i been playing this game since the launch date. my computer at home plays it just fine. then i get to work and playsServers always booting me out. connection lost how i am hard wired into the internet! be only to play on-line is a huge pain in the a** am cant save your city on your desktop and then have it sync to the cloud. then you can swap server because you lose your city completely i been playing this game since the launch date. my computer at home plays it just fine. then i get to work and plays for like an hour then boom game stops responding, it due to the graphics card over heating video card hog. my call of duy Black Ops 2 doesnt even take that i can play for hours and they dont get hot. this game is a heat generator. i wish i could play it on the plane or in the car but you have to be connected always to the internet make me wonder how much data is being transfered all the time. and there is no auto sync so if you get blown out of the game you have to start all over again sucks.… Expand
  48. nightred
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    The updated graphics is nice but the lack of options for transportation that makes any difference the lack of larger maps where you would actually care about creating a large city with interesting design.
    This feels like a demo of a full game we will get next year.
    Oh ya and the DRM is horrid constraining and adds nothing, absolutely nothing to the game.
  49. 102Viking
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Forced online DRM, worst servers ever, extremely limited building area (should be called SimVillage or something like that. EA, never go full greed.
  50. supamun
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Purchased game, installed, started game, created city, game crashed, no saves. Restarted game, created city, played for 15 minutes, game crashes, no saves. Ate lunch. Restarted game, unable to created city due to error. Closed and restarted game, unable to authenticate with server, tried different server, unable to authenticate. Closed game. Write review.
  51. Sharra65
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I purchased this game to the hefty tune of 60 X2 yes both myself and Boyfriend have a copy. Here's what I've seen so far. The game itself is good. The mechanics are well thought out, and complex enough to keep interest. There's some graphical glitches. The plot size for the cities are smaller than preferred. You definatley have to manage your space effectively. Now for the problems andI purchased this game to the hefty tune of 60 X2 yes both myself and Boyfriend have a copy. Here's what I've seen so far. The game itself is good. The mechanics are well thought out, and complex enough to keep interest. There's some graphical glitches. The plot size for the cities are smaller than preferred. You definatley have to manage your space effectively. Now for the problems and they are game breaking. In 5 hours of attempted play on two computers here is what we experienced. Delays in invites to the game, 10 minutes. In ability to claim a city once the invite was accepted. Once we sorted that out and got our cities claimed, and were playing two of the 3 people in our region were kicked from the server, re logging in showed we weren't invited to the game we'd been playing at all. Had to be re-invited to get back to our existing cities, which had reset completely to the default although were showing we'd claimed them. 3 disconnects a piece for myself and the boyfriend. Never at the same time, so it wasn't really servers crashing. I should mention we play in the same house. Inability to get back into the game without a 20 minute queue. At one point the 20 minute queue ticked down and reset to another 20 minutes... at this point i shut it down. This morning when i logged in, it had lost 2 hours of progress from last night due to synching issues. My bf experienced this a couple times yesterday as well. Basically the online component need fixed yesterday or the games dead.… Expand
  52. Chewieflakes
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    If you condone EA's terribly consumer-unfriendly business practices and countless butchered classics by buying this game you should be ashamed. If you are lucky enough to even be able to PLAY the game you payed so much money for then you'll be surprised to see most of the official game reviewers have been paid off by EA for favorable ratings, which is typical. Also expect dozens of dlc forIf you condone EA's terribly consumer-unfriendly business practices and countless butchered classics by buying this game you should be ashamed. If you are lucky enough to even be able to PLAY the game you payed so much money for then you'll be surprised to see most of the official game reviewers have been paid off by EA for favorable ratings, which is typical. Also expect dozens of dlc for content that was suppose to be in the original game. Do not buy this game.… Expand
  53. FredSnodgrass
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    "Dang, Waiting in a cue to play sim city." Never thought I'd hear myself say that. Refund plz, this game blows.

    I did manage to log in for a bit earlier though, and I was in the process of creating my region before I got booted off. That was annoying as I had to go through each of them to find one with a high wind resource. It's cool that terrain matters for this stuff, but it's not    "Dang, Waiting in a cue to play sim city." Never thought I'd hear myself say that. Refund plz, this game blows.

    I did manage to log in for a bit earlier though, and I was in the process of creating my region before I got booted off. That was annoying as I had to go through each of them to find one with a high wind resource. It's cool that terrain matters for this stuff, but it's not cool that the terrain is predetermined. I had assumed it would be somewhat random. Nope. EA has ruined another treasure. PS, Ocean Quigley can eat it. What a liar. Shame on him.    … Expand
  54. mgblair
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Thank you for erasing my 10 hour old city. Thank you for forcing me to play that stupid intro scenario again. I genuinely wish nothing but the worst for the entire corporate staff at EA. There's such a thing as making money, and there's such a thing as being a perfect douche about it.
  55. germantickler
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Day 3, still have yet to play. This is absolutely criminal! EA, I want my money and time back.

    I am posting on as many forums as I can in hopes that this will persuade others to NOT purchase this 'game'. I would give this less than a zero if I could.
  56. Ateerix
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Long time fan of the series, this game is great, the mechanics and all, it is just so unfortunate that EA and Origin are the ones behind the wheel. What with it being DRM, once it stops making them as much money as they want, it will go the to the same place The Sims Online was sent.
  57. RakAttack
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I haven't been able to start SimCity yet because the game forces you to connect to a server that is never available and always BUSY. You have to be connected online even to play a single player game. $80 for nothing! I'm saying goodbye to Maxis and goodbye to Origin.(EA's crappy version of Steam.)
  58. SimCityDisaster
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    *EA Is BANNING users that demand refunds and reverse charges on their credit cards.* The game is fun but the server connection is absolutely terrible. You have to constantly switch servers (as recommended by EA), and then start a new city (because you're on a new server). You spent 5 hours making your dream city. Then you get booted from the game, and 2 hours later you get back on your*EA Is BANNING users that demand refunds and reverse charges on their credit cards.* The game is fun but the server connection is absolutely terrible. You have to constantly switch servers (as recommended by EA), and then start a new city (because you're on a new server). You spent 5 hours making your dream city. Then you get booted from the game, and 2 hours later you get back on your server. Now you return to your city and it's all gone. EA Felt you needed a city rollback (when the city doesn't ever save on EA Servers). How lovely and supporting is that?… Expand
  59. Kenzoid
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Thanks to ridiculous Online requirement and no servers available, nobody can play the damn game and we have all been ripped off our cash and delivered nothing. Worst game ever!
  60. akalars
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Unable to create city, I'm not even able to play the getting started scenario on this single player game because the server cant handle the load. The game might be great, but the launch is a utter and total failure. I understand the need for DRM to protect your investment, but preventing your paying customer to use the product is just silly.
  61. redhorn
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    No way to even start it, I can't even reach the server selection. Don't buy this crap!No way to even start it, I can't even reach the server selection. Don't buy this crap!No way to even start it, I can't even reach the server selection. Don't buy this crap!
  62. Nalthos
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Please, do not waste your money on this travesty. I don't generally bother writing reviews, but if you pay for this game you will not be able to play it. EA will accept your money and then deny you what you paid for. Please save your money for something else and do not make the same mistake I did and assume that a large, profitable company would not cut so many corners that they will takePlease, do not waste your money on this travesty. I don't generally bother writing reviews, but if you pay for this game you will not be able to play it. EA will accept your money and then deny you what you paid for. Please save your money for something else and do not make the same mistake I did and assume that a large, profitable company would not cut so many corners that they will take your money and then not allow you to play what should have been a single player game.… Expand
  63. Penthaussuite
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Cant connect to servers, no matter which server you choose..... was looking forward to this game but so dissapointed. Come on developers you had 10years...
  64. 1104186
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    I am an Australian and I have been trying for over 3 hours to successful start a game... Any game.... Well I have played the tutorial for about 5 minutes and a real game for about 10. I have had every error message under the sun!!! And just when it looks like it is about to work it crashes. I have tried every server and I just cannot play this game!!! WHAT A WASTE OF TIME!!!! IT ISI am an Australian and I have been trying for over 3 hours to successful start a game... Any game.... Well I have played the tutorial for about 5 minutes and a real game for about 10. I have had every error message under the sun!!! And just when it looks like it is about to work it crashes. I have tried every server and I just cannot play this game!!! WHAT A WASTE OF TIME!!!! IT IS UNBELIEVABLE THAT A GAME CAN BE SOLD THAT CANNOT BE PLAYED DUE TO POOR SERVERS!!! IF THIS IS NOT RESOLVED BY THE SAME TIME TOMORROW I WILL DEMAND A REFUND!!! DO NOT BUY THIS GAME IN IT'S CURRENT STATE!… Expand
  65. Ziggurat
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    This DRM is a massive insult to paying gamers. I will be taking my money elsewhere, supporting a company that doesn't treat their customers like dirt.

    By buying this game you are funding a practice that is worse than piracy. Hell, the pirated versions of this game are likely to be more enjoyable than this, but I will be totally boycotting EA. There are hundreds of other good games to    This DRM is a massive insult to paying gamers. I will be taking my money elsewhere, supporting a company that doesn't treat their customers like dirt.

    By buying this game you are funding a practice that is worse than piracy. Hell, the pirated versions of this game are likely to be more enjoyable than this, but I will be totally boycotting EA. There are hundreds of other good games to spend my money on and I'd rather encourage publishers that actually value me as a customer.    … Expand
  66. proteinfabrikke
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    One word is only needed: Unacceptable.
    I have never attacked any developer, I have never hated EA, or said one single bad thing about them. However this is not how any company should be able to do. When Always online-DRM was mentioned, every single person knew this would happen. INCLUDING EA! We have been given multiple useless promises, but when what everyone knew was going to happen,    One word is only needed: Unacceptable.
    I have never attacked any developer, I have never hated EA, or said one single bad thing about them. However this is not how any company should be able to do. When Always online-DRM was mentioned, every single person knew this would happen. INCLUDING EA! We have been given multiple useless promises, but when what everyone knew was going to happen, happened. They just keeping on us..    … Expand
  67. flatspin27
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Has a long time fan and owner of all the other sim cities I strongly recommend staying far away from this game. I thought that the city size had to be a joke a first, unfortunately I was wrong. This issue alone is enough to turn away any sim city fan. On top of this the always online DRM makes this unplayable game the worst dissapointment since duke nukem forever. I really wanted to likeHas a long time fan and owner of all the other sim cities I strongly recommend staying far away from this game. I thought that the city size had to be a joke a first, unfortunately I was wrong. This issue alone is enough to turn away any sim city fan. On top of this the always online DRM makes this unplayable game the worst dissapointment since duke nukem forever. I really wanted to like this game and I am incredibly disappointed... I feel that diablo 3 delivered a better diablo game then this sim cities idea of a city simulation game.… Expand
  68. Sarnokh
    Mar 22, 2013
    2
    The game is broken is almost every important aspect. Sure, I can imagine IF one day everything works, it could be a 8/10 candidate. But as it is, on two fronts the game is entirely broken. In the Agent System, and in the server/online feature.

    There have been plenty of reports how and why the agent system and the other ingame systems don't work. There is little I could add to what has    The game is broken is almost every important aspect. Sure, I can imagine IF one day everything works, it could be a 8/10 candidate. But as it is, on two fronts the game is entirely broken. In the Agent System, and in the server/online feature.

    There have been plenty of reports how and why the agent system and the other ingame systems don't work. There is little I could add to what has been said a 1000 times by now. Simply too many subsystems of the game do not work at all.

    But I could live with traffic issues, simlulation disparities, trash gathering... all of it, if the game would actually, physically work. Just it doesn't. I invested 2 days in a region, and suddenly the game went to the main screen, out of the blue, "Server crashed" and the entire savegame of the region was broken and I could never load it again. Then I started a new region, two specialized cities, I put DAYS of long, hard work into the cities and was proud to finally got them them running. Them BAM, the game forced me to the main menu, the city was RESET, and the hard work of DAYS was lost to me.

    I contacted EA support, but they could do nothing to reset my savegames, which were lost entirely due to their fault. So they have no backups, and they have no system to save the savegames on MY OWN computer for safety backup. I can really live with a lot of issues, but when days of work into a game are ruined, it is beyond any excuse. And for weeks this is so, and EA simply refuses to communicate with it's customers.

    I give 2 honorary points for the idea behind the game, but the game is at the moment ENTIRELY broken, unplayable and as it looks, the issues run so deep it will take months to enable a halfway working status.    … Expand
  69. james022
    Mar 10, 2013
    2
    Has a significant amount of potential. Visually the game is awesome. They did incorporate some great ideas such as interacting with other cities for trade, sharing resources, commuters, etc. However, the specialization provides limited options. Major Problem #1: Cities are too small!! I know their excuse for it but really? It's ridiculous and almost ruins the game on its own. MajorHas a significant amount of potential. Visually the game is awesome. They did incorporate some great ideas such as interacting with other cities for trade, sharing resources, commuters, etc. However, the specialization provides limited options. Major Problem #1: Cities are too small!! I know their excuse for it but really? It's ridiculous and almost ruins the game on its own. Major Problem #2: It's just too easy, there isn't a whole lot to it and it can be mastered quickly Major Problem #3 There are no ordinances, policies etc to run the city--it has simply been turned into a city building game with sometimes silly animated visuals Major Problem #4: Big changes have minimal impact-- for the city to really go downhill you really, really have to do it almost on purpose, you can get away with a lot, this isn't realistic.

    Overall I am VERY disappointed with SimCity (5). Not because it wasn't made well (it was, it's def. quality) but because they put in all of this thought and missed the main reasons why people love the SimCity franchise--you can run all facets of a city including policies, more detailed finances (what about budgeting by department??) and other strategically driven options and inputs. I still recommend the game but only for those interested in a pretty straight forward city building game- the management people should leave it.    … Expand
  70. IRSmurf
    Mar 6, 2013
    1
    SimCity is a buggy mess. First, the UI stopped responding due to their overloaded servers. I couldn't even close the game, since it didn't want to close until it synchronized with the server. A server which was refusing connections. I Alt-F4'd out of it and tried to get back in the game. I had to spam the login, clicking it over and over, pressing the OK button saying the servers were busySimCity is a buggy mess. First, the UI stopped responding due to their overloaded servers. I couldn't even close the game, since it didn't want to close until it synchronized with the server. A server which was refusing connections. I Alt-F4'd out of it and tried to get back in the game. I had to spam the login, clicking it over and over, pressing the OK button saying the servers were busy over and over. I got in after about twenty minutes until I got in. Once I got it, it made me play through the tutorial again. Except this time, the dialogue boxes wouldn't load, since the servers were over capacity. I couldn't complete the tutorial. So I walked away from my computer for a while.

    I tried logging in again, and this time the game had a queue. Except it wasn't a queue that guaranteed access to the game after a specified wait. It was simply a retry button on a TWENTY MINUTE timer. For nearly half an hour I spammed the server selection screen, clicking US East, (Error: Busy), Server, US West (Error: Busy), Server, US East, (Error: Busy), Server, US West (Error: Busy), Server, US East, etc. I finally got in. I got into my city and went to region view. I worked on a new city in my region for another half hour and then the screen went black and SimCity closed. After a while I was able to reconnect. ALL MY WORK WAS GONE. I started a new city in the same area and IT HAPPENED AGAIN! It erased my progress.

    EA, this is horrible. If you don't have the server capacity to handle the launch of your always-on DRM scheme, you can't implement an always-on DRM scheme. I will never pre-order another EA title with always-on DRM.

    The fact that EA has the nevrve to say this disaster of a launch has only affected a smaller number of players is like rubbing salt in the wound. They're completely full of crap. Their lie only validates my opinion that EA has contempt for their customers.    … Expand
  71. kajota
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    I understood that this game had annoying DRM when I bought it. What I didn't realize is that it would make the game unplayable. Literally. It's not that it's bad (or could be, I don't know), I couldn't actually play the game. I couldn't connect to the server, couldn't load a city, or the controls wouldn't work once I did load a city. There was no playing to be had. Just an hour and a halfI understood that this game had annoying DRM when I bought it. What I didn't realize is that it would make the game unplayable. Literally. It's not that it's bad (or could be, I don't know), I couldn't actually play the game. I couldn't connect to the server, couldn't load a city, or the controls wouldn't work once I did load a city. There was no playing to be had. Just an hour and a half of time wasted installing and trying to play this junk. These guys owe me a refund.… Expand
  72. kiwi_tea
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    SimCity is an impressive concept for a game one that deserved to become a classic kludged into a horrifically anti-consumer, modular, DRM-crippled framework. The Glassbox engine is a marvel, allowing a deeper and more meaningful simulation than ever before, and it deserved to marry up with better business practices than EA's. One can trust this is one the "base game" in a series, withSimCity is an impressive concept for a game one that deserved to become a classic kludged into a horrifically anti-consumer, modular, DRM-crippled framework. The Glassbox engine is a marvel, allowing a deeper and more meaningful simulation than ever before, and it deserved to marry up with better business practices than EA's. One can trust this is one the "base game" in a series, with many expansions to come. There seems to be little to no role for the modding community in SimCity, although that remains to be seen, due to the online-only DRM and the multiplayer component. What is gone in SimCity is the sense of game that might ever become a long-lived classic such as SimCity 2000 or SimCity 4. SimCity is a great game that many players will enjoy, but its faults in terms of the way it is framed tend outweigh the great craftsmanship of the game itself. Server trouble at launch will no doubt dissipate in the coming weeks, though that's hardly an excuse for the debacle surrounding this game's launch. Like Spore, another rather tragic release from Maxis that will sell, but will also stand testament to a much better game prevented from coming into fruition by poor design and marketing choices.… Expand
  73. Assamita007
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    EA have the amazing ability to kill amazing franchises, your greed is going to kill you!

    SimCity is an amazing game published by a greed company EA, the forced on-line DRM ruin the single play experience... good by EA Games, SimCity is my last game from your company, I will never again buy anything from you.
  74. TheFlavorRed
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Server queues (you have to wait to play.. 10-50min)
    No single player offline mode.
    EA servers (proven over the years to be unreliable)
    DRM
    Origin (spyware)
    Bugs galore (you're lucky if you can get the game started)
    ** city size is unbearable***(to small)

    Honestly Could we not anticipate EA botching another game?
  75. MindOfVacuity
    Mar 11, 2013
    0
    Uses EA's Origin, which EA created because Valve wouldn't spy on their users or agree to never put EA games on a big sale. EA Origin is clunky, badly executed, and down right evil. EA specifically wont sell new games like SimCity on Steam in order to force people to use Origins. Last time I checked, there was huge controversy because Origin's EULA allowed for them to monitor EVERYTHINGUses EA's Origin, which EA created because Valve wouldn't spy on their users or agree to never put EA games on a big sale. EA Origin is clunky, badly executed, and down right evil. EA specifically wont sell new games like SimCity on Steam in order to force people to use Origins. Last time I checked, there was huge controversy because Origin's EULA allowed for them to monitor EVERYTHING that happens on your computer. That means everything you install, every website you go to, heck I wouldn't be surprised if they just plain keylog people so they can track everything possible. AND on top of that, the EULA allows them to give that information to 3rd parties OR allow 3rd parties to directly use Origins to gather information on you!

    It is so bad that in Germany a judge in said that it violates German law and should be considered null and void.

    It's pretty sad. There have been a lot of games I was really looking forward to, only to find out it will only be available on Origins.

    EVEN IF ORIGINS WASN'T EVIL, IT IS STILL BLOATWARE. Remember games that had you install things like GameSpy and games that still install punkbuster. I hate that garbage. I don't want that junk on my computer. It just sucks up resources and is useless. This Origins thing is nothing more than a slightly more sophisticated piece of bloatware.

    EA has got to be one of the WORST game companies out there.

    I've saved over $200 by just not playing a lot of the new games and their DLC--This includes Dragon Age 2, BF3, ME3, Crysis 3 and SimCity. Can't wait until next gen consoles come out with anti-resale measures and find the sales of new games just plummet. Maybe someday EA will stop being evil and I will be able to buy these games as stand-alones, without the bloatware. Until then I just wont play them.

    Everyone I know hates Origins and only a few have broken down and bought a game that requires it. The rest just throw their hands up in the air and play something else.

    The game industry has been overrun by suits. We don't need them. Support indie games, screw EA and the like.    … Expand
  76. Serpentu
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Here's a typical launch week sim city 2013 experience:
    a) it gets stuck "connecting to a server" which you have to fix by launching recovery to re-update each time you run it.
    b) you end up put in a queue that isn't really a queue, it's a simple 30min timeout. c) you finally get into the game, start playing, build a city only to get the message that you've been disconnected from the    Here's a typical launch week sim city 2013 experience:
    a) it gets stuck "connecting to a server" which you have to fix by launching recovery to re-update each time you run it.
    b) you end up put in a queue that isn't really a queue, it's a simple 30min timeout.
    c) you finally get into the game, start playing, build a city only to get the message that you've been disconnected from the server, hence anything you do from here on out cannot be saved.
    d) you do -not- end up reconnecting to the server, instead after 15 or so minutes you just get disconnected, all progress lost, you go back to a).

    p.s. that whole attempt at justifying the online drm by saying that some calculations are performed serverside seems to be a lie since you do end up playing for about 15-20 minutes while the server is down.

    The game aspect of this game might have been good if it did not degenerate into endless frustration all related to the force-fed online drm and the servers that cannot support it
    Just to reiterate on the matter of lost progress: the game does NOT save locally.

    A solid 0/10; makes D3 launch look tolerable.    … Expand
  77. dkeppens
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Always online DRM, EA published piece of crap with microtransactions and lots of cut content compared to previous releases to accomodate for unwanted "social multiplayer gaming" features. Do as i did and set aside your love for another superb, old franchise destroyed by the EA cancer and DO NOT BUY
  78. LostMyMind
    Mar 6, 2013
    0
    Love the SimCity games and the review are looking good. I would have bought this game but I'm not going to pay money for a always online single player game. I made that mistake with Diablo 3 already. You lost my money.
  79. ohrolly
    Mar 12, 2013
    0
    This isn't a "game". It is a $60 paperweight that comes in a nice fancy box. That is all there is to it. This is what happens when developers force us to constantly be online for a single player game. Several days we cannot play, and this issue probably wont resolve itself for a while. Also, suppose 5 or 10 years down the line we want to play simcity, do we get to? are your servers goingThis isn't a "game". It is a $60 paperweight that comes in a nice fancy box. That is all there is to it. This is what happens when developers force us to constantly be online for a single player game. Several days we cannot play, and this issue probably wont resolve itself for a while. Also, suppose 5 or 10 years down the line we want to play simcity, do we get to? are your servers going to remain up for that long? possibly even longer? For people who bought this game, let this be a lesson, do NOT support developers that force DRM onto single player games, don't buy another EA game, and when their wallets get lighter, they will listen. These greedy bastards listen to their quarterly reports, not their customers.… Expand
  80. dinin70
    Mar 12, 2013
    0
    I've been so so stupid... As a Sim City lover I just bought that game blindly. How can I be such an idiot? I bought blindly Heroes of Might and Magic 6 and it was awful. I bought blindly Diablo 3 and it was disappointing. I bought Civilization V and it was the most terrible video game decision I made up to now... It's the fourth time one of my favourite franchise as been just DESTROYED.I've been so so stupid... As a Sim City lover I just bought that game blindly. How can I be such an idiot? I bought blindly Heroes of Might and Magic 6 and it was awful. I bought blindly Diablo 3 and it was disappointing. I bought Civilization V and it was the most terrible video game decision I made up to now... It's the fourth time one of my favourite franchise as been just DESTROYED. Why the game is so crap? How can someone fail in making a great SimCity? I mean... How is this possible? I'm not talking about DRM, internet only connections and so forth... I mean: how can somebody be able to consciously screw a franchise that every single time one game was released was getting more and more subtle, intrusting? Well... They did it... How then? Take the wonderful (but perfectible) SimCity 4. Make the map 10 times smaller, and take out everything that means "managing something" in that game... I mean, it's incredible. They managed to make a game where you have to think less than in Sim City on Super Nintendo... They did it!!!!!!!! They made a game where you make 1 powerplant, some Water towers, 20 blocks of buildings and that's it... Ok, graphics are fantastic, bit that's it. I won't even talk about multiplayer, projects and so on. I'm talking about the fact that this game should be called "SimTown" or "SimVillage" or even "SimNothing"... It's a REAL shame...… Expand
  81. Frequenter
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Do you have any idea how horribly depressing it is to come onto this site and review this game, a game I have waited years for, from a developer that I adore with all my heart, and blast the absolute crap out of it. But what option do we have? EA needs to make this right, in a big, big way. Until then, I still think this game is the bees knees, but the release and server side issuesDo you have any idea how horribly depressing it is to come onto this site and review this game, a game I have waited years for, from a developer that I adore with all my heart, and blast the absolute crap out of it. But what option do we have? EA needs to make this right, in a big, big way. Until then, I still think this game is the bees knees, but the release and server side issues combine to create the worst release in gaming history. Without a shadow of a doubt... I hope Maxis doesn;t get blasted for this, because this is ALL on EA.… Expand
  82. Ranzsig
    Mar 6, 2013
    2
    The Good: Beautiful game, good soundtrack, they added a lot of cool new features since Sim City 4 and went away from the train wreck that was 'Societies'.

    The Bad: Tiny, little maps. I want to build a massive, pollution-belching metropolis like in SC4, but you can't. You are limited to the same sized Cities as in 'Societies'. With all the great features implemented in this title there    The Good: Beautiful game, good soundtrack, they added a lot of cool new features since Sim City 4 and went away from the train wreck that was 'Societies'.

    The Bad: Tiny, little maps. I want to build a massive, pollution-belching metropolis like in SC4, but you can't. You are limited to the same sized Cities as in 'Societies'. With all the great features implemented in this title there is no room to use them. The game also requires that be online to play, unfortunately EA didn't plan for the launch. I've spent more time trying to play than actually playing. In trying to load one of my 4 Cities it reports that I cannot due to the servers being down. Maxis is a good developer, at least they were until they got gobbled-up by EA. I will certainly think twice before buying any additional EA titles in the future. It's clear that they care less about your gaming experience then they do about your dollar.    … Expand
  83. Godhimself
    Mar 7, 2013
    1
    Day-1 DLC:Check. Always online DRM:Check. Forced to use Origin spyware: Check. Dumbed down mechanics and removed features: Check.
    This is one of the worst pieces of garbage gaming has put out in the last few years, shame on EA, MAXIS, and anyone who gives this game a good rating.Nice bribes, EA.
  84. anmont
    Mar 12, 2013
    0
    There is so much wrong with the game, how to begin? I will just iterate the bad items (none of which have to do with the server problems they claim they will fix or their DRM)
    1) Road placement in large grids is frequently buggy, meaning exact placements cant be made
    2) At random points in the game large game logic failovers happen (i.e. no matter how many trash centers you place you    There is so much wrong with the game, how to begin? I will just iterate the bad items (none of which have to do with the server problems they claim they will fix or their DRM)
    1) Road placement in large grids is frequently buggy, meaning exact placements cant be made
    2) At random points in the game large game logic failovers happen (i.e. no matter how many trash centers you place you cannot clear more than 33% of the trash)
    3) It is impossible to control zoning sizes or density of a giving area
    4) You cannot farm
    5) Map sizes are limited to very small areas !!!!
    6) You cannot pass ordinances, edict or other logic based controls
    7) There are no subways
    8) Map overylays (while cool) are very limited
    9) No local single player mode exists (nor saving to your local machine)
    10) lack of ruler based descisions on custom sized grids
    11) no terraforming (your stuck with whatever land shape you have got.)
    12) graphics quality is very low, textures on models are unexciting (i.e. farmville quality)
    on... and on... and on... dont buy it.... It should be a free to play game, and if it were released by anybody but a major game company that would be the only model where this could succeed.    … Expand
  85. abbadox
    Mar 13, 2013
    0
    Why are they still selling a broken game, they should stop selling copies of this broken game and fix the server problems, allow people to play offline, and increase the city size. If they solve these issues then start selling the game again. If not then they should refund everyone that paid for a copy of the game and resign from the game making business. This is the worst launch of aWhy are they still selling a broken game, they should stop selling copies of this broken game and fix the server problems, allow people to play offline, and increase the city size. If they solve these issues then start selling the game again. If not then they should refund everyone that paid for a copy of the game and resign from the game making business. This is the worst launch of a video game in recent history and everyone saw in coming except for the development team or they just did not care. I am a long long time fan of simcity games and this is the first one I HATE.… Expand
  86. woodruff
    Mar 13, 2013
    0
    Besindes the server problems and all, don't people see that EA makes fun of us all? They want to sell us a game with features it doesn't have at all.

    Look: http://answers.ea.com/t5/Miscellaneous-Issues/Traffic-quot-AI-quot-This-is-why-services-and-traffic-are-broken/m-p/737060#U737060 There are no Sims living in your town. They are just mindless bots, going to the next free house    Besindes the server problems and all, don't people see that EA makes fun of us all? They want to sell us a game with features it doesn't have at all.

    Look:
    http://answers.ea.com/t5/Miscellaneous-Issues/Traffic-quot-AI-quot-This-is-why-services-and-traffic-are-broken/m-p/737060#U737060

    There are no Sims living in your town. They are just mindless bots, going to the next free house and the next free shop and the next free working place. And this is why this game has so much flaws. Traffic jams, empty shops and casinos altough everything is full.

    If you build a car lot besides a casino, no sim will go into the casino. They will take the bus to the next free shop. This game is mindless like any other EA games of the early past. Don't buy this stuff.    … Expand
  87. Nomius
    Mar 12, 2013
    0
    I had to play in the "Antartic" server, coz this is the only up to play. After three hours playing, the server went down and now im unable to play since the last 5 hours. What a joke this DRM.
  88. Zentriefugal
    Mar 7, 2013
    6
    To be honest, the game itself is nice but Electronic Arts is like a baby that is not interessted in learning from its misstakes. I give this game to lowest scor to continue drop the rating!
  89. Soulgraph
    Mar 13, 2013
    0
    Never support forced online DRM. It makes me sick that EA thinks it can shove this always-on DRM into the game but why not it worked for Diablow. I can't believe anyone would support this behaviour, there should be 0 positive reviews on this page.
  90. elgringo
    Mar 7, 2013
    0
    Programmed as quick money grab with poor game mechanics. If you can play this game at all because of the poor always online servers you'll find yourself in an oversimplified version of SimCity 4 with comical graphics. This game takes you by the hand and does the thinking for you. Being Mayor of a city? More like being major dump!
  91. Flight
    Mar 13, 2013
    0
    Game is totally and utterly broken. I don't think they can fix it.

    Code on your PC is open. They actually call the variable representing your population 'FudgedPopulation'.
  92. AlphaRebel
    Mar 9, 2013
    0
    DO NOT BUY THIS GAME You can't actually play it!

    Remember Spore, Another massive Maxis release where anyone who bought the game couldn't play for 3 days while everyone pirated it could.

    Well they learnt their lesson, this time round have have made sure NO ONE can play it.
  93. kwopper
    Mar 12, 2013
    0
    And yet another reason why DRM is a failed concept. Too bad though, despite my already negative opinion of EA, i might have probably bought this game sometime in the future. Instead of making quality games more affordable and accessible, EA's idea of fighting piracy is to make the game unplayable as a whole. You people could learn a thing or two from valve, since most of us have several,And yet another reason why DRM is a failed concept. Too bad though, despite my already negative opinion of EA, i might have probably bought this game sometime in the future. Instead of making quality games more affordable and accessible, EA's idea of fighting piracy is to make the game unplayable as a whole. You people could learn a thing or two from valve, since most of us have several, if not dozens of games installed on steam, all purchased legally. Another sad thing is that while this is happening, EA just started pulling more features from simcity as a way to make ammends for this god awful failure. I think we will all be expecting these features pulled to be released in a DLC for 19.99 later on in the future...… Expand
  94. OmegaNine
    Mar 12, 2013
    0
    After trying to play this game for days, I gave up. This is the problem with EA, they cripple games so much that they are totally unusable. I remember thinking "I should not support EA", but I was so looking forward to a SimCity reboot that I didn't care. Turns out that I should have trusted my gut. This was a total waste of money.
  95. XenFox
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    This game so far has been a waste of time and money. In the words of the IGN Launch Day Review "Who could possibly have predicted that SimCity would experience launch day problems due to its online requirement? Right: everyone. Everyone predicted that. With waiting an entire evening with my family watching the 20 minute clock counter go by for the 900th time and getting a whopping totalThis game so far has been a waste of time and money. In the words of the IGN Launch Day Review "Who could possibly have predicted that SimCity would experience launch day problems due to its online requirement? Right: everyone. Everyone predicted that. With waiting an entire evening with my family watching the 20 minute clock counter go by for the 900th time and getting a whopping total of 10 minutes of game play before the game crashed, I know that SimCity was not worth my hard earned money or the time to play it.… Expand
  96. dijrp
    Mar 12, 2013
    0
    The score of EA is always 0, Un-installed Origin few months after Fifa12.
    I'll never buy EA games again, and i'm sorry, i can't play SimCity but if a take a look, to the amazing score in red, I do not mind at all.
    EA always buy "Critic Reviews", so this type of journalism is for kids. Pathetic ... Thanks to Gabe Newell and Steam, If the perspectives of PC gaming are really    The score of EA is always 0, Un-installed Origin few months after Fifa12.
    I'll never buy EA games again, and i'm sorry, i can't play SimCity but if a take a look, to the amazing score in red, I do not mind at all.

    EA always buy "Critic Reviews", so this type of journalism is for kids. Pathetic ...

    Thanks to Gabe Newell and Steam, If the perspectives of PC gaming are really different than a few years ago.

    In the while EA ask 80$ for an epic fail since day 1, just as evidence of how ridiculous they are. I hope that everyone, sooner or later, will be aware of this.

    We should have a zero-tolerance and boycott any software which is essentially an $80 rental that comes with intrusive spyware, always-online DRM.

    Who buy EA is a mup.pet.    … Expand
  97. Foam
    Mar 12, 2013
    3
    As many others have stated, this could have been a great game. The developer (Maxis) and publisher (EA) had probably from the beginning planned for always-online DRM. That is, in order to play the game by yourself you must have a constant secure connection to EA's server. This puts you at the mercy of EA's hardware & IT team, something that is beyond yourAs many others have stated, this could have been a great game. The developer (Maxis) and publisher (EA) had probably from the beginning planned for always-online DRM. That is, in order to play the game by yourself you must have a constant secure connection to EA's server. This puts you at the mercy of EA's hardware & IT team, something that is beyond your control.---------------------------------------------------

    Released on March 5th, it is now late afternoon March 12th and there are still major server issues. I am currently on West Coast 4 and am getting long que times trying to join, and it isn't even peak hours on the west coast. I can only assume the load will increase as most people get off work and arrive home in the next hour or two.--------------------------------------------------------

    SimCity has traditionally been a single player game many people like to play around in for hundreds of real time hours. Since SimCity is "always multiplayer", in order to play by ones self you must create a region and set it to "Private" mode where only you or invited friends can join. The whole idea of that is counter-intuitive in the fullest. Instead of a traditional "Single Player" and "Multiplayer" button on the main menu that has worked for decades, Maxis forces you to click "Play" and enter the multiplayer screen. Someone not that initiated into how games work will find it frustrating to start a singleplayer game even though the "single player" is technically classified as private multiplayer.----------------------------------------

    Maxis & EA are in full damage control public relations mode, all cheery smiles and apologies. Sadly, a large portion of the previously angry customer-base was easily bought with the offer of a free game. Instead of bombarding EA & Maxis with thousands of angry letters & emails demanding the removal of Online DRM and "Always multiplayer" nature of SimCity, they instead were bought off for around $60 and are now towing the line. They seem to think that companies releasing unfinished or highly flawed/untested products is A-ok, as long as they "pinky swear" to fix the game which the timeframe is never admitted. It could be 1 month or even two months before a game is fixed, but there will still be that large group of customers with unyielding blind faith, always ready to defend the happy, cheery gaming company that just recieved 60+ dollars from them for a buggy, non-working product.----------------------------- If you are wondering why game developers and publishers are getting away with extremely sloppy business practices, you need only look at the modern gamer. The customers are the problem because they do not vote with their wallets and protest in writing.--------------------------When you buy a new car, it usually comes with some kind of warranty. If your transmission for example blows seconds after your off the lot, they will replace it for free immediately. Conversely, you expect the car to be 100% working properly and built correctly when you buy it, and every car manufacturer does everything possible to make sure that happens long before you fork over the cash. The same MUST be true for all products or services. Mistakes do happen, but things of the magnitude of SimCity do not just happen accidentally. Someone somewhere made the decision that lower costs were more worth it than a working game. There will likely be bugs on all release of games, but we have the right to demand that their game work properly. In SimCity's case, it does not even work at all.-------------- Don't believe the public relations spin and the attempt to buy your sympathy and loyalty back. If you have any principles at all, for god sakes please make your integrity one of them. Show EA/Maxis that no, you cannot be simply be bought for $60. Demand they remove Online DRM, demand a deserved true Single Player, among various other small things.------ I rated this a 3 out of 10, only because in the extremely short time I have played the actual game, it is well done. Probably the biggest sadness of all is that underneath these unacceptable business practices, a good development team has produced a pretty awesome game.    … Expand
  98. julioazcam
    Mar 12, 2013
    0
    Aside from all the server problems, the stupidly implemented DRM always online for a single player game etc etc ...

    In contrast with other iterations of the game, this SimCity maxes out. There are no long term objectives you might have. You can max out your city in 4 hours, create another one, max it out in another 4 hours ad infinitum. Whereas you could spend months tweaking your    Aside from all the server problems, the stupidly implemented DRM always online for a single player game etc etc ...

    In contrast with other iterations of the game, this SimCity maxes out. There are no long term objectives you might have. You can max out your city in 4 hours, create another one, max it out in another 4 hours ad infinitum.

    Whereas you could spend months tweaking your cities in other versions, the replay value of this title gets old and boring REALLY fast & it all has to do with the size of the cities. It's a fantastic casual game (blah), not a full fledged SimCity like you were used to.    … Expand
  99. jdp245
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    NEVER AGAIN!!! I will never again purchase anything from Origin, EA or Maxis. The always on DRM is simply unusable. I cannot even play my single player game because EA's servers are junk. A SINGLE PLAYER GAME!!! Say it with me... NEVER AGAIN!
  100. safetyguy14
    Mar 5, 2013
    0
    Always online DRM, smaller, non-connected cities due to engine limitations, DAY 0 DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT, poor customer service and delivery of product (waited almost an hour to connect to my single player game), and a swath of simplifications in the gameplay that ruins it.
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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 »