SimCity Societies

[Brandon716]

So how about SimCity Societies, do you like it or not? I never got around to playing it until now (over half a year since its introduction) and actually there's two ways to take it.

*If I compare it to the previous games and treat it like SimCity 5 it falls flat on its face. The gameplay is radically different, the mood is different, the way you have fun with it is different.

*If I treat it as a truly different game type I learn to enjoy it. The beauty of a romantic city, the stern feeling of an authoritarian city. Its very, very unique and sets it way far apart from anything done in the Sim world before. Besides that, the gameplay can be more game-like as it doesn't require constant obsession over detail like the power grid or water supply, which tend to be distractions in the old series. Lastly, the graphics of the new SimCity Societies is quite nice albeit a killer for my pity of a GMA950 graphics system in the laptop.

But it does work even on an underpowered mobile graphics solution such as mine...

So I give it a mixed review, it clearly isn't the same old SimCity we've gotten to know over the years, but in its own right it has some good gameplay value.

On a scale of 1-10 I'd place it in the 7 category.

You have to play this game with a cultural and individual building viewpoint instead of an urban planning viewpoint to truly like it.

 

[doady]

Simcity Societies is garbage. If you want a fun, casual city-building game, get Caesar III, Pharoah, or Zeus instead. If you want a hardcore, realistic game continue playing Simcity 4.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Zeus is quite possibly the most relaxing game ever made. Caesar 3 is great but has virtually no micromanaging tools...play the military campaigns unless you want pointless, uncontrollable, ant farm-esque sprawl.

I've always wanted to play Tropico and create my very own banana republic.

 

[CDL.TO]

My favourite review of Sim City societies:

Zero Punctuation

 

[Brandon716]

LOL, I rather enjoy building up the thought police or the romantic distractions. Gives SimCity some spice, although this isn't your daddy's SimCity.

 

[theowne]

Very disappointing for fans of Sim City 4.

I guess the problem with Sim City is that it started out somewhat simple, then gets more and more complex because that's what fans need and want, but then the average gamer is alienated. Hence Sim City Societies. So I suppose a newbie to the SIm City realm would like Societies.

 

[299 bloor call control.]

I'm curious how Sim City Creator will turn out.. albeit only for Wii.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimCity_Creator

 

[doady]

Very disappointing for fans of Sim City 4.

I guess the problem with Sim City is that it started out somewhat simple, then gets more and more complex because that's what fans need and want, but then the average gamer is alienated. Hence Sim City Societies. So I suppose a newbie to the SIm City realm would like Societies.

Some of the best video and computer games appealed to both the mainstream audience and the hardcore audience. I don't see how Simcity 4 couldn't be the same.

What personally intimidated me about Simcity 4 is starting a new region. It is just too difficult and it still is. Otherwise it isn't really all that different from the previous games. Sure, there is a much greater level of control, detail and realism than in the previous games (especially with Rush Hour and the latest patch installed) but the casual gamer is not actually forced to bother with it.

And that said, Simcity doesn't even offer the same level of control over laying paths as Rollercoaster Tycoon did, and yet Rollercoaster Tycoon still had mass appeal. Now there is a game that appealed to both casual and hardcore gamers.

 

[Brandon716]

For hardcore urban fanatics Sim City 4 will forever be more interesting than Sim City Societies, I find them both enjoyable though for very different reasons, I doubt SCS will have the long term playability tho. I won't be playing SCS 4 years after its release like I still do with SC4.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

There is no reason why SimCity can't have "layers" of AI that can be turned on or off depending on much micromanagement the player wanted to get their hands onto. So for example, for someone who doesn't want to get into the nitty gritty, one can have the AI handle details such as transportation and utilities once the zoning goes in...or perhaps have the option of letting the player chose the RCI$-$$-$$$ mix and modal split and let the AI handle it all - and see how the city will evolve.

In any event, I think it's time for them to get back onto the SC4 pattern with significant improvements - not necessarily just more of everything (buildings - styles, types, function) but also realism - like policy choices (ordinances) that can affect more aspects of how the city work. Oh and true 3D instead of quad-directional views. And oh...please please please take the lessons learned from Spore (i.e. procedural generation) and apply it to all these Sim games?!

AoD

 

[jks]

After the complete carp that was Societies, I am really looking forward to Cities XL, and although I never played City Life, I will definitely get it when it comes out

 

[Kitsune]

SC4 has now hit the point with mods that really, if they do create a new sim city akin to the earlier versions, it prolly wouldnt sell that great among the hard cores. Theres so much getting added into SC4 that its quickly becoming a great game. By the end of 09, you'll be able to create streets like Queen, King Dundas etc with some of the unofficial mods are that getting released.

 

[jks]

SC4 has now hit the point with mods that really, if they do create a new sim city akin to the earlier versions, it prolly wouldnt sell that great among the hard cores. Theres so much getting added into SC4 that its quickly becoming a great game. By the end of 09, you'll be able to create streets like Queen, King Dundas etc with some of the unofficial mods are that getting released.

True, Simtropolis.com is second on my Bookmark list, right after UT

(Well, no, because I have Yahoo, Hotmail, Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, and Transit Toronto before both LOL >> teehee)

 

[oreoshack]

yahoo? are you serious? google man, get with it.

 

[TKTKTK]

SC4 has now hit the point with mods that really, if they do create a new sim city akin to the earlier versions, it prolly wouldnt sell that great among the hard cores. Theres so much getting added into SC4 that its quickly becoming a great game. By the end of 09, you'll be able to create streets like Queen, King Dundas etc with some of the unofficial mods are that getting released.

Eh, true to a degree.

You're starting with an old piece of code that isn't really optimized for any current computer system, plus you'd adding hundreds (thousands really) of user-created files that vary in quality and compatibility.

SimCityXL, or whatever the new version will be called, should be seeking to replicate the breadth of options currently available for SC4, but natively. Plus they should make it even easier for third-parties to create and manage custom content (so we can do away with those misguided .exe files)