SimCity Review - So Close, Yet So Far

[Shawn Zipay]

Finally, I had some time to sit down and play SimCity by EA and Maxis. Released on a Tuesday, the game really didn't become stable until late Friday, though I was fortunate enough to get some time here and there with the game when the servers weren't completely choking on the traffic.

So, how is it when it works? Well...

As always, the final score is at the end of the video. If you enjoyed the review, feel free to give a thumbs up on the video itself.

As mentioned, I would like to one day return to SimCity in another video. I'm going to keep playing it because I do still find it fun. However, down the line once all of this server crap is behind everyone and some updates have rolled out, I'd like to see if the complaints I mentioned in this video still hold true then.


Relevant Links
SimCity official website

SimCity was provided to TGN for review purposes from Electronic Arts. SimCity is rated E10+ for Everyone ten and older by the ESRB (mild violence).

[jimykx]

I'd say this is sadly the first review that actually reviews the game, and is not just some butthurt "professional" whining about how he can't play so the game is a 5/10. Seriously? How can they review a game by saying "I could not play it"? At least you bother to explain your motives.

[K-16]

This would be the second review that actually reviews the game for me. I like the fresh perspective on it though.

[spoiler=Holy crap this is long... I'm compelled to hide this.]For me, this is the third trusted review that rates/grades the game as an overall product instead of a flawed service. I'm beginning to think reviews that are both in first-person and unrestricted on how one represents their company allows a more reliable and informative review, due to the lack of peer pressure that would normally affect true independence.

I do have to say, your review is as detailed as only one of the two aforementioned reviews for some reason. Furthermore, the other review reflects many of the criticisms and praises that you have noted. The key difference here, and this is why I read multiple reviews, is your background and the other guy is different. As a result, you took on the opposite perspective of representing a market EA/Maxis was targeting towards through streamlining and its focus on multiplayer for the game. With the two reviews, I now have the viewpoints of a SimCity veteran, as well as an adaptive newcomer to get an overall picture of what this product is like, minus the flawed service. In fact, both reviews struggled from ambivalence, and both ended up giving the same score. I'm impressed at the amount of detail in your descriptions though. You went on a rather deep level when talking about the game (may explain the enjoyable 15 min length), and learned far more than many of the Metacritic registered reviews I read combined.

It's a shame the third review that I trust didn't have any of those details, yet they have multiple articles up to maintain true independence (full disclosure, warnings against themselves, etc.); I won't say who they are, but those two professionals for that website are reliable to the point that they are at the frontlines of properly renovating gaming journalism. So to say you have done a more meticulous and unbiased job compared to them should mean something. As for the other reviewer, the SimCity veteran, it's just one guy using his own money (no press benefits). I mentioned his name here last year, but that's as far as I'll say, since this isn't about him.

Back to the TGN review, I feel like this is THE most enthusiastic review you have ever done. I don't recall your voice being this energetic and booming before. Either something emotional happened earlier that day, or you decided on a whim to increase the life of your voice in your reviews. Either way your voice sounds familiar, yet different now.

One last thing, I read/watched at least six Metacritic registered on reviews top of the three. So out of around ten sources, I only trust three. And out of the three, I was properly informed from only two. And from that two, only one was reviewing a franchise he wasn't initially interested in. Here's to TGN and Zips. So time for my rating on this inadvertent meta-review. My review gives Zips' review a thumbs up out of a high five.

...Erm, I seriously wasn't planning on doing a meta-review, the comments in my mind decided to combine 20 different mini-comments into one huge post................ I'm hungry. I'm going to go eat.[/spoiler]
Responding to Zips below: Ok, so that's why. Gotcha. (For those who don't know, he was answering a question in my long-ass "comment" which I threw spoiler tags on, because it's a wall of text)

[Shawn Zipay]

Actually, I was speaking a bit louder because I left my headphones on while recording, and it was harder to hear myself otherwise. Made it a bit more work on myself when editing the audio actually.

Thanks for the kind words otherwise!

[CptainCrunch]

You should do another review in about 4 to 6 months. I was going to mention that and at the end...you did.

I was looking forward to Sim City, but after this review it doesnt seem very well....polished. To me it is strange that it has problems that other Sim City games didnt have. I know its more dynamic and complex, but that road issue? Letting emergency vehicles through? Linking up to other cities? Those seem like things that would have been thought out and worked on a bit. Especially roads, the true life-line of your city.

[Shawn Zipay]

In a few months, it'll hopefully be polished.

I actually wanted to play more this evening. I was thinking up some potential road plans in my head about what might work for high traffic cities, etc.

There were server issues again that prevented me from playing. How in the world does this happen? It was fine ALL weekend when you think the servers would be the most busy, but come Monday is when I can't authenticate with their servers again? Ugh.