Sim-pli-city (SimCity 3000 (PC))

Member Name: dcoare

Product:	SimCity 3000 (PC)
Date:	23/12/03 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Build your own "dream" city, Be powerful and merciless(ha ha!)

Disadvantages: Laying piping and underground railways, Frustratingly unpleasable sims, No set goals

I have to start by saying that the original idea of the Sim City games was fantastic. You are given all the tools required to build your own city, and if that wasn't enough you can then see if it all works. You design the complete layout, transport structures, power distribution, etc and even have the power to raise and lower taxes, spend money where and when you like to improve services, or just demolish areas as takes your fancy.

My first experience of these games was on my limited little friend the ZX Spectrum 128K. Back then everything was done very basically with a overhead view of your city.

In time I finally got round to ditching the old speccy, and moved onto PC's. This was when I first saw the 3D version of the same game which actually included very little extra from the old version.

Which is where I can really start my review of Sim City 3000. My initial reaction after very few hours was that it really hasn't improved that much.

To be quite honest, you find that some of the additions make the game very boring and repetitive. (ie Laying water pipes)

The idea is still the same...make your city work. You are helped along this path by the constant feedback from your residents as to their likes, dislikes, and more commonly, wants. These guys are very rarely happy, and of course it is your job to try make sure they don't get upset and leave town.

You are given a helping hand throughout the game by your panel of "experts" who aid you with your decision making. Don't always listen to these people as they just seem to bow to any pressure from the sims.

So you start by laying down some residential land, then you give your city some commercial properties so that things can be sold, and you add to that a touch of industrial areas for factories. You build roads, railways, and subways to connect all the above areas.

The sims will then quickly remind you that while all t
hat is fine, they could really use some power, water, hospitals, schools, colleges, libraries, parks, police stations, and fire stations.

So you go about your task of adding these things to your rapidly increasing landscape, and speedily decreasing bank balance. No problemo, the bank will loan you money.(They really are nice people, aren't they?)

You then find that after having run your city for a while, there is a major problem with garbage. The sims call, so you provide.(In this case, you either give them landfill sites or incinerators.)

After some more time these people will find more and more problems with your dream city. It's a bit disheartening really.

At the end of the day, the sims tend to react to situations as you would expect.(You raise the taxes, they get upset and leave)

So what is my problem with this game. Well, in a nutshell, it's boring. It's not that I don't think it does it's job, I just don't like the job it's doing.

I always play this game with the intention of improving my city, saving, and continuing my progress at a later time, but what usually happens is that I start a small city, get it running well, get bored and set off every disaster so that I have an excuse to turn it off.

Sim City 3000 is a very good game, but should not be played by those who like to finish games.(This doesn't happen)

On the plus side, if you don't own a Sim City game then this is now available at very reasonable prices. I have seen this game in my local Asda store for £4.99.

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