Whats wrong with Simcity Societies: Is it Simcity5 or Not?
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 3:26 am. 8 comments
Posted in Cities Unlimited, Games, Simcity Societies.
Wow after a few weeks of reviews and previews we’ve come to the million dollar question. Is this the next Simcity5 or not? Well it appears we’ve come to the point where now half of us are saying its just a spinoff. The rest of us are convinced its the next game. The answer might be found in the title. Its not Simcity5: Societies, its just Simcity Societies. However interviews and news sites have stated it is the 5th iteration of Simcity. Dr. Statistics believes 80% of gamers are against Simcity Societies in its current form, 18% are in a wait and see mode, 2% are fans of Tilted Mill and will definitely buy.
Whats wrong with Simcity Societies so far!
What I think:
The major complaint is the art direction. The road system looks overly simplified, the buildings look too cuddly and compact, and everything fits pretty much in its square. We were pretty much expecting more realistic graphics and some crazy intersections but that doesn’t seem to be happening. The roads are far too square like. There aren’t any curves seen so far, and everything is grid like. Even Simcity4 had a slight curve with their streets, but Simcity Societies is just thick grids with sidewalks. One of the major eyesores for me is the constant flat texture on the ground. Only around the shore does the game breaks this monotony.
What the Fans think:
We’ve had comments ranging from "Simcity 4 looks better than this game" to "I like fresh games and I like to see a new direction take place." I think for the most part, fans do want an easier game but easier in the sense of not having to put power lines, not having to put tedious zones, and easier tools for streets. But this is where it stops. Everything else should be brought back from Simcity4 but with better graphics. xSpartan039x says, "This game is obviously an attempt by maxis [actually tilted mill] to draw in young consumers who cant handle the difficultly of sim city. Basically a nullified sim city where everything is easy, cool and doesnt require much brain-busting to make something".
Come to the Magical Land of Legos!
Whats Right with Simcity Societies!
What I think:
The game’s focus is different, and I think this was pretty much well thought out. What happens with Simcity Societies is that your more of the role of a dictator. How is this different from Simcity4? Well In Simcity4, your population directs your actions. You try to appease the population in balancing jobs, residents, and your money. If they can’t get to work, or if they are uneducated, or if they aren’t living long lives, they will move out or devolve. In Simcity Societies, the gameplay changed towards you forcing who will live in your city. By building certain types of buildings you can attract a certain society. Its more like Black & White, creating a society where your citizens are controlled with force, makes the city darker and stricter. Your citizens might be unhappy but you will see less crime and more money. However placing buildings for artistic and happier people changes your populace into a brighter colorful society.
What the Fans think:
Its hard to find a positive comment about this game. Most positive comments stems from Tilted Mill’s work in the past. "The only reason why I’m interested in Societies is Tilted Mill’s involment and the fact that it apears to be much more of an Impressions-style city builder than Maxis-type one," and eedoon says, "At first, I thought SCS concept is a little bit weird. But then again, I think it is good for anyone to try something new and therefore I am eager to give this new SC a try." But this comment pretty much summed up the rest of the situation, "Will I buy it? Yeah, probably, if only in hopes the money will go to producing a REAL sequel" Well, there you have it, we aren’t satisfied until Simcity "5" comes out and until then we have Cities: Unlimited to look forward to. More on that later..
So is this Simcity5 or Not?
Well we do know that Simcity will continue if this game fails. Yep thats right! If this game doesn’t get good reviews and sales, Maxis will go back to basics and work on the next version of Simcity. You don’t need to kill yourselves or boycott this game. If this game is successful, Simcity Societies might be branched off in its own series while coexisting with Maxis creating Simcity 6.
Don’t ya Wish Your Simcity was HOT Like Me! Don’t ya!
Good editorial. I think this game will surprise people - I certainly am looking forward to it!
This game is a slap in the face to the sim city franchise. It is designed to be played by low lifes that want to try to control peoples lives and feelings-not by people that want to build a CITY.
I have personally bought every past simcity game, and am proud to say i will not buy this one. Goodbye MAXIS!
Oh and where the hell is my SimTower2 ?!
I have SimTower2 it was called Yoot’s Tower and it was very funny because of the ENGRISH and MRS BIGGLESWORTH. “If it Ain’t A Bigglesworth. It..”
Yes that was an actual quote from the game.
But ya I’m usually hording all the simcity screenshots everytime a new one is announced and sadly I don’t really care much about this one.
ik denk dat SimSozietes is en spel med goed interface med spelen, maar de sozietes zijn immer kontrolliert door de major
Ik denk dat de interface is slecht
Hello everybody, I agree with the comment of this post, from my blog devoted exclusively to this game http://future-unlimited.blogspot.com you can see my comments that match what logged in this thread.
Thanks for your excellent work.
EA dropped the ball on their monopoly when they decided to make this game.
Sim City fans (of previous titles) enjoyed the series for its simulation, not its “urban feel”. Yes, it was a city, but for most players the urban sprawl and comical landmark names were not the chief reason we played; it was figuring out how to crowd as many people as possible into a metropolous and keep them happy, all while within budget.
I cannot say whether this new game is a good game; I will not play it, because I do not find “cities” to be an aestheticly pleasing motif. I prefer resource management.
What EA should have done was to forgo their attempt to bank on the Sim City name, called this game “Societies” alone, and still worked with Maxis to improve Sim City’s game mechanics and graphics. It would still have sold (to a different audiance, like “the Sims”) and would not have incensed so many fans.
Again, Sim City was a monopoly in games; no other company made an urban simulator to hold a candle to it.
My review extends similarly- this game seems to be a combo of sim city with the urban renewal kit from ages ago. You can not only build your city but design it too- the perfect combo between civil engineering and architecture/urban planning. In the detailed modes, you can build your communities too into a sprawling city. It is well designed for those purposes but yes, there are a few kinks in the form such as the perpetually squared off roads with no room for inventiveness should you detest a generic grid. But remember, this is the first intallment of the next generation of versions to come our way.