hello everybody and welcome to bull technology my favorite video game genre
is city builders growing up i played several sim city releases and today i spend dozens of hours
playing games such as city skylines and high-rise city but simcity was the game that started it all
it was the first city builder from simcity 2000 to simcity 4 this game has some incredible releases
but its last game released in 2013 caused so much controversy that it nearly ended the sim
city franchise so was sim city 2013 that bad is it still a good game today and should you pick
it up to answer these questions i say we give this game a review in the interest of full disclosure
ea is not sponsoring this video and all of the opinions you're about to hear are entirely my own
simcity 2013 was released in march of 2013 and it was the long-awaited successor to simcity 4
which came out a decade prior to 2013. sc 2013 is a city building and urban planning simulation
massively multiplayer online game developed by maxis and published by electronic arts
it currently retails for 1999 on the origin launcher simcity begins with the simcity launcher
and this is where you select the server that you would like to play on this will allow for the
multiplayer functionality of the game and back in 2013 there was no single player mode in the game
i should note that they eventually added single player functionality to sc 2013 but users back in
2013 were required to have an internet connection all the time to play this game and this was one of
the many many reasons that sc2013 suffered so much bad press after selecting your server and then
selecting which game mode you'd like to play in you may now pick a starting region there are an
array of maps to choose from all of which have any number of city plots available to build on
some maps feature only a handful of cities while other maps feature several dozen cities within
each map there are separate regions which usually comprise of several cities surrounding a great
works project more on that later after selecting and naming your map you may then select a starting
city location and begin your game from here simcity feels like most other city builders you
are given a small amount of money and expected to grow your undeveloped plot of land into a thriving
metropolis you'll start by laying down roads and zonable building areas after zoning you'll need
to supply your citizens with electricity water and garbage services reach a certain population
and you'll be given the option to place your city hall city hall will give you access to more city
services the beat goes on roads play an integral role in your city's growth you'll first want to
start with lower density roads but eventually you'll have the capability to upgrade your roads
to higher density higher density roads affect the density of the buildings adjacent to those roads
would you rather have apartment complexes than trailer parks just upgrade your roads
roads also function as the main connector for electricity water and sewage no need
for pipelines or power lines in this game and this leads me to a huge complaint i have with the game
roads and traffic management eventually your city will grow to a point where traffic becomes
unmanageable and you're given very few tools to solve these traffic issues there is no way to
toggle traffic lights or prevent certain vehicles from driving on specific roads your only ability
to tame traffic is through public transportation and road density but these tools do not suffice
not to mention the bridge and tunnel tools are just finicky at best what's not finicky though
is the ability to upgrade city service buildings and this is where simcity gets a huge win all
ploppable buildings in sc 2013 allow for modifications to make them more efficient
is your wind power plant not generating enough electricity simply add another wind turbine is
your fire station not responding to fires quick enough simply add another bell tower is your park
not creating enough high wealth sims simply add an additional fountain this customization is
something that really makes simcity stand out and i love that while we're talking about standing out
i should mention city specialization in simcity you are encouraged to give each of your cities
a given specialization you can drill for oil mine for natural resources become a gambling metropolis
or create a large tourist trap with your city mining and drilling is done through
placing ploppable buildings on areas with only a finite amount of resource and you can sell these
resources for a hefty profit gambling and tourism is handled through creating casino networks
and intricate tourist destinations the city's specialization in simcity is something i really
enjoy these features in games like city skylines cost extra through expansion packs simcity
specialization allows for each city to have a purpose and work together i love that speaking
of working together i should mention great works projects great works are massive projects
that all cities in a region can contribute to and that all cities will benefit from
you can build a rocket launching site a massive power station the list goes on all cities in a
region can contribute resources to build the great works project these are usually very rewarding and
they typically come later in the game while we're talking about the late game i think it's important
to discuss the biggest issue with simcity the city sizes the cities in simcity are just way too small
for some perspective it only took me two hours of gameplay to fill this entire tile to the brim
it's frustrating limiting and annoying in a way that kills the creative aspect of this game
in most maps the city goes straight to the edge and so you're left with this odd square tile of
urban next to fields of empty space and because city sizes are so small you are only typically
given one entrance point to your city via the main highway which is yet another limitation
many people have said that simcity 2013 is more like sim town and i would have to agree
and while the space is limiting there is one benefit multiplayer if you want to
play sim city with a friend you're in luck just have your friend join your world and
he or she can claim other city tiles and you can work together to create great works and share
resources and as someone who's played dozens of multiplayer sim city games this can be fun and
rewarding something else i should mention about simcity is the graphics and music
the graphics in simcity are drop dead beautiful this game is almost 10 years old but it looks
far nicer than the much newer game city skylines the models are too scale and very realistic
the shadows and lighting are perfect and the atmosphere is incredibly immersive speaking
of immersive the music and sounds in simcity are just excellent the simcity soundtrack is possibly
my favorite video game soundtrack it's orchestral and just very fitting for a city builder there are
many things that i haven't discussed about simcity both good and bad but let me just say this simcity
2013 is a good game it has many excellent features and mechanics but is it a perfect city builder no
don't get me wrong i love simcity 2013 and i've sunk tons of time into this game but if i want
to sit down for hours and build a thriving metropolis this game just doesn't cut it
what's sad is this game is far better than the critics say these days the simcity name
has been reduced to nauseating mobile games and as a long time sim city fan
that brings a tear to my eye so do i recommend simcity 2013 surprisingly at 1999 yes
it's not perfect but it's definitely a fun and enjoyable game flaws and all so be sure
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