SimCity 3000

"SimCity 3000 is very amusing waste of time."

SimCity 3000 is the latest in the line of the “urban development simulator” by the guys at Maxis. Like its predecessors, SimCity and SimCity 2000, it puts you into the role of an omniscient mayor, whose job it is to start a city and eventually nurture it into your own vision of paradise. Be aware, though. It’s not as easy at it may sound. There’s bound to be a few pitfalls, or err… natural disasters, that will get in your way.

Gameplay:
Basically, the concept of SimCity 3000 is design a city where your citizens can live, and be happy, under your enlightened rule. Maxis has added new elements to the game since SimCity 2000, namely, things like garbage disposal, and negotiating deals with your neighbors. All the other main aspects of city management, like zoning areas, where to lay roads, where to build police stations, and whatnot, are still there and under your control. There’s some strategy to it, of course, and you going to need to know exactly what you’re doing in order to avoid having an earthquake wiping out half your city, aliens abducting your citizens, and riots breaking out all over, all while a below-average bowling league is knocking on your door and waiting to complain about how blasted high his taxes are…

Graphics:
SimCity 3000 features great graphics for a somewhat old game. The amount of detail present in each building is so high that you could count the windows on a commercial skyscraper, and that’s amazing considering it’s one building in the midst of hundreds of others. Also, if you zoom in close enough, you can actually see different types of cars on the road driving back and forth, and zooming in even closer allows you to see people walking on the sidewalk, and children playing by the street. Hmm… cool.

Sound:
The music for the game is pretty decent, albeit slightly repetitive. The track playing in the background usually fits the mood of your city’s current situation. Say, for instance, when your city is healthy and prospering, then a nice, cheerful tune will play. But when air pollution is off the charts, taxes are too high, and you’re 50,000 Simoleons in debt, you’ll get a sad, dreary melody. As for the sound effects, well, they’re nothing extraordinary, but they serve their purpose. You hear the crackle of a fire when a building is burning, the sound of traffic during rush hour on a busy street, and things like that.

Replay Value:
SimCity 3000 is a pleasant, long-lasting experience. There’s no particular goal you need to reach that’s set into the game. But that’s fine, since you’ll be setting your own goals in the making of your city. One day, you may want a rural, country town, and another day, you may want to turn your city into a huge metropolis. If worse come to worst, you can always start a few natural disasters to keep things interesting. Yeah, good fun.

Besides, it’s educational. Your kids can play it and learn something.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/16/01, Updated 03/16/01