"A much better game than SimCity, but..."

A much better game than SimCity, but...

The jump from SimCity to SimCity 2000 is a fairly large jump. Not only does it go from blah VGA graphics to whoa SVGA, but it adds a ton of new features into the game. Does it all work out, or does it just bog the gameplay down?

Again, as in SimCity, you are the Mayor of a simulated city, either one you create, or one you inherit (usually with some disaster about to strike), and you have to make a thriving metropolis out of it. Your first decisions are again where to build the city, but now you have much more flexibility in it, as you can zone as little or as much as you want for residential, commercial and industrial. Also, now your transportation network is much more complex with the addition of Buses and Subways (the best new feature, in my opinion). Another interesting addition is now you have to work a water network into your city as well as the usual power grid. Police and Fire stations are joined by Hospitals, Schools, Libraries, and Museums to the list of services that your pesky Sims will demand from you.

But do all of these additions add up to a great game? Yes, and no. On the one hand, all of these new items are a great thing, and make the game more interesting to play. But on the other hand, this game has only so much for you to do, and once you've done it, you probably will be bored with the game. However, Maxis has apparently anticipated this, and added some fairly difficult goals to reach, such as the large futuristic People Pods (I forget their real names) that are difficult to get. Also the disasters are quite well done this time, and can keep you from getting too complacent with your city.

The graphics in SC2K are a great step up from the original. Now the game presents itself in SVGA, and in an isometric view to boot. The higher definition allows for more interesting things to happen on screen, such as when Aliens Attack (disaster, although I personally miss Godzilla).

This game is an improvement over SimCity, but in the end, there just isn't that much to do in it, and after awhile, you'll find the game growing dust on some shelf somewhere.

I gave this game a 7 because it is a great game, but I would have liked more things to do in it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/08/00, Updated 04/08/00