SimCity 2000

"Perhaps one of the most ingenious games ever released"

Introduction - SimCity 2000 (hereafter referred to as SC2K) was originally released for the PC in 1993. In 1996 Maxis ported it out to the PlayStation (among other consoles). The result is a rather faithful version of the original that brought so many games fun and enjoyment. Even today it's still going strong with a release on the GBA.

Gameplay - Although the PSone port of SC2K doesn't really stand up to its PC version, it's still a great game when compared to the sea of other PSone games out there. The controls are fairly intuitive and the game features online help. In other words, if there's a function you don't quite understand, you press a button over that function and a message pops up explaining it to you. Pretty handy. The main playing screen works out pretty well, and it's really nice that you can turn off certain menus so they don't impede your view. Even without a mouse the game plays well enough to be enjoyed.

My only major problem with the gameplay is the severe lag that occurs when your city becomes very large. In some cases, a few seconds pass between the button-press and the action on the screen, which can be pretty frustrating sometimes. Another annoyance would be the 30 second loading times. When it came to loading or saving a city, a lot of time was spent on that endeavor.

Overall, I feel that the gameplay is satisfactory for the task at hand: building a city. It's not like you have to be power-building and light speeds, you can take it easy with this game.

Graphics/Sound - The graphics for the game aren't that impressive, suffice it to say. Nonetheless, they aren't downright horrible either, and I was always satisfied with them. Rarely did I find myself griping about it, except in the drive-thru mode. This is a special PSone-only feature that lets you drive through a 3-D version of your city. The 3-D and the textures could've used some work, but I also found this to be an enjoyable aspect of the game.

The sound effects of the game are almost comical, and some of them are downright confusing as to what they're supposed to be. They're few and far between, and I doubt they'll cause that much annoyance (you can turn them off anyway).

Music-wise, I actually enjoyed most of the songs. They play endlessly while you're working on your city, but there are several different songs, each has its own style and feel which sets it apart from the others. This means that there is probably a song in there for you. In fact, I still find myself humming some of the music from time to time. If it really bothers you, the music can also be turned off.

Play Time/Replayability - Anyone who is really interested in this game is probably a SimCity fan anyway. If that's the case, I can guarantee that this game will hold you to your seat. Frankly, I found myself playing this game regularly for years. If you're not a SimCity fan, it's worth renting to see what it's like.

Final Recommendation - Here is where I have to expose the major fallback of this game: As great as it is, it simply doesn't compare to the PC version. The reason I actually stopped playing it on the PlayStation was because I finally got my hands on a PC copy. In any case, it's still worth owning if you are an avid fan of the series, especially since it includes a drive-thru mode that no other platform has. This game also has one other thing the PC version doesn't have. It's a pretty major spoiler, so I can't tell you here, but I can guarantee that if you find it, it will be one of the most bizarre things you've ever found in a game. I know it knocked my socks off. If you're not a big simulator fan, go ahead and rent it just to see what it's like. If you really enjoy it, go out and buy the PC version and enjoy the hell out of that. If anything, I guess that's what this game is good for.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/27/04