SimCity

"If you like simulations, this is one of the best"

Sim City, if you like these types of games, is great. You have probably played it in some form or another, but if not here's a rundown. Your task is to create a thriving city. You are given a landform (actually you choose your own), and a sum of money to create your city. You can place residential, commerical, or industrial zones, police and fire stations, parks, casinos, stadiums, power and coal plants, airports, and special gifts on the land in the hopes of attracting people. The goal of the game is to obtain a population of megalopolis, a city with over 500 000 people. To do so, you have to utilize every square inch of your land. You will eventually learn that certain things thrive best next to others, pollution is bad, water is good for land value (except for floods), and people hate crime. Very important is the placement of roads, rails, and power lines. It is essential to realize what attracts people and what turns them away. You will learn this through experience. You have access to a sizable amount of information, tables and graphs that help you pinpoint trouble spots and give you hints as to what you can do to improve your city. Disaster occasionally strikes, in the form of fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, plane crashes, or an attack by Bowser. Several of these attacks can occur at once (fire is almost always a result). The rarest and most damaging disaster is a nuclear meltdown.

Graphics: 7/10

Very simple, but sharp. The graphics are small, but recognizable, and you are never uncertain about the identity of a disaster or building. The changing seasons are a nice touch, as are the Sim people roaming the streets.

Sound: 8/10

Pretty decent music. Sound effects are also good, with fires, crashes, sirens, boats, trains, planes and more filling the air.

Gameplay: 10/10

For a simulation, near perfect. A word of warning, if you're looking for fast paced action, or you like games that can be played quickly, you'll be disappointed with Sim City. This game requires lots of patience and time to create a large, efficient city. Control is not a factor, and menus can be accessed quickly and without trouble. The graphs and charts are easy to read and well laid out, and provide very useful information. A great deal of variety is added through a total of eight pre-made scenerios, two of which appear after the original six are finished. In a scenerio, you are given a city already created but experiencing at least one major problem, and you are given a set time frame to fix it. For example, Boston has been hit by a nuclear meltdown; it is your job to build around the radioactive damage and create a thriving city within ten years. There is also a practice stage, where you are given a small island and you have to reach a population of 100 000 people.

Replay: 10/10

Fun to play over and over. It's a great challenge to see how high you can make your population grow. Once you reach 500 000 people, you can keep going for as long as you like. The eight scenerios and practice stage, combined with 999 pre-made landforms to choose from, provide endless replay value.

Overall: 9/10

One of the best games available for the SNES, in my opinion. Again, only recommended if you enjoy simulations. If you do, you're guaranteed to get hours of fun out of this. A rental doesn't give you enough time to really get into the game; go for a purchase.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99