SimCity 2000

"Why Does Everyone Compare This Game To The Computer Version?"

Well, today I was browsing the games section of my local Best Buy and I saw Sim City 2000. At first, I was like ''OMGWTFBBQ SIM CITY 2000!!!!'' but then I thought ''No way am I not buying this. It's the last one left!'' So I did. And needless to say, I was not disappointed.

First, why does everyone say this game sucks in comparison to the computer version? Hello? Have you noticed? Your Game Boy Advance is NOT a computer, it's not nearly as powerful, it has inferior sound and a tiny screen. Well, why do you compare? Nintendo did an excellent job of making this game portable. Yes, the gameplay is a lot simpler than the computer, but keep in mind that the GBA's 32 bit CPU cannot handle all the calculation required to give you the depth that the computer version had.

[GRAPHICS] 8/10

The first thing people complain about is ''OMG leik teh land is all flat!!!'' Well, could you picture elevation on a screen the size of the GBA's screen? It would look horrible, so they chose to make it flat. Next, the buildings look nice, pretty much the same as the computer version, except a little simpler. Also, there is no underground mode, but you can't expect the full PC version to run on the GBA. Water is just plain blue, but I remember the computer version being like that too.

[SOUND] 8/10

Not bad, there is background music that you would expect from a Game Boy Advance game, and the sound effects are the same as on the PC version.

[CONTROLS] 8/10

Not bad, the controls are simple, considering the GBA's lack of buttons. The + pad moves the cursor, L selects the build menu, R allows you to bring up the zoom/rotate menu, Start brings up options and I can't remember what Select does. The controls are simple to use, and you get used to them in about 10 minutes.

[INTERFACE] 7/10

Not too bad, placing buildings is easy, the only problem is moving the cursor is sort of slow, and if you press down to, say, cancel building an extra section of road, it cancels out. However, it works better than I thought it would.

[REPLAY VALUE] 10/10

Well? It's Sim City, so you can make a new cities, try a different method of designing one, or things like that.

[DIFFICULTY] 6/10

If you are used to Sim City games, this should be a breeze, but otherwise, it may take some getting used to to make a very successful city.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/11/04