SimCity Creator - 8.5/10
SimCity Creator
A Review - By Gaetano Prestia
SimCity Creator on Nintendo DS takes a different – and somewhat more enjoyable – approach than its Wii counterpart. The DS version focuses on the evolution of a civilization rather than the evolution of a city, and the final product is a deep and thoroughly enjoyable SimCity title that can rest next to the heavyweights of the franchise.
SimCity Creator on DS, on a presentation front, is a toned down version of the game on Wii. It feels more directed towards a younger audience than its counterpart and this actually makes the game more accessible and enjoyable. Furthermore, the game’s tone fits the DS perfectly, as the title truly feels like a handheld-built game. Unlike SimCity DS, which tried too hard to provide a solid handheld experience of the franchise, SimCity Creator uses the stylus and touch-screen perfectly to generate a thoroughly enjoyable gameplay experience.
Where that original DS game failed was that it was unable to balance the realism associated with managing and creating a living city with the level of enjoyment needed for a game to be good. SimCity Creator does that perfectly, making the patience associated with Sim titles fun and quick so you don’t feel like you’re just simply waiting around for something to happen.
The control mechanic for designating zones and placing structures works well and makes the gameplay enjoyable. There’s the wonderful addition of an “undo” feature, which allows you to go back a turn if you’ve built in the wrong area. However, the demolition tool doesn’t take advantage of this feature, so if you decide to go all out and play quickly, you may find yourself destroying structures and areas you’d rather keep.
SimCity Creator is split up into two main modes called Challenge and Free Play. Free Play is your typical SimCity mode that allows you to freely and without any major goals, build your own city. It’s enjoyable but far less rewarding than the challenging mode, mainly because you’re not challenged as much.
Challenge mode puts you in charge of a city right from the get-go, straight from the beginning during ancient times and all the way through to the space-age future. Your decisions strongly dictate the progression of the city and the civilization so it’s important to take your time and think before making a decision. You’re helped by Sims that live in the city, but their advice is more of a “FYI” rather than a “you better do this”. They try to steer you in the right direction, but their advice isn’t the be-all and end-all. You can choose to take another direction than the one being advised to you, be it with zoning and building structures, and it might work out for the better. However, the game does take a less guided focus and doesn’t hold your hand like in previous SimCity games and this might alter the experience for those new to the franchise.
Challenge mode starts off slowly but picks up as time progresses and the games difficulty level rises dramatically as the city and its people evolve. Your decisions have to mimic the times and the wants of the people, so don’t think that a decision made early on in the game will have the same positive effects as it did at the beginning.
As you progress you unlock time periods that are then accessible in free play mode, so your ability to play through and be a successful leader in Challenge Mode is important to the overall experience that the game can offer.
The games major problems lie in your inability to undo some costly destructive errors and the games horrendously long load and save times. It takes FOREVER to save a game, which totally discredits the games otherwise great handheld-centric accessibility.
SimCity Creator on DS looks great on the handheld. You could say that it’s SimCity 2000.5. The SimCity team have made plenty of efforts to mimic the look of SimCity 2000 with the gameplay and features of later SimCity titles and this title is as close to perfect as they’ve gotten. The game plays great on the handheld. If you own SimCity DS, sell it and get Creator. It’s a far more enjoyable, lengthy and challenging title. Furthermore, it actually feels like a SimCity title.
Gameplay
8.5/10
The series has been transferred over well after a somewhat disastrous attempt with SimCity DS. Save and load times could have been better, but overall, the experience is a good one.
Graphics
7.5/10
SimCity 2000.5
Sound
7.0/10
A soundtrack that sounds “SimCity” and sound effects that do the franchise justice.
Value
8.5/10
The Free Play mode is fun, but the games real meat can be found in Challenge mode, which is lengthy and worth multiple playthrough's.
Overall
8.5/10
Submitted by Gaetano
16/10/2008
308
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