SimCity Societies PC
User Score
4.1 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 75 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 75
  3. Negative: 46 out of 75

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  1. Ammonite
    Jan 20, 2013
    4
    Inappropriately branded under the Sim City franchise, Societies looks fun and innovative but lacks engaging game play. Even those who have never heard of Sim City before will find themselves tire of this poorly designed game, that poses very little challenge or purpose. The graphics seem promising and the concept seems good, but ultimately there is very little to do here. It feels too limited for a sandbox game, and lacks any consistent challenge to be a strategy game. Its neither here nor there, and ends up feeling more like a not-so-successful beta of a game.

    Sandbox mode can provide a moment of creative amusement, but the replay value is almost dead. Given its stodgy size and questionable performance, its hard to justify keeping this installed.    … Expand
  2. ccrogers15
    Jan 27, 2012
    1
    Seriously. EA, NEVER LET A CRAPPY ARMATURE DEVELOPER DEVELOP FOR ONE OF YOUR GOOD FRANCHISES, EVER, EVER, AGAIN. This is really, one of the worst games ive ever played. It crashes for no reason, it locks up, and several other problems make this a very horrible experience. This game is bad. Ive got a high end PC as well. Please EA, make us a REAL simcity 5. No wait. LET MAXIS DO IT. YOU GUYS ARE BAD TOO. Look what you did to the sims. The sims 1 and 2 were fun. But you give us a watered down crappy sims 3. Really? No thanks. Theres my 2 cents. AVOID THIS GAME!… Expand
  3. kowalski
    Aug 28, 2011
    0
    Sucks beyond imagination. You'd expect a great thing when SimCity and The Sims and combined, but instead, you get a total mis-match. Terrible game-play and overall a forgettable experience.
  4. Lopes
    Dec 21, 2010
    4
    They destroyed the SC serie! All the conception of zones ( industrial zone, commercial zone etc) the conception of canalisation and energy network... all destroyed. That was a terrible experience. why change something that was awesome?? WHY?!
  5. JonasHøiberg
    Feb 10, 2008
    3
    I hope this is not the quality we can expect from Maxis in the future, especially not with Spore coming up next. It is very simply a cruel, cruel, cruel way to treat the classic series of SimCity. With the aim of creating a simpler version of SimCity, usable by everyone, they've managed to create a new version of SimTown (A children's game from the 90's), just, and this is the sad part, with the idea it would be suitable for older fans of the series. The game is too simple, and the controls are simply rediculous.… Expand
  6. DraganZ.
    Jan 25, 2008
    4
    Perhaps I am wrong to judge this game based on previous Sim City experiences, but if Electronic Arts wanted to create something new they should have given this a different name. This game makes it painfully obvious developer Tilted Mill gave in to EA's request to dumb down the game to, in combination with the name of one of PC gaming's most respected series, attract as much profit from a sub-par product. Even the teens it is aimed at will probably think the game is boring, unchallenging and pale.… Expand
  7. Brian
    Jan 17, 2008
    4
    As a big fan of the Sim City series of games, I was very disappointed in Societies. I hope this is just a one off and they return to the original.
  8. Jops
    Jan 9, 2008
    2
    Where is Maxis!? The life and soul have been ripped out of this game. Only the cosmetics have improved. Instead of being a governor, you're now a town planner with no political decisions to make, like taxes and laws. Its just been simplified for children like Settlers was. Hopefully its a one off.
  9. AndrewW.
    Dec 21, 2007
    0
    This game is an abomination, and is nothing like the SimCity series at all. It's far too easy, the interface is cluttered and the game just plain sucks. It's shovelware aimed to cash in on the SimCity brand.
  10. BillJ.
    Dec 3, 2007
    4
    I come to SimCity Societies not expecting another SimCity game but a good game; sadly, neither objective was fully realized. The mechanics of societal value and being able to "unlock" new and more powerful iterations could be amusing. having a city reflect certain cultural mileus also has a certain charm. But the game's downsides are many: For the few challenges teh game presents, the interface is maddeningly stupid about its choices. Youc an select a sim and scroll through their family members to see where they are in the city, which is amusing but realtively useless; however, if you want to find all of your unhappy SIMs, you can only click on a single unhappiness level and try to do a fly-through your city to hope to spot them when they are not indoors. Of course, some SIMs get stuck in their buildings for inexplicable reasons, even when the building menu suggests they have clearance to leave (avoid seaside home views, no matter how piquant it may seem to your sensibilities.) The same goes for trying to find your sick, injured, or other concerns -- teh game reports these statistics as if they are vital to your management, but if a part of your city is failing to perform, you will often be hard pressed ot figure out where the trouble is arising from. The game has numerous bugs and can crash or fail to even launch, in part due to sloppy programming and in part due to a cranky and overzealous Digital rights management scheme. Buried within SimCity Societies is a charming sandbox game -- but even the normal game has a feel of teh sandbox without "unlimited Simoleons" and other play offers -- and a lack of scripted, campaign, or challenges meant I was able to unlock almost every building and objective in my first playthrough in the tutorial. Patched and better implemented this might be a charming if short-term diversion. As it stands, SimCities does not deserve to command a premium pricing. Let us hope furtehr patching and user modifications will extend its lifespan.… Expand
  11. GlennC.
    Nov 22, 2007
    2
    Take everything you know and love about the SimCity series and throw it out the window. Will Wright and Maxis weren't even involved in this game. You don't actually build anything per se. I was disappointed and now continue to play SimCity 4.
  12. Pepx
    Nov 21, 2007
    1
    Sadly, a poorly made SC franchise games, for all those who are unfamiliar with the franchise... i strongly recomend to get Simcity 4 or at least check it on youtube, and will know why, the long time fans (me since 1992) are so deeply dissapointed about this game. i don't blame Tilted Mills, after all they made a cool Ceasar IV, but EA to skip Maxis from the proyect, despite the huge list of fans willing to pay for a well executed game. Compared to the peak and king of the series Simcity 4, SCS is a kids game, i got bored IN JUST MINUTES OF GAME PLAY¡¡¡¡, the game looks kinda boxy and lame, and even compared with City Life (the closest similar game due the plopping detail, and the cultures/societies stuff) SCS looks poorly Executed, boring, with limited options and sluggish. to finish the comment, im glad that montecristo is taking the lead to produce a high quality city building and im looking foward to Cities Unlimited. most of all SC series fans are hoping for.… Expand
  13. ChrisC.
    Nov 21, 2007
    2
    SimCity Societies is the mother of all gaming messups. The level of excessive micromanagement in the game is unreal. Why do I need to place every single house and business? Simcity 4 was unique in the sense that you could zone a patch of land and watch your city grow. The new additions to the game are totally out of place for a SimCity game. Such as setting a 'theme' for your city. The whole game itself feels very unfinished and the interface is one of the most unintuitive since X2. An unfitting end to the SimCity series. Which does not deserve the Sim title at all. It's very clear from the start that this wasn't made by Maxis. Thumbs down.… Expand
  14. DaveM.
    Nov 21, 2007
    2
    My son loved SimCity 4 and was really looking forward to this game, but when he tried it he was so disappointed he cried. I have to agree that this is a huge step back from the earlier SimCity titles, with a lot of bugs thrown in.
  15. AustinM
    Nov 21, 2007
    4
    This is Not simcity. The most closely resembles the cheesey "me-too" 'tycoon' spinoffs after rollercoaster tycoon hit paydirt. The cartoon graphics, slow as mud performance of the 3d engine, and finally, the inability to ZOOM OUT farther than 10feet, makes this game lackluster at best, and impossible to manage a city with more than 1500 people due to the graphics and removal of appriate levels of zoom out. There should be no finite level of zoom-out.… Expand
  16. TimbobH.
    Nov 20, 2007
    3
    EA dumbs down and destroys yet another strategy franchise. This should not be associated with the SIMCITY series IMO.
  17. JamesB
    Nov 19, 2007
    3
    It looks pretty. Except for the fact that you can't even lay down a road at an angle. This is a colossal step backward for the franchise that feels like the equivalent of going from building with LEGO mindstorm back to using DUPLO blocks. It is less about city building than it is keeping tabs on sims esque happiness meters. No challenge, no logic, no real creative options either. This game is complete rubbish.… Expand
  18. Technicha
    Nov 19, 2007
    3
    The name is a bit weird, it feels more like Sim Town 2 rather than Sim City Societies. The game is just boring and slow. The creativity meter just doesn't make any sense at all. Game just seems to be aimed toward kiddies. I prefer the good old classic Sim City style.
  19. AnneT.
    Nov 18, 2007
    4
    A major disappointment for SimCity fans. In addition to what th reviewers have already said, gamers should be warned that thi game appears t have been rushed to production for the holidays, and it is still full of bugs, with no technical support being provided by EA. Of particular concerns is the fact that thre is a lengthy list o video cards, including several of NVIDEA's most popular cards, that directly conflict with the game - and there is currently no fix. The system requirements on the box are grossly misleading.… Expand
  20. JeffB.
    Nov 17, 2007
    3
    Aimless and baffling, with none of the structure or logic of the Simcity games. Very disappointing.
  21. Robert
    Nov 15, 2007
    1
    An abuse of the Sim City name, game is horrible, un-optimized, and looks like it was made with graphics from 2003.
  22. David
    Nov 14, 2007
    0
    This is one of the worst games I have played in my entire life. I have given it a fair try, and played the tutorials more than once. Even after this, nothing makes sense in the logic they use for city-building. Things consume resources when they should be producing them, and vice-versa. It takes the focus completely off city building and puts it on a illogical number balancing game. The systems that should have been focused on are not only neglected but so minimally implemented that they hinder the gameplay (for example, placing roads). I would continue on, but I have already wasted enough time and money on this product with no entertainment value in return. EA can get back to me with another SimCity game when the gameplay is actually about building a city, and the features actually improve upon and are more robust than in previous entries in the series.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
63 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    81
    The newest Sim City differs quite a lot from its predecessors. It concentrates more on the social atmosphere than being a realistic city simulator. Social energies is a fresh idea which works nicely although they’ve simplified the administrative side of the game maybe a little too much. SC: Societies is a nice way to waste time, but you’ll get bored with it at some point because the game starts to repeat itself. [Nov 2007]
  2. Eurogamer
    50
    Societies doesn't stumble just because "it isn't SimCity". Fresh takes on old concepts should always be welcome. It stumbles because it's a generally unsatisfying patchwork of a game, dragged down by inconsistent gameplay, outdated design and weirdly implemented ideas.
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  3. 1UP
    70
    Despite its few slipups, the core of Societies is strong enough -- and the gameplay addictive enough -- that even the stodgiest traditionalist will find something to shout about.
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