Simcity: The original and still the best.

[Jasoco]

I just wanna take time to express my fondness for the original Simcity. But most notably the SNES version.

Yesterday I found a ROM of the game and loaded it on my PSP. The second that menu music started its familiar tune, my mind was rushed with memories. I hadn't played the game in years. It's just as fun as I remembered.

Sure, since the original there have been 2000, 3000, 4, bunches of expansions, but the original will still always remain the best version in my opinion.

Why? It's simple. That's the answer. It doesn't require you to carefully set down plumbing, you don't have to dive underground to make subways and tunnels and stuff. It's easy to pick up and play. Plus on a portable it's even better. A simple simulation game you can play a little at a time. Especially with freeze and defrost states.

Just too bad I suck so bad at it. It requires a lot of fire stations and police stations to keep the crime and fires under control. And sure, it's all flatland and you can't edit the terrain. (The PC version had this feature in one of its expansions.) And on the SNES version you have to make the hardest decision ever. Choosing which landform out of a total of 1,998 different layouts. (Any tips on ones that give the best land to water ratio? It needs to be big enough to allow growth to Megalopolis status.)

A few of the good stuff:
The music. Each city level had its own music. After a disaster it had new music. It was beautiful music too. SC3 and 4 got some really good music as well, but there's just something about SNES SC.

The graphics. For an SNES game, I was actually impressed back when I got this in the 90's. The buildings are nicely rendered.

The presents. I love the presents. From the ever changing Mayors house to the casino's, banks, police and fire HQ, zoo's, amusement parks each having their own impacts on the city.

The Seasons. This I love. The seasons actually change in this one. I never saw this again in 2, 3 or 4. Why? Why didn't the ground change in the newer games? I love the brown trees to the white snow to the bright green and pink of spring to the summer. It's beautiful. Each month lasts 15 seconds, so you go through a season every 45 seconds. A year every 3 minutes. (On fast)

It's too bad MaxEAis doesn't put out a new but still classic feeling Simcity for the PSP. If it was built for the PSP and had the same simple feel as the SNES classic, I'd buy it day one.

Don't get me wrong. Simcity 2000, 3000 and 4 are all great. 2000 was one I was very attached to back then. But there's just something about the SNES game and the originals that makes them more fun to me.

[Leo_A]

Yeah, beat all the schenarios and you'll get a landform thats all land.

That's the best one to get.

And I think Sim City 3000 was the best one, but I love the music and the introduction to the SNES one.

[SEGA-SAMMY]

This one is a classic. I love the natural disasters the most. The Bowser attack was my favourite When I first played through it it was so unexpected!

This is the only version Ive been ever able to get into. It has a special charm about it imo.

[idrougge]

I would never classify the SNES version as an "original" Sim City.

[googlefest1]

never mind

[CYRiX]

Its a port of the original...

[Damaniel]

The SNES version is my favorite (and one of my favorite games on the system), and the only game in the series I could actually get into. It managed to capture the essence of the PC version, yet was simple enough to pick up and play without having to deal with a steep learning curve. The music was great, too.

[boatofcar]

The SNES version is my favorite (and one of my favorite games on the system), and the only game in the series I could actually get into. It managed to capture the essence of the PC version, yet was simple enough to pick up and play without having to deal with a steep learning curve. The music was great, too.

Agreed. I never understood why they didn't port this directly to the GBA instead of 2000 (or 3000?-well, whichever one). The GBA screen is too small for an isometric view of the city.

[theoakwoody]

Thank god for the money code otherwise this game takes way too much patience. I loved the PC version so when I heard it was coming out for the snes I bought it when it was released. I also made the mistake of buying sim earth. Ugh, that game is definitely not for a teenage kid.

[ClassicGameTrader]

I just wanna take time to express my fondness for the original Simcity. But most notably the SNES version.

Yesterday I found a ROM of the game and loaded it on my PSP. The second that menu music started its familiar tune, my mind was rushed with memories. I hadn't played the game in years. It's just as fun as I remembered.

Sure, since the original there have been 2000, 3000, 4, bunches of expansions, but the original will still always remain the best version in my opinion.

Why? It's simple. That's the answer. It doesn't require you to carefully set down plumbing, you don't have to dive underground to make subways and tunnels and stuff. It's easy to pick up and play. Plus on a portable it's even better. A simple simulation game you can play a little at a time. Especially with freeze and defrost states.

Just too bad I suck so bad at it. It requires a lot of fire stations and police stations to keep the crime and fires under control. And sure, it's all flatland and you can't edit the terrain. (The PC version had this feature in one of its expansions.) And on the SNES version you have to make the hardest decision ever. Choosing which landform out of a total of 1,998 different layouts. (Any tips on ones that give the best land to water ratio? It needs to be big enough to allow growth to Megalopolis status.)

A few of the good stuff:
The music. Each city level had its own music. After a disaster it had new music. It was beautiful music too. SC3 and 4 got some really good music as well, but there's just something about SNES SC.

The graphics. For an SNES game, I was actually impressed back when I got this in the 90's. The buildings are nicely rendered.

The presents. I love the presents. From the ever changing Mayors house to the casino's, banks, police and fire HQ, zoo's, amusement parks each having their own impacts on the city.

The Seasons. This I love. The seasons actually change in this one. I never saw this again in 2, 3 or 4. Why? Why didn't the ground change in the newer games? I love the brown trees to the white snow to the bright green and pink of spring to the summer. It's beautiful. Each month lasts 15 seconds, so you go through a season every 45 seconds. A year every 3 minutes. (On fast)

It's too bad MaxEAis doesn't put out a new but still classic feeling Simcity for the PSP. If it was built for the PSP and had the same simple feel as the SNES classic, I'd buy it day one.

Don't get me wrong. Simcity 2000, 3000 and 4 are all great. 2000 was one I was very attached to back then. But there's just something about the SNES game and the originals that makes them more fun to me.

You must of read my mind, I remember way back in the day when there was absolutly NO copies of this game available to buy anywhere around my house. I rented it like 4 times before it was re-released. I think what I like about it is that it has a real "nintendo" feel to it. Having the mario statue and bowser is cool, even if they are small things. The music for some reason is soothing to me even to this day, I get a ton of nostolgia every time I pick this one up. I just picked it up for the first time in years (emu on Xbox) and played it for like 5 hours straight one night a few weeks ago.

As much as I enjoy some of the features from the later simcity games, this one has always been special to me.

[tom]

I only played the C-64 version, it was lousy graphics and even worse sound, but it kept me occupied for many weekends.

[Jibbajaba]

You have just made me want to give this game a try. I was freakin' ADDICTED to SimCity for DOS back when it came out. I always assumed that the SNES version was just a handicapped version of the PC game. Now I will have to give it a go.

When I was a teenager, I actually printed out my city on a dot matrix printer, taped the pages together in the right order, and hung it on my wall as a poster. I wish I still had that.

Chris

[njiska]

The original was great but i just can't agree with you. Sim City 2000 just added so much to the game. 3000 and 4 were crap by comparision.

For some strange reason 2000 had it all for me, the addition of height and the isometric view really did it for me.

[jcheatle]

I'll definitely give love for the SNES version of Sim City. Being poor and having parents who didn't know thing one about computers meant I never got a home PC until I was 17 in '97.

But ah... my friend's copy of Sim City. We played that constantly when we were younger. Great music, great gameplay... surprisingly easy layout for a PC-to-SNES conversion.

Usually we'd use one map where the water cut the board basically in half. Then, he'd input the million dollar cheat code and we'd each spend hours designing our half of the city to see whose was cooler. Being Mr. Environment, my friend always built railroads. I built roads, though, so I could get casinos and amusement parks. Ah, memories...

[Jasoco]

Oh, don't get me wrong. Sim City 2000 was a great game too. But for a quick game you want the original. Or SNES version. Not too much being thrown at you. Just simple city designing.

While on the subject of SC2K, back in the day I once played the Hollywood scenario (Control fires created by a UFO (Robotic spider) attack. I beat the scenario and did so freaking well I ended up with millions of dollars at which point I demolished the entire terrain houses and all and rebuilt the city from the ground up.... a few times. Man it was so cool. The first scenario I ever beat. Of course the city was a failure, but I had so much money to spend and never went below 7 digits that it didn't matter. Eventually the entire city was Arcologies. Wow... remember Arcologies? The huge self-sustaining mile high structures that could hold thousands of people. It was like The Jetsons but more futuristic.

I miss Arcologies. Although they pretty much made the game boring when all you have is tons of giant unchanging structures. Oh well.

Just too bad the SNES version of that game (2K) was pretty unplayable due to being really slow and controls being way to hard with the angle of the isometric board. Plus it was pretty much a straight port but done worse. The original was a straight port but done far superior.

Also, I would like to give a shout out to Sim City 4 for having an awesome realistic terrain editor. I really did enjoy it. But the games in all are just too much. Simplistic wins. Original FTW.

[boatofcar]

When I was a teenager, I actually printed out my city on a dot matrix printer, taped the pages together in the right order, and hung it on my wall as a poster. I wish I still had that.

I did that too! I remember it taking FOREVER.

The music in the SNES game is probably some of my favorite video game music, period. The seasons were such a nice touch...


Did the C-64 have a mouse? I can't imagine playing SimCity with a joystick...

[SkiDragon]

That was a favorite that me and my friends used to play. It doesnt seem like a social game, but it was. We took a TV and SNES down to an old travel trailer we had in the yard and played it half the night.

[diskoboy]

I was always kinda partial to SNES SimEarth, myself.

[Lothars]

I love Simcity but I have a special place in my heart for Sim City 2000 now that's by far my favorite Sim City Game

I love it so much fun but both great games

[Retsudo]

I liked Simcity 3000 the best.