Sim City Games Review

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Titled Mills
Release Date: November 12, 2007
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone (10+)
Genre: City Building Sim

The Bottom Line: Easy to learn? Check. Beautiful cities? Check? Fun to play? Check. Packed with hours of highly addictive gameplay? Perhaps. It doesn't provide the in-depth city management gameplay long-time "SimCity" gamers have grown to love.

Pros:

• Range of building types
• beautiful, detailed 3D world
• Multiple game modes, including unlimited money

Cons:

• Shallow gameplay
• Buggy, many random crashes
• Not challenging
• Limited zoom out
• Few transportation methods

"SimCity Societies" Features

• Build cities based on culture, behaviors, and societal values.
• Small town, industrial, capitalist, romantic, fun, contemplative, authoritarian, and cyberpunk are the types of cities you can build.
• 350 building types.
• Architectural styles range from fun to modern.
• Industry, prosperity, authoritarian, knowledge, spirituality, or creativity are the societal values buildings produce or require to run.
• Environment friendly power sources, such as wind, natural gas, hydrogen, and solar power.
• Earn trophies and medals for attaining certain population levels and societal values.
• Build venues to give Sims a place to relax and enjoy themselves.

"SimCity Societies" Review

Bird's Eye View - "SimCity Societies"

Screenshot © Electronic Arts.

I started playing "SimCity Societies" knowing full well that it was not going to be the "SimCity 5" I had been wanting. This time around the latest "SimCity" game was taking a different approach to city building. Instead of a city management game, it would be a straight forward city builder, complete with hundreds of buildings to plop down.

"SimCity Societies" doesn't have use 3 zones to develop. We have to decide the type of buildings to put down. Do we need another burger joint? Or maybe a cotton candy stand would be better? These are things you may ponder. You won't be concerned with services funding, tax rates, roads, or transportation congestion. It's a sandbox to make any type of city you want.

All the buildings are placed by you. Each building either adds or lowers the societal value (prosperity and knowledge, for example). A school or college add knowledge value, while a research building may need knowledge to run. This value system keeps a city balanced. To use knowledge, the city needs to produce knowledge.

Filters for the society values and type of city (romantic, creative, etc) make it easy to build the city you have pictured. "SimCity Societies" comes with over 400 buildings. What kind of buildings you ask? Well there's balloon vans, dorms, stadiums, colleges, factories, bars, and ferris wheels - just to name a few. While there is a good number of buildings, I don't doubt we will tire of the selection. Part of me likes placing the buildings right where I want them. The other part misses the surprise of watching which buildings show up and see how the change based on my management.

The gameplay of "SimCity Societies" can be boiled down to this: build homes, build enough workplaces to employ all Sims, and build venues (stadiums, movie theaters, opera, bars, etc) to keep Sims happy. Do this while monitoring the social values and you won't have any problems. Money is earned through businesses. Happy sims means more money for you. It doesn't take long to establish a regular flow of cash. There are no real transportation concerns, money problems (keep Sims happy and the money flow never stops), or even having to make sure there is good school coverage are issues.

The challenge of "SimCity Societies" has to come from you. You need to challenge yourself to build a specific city style with only certain social values. Maybe a romantic city focused on creativity. There are achievement ribbons and trophies earned based on population and total city social values. A nice idea, just doesn't take long to earn them all. I had almost all of them after a day of playing.

Sunset - "SimCity Socities"

Screenshot © Electronic Arts.

EA and Titled Mills told us from the beginning "SimCity Societies" took the series in a new direction. One that was easier for beginners. They did succeed in that. It is an easy game to learn and play. "SimCity Societies" is for the gamers who are looking for a creative sandbox to build that city they have planned out. For those who loved downloading the ploppable buildings for "SimCity 4" and picking exactly what type of building goes where.

"SimCity Societies" does what it set out to do - to be an introduction to city building and give gamers tools to build their dream city. Gamers wanting a city management game won't be happy and should skip "SimCity Societies."

Mafia PS 2 game cheats

Easier Mission for "Just for Relaxation":
After you get the truck and papers from the truck driver and enter the harbor, you'll see three guards standing to the right. Keep driving straight until you pass the second storage building then turn around and head back to the guards. Get up good speed and run over them. Try not to smash directly into the wall or gate, this will damage your truck. You want to kill all three guards at once, because if they shoot it will alert the other guards or damage your already battered truck. When they are dead, get out and take their Thompsons. Continue to the warehouse with your truck but don't park directly in front of the door or it'll be in the line of fire later. When the chief is distracted, load a couple of the cigar crates then head back inside the warehouse and wait. Get into good firing position but stay clear of the remaining cigar crates. When the chief returns and alerts the guards you can waste them with your newly acquired tommy gun and load the rest of the crates with ease and head out. Be a safe driver on the way, your truck may be badly damaged.

Easier Mission In Ordinary Routine:
You can save some effort by shooting the tires on the getaway car before you try to enter the hotel. It is much easier than trying to shoot them while driving at the same time.

Easy money:
Kill the men in the all black suits with the black hat (gangsters) to earn $500 each.

- Go into the country and speed in a fast car.
- Blow up cars for $100 each.
- Drive taxis to earn money.

Get a car in the airport in Omerta:
On the first mission in the airport (the one with Frank), you can get a car into the main area of the airport.

First of all, take one of the new, rounded cars to the airport as the car you select for this mission. You should get the Schubert Extra-6 at the beginning of this mission anyway, and that works perfectly.

It is important to only do this trick AFTER you have taken out the guys inside of the main building and Frank has run for cover. The car you brought will be parked in the last parking space on your right as you enter the airport for the first time. Make note of it but don't use it until after you've taken care of the guys inside.

On the cement posts opposite the ones that are on the right side of the main building in the airport parking lot (they'll be facing a field), there is a considerable gap between the leftmost post and the building it's next to. It looks wide enough for a car to squeeze through, and it is, but not without a bit of force. It's technically a little too small, but like most physics engines, the one in this game will allow you to force some solid surfaces slightly through each other.

Drive your rounded car as far into the gap as it will allow you (a bit of the front wheel should be visible past the post). Now, grab the older car conveniently parked next to the posts and position it directly behind your rounded car. Back it up as far as you can go without hititng anything, then floor it and ram your rounded car as hard as you can. Do this two or three more times and the rounded car should be far enough past the barrier to be driven out into the small passage behind the posts. Simply turn left from here and drive between the two hangars, run over the trenchcoat guards at full speed to kill them, and find your way to Frank in the back behind the other buildings. Take care to only make roadkill of his guard, and not him as well.

If your car kicks the bucket and won't accelerate significantly (hopefully you haven't been foolish enough to let it blow up), there should be a green Schubert Extra-6 parked back in the parking lot that you can open. Apply the same trick and resume turning your enemies into pavement pizza.

Killing People In Black Suits:
Walk behind them and shoot them. This works best with the sawed off shotgun.

Killing people in black suits:
Walk behind them and shoot them. This works best with the sawed off shotgun.

Lose Cops Quickly:
Get to a rail station, elevated rail station, or trolley. Get in and wait until your wanted level goes down.

Ordinary Routine: Easier mission:
You can save some effort by shooting the tires on the getaway car before you try to enter the hotel. It is much easier than trying to shoot them while driving at the same time.

Shoot Off Tires:
Aim at the tires and shoot where the bolts are, in the middle. This works best with the Tommy gun.

Shoot off tires:
Aiming at tires and shooting where the bolts are, in the middle. This works best with the Tommy gun.

Take Out Snipers In You Lucky Bastard:
When you enter the dock, get a truck and drive to the other entrance to the harbor. Nearby, there is a house with a man. Kill him. He has a US rifle, which you should use to shoot the round fuel containers near the crane towers. The snipers will not shoot you, and you will get to see a really great fireworks display.

Thomson Gun In You Lucky Bastard:
When you have to take Pauly to kill Segerio Morello and must escape instead of running, get out of the car and kill all of your enemies. Search all their bodies. From one of them, you will get a Thomson 1928 which is useful at the harbor.

Unlimited Ammo:
Beat the game Mafia oence. Load a new game and, you will have unlimited ammo.

Mad Maestro PS 2 game cheats

Reset Game:
During play HOLD L1 + L2 + r1 + R2 and press Start + Select