It’s been years since I’ve played a SimCity game. I have vague recollections of playing the original when I was much younger, but I never managed to get my eight-year-old mind to focus on making the cities thrive – I just liked to watch whatever I’d managed to build get destroyed by random disasters. Since the original SimCity in 1989, there have been additional games in the franchise that I’ve always been tempted to try, but have always been put off by the somewhat complex user interface.
When the new SimCity was revealed some months ago, I was immediately intrigued thanks to the sheer volume of stuff that was being crammed into the title. My interest had a caveat of course: with so many simulations running at once, this game’s UI would surely be a nightmare?
After spending time at Gamescom playing SimCity, my enthusiasm for the title is no longer tempered by my (incorrect) expectation of a complex learning curve or convoluted UI. Yes, there is complexity in the game, but the whole experience is executed in such an approachable manner that any hesitation you might have had should be immediately expunged. And no, I’m not saying the game’s been “dumbed down”; SimCity looks like it’ll scratch any management itch you could possibly have.
