The botched launch of SimCity will go down in PC gaming history as one of the worst ever. But the terrible server problems that justifiably enraged fans are already fading into just that: history. What's behind that now-infamous login screen, when you actually play SimCity, is an incredibly complex and stunning game unlike anything I've ever seen. Yet while it constantly does some astonishing things with its meticulously detailed simulation, it never works quite as well as I expect it to. Prevalent bugs and some awkward design decisions, including a mandatory always-online connection, make the long-awaited return of this most famous of city builders somewhat less than triumphant.
Guiding a city through the first few hours of its life as its all-seeing despotic demigod mayor starts out as delightfully creative and empowering. This "simulation," by the way, is a very gamey one. In a break from reality, it has no concepts of private property or democracy, and no checks on your power, so the world is your oyster. If anyone were to tell you differently, you could bulldoze their house to the ground and replace it with a sewage outlet, consequence-free. (Alas, they don't.)
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