Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, iPod touch
Review: SimCity for the iPhone
Welcome to my fledgling city of Saillune.
SimCity 3000 was the first computer game I ever bought for myself. Up until that point, I was happy with "borrowing" the games that my brothers bought and playing those. But, after a high school friend showed me SimCity 3000, I wanted it for myself.
SimCity for the iPhone is pretty much a port of SimCity 3000, and the game comes across beautifully. The graphics are amazing and you can't tell the difference between playing the game on the computer or on the iPhone. When I heard that Electronic Arts was bringing SimCity to the iPhone, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I always felt that the port of the game made for handhelds was an inferior version to the computer-based originals. Part of me wasn't quite sold on the iPhone as a gaming device.
SimCity helped me change my mind.
Here's a look at a breakdown of the game, what works and doesn't, and even a neat Easter Egg.
Tutorial
Even if you're a seasoned SimCity veteran, it's worth going through the tutorial to get a good handle on the controls on
the iPhone. The tutorial is brief but thorough. It's very simple and a good refresher if you haven't played the game in awhile, or an even better guide for beginners.Controls
SimCity takes advantage of the iPhone's built-in navigational tools. Use your fingers to zoom in and out just like in other programs. You draw roads by dragging your finger along the iPhone screen. There's also tab controls that you can drag to make your selection precise. It's extremely useful, especially if you have trouble drawing on the screen with your index finger.
Graphics
If you're familiar with SimCity 3000 or SimCity 4, then you are familiar with the graphics for the iPhone version. I am extremely impressed with the graphic capabilities of this program. This does not look or feel like a knockoff of the original, like so many ports do. However, there are some caveats. You have got to reboot your iPhone before playing the game for the first time, or you will most likely crash. Also, the game isn't quite as responsive as some of the other EA games I've played, like Scrabble. But that might be due to my slightly older hardware.
Music
SimCity has the same jazz music you'd come to expect from the series, which is great in most situations. However, unlike some other games, you can't immediately silence the music by flipping the Ring/Silent switch. I wish implement this (Scrabble as well).
Easter EggHere's one neat Easter Egg. When I tried shaking iPhone to see if it would let me change terrains, a screen flashed up prompting me to enter a cheat code. I looked up both SimCity 3000 and SimCity 4 cheat codes, but none of them seemed to work with the game. If you discover any to share, please let us know in the comments!
Overall
SimCity is one of the greatest time-wasters ever invented and is extremely addictive. The iPhone version is no different. This is one of those games that will help make the iPhone be viable as a portable gaming unit alongside the Nintendo DS and PSP. For those hesitant to try out games on your iPhone, give SimCity a try. You won't be disappointed.
SimCity (link opens iTunes) is available in the US iTunes store for $9.99. An international version of the game, SimCity International, can also be found in your local iTunes store.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Matthew Hillyer said 1:10PM on 12-18-2008
I played for about 90 mins last night. Not bad, and I agree with your review.
One thing that annoyed me though was that it's scale is a little small, and it's tough to be precise (hence the arrows to move things before you "commit") it starts to hurt the hands and eyes after long play.
Other than that.. it's SimCity... great!
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Jason Martin said 1:16PM on 12-18-2008
SimCity 3000 is the game that I would get lost in. I'd play into the night, thinking it was no later than 11 or 12, only to find out it was 5 in the morning. This really irritated my wife, and when I told her that EA had released a version for the iPhone, she begged me not to get it, and I see her point. She's still "traumatized" by my inadvertent late nights, and I certainly don't need to be wasting that kind of time nowadays. But it is SimCity...
(I feel like an addict on the verge of a relapse.)
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Jason said 1:35PM on 12-18-2008
Could the code be "porntips guzzardo"? For some reason I still remember that code from like 10 years ago.
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Megan Lavey said 1:26PM on 12-18-2008
Tried it, didn't work sadly enough.
Veritas said 5:50PM on 12-18-2008
I played SimCity 2000 14 years ago, and i still remember porntipsguzzardo...
Probably because it was the first game i ever played on my new Performa. Happy memories.
Digaos said 1:36PM on 12-18-2008
I would love to see a "multiplayer" feature, like connecting your city to a friend's one and try to "steal" the citizens/business by offering better taxes or quality of life.
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KA said 1:40PM on 12-18-2008
It's a port of SC3? No SC4? No broccoli?
So sad...
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Jon Hege said 5:35PM on 12-18-2008
It'd be a lot harder to port SC4. The graphics in SC4 are far more advanced and probably way beyond the capabilities of the iPhone/iTouch. My guess is it made a lot more sense for them to port SC3, because its graphics complexity was more in line with the iPhone's.
Mike said 1:41PM on 12-18-2008
Looks fun but I'm holding out for a port of Civ II!
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Ashley said 1:47PM on 12-18-2008
Could also be "pirntops guzzardo"? I have a feeling that was a variant on "porntips guzzardo"...
Didn't "cash" also work in SimCity 2000? Only $250 if memory serves, but hey.
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Danny Cohen said 2:03PM on 12-18-2008
@Mike Oh, man, a port of Civ III would be MONDO INSANITY! I hadn't even thought of that. Now I DEMAND it.
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Marc said 6:54AM on 12-19-2008
Mega-lo-mania (from the Amiga) would Rule!
Stefan said 2:11PM on 12-18-2008
I just tried with "i am weak". It's actually working, the result is everything is free
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who? said 3:26PM on 12-18-2008
Neato!
Mike said 5:06PM on 12-18-2008
how about, "pay tribute to your king" or "call cousin vinnie" or "water in the desert" or "garbage in, garbage out" Try those, tell me how it works out
who? said 11:30PM on 12-25-2008
Ah, it's the only way I can manage playing it without ripping my ears off and eating them in frustration. Thanks and Merry Christmas random cheat code hander outer!
Mike said 4:08PM on 12-26-2008
Your welcome, those are all codes that work in simcity 3000. Did they all work?
Paul said 2:23PM on 12-18-2008
Does this game display the SimCity 3000 developer's fixation with llamas?
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ECM said 2:59PM on 12-18-2008
If this were Simcity 2000 based then i'd be all over it.
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WyldKard said 11:44PM on 12-18-2008
No offense, but this is barely a review. Saying that this title is a port of Sim CIty 3k doesn't cut it, either. For those who aren't Sim City afficionados, what does this title have that other Sim City titles don't, and vice versa?
The controls have obviously changed, so what other UI changes are there? What's the battery drain on this title like? How clumsy is the placement of items? Do the advisors talk, or is their communication text-based? Can we import cities from Sim City 3k? Can we export them? How large are the terrain grids, or is there only one size to choose from?
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