The Almighty dF
Pharaoh
Just thought I'd make a thread for everyone just to sum up their thoughts on sim games they've played. I've been craving new ones to get into, and I figure other people might be too since the genre hasn't been getting much attention/love for a long while.
The Sims 3 - Meh. Less freedom than Sims 2, less content than base-game Sims 2, harder to mod, and overall -very- buggy. Bookworm Sims dying because they never go home from the bookstore/library, sims idling to death in their backyard, etc. I would recommend sticking to Sims 2 up until maybe the second expansion pack Sims 3 gets (the next one seems to just be Bon Voyage/Vacations, and those two were kinda lame as expansions.)
Spore - Limited replay value, only two fun phases (maybe three.) No matter what you do to your creature, it doesn't really change anything. You only change cosmetics, it still acts the same. A -gigantic- letdown, given all the claims they'd made about the game.
CivCity Rome - Caesar 4, but not as polished. The Civ themed research is a neat idea, but not handled well (be prepared to constantly research the same techs), detection is really bad (woodcamps that ignore the trees nearby, homes not developing because they don't see the clothier, which has what it needs, right next to them, the really odd happiness ratings, etc.)
Caesar 4 - Beautiful. It's exactly what you'd want: Caesar 3, but with improved graphics and more content. Here's hoping the company decides to do the same with maybe Emperor and Pharaoh.
Cities XL - Average SimCity clone. It kinda feels like playing a SimCity game with cheats, as you have to -try- to be in any danger. Just do as you please, build whatever. This seems nice at first, but it gets kinda boring.
Children of the Nile - Excellent city-builder, especially the enhanced version. I became almost instantly addicted. If you're a fan of Pharaoh, or of Egyptian history in general, pick this up.
SimCity Societies - EA really phoned it in on this one. There's a really poorly thought out system where buildings have pros and cons to them, but the pros and cons make absolutely no sense. Police departments lower authority levels whereas clock towers -raise- authority levels. What? -What-? It's not really a bad game, just a really poor sequel to something as awesome as SimCity 4.
So to sum all -that- up
Recommended:
Children of the Nile
Caesar 4
Not Recommended:
Spore
SimCity Societies
CitiesXL
Sims 3 (for now)
CivCity: Rome
Now, post your own reviews. Doesn't matter how old the game is, just as long as it falls within the simulation genre.
The Sims 3 - Meh. Less freedom than Sims 2, less content than base-game Sims 2, harder to mod, and overall -very- buggy. Bookworm Sims dying because they never go home from the bookstore/library, sims idling to death in their backyard, etc. I would recommend sticking to Sims 2 up until maybe the second expansion pack Sims 3 gets (the next one seems to just be Bon Voyage/Vacations, and those two were kinda lame as expansions.)
Spore - Limited replay value, only two fun phases (maybe three.) No matter what you do to your creature, it doesn't really change anything. You only change cosmetics, it still acts the same. A -gigantic- letdown, given all the claims they'd made about the game.
CivCity Rome - Caesar 4, but not as polished. The Civ themed research is a neat idea, but not handled well (be prepared to constantly research the same techs), detection is really bad (woodcamps that ignore the trees nearby, homes not developing because they don't see the clothier, which has what it needs, right next to them, the really odd happiness ratings, etc.)
Caesar 4 - Beautiful. It's exactly what you'd want: Caesar 3, but with improved graphics and more content. Here's hoping the company decides to do the same with maybe Emperor and Pharaoh.
Cities XL - Average SimCity clone. It kinda feels like playing a SimCity game with cheats, as you have to -try- to be in any danger. Just do as you please, build whatever. This seems nice at first, but it gets kinda boring.
Children of the Nile - Excellent city-builder, especially the enhanced version. I became almost instantly addicted. If you're a fan of Pharaoh, or of Egyptian history in general, pick this up.
SimCity Societies - EA really phoned it in on this one. There's a really poorly thought out system where buildings have pros and cons to them, but the pros and cons make absolutely no sense. Police departments lower authority levels whereas clock towers -raise- authority levels. What? -What-? It's not really a bad game, just a really poor sequel to something as awesome as SimCity 4.
So to sum all -that- up
Recommended:
Children of the Nile
Caesar 4
Not Recommended:
Spore
SimCity Societies
CitiesXL
Sims 3 (for now)
CivCity: Rome
Now, post your own reviews. Doesn't matter how old the game is, just as long as it falls within the simulation genre.
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