| SimCity | |
|---|---|
|
Limited Edition cover art
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| Developer(s) | Maxis |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Producer(s) | Kip Katsarelis Jason Haber |
| Designer(s) | Ocean Quigley Stone Librande |
| Composer(s) | Chris Tilton |
| Series | SimCity |
| Engine | GlassBox |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows OS X |
| Release |
Windows OS X
|
| Genre(s) | Simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 63.82% |
| Metacritic | 64/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| CVG | 6.8/10 |
| Destructoid | 4/10 |
| Eurogamer | 4/10 |
| Game Informer | 6.5/10 |
| Game Revolution | |
| GameSpot | 5.0/10 |
| GamesRadar | |
| GameTrailers | 8.0/10 |
| IGN | 7.0/10 |
| Joystiq | |
| PC Gamer (US) | 69/100 |
| Polygon | 6.5/10 |
| The Guardian | |
| The Daily Telegraph | |
| Aggregate score | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 61/100 |
SimCity is a city-building and urban planning simulation massively multiplayer online game developed by Maxis, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts. Released for Microsoft Windows in early March 2013, it is the first major installment in the SimCity series since the release of SimCity 4 a decade prior. An OS X version was released on August 29, 2013.
The game is considered to be a reboot of the SimCity series. Players can create a settlement that can grow into a city by zoning land for residential, commercial, or industrial development, as well as building and maintaining public services, transport and utilities. SimCity uses a new engine called GlassBox, allowing for more detailed simulation than previous games. Throughout its development, SimCity received critical acclaim for its new engine and reimagined gameplay; however, publications cautioned the game's use of a persistent Internet connection, with which it stores saved games and allows players to share resources.
Prior to release, SimCity received positive reviews; however, the game's launch was met with negative reception as a result of widespread technical and gameplay problems related to the mandatory use of a network connection to play and save game data. These issues included network outages, problems with saving progress and difficulty connecting to the game's servers. As a result, some reviewers were unable to review the game, labeling the launch as a "disaster" and the game as "unplayably broken", urging players to avoid purchasing the game until the issues were resolved.