SimCity (SNES, 1991)
Graphics-7 Sound-7.5 Control-6.5 Challenge-6-8*
Level Design-8 Frustration-7 Fun-7 Originality-8
Overall Score-7
*Depends on the map layout
+
Innovative concept and mechanics (first city-building/management sim)
Good interface for its time (shortcut button for the sidebar menu, quick-scroll, stats on most important things)
Somewhat humorous
Mario universe cameos
Some advanced mechanics to explore (zone stacking, bugs, most efficient zone/road placement and optimizing growth via gifts and taxes, dealing with pollution and crime)
Difficulty options
999+ different standard maps as well as a few scenarios to play
Save feature (only two slots though)
New soundtrack
Basic weather effects depending on the season
Trigger disasters at will (are you a mayor or a god?)
Pretty good introductory game to its genre
+/-
Game pauses while quick-scrolling
Disasters (can't be completely turned off but due to bugs you can skip those that still happen in easy mode by not powering the air- and seaports (except for Bowser having a slight chance of appearing in the 2000s))
Whether or not you'll reach the final goal of the standard game (600k population) depends a lot on the map layout - 80%+ land is needed
Standard game is about increasing population rather than keeping it happy (for example you can destroy zones at will without serious consequences (there are no riots or elections))
There's not much to do with your money in the late game (can't buy more gifts or manually increase the level on houses for example)
Top level buildings don't revert despite increased pollution or geographical changes?
No way to zoom out the view to see the entire city with in-game graphics
For a mayor role you have a very distanced relationship to the people in your city
Can't raise or lower land or do landfills at will (Populous)
Low character limit for the city name
-
No mouse support
Bugs (roads and railroads don't function like you'd expect them to - instead you only need to connect a zone to one other building for its transportation needs to be met and certain buildings don't even need roads, parks don't help with pollution, airport/stadium/fire department don't need power to serve their purpose)
Dated interface (can only place one zone at a time, slow cursor, very slow standard scrolling, 'total' window doesn't show which gifts have already been received and how many), Can't cancel a placed zone or gift, Can't relocate gifts
Slowdown (the game becomes increasingly slow as your city grows)
Lacking tutorial/practice mode (need to read the manual and/or guides to learn pretty basic things)
Some loading times (when choosing a map or bringing up map functions like crime rate stats)
Coal power and regular roads are pretty much useless
Gifts aren't regiven after their destruction
Schools and hospitals auto-build frequently (at random?) in residential zones (the latter have no use to you in a regular game, you should've been able to build them manually instead)
Once you know how to exploit the bugs and/or play efficiently in the standard game there's not much replay value to it
The metropolis and megalopolis themes are worse than the previous ones (first one is repetitive, the second annoyingly hectic in parts and with some poor instrument samples)
Some annoying sfx (disaster sound)
More bugs: (http://www.gamewinners.com/snes/SimCity.htm)
Level Design-8 Frustration-7 Fun-7 Originality-8
Overall Score-7
*Depends on the map layout
+
Innovative concept and mechanics (first city-building/management sim)
Good interface for its time (shortcut button for the sidebar menu, quick-scroll, stats on most important things)
Somewhat humorous
Mario universe cameos
Some advanced mechanics to explore (zone stacking, bugs, most efficient zone/road placement and optimizing growth via gifts and taxes, dealing with pollution and crime)
Difficulty options
999+ different standard maps as well as a few scenarios to play
Save feature (only two slots though)
New soundtrack
Basic weather effects depending on the season
Trigger disasters at will (are you a mayor or a god?)
Pretty good introductory game to its genre
+/-
Game pauses while quick-scrolling
Disasters (can't be completely turned off but due to bugs you can skip those that still happen in easy mode by not powering the air- and seaports (except for Bowser having a slight chance of appearing in the 2000s))
Whether or not you'll reach the final goal of the standard game (600k population) depends a lot on the map layout - 80%+ land is needed
Standard game is about increasing population rather than keeping it happy (for example you can destroy zones at will without serious consequences (there are no riots or elections))
There's not much to do with your money in the late game (can't buy more gifts or manually increase the level on houses for example)
Top level buildings don't revert despite increased pollution or geographical changes?
No way to zoom out the view to see the entire city with in-game graphics
For a mayor role you have a very distanced relationship to the people in your city
Can't raise or lower land or do landfills at will (Populous)
Low character limit for the city name
-
No mouse support
Bugs (roads and railroads don't function like you'd expect them to - instead you only need to connect a zone to one other building for its transportation needs to be met and certain buildings don't even need roads, parks don't help with pollution, airport/stadium/fire department don't need power to serve their purpose)
Dated interface (can only place one zone at a time, slow cursor, very slow standard scrolling, 'total' window doesn't show which gifts have already been received and how many), Can't cancel a placed zone or gift, Can't relocate gifts
Slowdown (the game becomes increasingly slow as your city grows)
Lacking tutorial/practice mode (need to read the manual and/or guides to learn pretty basic things)
Some loading times (when choosing a map or bringing up map functions like crime rate stats)
Coal power and regular roads are pretty much useless
Gifts aren't regiven after their destruction
Schools and hospitals auto-build frequently (at random?) in residential zones (the latter have no use to you in a regular game, you should've been able to build them manually instead)
Once you know how to exploit the bugs and/or play efficiently in the standard game there's not much replay value to it
The metropolis and megalopolis themes are worse than the previous ones (first one is repetitive, the second annoyingly hectic in parts and with some poor instrument samples)
Some annoying sfx (disaster sound)
More bugs: (http://www.gamewinners.com/snes/SimCity.htm)