Sim City Review (Wii Virtual Console)

Sim City (Wii VC Review, 800 points)

The classic city building simulation game makes its way to the Virtual Console and we could not be happier about it. Sim City on the SNES was a great conversion with everything being implemented well across the control pad and a few Nintendo twists, such as appearances by Bowser and Mario, being added.

For the uninitiated, the game sets you up as the major of a new city, it's your job to manage the budget and carefully build up the place using a base of Residential, Commercial and Industrial zones. Along the way you will be given gift buildings which range from a bank to zoos and Dutch windmills. Each building brings either a boost to the surrounding areas or in the case of the bank gives the player a new option on your statistics panel.

Although the game may appear somewhat simplistic, especially considering how far the Sim City series has come, there is till more than enough to keep you occupied. The game has a large amount of hidden depth and it is easy to lose control of a city if you develop it too fast in the wrong areas. Keeping the balance while expanding your Metropolis in waiting is highly addictive and you can expect to lose large chunks of time as you become transfixed by the urge to build just one more block.

Several scenarios are in place for players who wish to try something a little different. Each one revolves around one of the disasters that can occur such as earthquakes, floods, monster attack or nuclear meltdown. Here you are given the task of fixing the damage done by the disaster in a set number of years. These scenarios act as a minor distraction but, in truth, the main game of building and managing is too strong to keep you away for to long.

Graphics and sound may be basic but everything is presented very clearly and effectively and a large amount of graphs and meters are on hand to help you keep track on the growth and problem areas of your city. Getting everything just right is a difficult task as while your city continues to grow so will crime, pollution and traffic. All these things must be taken into account so having so many aids to tell you where the problems are is very welcome.

Overall, despite its basic presentation, Sim City is a great addition to the Virtual Console. Spend some time with it and it soon becomes clear there is far more going on than meets the eye and watching your city sprawl across a map is a great feeling. Furthermore, copies of SNES Sim City are difficult to find and the battery save in most cartridges will have long since died making saving. The VC version removes all these problems and allows you to dip into the game at the push of the button, something which should retain its interest for many hours to come.

8/10