Cities: Skylines

Ever since I was a kid and got a copy of Sim City for the Super Nintendo I have always had a soft spot for city building games. So when I heard about Cities Skylines for the PC I was super into giving it a try!

Start Of Small

One thing that Cities Skylines does really well is starting you off nice and small. At the start of the game, you have a little bit of land. On this land, you need to plan out where your roads are going to go, build some properties, put in water pipes, electricity and so on. It is very easy to get to grips with and what you do with this first small section of land that you have is what you will be basically rinsing and repeating the whole time you play the game.

God Like Powers

The way that Cities Skylines lets you build your cities is pretty awesome. You have so much control at your fingertips. You can create schools, hospitals, law enforcement and of course places for people to live and word. What is really neat is that you can set your cities into different districts and give different districts their own kind of breaks. For example, you have a business district that has low tax rates as a way to lure in big business that in the long run are going to make your city thrive even more.

Expand, Expand, Expand

While you start off in control of just one small city, you will soon be able to get more land and then you can build more! Before you know it you are in charge of an area as large as the tristate area! It is pretty impressive stuff and despite being in charge and having to micromanage so many different things, Cities Skylines never makes you feel overwhelmed. I would actually say this is one of the more relaxing city building style games that I have ever played.

Roads, Where We Going We Need A Ton More Roads!

For me, the biggest challenge in Cities Skylines was dealing with traffic. You will have to try and make it so that the roads are not too congested. When they are they will appear red and when you figure it out and then turn green it is a really awesome moment. I know it sounds like a silly thing to give special attention to, but I found trying to figure out the traffic problem, especially when my city grew was a lot of fun.

No Stakes

As much fun as I had with Cities Skylines it is a game that is very hard to screw up in. I really do wish that there were natural disasters like there is in Sim City. Or that crime actually was something that was hard to get a grip on. I found that my approval rating very rarely dipped and I also found that it was incredibly hard to screw up your city. I do wish that there was just a little bit of danger.

Impressive Looking Cities

One thing that I feel that Cities Skylines does not get enough credit for is its graphics. While I tend to view my city from as far away as possible. It is awesome how you can zoom in and see how your city is bustling with life. Each building feels like there is something happening inside it and seeing the little people go about their day is pretty cool stuff. I especially like the scaling effects when you zoom in and out of different areas.

I had so much fun playing Cities Skylines! It is one of the more addictive games that I have played recently and it is a game I highly recommend. After the debacle that was Sim City 4, it is great to have a city building game that is just all about having fun. I highly recommend that you guys check this out. Just be warned it will take over your life!

9/10

Pros:

• Very easy to learn the basics
• There is a ton to build, see and do
• The building tools are fantastic
• Your city can grow to an enormous size!
• It is a lot of fun to play

Cons:

• Some disasters would have been cool
• It is going to take over your life!