SimCity 3000 Unlimited

Download SimCity 3000 Unlimited and build the city of your dreams! Control every aspect of urban planning, manage resources, and tackle challenges as your city grows. Unleash your inner mayor and play now!
a game by Maxis Software
Platform: PC
Editor Rating: 8/10, based on 1 review, 2 reviews are shown
User Rating: 6.9/10 - 39 votes
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See also: Simulator Games, SimCity Games
SimCity 3000 Unlimited
SimCity 3000 Unlimited
SimCity 3000 Unlimited

SimCity 3000 Unlimited is a city-building simulation game. Developed in 1999 it was the third installment of the SimCity series. Currently, in 2020, many more players are familiar with SimCity 4 or SimCity BuildIt, modern variations on SimCity 3000. SimCity 3000 Unlimited allows the player to create a city of their own. With many different customization options, from creating urban housing to central city hubs. The standard of applying, plumbing, electrical, etc also are features present in SimCity 3000. This simulation game allows the player to create a megalopolis of their own from tall standing skyscrapers, carnivals, museums, etc.

Gameplay

SimCity 3000 Unlimited has you starting with a few residential, commercial, industrial zones. After you begin creating capital, you can buy more and more upgrades. Some more lavish than others. Your city will be filled up with roads, subways, railways, plumbing, and electrical lines. Eventually, you will get to a point to expand into important items such as a police station, fire station, schools, etc. These buildings will allow you to keep your city in check, as well as improve the educational abilities of the civilians. SimCity 3000 Unlimited comes with its fair share of realistic simulation, from taxes to recreational areas, landfills, and city suggestions. It’s not just about making your city look beautiful, you must balance the city between a multitude of factors. Between crime, cleanliness, satisfaction, and traffic, there are many micro manageable settings the user has to adjust. For instance, maybe you would like to implement certain fines or taxes that would benefit the city but may reduce satisfaction. Or implementing more police stations would decrease the amount of crime in that area but may come with its fair share of complaints.

Graphics

The graphics one-up the graphics in SimCity 2000, naturally the next selection of the series should have upgraded graphics as well as gameplay. The graphics elicit a greater sense of detail and precision. Furthermore, the player can zoom in and see actual pedestrians walking on the streets of your city. This is similar to the likes of games like Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 where actual riders and pedestrians can be seen, and seen with great detail when zoomed up close. While SimCity 3000 Unlimited was released half a decade before Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, it certainly did not fail in the graphics department. While the graphics are certainly nice for 1999, SimCity 3000 Unlimited feels like a more aesthetic graphically intense SimCity 3000, those who have played the previous SimCity titles will be able to find their way around SimCity 3000 easily.

Game Comparisons

SimCity 3000 Unlimited at the time of release was only one of it’s kind in the genre. However now in 2020, the city building simulation genre has grown immensely. The more modern SimCity 4 or SimCity BuildIt are direct products of SimCity 3000. Other modern games such as City Skylines or the Tropico series also have the same idea of creating a city and managing the many settings each city contains.

Conclusion

SimCity 3000 Unlimited, while old, still holds up for its time as one of the greatest city-building simulation games. Without it, we would not have its modern variants. If you’re looking for a more rustic old style of city-building simulation or just a trip down memory lane you should look to SimCity 3000. Remember to try out the more modern titles, as those have many more customization options and modern settings.

Download SimCity 3000 Unlimited

PC

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

Overview

Step into the shoes of the mayor of your own simulated city once again with SimCity 3000 Unlimited. The "Unlimited" at the end of the title is a subtle way of telling us that this game contains all that we loved about 1999's release of SimCity 3000, while packing it full of goodies to reinvigorate the series until the release of SimCity 4000. With new artistic touches (two new building sets and new world landmarks), new challenges (four new disasters as well as added scenarios), and new expandability (a building creation tool and a scenario creator) there is even more to love.

Gameplay, Controls, Interface

If you're familiar with SimCity 3000, or SC 2000, or even the original for that matter, you should have a basic understanding of how gameplay in SC3KU (my goodness, that's a long acronym) works. As the mayor of your city, you zone areas, install utilities, build roads, and construct building to protect your citizens (or at least bring in profit). Little SimCitizens will start flocking to your city as long as you make your domain livable. Adding spice, four new disasters are included along with the original five, to frustrate the efforts of your well-planned city. As with most Maxis games, SimCity 3000 contains no real predefined goals, which can completely stress-out certain goal-oriented people. SC3KU helps calm their psychosis, by providing 13 scenarios that can actually be completed. These range from protecting your city from a locust horde to reuniting East and West Berlin. And, if you've beaten all those, you can download or create your own scenarios to keep you up all night long.

Graphics

I can't honestly say that the graphics in SC3KU are stupendous, but they do get the job done. Little people walking, riding bicycles and driving cars populate your city, making it seem lively and interesting. The skyscrapers are impressive and normally everything is detailed enough to differentiate one building from another. This upgraded version includes two new building sets (one Asian and one European, beside the standard American style) that help extend the graphic palate. You can also use the Building Architect Plus tool that comes with the game to design your own buildings to use and share over the Internet. Obviously, it isn't easy to create well-designed, attractive buildings, but you needn't fret because, besides the many user-created buildings on the Internet, there are 95 world landmarks you can sprinkle into your landscape to add civic color.

Audio

The music tracks are surprisingly well done. They remain in the background while still adding a little toe-tapping to the game. The sound effects aren't very memorable; simply utilitarian in representing the buildings you've created.

System Requirements

Windows 95 or 98, 166 MHZ processor, 32 MB RAM, 4x CD/DVD-ROM, 450 MB free disk space, and a 2 MB PCI or AGP video card.

Bottom Line

If you have ever played any SimCity game, you most likely know how addictive they can be. After stumbling to bed early in the morning, I can attest to the fact that this one carries on the tradition with style and substance. If you have never played a SimCity game, here is the place to start, with both linear and non-linear gameplay that will keep you busy for hours. If you already have SimCity 3000 and are wondering if it is worth the upgrade, I would also recommend SC3KU, for not only are you going to receive plenty of extras to keep you busy, but you can send in for a $10 rebate. No matter how you look at it, SimCity 3000 Unlimited is a city full of fun.

Snapshots and Media

PC Screenshots

See Also

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