The Official City Journal Critics Thread Archive

[bbfan02 23]

Thanks, its no problem.

[Shingure 56]

Cj Review By Shingure

The full name of this Cj is Columbia - The Heart of the Ocean .But To shorten it down it is Columbia. Columbia was started on August 21st , 10 minutes before Midnight. This Cj is good. But you have to remember the saying about first impressions. They can say alot about a person and a Cj also. The first collection of pictures are of a city that seemed to be badly warped on a hill. As a Cjer who had essentially the same problem I feel for the author as he is working with an incredibly steep peice of land. As a reviewer I can say that i makes the city highly unrealistic and causes some realism freaks to pull their hair out.The second collection of pictures holds a better promise. The second steep area is abit better constructed but we see alot of supports. And then we see the picture we are waiting for. The Airport. From there the Cj takes flight

The following city finally shows what this author is all about. The land is still hilly but he has now added walls and even terraformed the land by hand in order to get a more realistic and pleasing to the eye result. On the second page of the Cj we see more eye pleasing downtowns and trees making their way onto the scene making the Cj more expert-looking. Even though we still get a glimpse of the supports and awkward slopes.He also provides us with pleasing cliffs. Which seem to incircle one of his masses of land.Meaning a vast improvement had been made almost overnight.

In conclusion this Cj is  very good overall. A bad start gave way to the metamorphosis of something beautiful.Anyway I have not much to write here. 

The Good	The Bad
Very nicely done overall . A good use of custom content and also the terraforming is awsome.	The opening was very bad. From the terraforming to the supports it was a mess.

[Shingure 56]

Im Sorry About that. I forgot that August was Month 8 and September was Month 9. Im sorry . I will fix it as soon as possible.

[Mike the Mayor 51]

Lovely review there, Pinewood is excellent.

[zane900 1]

You guys have done a really fabulous job here; we all can't wait for more! Soon enough the tram will be celebrating its first birthday in another way - you know what I mean, Patriots.

[Artman94 2]

oh wow lol i never knew there were cj reviews till now like a sec ago...i love these haha ha

[bbfan02 23]

Great update on that! It showed that it really is a very good cj.

[SpecialEddie 3]

Mike's Showcase!

Mikeaut's CJs have never failed to disappoint and his Showcase (!) is no different. It makes for an excellent addition to his city journaling resume. Mike's Showcase is a surprising bundle of CJs rolled into one delightful package. But even though Mikeaut's cities closely resemble one another, variety is definitely not lacking in this showcase. That might seem contradictory, but the level of detail and depth that is exhibited in Mike's updates show diversity and as a city-builder, this author without a doubt exhibits great range. Suburbs, beaches, ports, and skyscraping downtowns are just some of the areas that exhibited in great detail. 

Mikeaut is a master at making his environments, familiar yet different each time. He continues his well-known tropical theme, but branches off into coastal and wooded cities as well (resembling Seattle and Portland, etc.). Trees are abundant in Mike's Showcase and his dense CBDs are almost always surrounded by nature, making for a spacious and natural feel. Though Mike has moved on to more temperate climates, there's always a bit of Cabel Bay in whatever he does.

Planning is another plus in Mike's Showcase. The downtowns transition quite naturally into suburbs (dense to middle to low), adding to the journal's realistic theme. Urban centers are planned out nicely and the suburbs (the author's specialty) resembles that of any American city's. His CJ could be right outside your doorstep. 

Other familiar Mikeaut trademarks include his famous traffic cam gifs, his beaches (which could use some fixing--they're too bland and the jagged edges are really outdated), and the focus put on individual buildings (hotels, residential buildings). However, his Plugins could definitely use updating. This isn't 2004 anymore!

Despite some inconsistencies, Mikeaut has done it again. He's made another well-crafted CJ and 30+ pages later, it's a determined effort! Suburbs, snow, palm trees, beaches, and skyscraper--Mike's Showcase has it all.

-Highly Recommended

[The Big Z 103]

Great Review, SpecialEddie! I love Mike's Showcase. I get a lot of inspiration from it for my CJ.

[Shingure 56]

Lol, It was good though. I got 5 reviews done. I think ...

[Shingure 56]

Hey , What about me.Ive been keeping it running to the best of my ability.

[patriots_1228 51]

i know that...by lazy i meant almost no activity. you've been a one man show for most this month

[patriots_1228 51]

This isn't 2004 anymore? darn..

great review special eddie, since its been kinda lazy round here lately.

[BlondeTwiggy 43]

I know Im lazy patriots

haha, but i'll be posting some reviews soon

Awesome, Eddie, I always enjoy reading your reviews! Mikes showcase is great! I must visit again sometime, haven't done so lately.

[Benedict 3,119]

Thanks for the review - glad you enjoyed the stories.

[BlondeTwiggy 43]

The Mayors of Ellis Valley by Benedict

Benedict’s CJ, The Mayors of Ellis Valley, is a wittily-written account of various mayors’ lives in Ellis Valley.  Juicy gossip, hilarious narratives, political scandals, startling secrets, and insanely minute details make Benedict’s storytelling fascinating—not to mention addictive.

The soap-opera style drama and political corruption begins with somewhat insignificant agricultural town mayors.  But in this place where “every Sim has a secret,” no city is safe from their laziness, hunger for power, and dishonesty.

Although Benedict does not use mods or BATs, he makes good use of existing Maxis buildings and embellishes with photo editing so that the pictures are realistic and directly related to the story.  His fantastic region boasts over 100,000 Simcitizens—aka 100,000 secrets.  Or more.  Oh yes, because in this Valley, nothing is as it seems.

Strong points:  I love how Benedict uses the game’s original features and tiny details (that most others would not notice) and spins an intriguing tale around them.

Suggestions:  Well, I would say “Use custom content,” but most readers do not realize that this is a purely vanilla CJ. 

Bottom line:  Pop some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the show!

[purpledaddy 6]

Hey congratulations on your Trixie for this review.   I used to hang out at the CJ's all the time when I did my Sim Diary.  Even if you feel you write anything lately, usually good leadership amounts to proper delegation.  Take it fr a middle-cog pinstriped bureaucrat! 

[patriots_1228 51]

figures the blonde loves the gossip CJ...WHO SAID THAT? jk.

another great review from ya twiggs.

[patriots_1228 51]

thanks purple, and to everyone else who voted for me! even though I really don't deserve a trixie for best reviewer

[GreekMan 246]

congrads

hopefully we both will get a trixe for CJs next year!

[Godzillaman 21]

"Damn that ribbon looks fine "

Now that's a signature!

I actually agree with the last few reviews...somethings not right......I never agree...

[Shingure 56]

Cj Review By Shingure

CJC

Another one of the greats of natural Cj's has come upon us once again as Shanna opens up her Cj November 18th . The Author of the Previous Cj Laurie brings us a Cj that isnt based off of concrete hi-rises and bussle, But instead the quiet , tranquil , and beautiful nature scenes. The scenes are also reminiscent of another famous Cj. Also like the other Cj being implied in this review it terraformed by hand. A task that few have the patience to do. For her the patience has paided out . Even though this Cj is still relatively young there are not alot of negatives. Plus the positives seems to far outweigh the one negative in the Cj.

The one negative is the natural aspect is so beautiful that there are no flaws. Realism freaks and Natural CJers may be a bit shocked at what Im about to say but there are no errors in this Cj what so ever....Which gives it a creepy aspect.But that negative is more a positive. Still I show much love to this Cj, Shanna keep up the good work. Also the the mods that are used are the ones that produce the most beautiful results. The most recent pics also show a double track rail line running through the forest...Which fits in perfectly with the scenes.

In Conclusion there is not much to say about this Cj. As in it will leave you speechless. And plus it resembles it's seemingly sister Cj , Paradise Falls. Many people will love this Cj and will keep on coming back for more. Keep it going Shanna and keep it beauiful. 

The Good	The Bad
Everything about this Cj is good. The choice of mods , The  trees , The rocks , Even the name sounds lovely. Also the friendly nature of the author keeps the people commenting keeps them wanting to see more	There is nothing wrong with the Cj except it's perfect. Which is so creepy. The reason escapes me.But other than that it's a wonderful Cj.

[Shingure 56]

I feel so left out. I didnt win a Trixie....Oh well Hopefully Simtropolis will be here next year.

[SpecialEddie 3]

Originally posted by: purpledaddy Well hey, just a hunch from a bureaucrat, perhaps the nominator meant the whole team and didn't know how to express it! Anyway quote>

 

Trust me. I meant patriots.

[BlondeTwiggy 43]

Congrats patriots!! 

[purpledaddy 6]

Well hey, just a hunch from a bureaucrat, perhaps the nominator meant the whole team and didn't know how to express it! Anyway good job again guys!

[patriots_1228 51]

good review shinguire. Good thing we had you review it..had I reviewed it it would have been "Brisco new england shows how much better new england is than everywhere else"...speaking of me writing reviews...got some work to do...

[Shingure 56]

Ok. I will use a easier to read font on my next review.I didnt know it was hard to read.But for the sake of some people's eyes I will change it.

[Shingure 56]

Cj Review by Shingure

CJC

Brisco , New England's Author WillG_75's Cj was spawned from the corruption of his last cj Dennison. Started November 12th 2007 . 1 minute after 5:30 the Cj's introduction is very long. But provides alot of information about the Cj. The Cj's first updates are good. Even though the city is not done it looks nice and the use of trees and buildings give it a New England vibe. Also the first thing that can be seen is Antigrid. On a large scale at that. Which is what New England is known for. Non-grid. As we look on we see wonderful pictures of construction and progress. Even though there are some problems when it comes right down to it. 

Even though we understand that each computer has it's limits the author had stated early on that building the roads and developing later would be his strategy we also see that toward the more current updates there is alot of space needed to be filled . Much of there beautiful pictures features empty space. A simple fix would perhaps be...Since this a New England style Cj. Add more flora in parts that would seem abit less dense or more appealing. Even though Rome wasnt built in a day Brisco will take a while to be filled in judging by how the transportation map looks. And there are some instances where you have a take a double take at something because of some of the scatter. 

In the end this Cj has Potential, Alot of room , and Alot of Non grid roads. Hopefully by the New Year alot more of Brisco will be filled in and there will be much more for us to enjoy. To the author you have done a great job. And also when you get the chance be a good neighbor or mayor and comment for support.

The Good	The Bad
The accuracy , The roads layout , and the flora all match the New England style. Also the use of buildings are very nicely picked and placed. Most of all there is room for lots of growth and improvement	The city by estimate and by looking at the road map is barely 50 percent filled. Also the time for waiting for an update is a little long somtimes. But Rome wasnt built in a day now wasnt it?

[bbfan02 23]

That was a very good review. The cj deserves it.