The Reviews on Amazon.com are trickling in...

[Baaz 0]

Only thing I don't like about the game.... is that im at work reading forums instead of reliving my childhood thrill of Simcity..... =P

[Tameron 8]

There is no way these user submitted "reviews" are reliable and they will never be: way too biased and unjustified. People complain and give 1 star for problems with origin or always online drm, but the game is actually still worth more than 1 star. It's like how Mass Effect 3 got a bunch of 1 star reviews for bad ending.

[Vihzel 9]

There is no way these user submitted "reviews" are reliable and they will never be: way too biased and unjustified. People complain and give 1 star for problems with origin or always online drm, but the game is actually still worth more than 1 star. It's like how Mass Effect 3 got a bunch of 1 star reviews for bad ending.

 

This is quite true. Some are actually trying to be reasonable reviews, but the vast majority are not. 

 

There's a reason why Google went away with the 5 star rating system in favor of the thumbs up or down system. They were finding that most people either rated 5 stars or 1 star on videos, even though the videos may not have warranted them. 

[arcology 224]

Because reviews on Amazon are completely reliable, right?

just as reliable as anywhere else i suppose.

 

 

Don't you just love how, when there are reviews for the game way before it has even come out - and they are just amazing! - that is considered reliable?  However, people who have actually paid for their game - their reviews aren't?! 

 

 

Wow - I love how it is still being spinned as the consumer is not trustworthy, even at this point.

 

 

Last time I checked, the number is growing on amazon - pretty fast and it is holding steady at 1.5 stars!  Over 400+ - the majority, with legitimate complaints. 

 

 

This is the first Sim game I have not bought and I am glad that I didn't. 

[wags13604 11]

It's a cool game just the servers are messed up. It'll come around.

[arcology 224]

They have had several betas, i mean "marketing demos", stated that it was built from the ground up to be online only and they still couldn't even get that right? 

 

How? 

 

It's not like EA didn't know they would need to be ready, for almost a year! 

 

Maybe they should have spent more time working on the online support instead of bashing SC4. 

[pkderek 51]

There is no way these user submitted "reviews" are reliable and they will never be: way too biased and unjustified. People complain and give 1 star for problems with origin or always online drm, but the game is actually still worth more than 1 star. It's like how Mass Effect 3 got a bunch of 1 star reviews for bad ending.

That's a matter of perspective. If you want me to review Mass Effect 3 as a standalone game, yes it is worth more than 1 star. Arguably 4-5 stars. But if you want me to review it in terms of Mass Effect as a whole, I can very easily justify my 1 rating of the game, not inclusive of the tragedy we know as the Earth segment (and ending).

[bobbin 1]

I have watched plenty of let's plays of the new SimCity.  It honestly looks good in a lot of aspects.  I was tempted to buy but they're too many things that I would not put up with.  The DRM is one, just the fact of having to be online.  The regions in general frustrate me.  The cities are spread apart.  There is no way to terraform them.  The plots are tiny. They do so many things right though.  The trading between cities.  The specialization they have for cities is great!  Upgrading buildings instead of building many of them. (hospitals, police stations, etc.)

 

Start with SimCity 4. Then an option to host your own server so you can play with friends.  Have the sc4 region that's terraformable.  Add new features of the new simcity.  The game is basically complete.  Everyone get's the game they have been waiting 10 YEARS for.  EA is filthy rich due to this game breaking previous Simcity records.

[bipolarzebra 23]

 

Because reviews on Amazon are completely reliable, right?

just as reliable as anywhere else i suppose.

 

 

Don't you just love how, when there are reviews for the game way before it has even come out - and they are just amazing! - that is considered reliable?  However, people who have actually paid for their game - their reviews aren't?! 

 

 

Wow - I love how it is still being spinned as the consumer is not trustworthy, even at this point.

 

 

Last time I checked, the number is growing on amazon - pretty fast and it is holding steady at 1.5 stars!  Over 400+ - the majority, with legitimate complaints. 

 

 

This is the first Sim game I have not bought and I am glad that I didn't. 

Have to agree, i assume one of the main reasons for DRM in the first place is the companies do not trust the consumer from copying and sharing the game through downloads. the fact that people are dismissing customer reviews is mind boggling to me. when was the last time you bought something expensive and did zero research on the item to check its functionality, or other aspects?

So if EA doesnt trust its customers, why should we trust them not to screw us?

The only way to find out is to see what others are saying and do the research. the sad people who succumed to EA are the ones that didnt. I am glad there are now close to 500 reviews (486 currently) to steer potential buyers clear of this game that are able to read such reviews.

[Ocram's Razr 964]

The sheer number of reviews and the sizable portion of the reviews being certified Amazon purchasers means that one can reliably infer that SimCity is currently not doing well.

--Ocram

[Endureth 37]

The reviews obviously don't mean jack, even though the reviews were bad, it still went on to become a **BEST SELLER**

 

lol @ reviews

[Charizard 284]

The reviews obviously don't mean jack, even though the reviews were bad, it still went on to become a **BEST SELLER**

 

lol @ reviews

 

Because of all the pre-orders from people who were dooped into getting the game expecting it to be good and have a stable launch. Diablo 3 became a best seller but wasn't exactly a stellar game was it? Thankfully people are asking for refunds on this site and many others.

[pkderek 51]

The reviews obviously don't mean jack, even though the reviews were bad, it still went on to become a **BEST SELLER**

 

lol @ reviews

It's called preorders. Do we have any statistics on post-launch sales?

[arcology 224]

 

 

Because reviews on Amazon are completely reliable, right?

just as reliable as anywhere else i suppose.

 

 

Don't you just love how, when there are reviews for the game way before it has even come out - and they are just amazing! - that is considered reliable?  However, people who have actually paid for their game - their reviews aren't?! 

 

 

Wow - I love how it is still being spinned as the consumer is not trustworthy, even at this point.

 

 

Last time I checked, the number is growing on amazon - pretty fast and it is holding steady at 1.5 stars!  Over 400+ - the majority, with legitimate complaints. 

 

 

This is the first Sim game I have not bought and I am glad that I didn't. 

Have to agree, i assume one of the main reasons for DRM in the first place is the companies do not trust the consumer from copying and sharing the game through downloads. the fact that people are dismissing customer reviews is mind boggling to me. when was the last time you bought something expensive and did zero research on the item to check its functionality, or other aspects?

So if EA doesnt trust its customers, why should we trust them not to screw us?

The only way to find out is to see what others are saying and do the research. the sad people who succumed to EA are the ones that didnt. I am glad there are now close to 500 reviews (486 currently) to steer potential buyers clear of this game that are able to read such reviews.

 

 

 

Not only that, both the standard and limited editions, each on their own pages, are at 1 and 1.5 stars,  respectively, with the reviews steadily growing. 

 

I just mentioned this to a person, who has also been a long time fan of this series, whos' opinion I respect, that it is really sad that after 10+ years, instead of playing a great new simcity game, I am reading reviews about how bad it is turning out to be.  

 

They have transformed this game into something that it wasn't supposed to be.

 

The reviews are pretty accurate, from what I am reading, and not just with amazon.com.  The same people who have been trying to say to EA, please give us back the game we know and love, have been right, all along.  

[Essex 322]

 

Because reviews on Amazon are completely reliable, right?

just as reliable as anywhere else i suppose.

 

 

Don't you just love how, when there are reviews for the game way before it has even come out - and they are just amazing! - that is considered reliable?  However, people who have actually paid for their game - their reviews aren't?! 

 

 

Wow - I love how it is still being spinned as the consumer is not trustworthy, even at this point.

 

 

Last time I checked, the number is growing on amazon - pretty fast and it is holding steady at 1.5 stars!  Over 400+ - the majority, with legitimate complaints. 

 

 

This is the first Sim game I have not bought and I am glad that I didn't. 

Same here. None of my friends have bought it and they're all happy they didn't.

If all the reviews are positive, it's legit. If all the ones are negative, it's a conspiracy. Sure.

[arcology 224]

The reviews obviously don't mean jack, even though the reviews were bad, it still went on to become a **BEST SELLER**

 

lol @ reviews

 

 

Right, like the ones plastered all over the Simcity front pages - those we should trust.  The ones that were bought by EA. 

[Buggi 685]

The logic of EA I don't understand is KNOWING they had X number of preorders.

 

"So we have 50,000 preorders," thought an EA exec, "lets have server capacity for 10% of them."

 

Yeah, reeeealy smart.

[jed34 0]

Looks like this is headed down the same path as Spore:  http://www.amazon.com/Spore-Mac/product-reviews/B000FKBCX4/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

5 star:    (278)
4 star:    (143)
3 star:    (86)
2 star:    (172)
1 star:    (2,614)  

 

 
 

[Sunociva 5]

782 Reviews

5 star:

 

 (26) 4 star:

 

 (19) 3 star:

 

 (20) 2 star:

 

 (39) 1 star:

 

 (678)

 

 

List is growing ever so faster. In line for Origin Online Chat. If I reach a rep before the servers are fixed (now 2 days after release) then I am refunding. Doesn't really need to be said at this point, but i'm never buying another EA/Origin game again. A lot of respect lost on Maxis for choosing Origin/EA as Distributor. . .

[SirChick 184]

782 Reviews

5 star:

 

 (26) 4 star:

 

 (19) 3 star:

 

 (20) 2 star:

 

 (39) 1 star:

 

 (678)

 

 

List is growing ever so faster. In line for Origin Online Chat. If I reach a rep before the servers are fixed (now 2 days after release) then I am refunding. Doesn't really need to be said at this point, but i'm never buying another EA/Origin game again. A lot of respect lost on Maxis for choosing Origin/EA as Distributor. . .

 

Not sure they chose - they would of been bankrupt otherwise only EA bought them otherwise we wouldn't have SC4. But EA has gone down hill over the last 5+ years.

[shorty2 94]

The 5* amazon review that popped up first was this one. I lol'd.

 

"You'd think I'd be mega unhappy like everyone else at the constant
waiting and lack of actually being able to play a game I purchased.

Well, you'd be wrong.

The
hours upon hours since launch that I haven't been able to log in,
whether it be sitting in queues, or server busy messages, or just plain
old not working screens, I've managed to do a heap of things that I
never do when I'm locked in my man cave playing video games.

I've
washed the dishes, the laundry, changed the oil in the car, mopped the
floors, dusted, did a spot of gardening, greeted my children who I
hadn't really seen since Christmas, walked the dog, asked how my wife's
day has been and listened to the entire response, restocked the
groceries and many more things! My family has never been happier that
they've got a father and husband again.

In fact, I feel like
Simcity has given me a new lease on life. This wouldn't have been
possible without the seemingly crazy decision to have constant online
connections and server side save points even for single player.

So I can only thank EA and Maxis. Your failures have been my rewards. 5 stars!"

[Crazy_Ivan80 35]

Because reviews on Amazon are completely reliable, right?

just as reliable as the reviews from magazines these days

[ZyreHD 1]

People are just mad that they can't play. Their just finding a place somewhere to express there frustration. Wait for a week and check back.

[shorty2 94]

People are just mad that they can't play. Their just finding a place somewhere to express there frustration. Wait for a week and check back.

 

If I had just spent $60 on a game and I was unable to play it because the serves weren't operational I'd be pissed off too. "just mad" is insulting. they have every right to be mad! EA insists on online-DRM, fine, if they want to play that game then they have to make the game playable, which currently it isn't. stop. making. excuses.

[ZyreHD 1]

People are just mad that they can't play. Their just finding a place somewhere to express there frustration. Wait for a week and check back.

 

If I had just spent $60 on a game and I was unable to play it because the serves weren't operational I'd be pissed off too. "just mad" is insulting. they have every right to be mad! EA insists on online-DRM, fine, if they want to play that game then they have to make the game playable, which currently it isn't. stop. making. excuses.

I admit it's a mess. They should have done the server things way better, trough pre-load and adding more servers before launch.

[jacksunny 741]

There is no way these user submitted "reviews" are reliable and they will never be: way too biased and unjustified. People complain and give 1 star for problems with origin or always online drm, but the game is actually still worth more than 1 star. It's like how Mass Effect 3 got a bunch of 1 star reviews for bad ending.

Exactly. 

 

 

Because reviews on Amazon are completely reliable, right?

just as reliable as anywhere else i suppose.

 

 

Don't you just love how, when there are reviews for the game way before it has even come out - and they are just amazing! - that is considered reliable?  However, people who have actually paid for their game - their reviews aren't?! 

 

 

Wow - I love how it is still being spinned as the consumer is not trustworthy, even at this point.

 

 

Last time I checked, the number is growing on amazon - pretty fast and it is holding steady at 1.5 stars!  Over 400+ - the majority, with legitimate complaints. 

 

 

This is the first Sim game I have not bought and I am glad that I didn't. 

You honestly believe every single one of these reviews are by people that have played the game for enough time to give a fair, through review of its features? As mentioned several times, many of these reviews are clearly from people who were unable to play the game because the servers were down, so they gave the game a "1" rating. 

 

One of the biggest issues with the game isn't even the game itself, it is how EA/Maxis managed public relations from the announcement of the game, to the launch of the game. Take map sizes for example. People spent months complaining about map sizes. And then what happens? Not even a week before launch: "Oh don't worry, the maps will get bigger eventually." Of course, this came much, much too late for it to be of any use. Most people had already made up their minds. 

 

One wonders if EA even expected this game to be successful. Judging by the overload on the servers, it doesn't look like it. Also knowing the management team at EA, I wouldn't be surprised. 

 

This had the potential to be a very successful game. Personally, I think Maxis did a good job with the gameplay, it was EA that screwed the game up. 

[lookingforviaducts9 2]

One main problem Maxis had to work around with was the fact that everything you see on screen is really happening in the simulator: they were sort of trying to create a "true" simulator, one that steps out of the veil of values and formulae. Sadly its main selling point has become its fallacy: this effectively limits everything that can possibly be done, from population to map sizes to region sizes, and so on.

 

The game doesn't deserve just a 1-star (that is, unless you have been waiting for 2 days ,to no avail, trying to play the game). As bobbin has mentioned earlier, the trading, specialization and module-upgrading aspects of the game (all three being, in my opinion, a huge improvement from where SC4 left off, if not the last being a new aspect) are indeed commendable. It's sad, however, that they didn't include subways and highways (generally because the city sizes were now too small to justify their presence), even if they did add streetcars.

 

One thing's for sure: I'm not gonna be throwing SC4 away for quite a while. 

[Follarch 327]

IGN's community rated SimCity 6.1/10. 

[mayorgeek 18]

There is no way these user submitted "reviews" are reliable and they will never be: way too biased and unjustified. People complain and give 1 star for problems with origin or always online drm, but the game is actually still worth more than 1 star. It's like how Mass Effect 3 got a bunch of 1 star reviews for bad ending.

Exactly. 

 

> 

 

Because reviews on Amazon are completely reliable, right?

just as reliable as anywhere else i suppose.

 

 

Don't you just love how, when there are reviews for the game way before it has even come out - and they are just amazing! - that is considered reliable?  However, people who have actually paid for their game - their reviews aren't?! 

 

 

Wow - I love how it is still being spinned as the consumer is not trustworthy, even at this point.

 

 

Last time I checked, the number is growing on amazon - pretty fast and it is holding steady at 1.5 stars!  Over 400+ - the majority, with legitimate complaints. 

 

 

This is the first Sim game I have not bought and I am glad that I didn't. 

You honestly believe every single one of these reviews are by people that have played the game for enough time to give a fair, through review of its features? As mentioned several times, many of these reviews are clearly from people who were unable to play the game because the servers were down, so they gave the game a "1" rating. 

 

I bought something and it was nonfunctional due to poor design choices, fueled by contempt for the consumer. Why shouldn't I give it the lowest possible rating? What is unfair about that?

 

Disclaimer: I'm not a big gamer. I've never used Origin. I haven't been following the pre-release hype. I'm not part of any bandwagon. 

[Shadely 63]

I look at Amazon review rating as a kind of litmus test. For me, it's not about believing all the reviews, it's about seeing the general consensus.