SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition
Top 5 Best City Building Games
An oldie, but a goldie. The preeminent city building experience, SimCity has been doing the rounds since the late ’80s. It has remained fundamentally unchanged since that time, though presumably the inaugural residents had a lot more slap bracelets, Teddy Ruxpin dolls and cocaine. Sounds like we got the short end of the stick, to be honest.
The most recent edition of SimCity was the 2013 relaunch of the same name. However, it was plagued with issues upon launch, including the requirement of a constant online connection, but without the server strength to accommodate such a mandate. It definitely was neither simsational nor simspiring, but blatantly simcompetent.
If you want a superior SimCity experience (read: a playable one), you’ll have to rewind your clock back to 2003’s SimCity 4, which is still available on Steam. It improved zoning aspects from previous titles, and also has compatibility with the first two Sims title, if you happen to still play those relics.
Cities: Skylines
Top 5 Best City Building Games
Rising largely from the ashes of the aforementioned failure of 2013’s SimCity entry, Cities: Skylines was able to capitalize on a disgruntled market that had gotten nothing but a bad case of the grizzles from EA’s bungle. It was met with near-universal praise upon its release, with The Escapist going so far as to bestow upon it a perfect 5/5 rating. I myself have only ever gotten one five star rating, and that was on a scale of one to ten, so it’s definitely not quite as much of an achievement.
Though Skylines may never quite reach the height of its rival – SimCity is a staple of the gaming canon, and all it will take is another new title for all to be forgiven and forgotten, don’t try to convince yourselves otherwise – it was able to deliver a punishing blow that placed it at the top of the heap for the time being. It is, by most accounts, the best modern city building simulator you can play, and that is a well-deserved accolade.
City Life 2008
Top 5 Best City Building Games
In fairness, City Life is truly an ambitious stumble of a city building sim; a swing-and-a-miss that is hampered by issues that place it far behind the prior entries in this article. But a list of two would just look weird and I really don’t want to reach so far as suggesting Animal Crossing, so let’s expand your mind a little with the alternatives. Go on, be adventurous. Get a tattoo. Buy a Ferrari. Play some City Life 2008 for a change.
The calling card for this Monte Cristo title is its full 3D rendering, meaning that you can get right on down and view each building from any angle. It’s a gratifying touch that makes your new burgh feel just that much more tangible, allowing you to directly feel like you’re a part of the action, and it might distract you from the game’s lack of in-depth elements like weather effects or natural disasters. It depends on how easily swayed you are, really.
Tropico 5
Top 5 Best City Building Games
Now we move onto the periphery of city builders, where further goals come into play than simply birthing a society and watching it grow. In Tropico, your primary function is to stay in power, and doing so is a lot easier said than done. Let’s just say that your character may be a little bit less than benevolent, so it is imperative that you remain in office. A fall from grace could lead to your name being wiped from the history books, a fate which is typically accompanied by some kind of brutal uprising. Trust us, that’s not a good thing.
With international interests to keep in check, and a range of factions under your rule including communists, intellectuals and militarists, Tropico 5 focuses more on the people than the building aspect, but needless to say, should you neglect your duties in constructing enough shiny things to placate the residents, it won’t end well. It just ain’t easy being El Presidente.
Banished
Top 5 Best City Building Games
What kind of game would declare humanity itself to be little more than a resource, to be spent and used in the interest of a greater goal? Why, it’s Banished, of course – a city building sim where you are the head of a bunch of outcasts and misfits, and tasked with the arduous mission to start a new life out in the bold frontier. It’s like those coming-of-age movies from your childhood, only without Steve Guttenberg.
With human life treated so expendably, you’ll have to be ultra vigilant as you tackle the cruel wilderness to ensure that each risk is a calculated one. A lucrative gambit can expand your populace tenfold, and lo and behold, yield more able bodies for the field. A botched exploit may lead to disastrous results, where your township ends up occupied by little more than cockroaches, cobwebs and failed ambition.
…Yeah, that sounds overly poetic. Just don’t let people die and you’ll be fine, buddy.
Published: Jun 19, 2018 12:40 pm