Just in case we get bogged down reviewing Electronic Arts' poisoning of an otherwise excellent franchise instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of the game itself, allow us to present a Cheetah Speed review of SimCity up-front (assuming EA has turned that feature back on by the time you read...

Lovely graphics; unique multiplayer component; city specializations have a great potential to add uniqueness to the game

Always-on Internet requirement; numerous game-breaking bugs; Sims lives not "simulated;" numbers don't add up; game lacks terraforming

"SimCity, at times, is nothing short of brilliant." "It's remarkable, and makes it nearly impossible to stop playing once you've started." "Other times, things simply break."

Wonderful visual style; Watching Sims go about their lives is great; Social and online functionality is innovative

Glitches sometimes destroy cities; Server issues compound design flaws; Small city size might be a turn off

I remember playing it alongside other city management titles like Pharaoh or Caesar, trying to create the best settlements I could, looking out for the happiness of my citizens, while also trying to balance making a profit with causing as little damage as I could to the environment.

+ Game engine; + City building tools; + Citizen interaction

- Forced social nature; - Limited building space; - Server-related problems

Finally. After months of demands, the long-awaited Update 10 for SimCity has made the city-building simulation available for offline play. Still, it's a case of too little, too late.

Update 10 removes the always-on Internet requirement of the original game; Removal of the online DRM means that you no longer have to worry about a server going on the fritz and wrecking your city-building plans for the evening

Core game design remains focused on multiplayer elements; City size limits; multicity focus; and zoning rules are still aggravating

Chances are you're already well aware of the kerfuffle - the disaster, to be blunt - that has surrounded the release of Sim City. It has been one of the hingest-profile disasters in gaming, really, and one that has left EA smarting.

When EA and Maxis announced that they were resurrecting SimCity , the franchise that put Maxis on the map so many years ago, people were understandably skeptical at the potential pitfalls of such a big-name reboot.

I love the SimCity series. I played the first one for countless hours growing up, and my younger years were filled with endless play sessions of SimCity 2000 and 3000 . I wanted to like the latest SimCity.

It's often said that sometimes, simple is just better. I learned that the hard way one night as I grabbed a cup of coffee at a nearby Starbucks. In the mood for something a little different, I added a dash of nutmeg to my coffee.

In sitting down to write this review, I spent a good long while thinking to myself, "What can I possibly say that hasn't already been said?" From one end of the Internet to the other, endless stories of server shutdowns, data-corrupted cities, and idiotic motorists have bounced around in an online...

The launch of SimCity made headlines for all the wrong reasons and sadly has taken some of the shine off this exciting new addition to the SimCity franchise. The game should have been able to be downloaded prior to release time, which would have alleviated some of the congestion from the Origin...