SimCity 3000

by Electronic Arts

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00000G16I
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: January 26, 1999
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,595 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Don't cry for me, SimCity. As the mayor--potentate, really--the entire future and design of the city is within your hands. A classic city-simulation game, the new version boasts scores of cool improvements, including more refined graphics.

The infrastructure of your new home is intense, and so are the tasks at hand: building roads, establishing water and power lines, providing civil protection through fire and police stations--and reviewing city finances to make sure all these things can happen. The realistic details in SimCity 3000 are what make it brilliant: an icon for "subway to rail connection" allows you to create a spot for your city residents to change trains on their daily commute.

The pleasing graphics offer color palates similar to a Diego Rivera painting or a Rockefeller Center mural. With an endless array of satisfying options and fascinating possibilities, a review of this edition requires almost ridiculous hyperbole and praise. A great way to get lost in careful consideration for days on end, SimCity 3000 is simply the best game of its type. --Jennifer Buckendorff

Product Description

You're in charge of creating an entire city from the ground up. Trade resources with neighboring cities. Import your favorite city from SIM CITY 2000. Download the building architect tool and design.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Minor changes have 'mayor' effect, January 23, 2000

By 

Salvador Bezos (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SimCity 3000 (CD-ROM)

Ever since the debut of the original simulator eons ago (I remember wasting countless hours on it on my Commodore 128) people have ritualistically purchased the next two versions. Both have been wonderful improvements.

Although the basic format has been preserved from Sim City 2000, many details have been modified. The graphics in Sim City 3000 are much cleaner and detailed than its predecessor's. You also get to control trade with your neighbors, including deals for the sale and purchase of water, electricity, and garbage. That's right, garbage. In Sim City 3000 you must also manage landfills and trash-burning power plants to keep your city clean. You also have much more control over ordinances.

This time around, the game is also much more glitch-free. You should have less trouble building that road you want exactly where you want it. Also, a very disgusting aspect of Sim City 2000, the arcologies, has been removed. The problem with this is, they just vanish if you use the 'import' feature in Sim City 3000 to bring in your old cities. Oh well. Deal with maintaining a real city.

All in all a great game. The improvements aren't obvious at first, but play a bit and you'll see how much more enjoyable it is while still maintaining its classic touch.

70 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Keep 'em coming, December 5, 1999

By 

Frazer Middleton (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SimCity 3000 (CD-ROM)

I stayed out of the whole Sim"What-haven't-we-done" thing for quite a while. I didn't buy any previous version of SimCity, which may or may not be a bad thing. SimCity 3000 (3K) I found really enjoyable - for a while.

The graphics are pretty good, the behavioral modelling is excellent for a game - you really need to pay attention to what you're doing if you want to be a successful city mayor. Its all good fun - at least for the first couple of months.

Then it starts to fall apart - things start to become pretty repetitve after your city has been going for around 100 years. The new things to discover dwindle. Much of your time is spent repairing things going wrong (sewer lines, power stations, etc etc). It does get rather monotonous.

The fun is in building the city (for me anyway). The maintenance side is tedious to say the least, it becomes kind of hard to be creative. You'd have to be a genius to get your road layout "right" first time out the box - so expect to build a few cities until you get it right.

On the whole, I've got to rate SimCity 3000 a "3-star" - its a lot of fun for a while, but the excitement starts to disappear after a few rounds. Its not going to keep offering something new every time you play (although the scenario may differ slightly). It'll be interesting to see what a follow-up offers in terms of "keep-playing-ness" (if a follow up will ever happen). Buy it for less than full price, and you shouldn't be too disappointed.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good, November 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: SimCity 3000 (CD-ROM)

Simcity 3000 is a lot better than Simcity 2000 for the fact that it has much better graphics and it's more challenging. In SC2000, your citizens don't really react to anything. In this version, the citizens actually come to you with their wants. It is also much more challenging. You also get more room to build a city and more rewards and oppurtunities that change your city forever.