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Living in an urban environment leaves a lot to be desired. With crime rife, pollution, congestion, high population density and barely a tree in sight, the concrete jungle is a harsh and unforgiving place. With the above features of a city in mind, it’s no wonder why city management / creation games have been popular since gaming began, with the first form being Sim City. Running a city is a complex and deep job and you’ve probably often asked yourself or your TV when watching the mayor, “How hard can it be?” Sim City (excluding Societies) showed us that it can be fiendishly difficult and forever unforgiving; managing zoning, budget and traffic is a tiring process. Step in City Life (2008), a game which attempts to keep some of the depth, but also make it more like a game. Does a lack of ‘ultra-depth’ result in a half-hashed experience or does City Life 2008 flourish into a golden age?

The original City Life was first released in 2006 and was developed by Monte Cristo, a connoisseur in obscure strategy games. They moved from titles Trader 97 and Wall Street Trader to a more accessible genre. Their first City Life received an average reception, with good enough scores for a 2008 edition. Here’s the crux point (Ed – Yes! So Soon!) If you own the original City Life then there’s no point buying 2008, and you might as well spend your time elsewhere on the site. That’s because apart from a crude editor and some new scenarios (which are practically like the old scenarios), City Life 2008 is exactly the same game. It’s got the same engine, gameplay mechanics and sound. If you haven’t played City Life then 2008 is definitely worth a look (if you’re a city building fan).

The premise is simple, build roads, place housing, businesses, education, authority, resources, and balancing need and demand while all the while watching your bank account and monthly income. You’ve seen that all before and it’s pretty bog standard stuff. Where City Life attempts to be unique and set itself apart from the rest is in its societal representation. There are six groups of people who could possibly live within your borders; the have-nots, fringes, blue-collars, suits, radical chicks and elites. Depending on an area’s education, safety, supplies, etc, the expected group will occupy housing and accept jobs. Therefore, the key is balance. Certain buildings need certain groups, so often you’ll have several neighbourhoods on the go, as mixing two of the groups together results in cultural anguish and conflict, riots, fires and the destruction of your city. Money is gained through excess power / waste disposal as well as businesses, as long as spaces are occupied. Again you’ll need to balance your finances so you always have a healthy monthly income. Once all this is taken care of you can enjoy the game, slowly enlarging your city and your wallet.

There’s plenty to enjoy, as the game allows you to zoom in right down to street level. You can track a single family; name is after yours and watch them live out its dreary life. Buildings are varied, as is terrain. The game colours the pavements to handily indicate who’s occupying the neighbourhood which helps when zoning your city. The sense of scale is impressive with towering skyscrapers dwarfing the average house. Traffic buzzes around the streets and neon lights glow as the sun sets. The game successfully conveys the life of a city and that’s probably its biggest achievement.

As an actual city building game it’s pretty loose in content. The game requires you to be constantly balancing each component but that’s as difficult as it gets. Once you’ve got several sectors set up, it’s pretty much plain sailing from there. Rarely does City Life 2008 punish, and its learning curve is steep, yet never deathly. Any game with a date in the title should be approached with caution as it often means it’s a yearly rehash. City Life 2008 isn’t an exception to the rule and that’s why it’s getting a 6/10.

Score: 6/10

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