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Simulation games have always been quite popular. But it all really kicked off when Theme Park was released for PC / PS / Mega Drive and all. So why does the gaming nation have a craving for these simulations, and now that almost everything has been covered, why don't they think of something slightly more original. I mean, Sim Lighthouse???
Why do people find Sim games so fun when they probably could do the events in them in real life (The Sims?). Probably because of the feeling of power. When will a petty gamer like you ever get the chance to run a non-NHS hospital? When will you ever get to design a theme park? And when will YOU get the chance to manager, oh yes, a lighthouse (for your sanity and mine, hopefully never, but still). So maybe it is because of the feeling of power. Or maybe there are no other good games TO play. I say latter. Anyone want to second that?
So we have your first Sim games. And probably the best ones. Fairly addictive and generally quite fun I ended up playing them for hours on the ol' 486. Theme Park (with its unlimited money cheat - lol) was my personal favourite, as Theme Hospital, released later, didn't have the kiddy, creative appeal of its predecessor. Being a sim fan, though I still bought it and damn did I enjoy it! Still, weird diseases such as the Uncommon Cold made Theme Hospital funnier than Theme Park.
Then we have the Sim games by Maxis. Each Sim game was great fun, starting with Sim City. Such a fun game to play with its basic layout and 'Look, a p l a n e' appeal made it a popular choice for gamers. The we have the sequel, imaginatively called Sim City 200. Oooh! Well the basic idea of the original stays the same, but a) graphics are way improved and b) you can get more involved in the running of your city. This made the game more involving therefore increasing the game's lifespan. And thankfully, it didn't take the control element to extremes where eventually you got bored of deciding what fraction of a percent should go to the sub-sector of the RSPCA2000. Then we have the prequel, ironically called Sim City 3000. Nice name. Unfortunately this game wasn't much on it's previous version. Graphics were tinkled with and control elements were made more advanced, but gamers don't, unfortunately, notice the small things, so this games wasn't really as popular. And spin-offs followed, like Sim City 3000 UK Edition and Sim City 3000 + (I think) but no-one really cared.
So Maxis changed tack. Why not control a family? Great idea. So the released the Sims, one of the most popular games in recent years. At least one of your friends will have it. And another one will probably have one of the expansion packs (at £20 no less) that came out for it. Frankly I thought it was a bit boring. Don;t we have our own lives to lead rather than an electronic family's? Apparently not, but still, when Maxis tried to mix the success of the Sim City series and the Sims to get Simsville, it was scrapped, so as they could concentrate on their next project, an online Sims world. Oooh. But Maxis and Bullfrog aren't the only developers to make simulations, oh no. Lionhead had a shot, too, to apparently find out 'who you really are'
When Black and White was just about to be released there was a huge hype for it. The creator said you would find out who you really are. And it was probably one of the best sim games ever. Slightly boring at points, but generally the best. And with only 1 expansion been added so far (which I've played) it shows the amount of time they have put into it. The only faluts were that you were finding that you sometimes were just feeding folk, which is not your idealistic game that you payed £30 for. But at points when you fight (or when you are playing online) the game comes into its own. Oh, and the creature you choose is so cute! The expansion pack, B & W Creatures Isles, now says 'find out who your creature really is'. Nice. Although with my creatures level of aggresion Im not sure I do want to find out!
And finally, the Microsoft sim games. These games are always of a high standard, but the problems being a) they are difficult (not challenging, difficult) and b) for anyone wanting a casual game they should look elsewhere. It may be real but it's slightly bland and looking onto yonder sky is not my gaming heaven. Still both Microsoft Train Simulator and Flight Simulator are extremely close, if not exact, to the real thing
So what do you think of Sim games? Great or erm...not so great.
Hope you enjoyed reading :)
Why do people find Sim games so fun when they probably could do the events in them in real life (The Sims?). Probably because of the feeling of power. When will a petty gamer like you ever get the chance to run a non-NHS hospital? When will you ever get to design a theme park? And when will YOU get the chance to manager, oh yes, a lighthouse (for your sanity and mine, hopefully never, but still). So maybe it is because of the feeling of power. Or maybe there are no other good games TO play. I say latter. Anyone want to second that?
So we have your first Sim games. And probably the best ones. Fairly addictive and generally quite fun I ended up playing them for hours on the ol' 486. Theme Park (with its unlimited money cheat - lol) was my personal favourite, as Theme Hospital, released later, didn't have the kiddy, creative appeal of its predecessor. Being a sim fan, though I still bought it and damn did I enjoy it! Still, weird diseases such as the Uncommon Cold made Theme Hospital funnier than Theme Park.
Then we have the Sim games by Maxis. Each Sim game was great fun, starting with Sim City. Such a fun game to play with its basic layout and 'Look, a p l a n e' appeal made it a popular choice for gamers. The we have the sequel, imaginatively called Sim City 200. Oooh! Well the basic idea of the original stays the same, but a) graphics are way improved and b) you can get more involved in the running of your city. This made the game more involving therefore increasing the game's lifespan. And thankfully, it didn't take the control element to extremes where eventually you got bored of deciding what fraction of a percent should go to the sub-sector of the RSPCA2000. Then we have the prequel, ironically called Sim City 3000. Nice name. Unfortunately this game wasn't much on it's previous version. Graphics were tinkled with and control elements were made more advanced, but gamers don't, unfortunately, notice the small things, so this games wasn't really as popular. And spin-offs followed, like Sim City 3000 UK Edition and Sim City 3000 + (I think) but no-one really cared.
So Maxis changed tack. Why not control a family? Great idea. So the released the Sims, one of the most popular games in recent years. At least one of your friends will have it. And another one will probably have one of the expansion packs (at £20 no less) that came out for it. Frankly I thought it was a bit boring. Don;t we have our own lives to lead rather than an electronic family's? Apparently not, but still, when Maxis tried to mix the success of the Sim City series and the Sims to get Simsville, it was scrapped, so as they could concentrate on their next project, an online Sims world. Oooh. But Maxis and Bullfrog aren't the only developers to make simulations, oh no. Lionhead had a shot, too, to apparently find out 'who you really are'
When Black and White was just about to be released there was a huge hype for it. The creator said you would find out who you really are. And it was probably one of the best sim games ever. Slightly boring at points, but generally the best. And with only 1 expansion been added so far (which I've played) it shows the amount of time they have put into it. The only faluts were that you were finding that you sometimes were just feeding folk, which is not your idealistic game that you payed £30 for. But at points when you fight (or when you are playing online) the game comes into its own. Oh, and the creature you choose is so cute! The expansion pack, B & W Creatures Isles, now says 'find out who your creature really is'. Nice. Although with my creatures level of aggresion Im not sure I do want to find out!
And finally, the Microsoft sim games. These games are always of a high standard, but the problems being a) they are difficult (not challenging, difficult) and b) for anyone wanting a casual game they should look elsewhere. It may be real but it's slightly bland and looking onto yonder sky is not my gaming heaven. Still both Microsoft Train Simulator and Flight Simulator are extremely close, if not exact, to the real thing
So what do you think of Sim games? Great or erm...not so great.
Hope you enjoyed reading :)
Not sure really what I think. The only hardcore simulation I've really loved has been Sim City on the Atari ST. It did feel like you were controlling something real and alive: and because it had this great manual you knew where you were going wrong, unlike the randomness that I think hampers the latest batch of Sim X games.
On the other hand I think I might extend your definition of a sim a little further and include games like Pro Evolution Soccer and Gran Turismo. Admittedly these games are more arcadey than MS Flight and Train Simulators, but they definitely capture the essence of what they're trying to recreate. And on the harder difficulty levels the realism of these two games reaches a high level - probably higher than that offered by the Tycoon and Sim series, which seem to take the same engine and just paste on a grahical update relevant to the situation. GT3 and PES also have the advantage that the things they simulate (driving fast, playing top quality football) are terrific fun and unattainable in normal life.
That's probably the key: aspiring to something in reality. The question is whether you prefer realism and difficulty to approximation and accessibility.
On the other hand I think I might extend your definition of a sim a little further and include games like Pro Evolution Soccer and Gran Turismo. Admittedly these games are more arcadey than MS Flight and Train Simulators, but they definitely capture the essence of what they're trying to recreate. And on the harder difficulty levels the realism of these two games reaches a high level - probably higher than that offered by the Tycoon and Sim series, which seem to take the same engine and just paste on a grahical update relevant to the situation. GT3 and PES also have the advantage that the things they simulate (driving fast, playing top quality football) are terrific fun and unattainable in normal life.
That's probably the key: aspiring to something in reality. The question is whether you prefer realism and difficulty to approximation and accessibility.
Good post.
I should be getting my copy of the Sims tommorow so i'll see for myself whether I like it.
I should be getting my copy of the Sims tommorow so i'll see for myself whether I like it.
Simulation games have always been quite popular. But it all really kicked off when Theme Park was released for PC / PS / Mega Drive and all. So why does the gaming nation have a craving for these simulations, and now that almost everything has been covered, why don't they think of something slightly more original. I mean, Sim Lighthouse???
Why do people find Sim games so fun when they probably could do the events in them in real life (The Sims?). Probably because of the feeling of power. When will a petty gamer like you ever get the chance to run a non-NHS hospital? When will you ever get to design a theme park? And when will YOU get the chance to manager, oh yes, a lighthouse (for your sanity and mine, hopefully never, but still). So maybe it is because of the feeling of power. Or maybe there are no other good games TO play. I say latter. Anyone want to second that?
So we have your first Sim games. And probably the best ones. Fairly addictive and generally quite fun I ended up playing them for hours on the ol' 486. Theme Park (with its unlimited money cheat - lol) was my personal favourite, as Theme Hospital, released later, didn't have the kiddy, creative appeal of its predecessor. Being a sim fan, though I still bought it and damn did I enjoy it! Still, weird diseases such as the Uncommon Cold made Theme Hospital funnier than Theme Park.
Then we have the Sim games by Maxis. Each Sim game was great fun, starting with Sim City. Such a fun game to play with its basic layout and 'Look, a p l a n e' appeal made it a popular choice for gamers. The we have the sequel, imaginatively called Sim City 200. Oooh! Well the basic idea of the original stays the same, but a) graphics are way improved and b) you can get more involved in the running of your city. This made the game more involving therefore increasing the game's lifespan. And thankfully, it didn't take the control element to extremes where eventually you got bored of deciding what fraction of a percent should go to the sub-sector of the RSPCA2000. Then we have the prequel, ironically called Sim City 3000. Nice name. Unfortunately this game wasn't much on it's previous version. Graphics were tinkled with and control elements were made more advanced, but gamers don't, unfortunately, notice the small things, so this games wasn't really as popular. And spin-offs followed, like Sim City 3000 UK Edition and Sim City 3000 + (I think) but no-one really cared.
So Maxis changed tack. Why not control a family? Great idea. So the released the Sims, one of the most popular games in recent years. At least one of your friends will have it. And another one will probably have one of the expansion packs (at £20 no less) that came out for it. Frankly I thought it was a bit boring. Don;t we have our own lives to lead rather than an electronic family's? Apparently not, but still, when Maxis tried to mix the success of the Sim City series and the Sims to get Simsville, it was scrapped, so as they could concentrate on their next project, an online Sims world. Oooh. But Maxis and Bullfrog aren't the only developers to make simulations, oh no. Lionhead had a shot, too, to apparently find out 'who you really are'
When Black and White was just about to be released there was a huge hype for it. The creator said you would find out who you really are. And it was probably one of the best sim games ever. Slightly boring at points, but generally the best. And with only 1 expansion been added so far (which I've played) it shows the amount of time they have put into it. The only faluts were that you were finding that you sometimes were just feeding folk, which is not your idealistic game that you payed £30 for. But at points when you fight (or when you are playing online) the game comes into its own. Oh, and the creature you choose is so cute! The expansion pack, B & W Creatures Isles, now says 'find out who your creature really is'. Nice. Although with my creatures level of aggresion Im not sure I do want to find out!
And finally, the Microsoft sim games. These games are always of a high standard, but the problems being a) they are difficult (not challenging, difficult) and b) for anyone wanting a casual game they should look elsewhere. It may be real but it's slightly bland and looking onto yonder sky is not my gaming heaven. Still both Microsoft Train Simulator and Flight Simulator are extremely close, if not exact, to the real thing
So what do you think of Sim games? Great or erm...not so great.
Hope you enjoyed reading :)
Why do people find Sim games so fun when they probably could do the events in them in real life (The Sims?). Probably because of the feeling of power. When will a petty gamer like you ever get the chance to run a non-NHS hospital? When will you ever get to design a theme park? And when will YOU get the chance to manager, oh yes, a lighthouse (for your sanity and mine, hopefully never, but still). So maybe it is because of the feeling of power. Or maybe there are no other good games TO play. I say latter. Anyone want to second that?
So we have your first Sim games. And probably the best ones. Fairly addictive and generally quite fun I ended up playing them for hours on the ol' 486. Theme Park (with its unlimited money cheat - lol) was my personal favourite, as Theme Hospital, released later, didn't have the kiddy, creative appeal of its predecessor. Being a sim fan, though I still bought it and damn did I enjoy it! Still, weird diseases such as the Uncommon Cold made Theme Hospital funnier than Theme Park.
Then we have the Sim games by Maxis. Each Sim game was great fun, starting with Sim City. Such a fun game to play with its basic layout and 'Look, a p l a n e' appeal made it a popular choice for gamers. The we have the sequel, imaginatively called Sim City 200. Oooh! Well the basic idea of the original stays the same, but a) graphics are way improved and b) you can get more involved in the running of your city. This made the game more involving therefore increasing the game's lifespan. And thankfully, it didn't take the control element to extremes where eventually you got bored of deciding what fraction of a percent should go to the sub-sector of the RSPCA2000. Then we have the prequel, ironically called Sim City 3000. Nice name. Unfortunately this game wasn't much on it's previous version. Graphics were tinkled with and control elements were made more advanced, but gamers don't, unfortunately, notice the small things, so this games wasn't really as popular. And spin-offs followed, like Sim City 3000 UK Edition and Sim City 3000 + (I think) but no-one really cared.
So Maxis changed tack. Why not control a family? Great idea. So the released the Sims, one of the most popular games in recent years. At least one of your friends will have it. And another one will probably have one of the expansion packs (at £20 no less) that came out for it. Frankly I thought it was a bit boring. Don;t we have our own lives to lead rather than an electronic family's? Apparently not, but still, when Maxis tried to mix the success of the Sim City series and the Sims to get Simsville, it was scrapped, so as they could concentrate on their next project, an online Sims world. Oooh. But Maxis and Bullfrog aren't the only developers to make simulations, oh no. Lionhead had a shot, too, to apparently find out 'who you really are'
When Black and White was just about to be released there was a huge hype for it. The creator said you would find out who you really are. And it was probably one of the best sim games ever. Slightly boring at points, but generally the best. And with only 1 expansion been added so far (which I've played) it shows the amount of time they have put into it. The only faluts were that you were finding that you sometimes were just feeding folk, which is not your idealistic game that you payed £30 for. But at points when you fight (or when you are playing online) the game comes into its own. Oh, and the creature you choose is so cute! The expansion pack, B & W Creatures Isles, now says 'find out who your creature really is'. Nice. Although with my creatures level of aggresion Im not sure I do want to find out!
And finally, the Microsoft sim games. These games are always of a high standard, but the problems being a) they are difficult (not challenging, difficult) and b) for anyone wanting a casual game they should look elsewhere. It may be real but it's slightly bland and looking onto yonder sky is not my gaming heaven. Still both Microsoft Train Simulator and Flight Simulator are extremely close, if not exact, to the real thing
So what do you think of Sim games? Great or erm...not so great.
Hope you enjoyed reading :)