Sim City 2000 is a major update of the basic Sim City concept and engine. The basic idea of the game is the same, to build and maintain a successful city over a period of many years. The upgrades make it much more interesting and engaging, however.
The most apparent upgrade is to the graphics engine. The city and terrain are now displayed in isometric 3D, with a rotatable and zoomable camera. The buildings are quite detailed, but it is still easy to access all the information you need for planning and construction.
There is some animation, nothing very impressive, but also not distracting. The sound is less impressive, but gets the job done. A few rudimentary sound effects and some MIDI music is all that Sim City 2000 has to offer, but they fit with the game.
The gameplay is the biggest step forward for the Sim City series. Different starting dates are available to choose from, which effects the technologies available to build with (subways, power plants, etc). The core gameplay remains more or less the same. The player builds the city around a power plant and basic utilities by zoning areas for residences, commerce, or industry. Improvements are available to increase safety, reduce pollution, or create happy citizens. Disasters such as floods, earthquakes, plane crashes,
or nuclear meltdowns may strike from time to time, or they can be generated by the player or turned off entirely.
Many new additions enhance the gameplay and give the player different options in city building. One of the biggest is the addition of elevation to the terrain. Players can level the terrain or build the city along with it for a new challenge. A water system is new to the utilities that the player must manage, but it seems to be one of the more poorly implemented systems as it seems overly difficult to keep buildings connected and supplied with water. "Light" or "heavy" zones allow players to control the growth and density of the city, subways give a new transportation option, and police and fire responses can be managed in disasters. More futuristic technologies make the game interesting in the later years with new power plant types and massive residential arcologies. Finally, player rewards are granted by citizens for achieving milestones in city building.
Sim City 2000 has a few flaws, but overall is a very deep and enjoyable strategy game. It is a major upgrade over the original Sim City, and a recommended download for any fan of the management sim genre.
