Sim Earth is one of the most entertaining of the Sims collections. Although one could say it is not nearly as replayable as the newer Sims games, it is strictly due to the limitations of the time. If Wright created another Sim Earth today, it would be by far the greatest simulation to ever reach the market.
That is beside the point. The game itself is beautifully made, complex, but the interface itself is simple. So it has a quality that all Sim games share, it is both complex and simple at the same time.
Sim Earth is one of the most entertaining of the Sims collections. Although one could say it is not nearly as replayable as the newer Sims games, it is strictly due to the limitations of the time. If Wright created another Sim Earth today, it would be by far the greatest simulation to ever reach the market.
That is beside the point. The game itself is beautifully made, complex, but the interface itself is simple. So it has a quality that all Sim games share, it is both complex and simple at the same time. It is easily learned, but difficult to master. It is a shame that your world has to eventually end, it is a grim reminder of
our own mortality, which is one of the many messages the game holds.
The game definitely has a lot of material to cover, but it does it very well. I think one should applaud any group of software designers, especially designers in the early nineties for even attempting such an ambitious project, let alone succeeding in it.
In all Sim Earth will provide you with plenty of ideas for creating your own games and serves as an example of what determination and vision can do for you. Or you can just have a good time smashing the world you've created with dozens of meteors, typhoons, and the plethora of other disasters that the game gives you. For young children it is a fun way to teach them about a wide variety of topics in science. Biology, chemistry, geology, the theory of evolution, problems facing civilization, and the many other things that we see in our world today.
The few flaws the game has are mainly because of its age. The graphics are definitely jaded, the lack of true species variation and slight lack of game replayabillity are the only real flaws. But, I can overlook a few of these minor problems, because the game itself is a part of simulation history.
Will Wright has been making quality games for sometime now, and we can expect his latest addition to the Sims series, Spore to be top-notch. It will hold up the traditions he has established with games such as Sim Earth, Sim Life, Sim City, Sim Farm, Sim Ant, Sim Copter, and lastly, Sim Earth. Sort of the forgotten child of the series, but nonetheless, a fine addition for every fan of simulation games.
