Citystate II Review (Reconjack85)
Picked up CSII on sale after an itch to play good ol' SC3K, couldn't get it to work but was blown away at the similarities in these games. CSII has it's own unique feel, being centered around social decisions more than just city development, it's enjoyable to see which option / law has what outcome. The physics of the game are wonderful, I love how utilities don't have a lifespan, once they're placed, they last and don't degrade. There's no real indepth city planning as in water pipes, power lines, even mass transit is just drop a bus stop and that's it, so if you want that aspect of city planning look elsewhere but I find it to be refreshing to focus on the strategic level instead of micromanagement level. I would love to see more building sets to expand on the already beautiful cityscapes. More park options, or perhaps just a drap and drop park zone that develops itself depending upon surrounding aspects. The direct effects of slums developing and section 8 housing are wonderful, it's like a lesson in why socialism is horrible and destroys entire cities in reality. But I digress, the dev (I guess he's one dude...the Dude...standing alone) has a damn good grasp on software creation. It's hard to grasp this game with all of the detail was created by one man and games like SC3/4, Civ, etc. took entire companies and still fell short in many ways. I look forward to add ons, or future releases, mod-ability would be great in the event this was a one and done thing. Would be great to have the ability to create further details, buildings, zones, interactability, laws, etc.