By Jason Nimer
G5 Games, the casual game company and App Store favorite, really hit it big
with Virtual City. The resource management title hit all the right points,
providing iOS gamers with a decent facsimile of SimCity they could play on the
go. Now that SimCity proper has hit the App Store, G5 had a big order to fill
with their sun-drenched sequel, Virtual City 2: Paradise Resort. No one will
accuse this sequel of taking chances or testing new ideas, though; Virtual City
2 plays it safe. You've seen this game before, but sameness aside, G5 Games
delivers one of the better management titles on the App Store and one that will
keep you busy for more than a few hours.
Virtual City 2 puts players in the role of city manager or mayor, and its
your job to build, develop and run your little city. I'm not going to even
bother explaining the more detailed ins and outs as nearly every single gamer
out there has seen this type of thing before. Your success or failure depends on
your ability to keep your citizens happy through a (severely lengthy) series of
missions and goals, and building a successful city (even one on the beach) is
going to require some skill and a major time commitment. The game certainly
didn't invent, or even perfect, the formula, but it works here just as it has so
many times before.
If you dig this type of management title, you could do a lot worse than
Virtual City 2: Paradise Resort. Even with SimCity available on the App Store,
this title has enough charm to squeak by on the strength of the game design.
Those that played the original Virtual City to death, though, beware: Aside from
the island and beach themes, this game is nearly identical to the original.
Whether or not that's a deal breaker will depend entirely on your taste, but new
players and old shouldn't be expecting surprises.
Final Rating: 70%
