Review for Cities: Skylines. Game for PC, Steam, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Linux, the video game was released on 10/03/2015 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 15/08/2017 The version for Xbox One came out on 21/04/2017
Cities: Skylines it is not a title that needs no introduction. Often referred to as the true heir to Sim City, he succeeded where the original brand failed. The work of the Colossal Order team has collected numerous awards since its release on PC, all well-deserved. So what to say about a game that has already proved its solidity and that appears for the first time on Playstation 4? In cases like this, the doubt concerns the adaptation, in fact the category of city builders, typically designed for PC, does not always manage to be properly transported to consoles.
In the case of Cities: Skylines this work had already been successfully undertaken on Xbox One and we invite you to go and read our review from a short time ago.
From the foundations… to the sky
In Cities: Skylines you do the job of the mayor or perhaps it is better to say, all the jobs of a city board of directors. You will have to choose where and what to build, the tax levels, the budgets for each service or the purchase of new building lots. For those who haven't tried it yet, Cities: Skylines has revolutionized the way of building buildings compared to its predecessors.
It will in fact be possible to build buildings only adjacent to the roads, real protagonists of city planning. At first you will only have access to a few structures, but as the population grows, milestone objectives will be unlocked, which make new buildings and city policies available.
The combination of all these variables makes Cities: Skylines a game with infinite customizations. Only the imagination will be the limit. The depth and precision in recreating the beating heart of a real city has always struck us. An obvious example are the types of roads available: different lanes, lanes for buses, lanes for cyclists or even tree-lined avenues, one-way streets, roundabouts. A wrong road becomes an obstacle to city traffic and solving the problem is a challenge. The game forces you to stop and reflect on the project already completed and calmly ponder the changes before taking action. In short, an excellent simulation that will really put you in the role of first citizen.
Given the premise, then, how is it possible to control everything only with the Dual Shock of the Playstation 4? We were surprised at how simple it is to manage the city, many of the controls are intuitive and within seconds it becomes clear how the interface works. Those who are already used to the PC version do not lose anything in this port. The choice of adopting radial menus makes it possible to use the numerous construction methods available. Perhaps the only drawback concerns the precision of the analog when we want to dedicate ourselves to the details, moving the cursor only a few pixels is not very practical. Nevertheless, we congratulate Tantalus Media, the development team who authored the interface and controls on Playstation 4.
Urban planning
In this console version, Cities: Skylines is released including the acclaimed After Dark expansion, thus introducing the day-night cycle and the planning of rules and districts dedicated to nightlife. Even the management of spending budgets can be customized with reference to the hours of light. The details achieved in this simulator are really well done.
In addition to traffic management you will be committed to meeting the needs of citizens ranging in numerous areas: education, safety, environmental and noise pollution, urban transport, waste management and connection with infrastructures such as railways or airports. Tourism is also taken into account thanks to a dedicated interaction that includes attractive buildings, monuments, politics and transport.
A job well done therefore, this version of Cities: Skylines for Playstation 4 convinced us from every point of view. If you are looking for a city builder, this is the best around. If you haven't tried it yet and you like management challenges, you won't be disappointed. Cities: Skylines is one of those few titles that has managed to give life to a lasting and successful brand, the publisher Paradox Interactive has satisfied console owners with another indisputable success.
► Cities: Skylines is a Management-type game developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive for PC, Steam, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Linux, the video game was released on 10/03/2015 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 15/08/2017 The version for Xbox One came out on 21/04/2017
