| Title | Anno 2205 tells a tale of three cities |
| Author | Tom Chick |
| Posted in | Game reviews |
| When | November 3, 2015 |
I need some iridium so I can put finance calculators on the tidal power stations I had to build for all my new synthcell incubators. That word soup, which makes complete sense to me, is Anno 2205 in a nutshell..
Read the full articleI remember that the developer claimed that one of the past Anno games would come out for the Mac. Obv that hasn't happened and continues to not be the case. It's bizarre considering the vast number of games that now come out on multiple platforms (including Linux, the new Steam OS etc) that we still have hold-outs in 2015.
Is it weird that I'm actively rooting for the sort of corporate synergy which would let Desmond run around in these cities? Not as anything you could interact with, just as a weird easter egg.
The way trade works now really thew me off for the first few hours, and only recently after 12 hours am I finally making a profit on a trade route, selling excess replicators. Great write up Tom, but the review is missing a star. ;)
-Hardcore Anno Fan
Oh my God, let the cat in!
Nice review! I would agree with the score and most points you made. But..
Endless mode starts after the campaign actually (they are combined), you can have multiple sessions at once. It is actually the biggest endless mode yet for them, it is just not on the main menu.
No real continuous game, no sale, I have no interest in playing the campaign. What a disappointment, it looks great otherwise but that's a deal-breaker. I'm disappointed by the lack of multiplayer, too.
Having "finished" the campaign, I'm aware of what happens (i.e. you can just keep playing your city ad infinitum). It's a pretty poor substitute for what you could do with the previous Anno games.
Not really, it is the biggest endless mode yet in Anno series.... You can have up to 12 sessions combined at once after the campaign is finished is when the endless mode starts.
"These interdependent biomes, each with unique resources, demands, and
layouts, fulfill the promise of interconnected cities in 2013’s SimCity.
The idea behind Electronic Arts’ disastrous release was sound. Some
cities provide oil, some process garbage, some are university towns.
You play them each separately. They all need each other."
I would say that Cities XL introduced the concept before SimCity 2013. Cities XL you needed to have your tech city, dirty/industry city, residential, farming, etc. Worked pretty well. Unoptimized game with cashgrab yearly releases though. Cities Skylines scratched the city builder itch for me.
I was hopelessly addicted to Dawn of Discovery i.e. Anno 1404, for the same reasons you describe the obsessive nature of these games. Couldn't get into 2070 so maybe 2205 is the one to get me back into this type of game.
Well written review, thanks.
Can I start a new game with new parameters on randomized maps, carrying over some of my advancement from previous games? No, I can't. :(
To me, it's not much of an endless mode when it's just the campaign being drawn out. Not to imply there's a lack of content. You're right about being able to play all the maps, and that's certainly plenty of hours of gameplay. But I can't play the *way* I want to play, and more importantly, the way I used to play in the previous games.
Ah, right, good call. The Cities XL series doesn't get enough credit, does it?
Dear Tom,
We are of one mind, on the Anno games. I've accidentally lost a day to them here and there.But it is so therapeutic. The city is my little bonsai, and I lovingly trim it, sculpt it, and watch it flourish.
Which is why I suggest you give Factorio a serious look if you haven't already. Its take on production chain games has really hit a sweet spot,and the level of control, and the constraints that come along with it,give the game a wildly lived in feel. More so than any other logistics game quite like it, you really feel like you left your mark with your factory towns.
the best part is that it's also extremely easy to see where you went wrong if something happens, since all the information you need is conveyed visually on the map screen, no need to fiddle with graphs and charts (although i love those too). which leads to a series of delightful little feedback loops where you're always tinkering on something or fixing some problem and oh wait it's morning already?
and like all good building games you'll reach your objective eventually, but it's all in how efficiently, elegantly you do it...it's got the deceitful simplicity of Space Chem, the "my side of the mountain' appeal of dwarf fortress, and of course all the fun bits of production games that have come before
I typed all these words because I feel like we are kindred in this, and so I only want your happiness. Also approve me on the forums it's been like two months.
CHeers
Ooh, I love the comparison to a bonsai tree. I wish I'd stolen that!
And, yes, I'm eager to try Factorio, but it's not finished yet. I'm generally averse to playing betas, since there are so many released games to play anyway. Do you know how close to release Factorio is?
Also, I checked the forum for accounts under the name Tarrbranon, as well as a few variations on that, and the email address you used in Disqus. I'd love to have you join us on the forum, but I don't see anything that would be your account, unathenticated or otherwise. Did you email me to get the account activated? What's the name on the account?
Hey Tom,
I did send an activation e-mail but I couldn't find my own un-authorized account on the boards so I went ahead and registered another and sent you a new email under Tarranon. Odds are I missed something.
As for Factorio, I'm sure you're aware the line between alpha, beta, and release is nebulous these days and pretty much only exists in the heads of the developers. It's been in development for a few years and the current timelines says it'll be out a year from now. I'm hesitant about getting into early access titles as well, but they're gracious enough to provide a fairly robust demo that sold me on the game. It's a shame more early access titles can't be that brave.
Pretty funny, coming up with a way that "lack of replayability" is a good thing. Paid much to review?
I have trouble getting into city builders where you can rubber stamp any type of building wherever you want. That's not realistic! Painting the landscape with zones and watching the AI move in is where it's at.
Corrections:
"too far removed to [sic] from there"
"These cities aren’t living breathing organic cit[ies]"
