Plenty of other classic titles have made their way over to the Nintendo DS after being largely successful on the original consoles. So it’s no surprise that the classic city builder SimCity has made its way to the Nintendo handheld too. Although it features the same addictive gameplay all the previous versions do, the experience isn’t quite the same with SimCity DS.

First and foremost, Electronic Arts didn’t mess with the formula that makes the game successful, allowing players to take on the role of mayor and giving you the opportunity to build a city as you see fit. Just like in every other version, players are responsible for building residential, commercial and industrial properties and keeping everything in perfect harmony. Of course it’s much more detailed than that as you must build roads, power lines, water towers, hospitals, schools, police, fire stations and much more. Accomplishing that feat and keeping the city vibrant while still balancing the budget and making your citizens happy is what makes the game addictive and thankfully EA didn’t mess with that formula.

In addition, the game features an extensive tutorial in case you aren’t familiar with the city building experience. SimCity DS features 15 lessons that break down everything you need to know before getting to work. It was a solid inclusion as the game can overwhelm some players if jumped into too quickly.

Finally, there are some unique minigames thrown in to make things a little more interesting. These include blowing into the microphone to put fires out, using the stylus to do fireworks and more. One final item of note is the mail system, which enables you to communicate with other mayors. It’s a nice touch, although not utilized much.

Although SimCity does bring the city building experience to your handheld, there are a lot of issues that weren’t quite dealt with. The biggest is the controls which utilize the touch screen for a majority of the game. Players can move with the d-pad, but selecting items and building the city requires the point and click interface. It seems like it’d work well, but the grid is so small that you often find yourself building in the wrong area. It is a nuisance and very frustrating. Thankfully EA at least put in an undo button to fix any mistakes you may make although if you demolish something it is gone; there is no do over.

The controls aren’t the only issue though as the graphics for SimCity are poor. The character design of your citizens and advisor are simplistic and then the actual city looks like a dump. There are some details in buildings, but more often the textures and color scheme make most of the environment uninteresting. This is particularly frustrating when you consider the impressive graphics in other games on the handheld.

Meanwhile, the sound isn’t much better, but at least that’s understandable. There are some sound effects that are ok and the music isn’t irritating, but it’s hardly interesting either.

Finally, it’s hard to see who this game is actually geared towards. It’s too complex for younger children, but it is on the Nintendo DS and still is SimCity. Not exactly the game most children are lighting up to play.

Although there’s a lot of potential here, Electronic Arts didn’t quite hit the mark with SimCity DS. The game brings the popular city builder experience to the Nintendo handheld, but it comes at a cost. The controls are much less desirable as are the graphics and sound. Simply put, SimCity doesn’t seem to work well on the DS and makes you realize that a good idea can be implemented unsuccessfully.

The gameplay is solid although frequently the stylus is more trouble than a benefit.

The characters and city are unappealing.

The sound effects are mediocre and the music is generic.

The problems hurt the experience, but otherwise it is just as addictive as any other

The one thing is that SimCity DS will keep you busy for a long time.

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