Battle of the Ports HD #62 (SimCity 2000)

Описание: Putting the PS1 & Saturn versions of SimCity 2000 side by side.

How could two separate versions of the exact same game contain so many differences?
Well, where do I start?...

SimCity 2K is considered by many to still be the best SimCity game nearly 20 years after it's original release in 1993 for DOS. The console versions of 2K were never really the best way to play this game, usually due to lack of mouse support & poor performance.

In 1995 the Saturn version of 2K was the first home console port to be finished & released, shortly followed by the Snes a few months later & then PS1 the following year.
The Sat port features higher detail terrain & buildings than the original Mac & PC versions. Plus the look of the buildings now changed to suit the time period. First in 1950 to a more modern late 20th century style, then again in 2050 to a futuristic sci-fi style.

The Sat game also has a completely redesigned user interface designed to work better with the controller rather than a mouse. The Saturn does have access to a very good mouse peripheral but unfortunately 2K doesn't support it. I understand why it doesn't since that version of the game was designed around using the normal pad but it would've been nice to at least have the option. :(

The PS1 version of 2K has a completely different UI from the Saturn that resembles a PC style interface & was clearly designed to work better with a mouse rather than a controller & unlike the Saturn version, the PS1 game does support a mouse. It's the antithesis of the Saturn game
However because of this, trying to play the PS1 game without a mouse is a clumsy & frustrating affair. Plus now the menus take up much more of the screen, obstructing your view somewhat.

It's time to talk about every console fanboy's favourite subject, framerate & load times.
The framerate sucks dick on both versions, but it does suck a little harder on the PS1. Makes some sense since the PS1 is traditionally a system that found displaying large amounts of 2D difficult.
However load times are a draw. Time to Main Menu is much quicker on the PS1, even without the Saturn's longer intro fmv. But, the Saturn is much faster at generating new maps

Also the Saturn game has one extra pre-built city to mess around with, "Sega City".