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When looking at a game like City Life, you sit there trying to think of ways not to mention Sim City in the review. Damn.
Anyway, what we have with City Life 2008 is a city building Sim in a similar vein to Sim City...sod it.

Like Sim City (oh for Gods sake) you are in charge of creating a city from nothing and then managing it's day to day existence.

Imagine having your own house in your virtual city...kinda cool!

From power to shopping, you will need to give your city residents exactly what they need in order to be a happy thriving population. City Life 2008 does try to do things a bit differently. Rather than all your residents being born equal, there are 6 distinct social and economic groups. This covers all warps of life from the slum dwelling have not's all the way up to the penthouse dwelling Elites.

This adds a very interesting dynamic to the mix as each group has specific needs. Elites want the best of everything, good shopping, quite living the works. Others are happy to just have somewhere to live and work. Also you can't put certain groups together. Put the wrong ones in the same area and fights and riots will break out!

Graphically this is a lovely game to look at. From city overviews all the way to watching people walking (and fighting) on the street! What makes it even better is the ability to add real satellite images to the map for a more realistic look. From the buildings to the people everything is detailed and well rendered. It is great fun watching residents fighting if you have the wrong people living near each other!

Another feature is the building editor. As well as having hundreds of real life buildings and landmarks, you are able to build your own as well. Imagine having your own house in your virtual city...kinda cool!

As is the norm there are a couple of different modes of play. Simple sandbox, where you choose a plot of land and start from scratch. This is the mode with the most longevity, but you have no set goal, so is not as immediate as other modes.
Next we have the challenge mode. Here you are given a city that is already built. With this you must achieve set challenges.

As I said before, it is impossible to review a game like City Life 2008 without comparing it to the likes of Sim City, but to write it off as a rip-off would be doing it an injustice. City Life 2008 has some unique features, and while it may not be as complex as Sim City, in some ways that makes it more accessible. The ability to add custom buildings and satellite imagery also adds a great deal of flexibility and longevity.

City Life 2008 may not be the best city sim out there, but if you are into this kind of game you would be a fool not to give it a go!!