Cities in Motion 2

About

"Cities in Motion 2" is a business strategy game that allows for 2-player multiplayer, cooperative and competitive play. The game focuses on building and managing a transportation network in dynamic cities, with choices affecting city growth and day-night cycles. However, it is known to have bugs and can be very grinding, but good game mechanics and graphics are offered.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

53%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,144 reviews

gameplay26 positive mentions

stability72 negative mentions

Amazing game for its time with detailed public transport simulation.
Offers a variety of transport options and allows for complex route management.
Graphically appealing and runs well on lower-end systems.

Buggy and crashes frequently, with many players experiencing save file corruption.
The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making gameplay frustrating.
Lacks sufficient content and features compared to its predecessor, Cities in Motion 1.

gameplay
136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
74%
7%
The gameplay of Cities in Motion 2 has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it addictive yet frustrating due to unclear mechanics and a lack of intuitive controls. While the game offers a detailed focus on public transit management, it is often compared unfavorably to Cities: Skylines, leading some to feel that it lacks depth and variety. Overall, players appreciate the complexity and potential for immersive gameplay, but many criticize the user interface, tutorial, and certain mechanics that detract from the overall experience.
- “Working in the transit industry myself, Cities in Motion provides probably the most realistic gameplay options for transit simulators.”
- “After 10 hours of gameplay, I can say I've thoroughly enjoyed the complexity and detail of this game.”
- “Very nice gameplay; this complements the Sim City series in that it focuses more on the transit system of a city; EA's Sim City series never really even touched on very basic details of the transport system, such as specific routes and schedules; this game does this, as well as covering some other management input in a fun way, without the player needing to overly manage and micromanage operations.”
- “As a huge fan of the original Cities in Motion (600+ hours played), the gameplay on CIM2 is absolutely awful. It is so annoying moving around the map using the keyboard; the cities are boring - just clusters of development with nothing in between, plus they are named 'Central City', 'East City' (where is the imagination?).”
- “The tutorial is lacking severely, the game mechanics aren't worth anything, and this makes me actually appreciate snowfall on trains here in Boston since this game is clearly worse than live train systems.”
- “To me, Cities in Motion 2 presented itself to be a competitor to the SimCity series, yet upon playing, I realized the core, and only aspect of the game, revolves around public transit management, presented in confusing, bland, repetitive, and short-lived gameplay.”
graphics
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
55%
12%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the improved visuals and smooth performance even on lower-end hardware, while others criticize the oversaturated color scheme and lack of polish compared to its predecessor, Cities in Motion 1. Many users note that while the graphics are decent, they are not groundbreaking and can suffer from bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game's graphics are seen as a step up from earlier titles in the genre, but not without significant flaws.
- “The graphics are amazing!”
- “The game has beautiful graphics, an amazingly smart interface allowing to implement almost any idea on the map.”
- “I've loved Cities in Motion since the first version and this second edition builds upon that with great improvements in both graphics and gameplay.”
- “It's 2020 now, and it's not worth it - if the lack of variety in buildings doesn't make you dislike it, it's extremely convoluted and lacks a tutorial feature, lacks a lot of the finesse of cim1, forgoes any modding support beyond basic maps and rulesets... it's also much less consistent than its direct predecessor - citizens teleport to your subway stations, maps have no connections to the outside world simulated, and the graphics are oversaturated and cheery to the point where it's pretty unbearable.”
- “Bought this and installed on Ubuntu 14.04, the fonts are terrible, the graphics are below average even on the highest quality settings, and the controls make the game unplayable (rotation is really really fast and it makes the game get stuck after 1-2 seconds).”
- “Having 4-5 game crashes and graphical glitches on both the UI and game world during my first 1-2 hours of my time playing this game is not acceptable.”
stability
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. While some players find enjoyment in the core mechanics and potential of the game, the lack of updates and persistent issues make it frustrating and often unplayable, especially on certain platforms like Linux. Overall, the game's stability is a major drawback, overshadowing its appeal to simulation enthusiasts.
- “I love the gameplay, and it's not buggy, so I'll give it a thumbs up instead of a down.”
- “This could be a good game, it has potential, but without updates for years now, the game has many bugs and glitches, sometimes even crashes.”
- “Having 4-5 game crashes and graphical glitches on both the UI and game world during my first 1-2 hours of my time playing this game is not acceptable.”
- “It's fun, and didn't used to be nearly as buggy as it is now, but it's borderline unplayable and requires paying attention to the bugs and playing around them (such as not planning an underground metro junction).”
story
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
69%
15%
The story aspect of the game has received criticism for its vague and overly complex mission structure, which often leads to frustration due to bugs and unclear objectives. Many players feel that the missions lack depth and realism, with some quests being either too easy or excessively difficult, making the overall experience feel unpolished compared to its predecessor. While the sandbox mode is appreciated, the campaign missions are seen as a weak point that detracts from the game's potential.
- “You get missions where someone asks you to connect a building to your transit network.”
- “And it'll give you missions such as 'expand the size of the city.' These are alright, but they take too long.”
- “Cim1 has, in my opinion, a very decent tutorial mission.”
- “Quests range from being too easy or too difficult in terms of reward, and realistic cities have been turned into uninspired blocks of habitable space. Not to mention, main quests that focus on covering a certain percentage by network in the city are pretty unstable; sometimes it suddenly drops a lot due to the annoying growth of the city, further adding to the grinding scheme of this failed experiment.”
- “A lot of the 'build a line to xxxxx' quests were buggy and didn't work.”
- “The bad part of the game is the missions.”
optimization
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The optimization of Cim2 is generally praised, with many players noting that it runs smoothly on smaller maps and lower settings, though performance can suffer on larger maps or complex networks. Some users experienced crashes and frame rate drops, particularly on high settings, indicating that a more powerful computer is recommended for optimal performance. Overall, while the game is well-optimized for many scenarios, it may not meet the expectations of players seeking high-definition graphics without any performance issues.
- “Cim2 takes that fun of rebuilding and optimization and runs with it.”
- “Well-made game that plays smoothly and feels well-optimized.”
- “The game works well on low-performance computers if turned to low settings running on smaller maps.”
- “Performance is not good.”
- “Oh, and you probably need a decent computer to run this game well without weird stuttering when panning the camera around on high settings.”
- “In cim1, performance bogs down with a medium to large network, which is much smaller than the largest networks you can build with no problems in cim2.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
"Cities in Motion 2" is criticized for its grinding gameplay, with players noting that the slow pace of vehicles and tedious quest mechanics contribute to a frustrating experience. The game's user-unfriendly mechanics and the need for constant adjustments make it feel overly laborious, detracting from its initial promise and enjoyment. Overall, while it has fun elements, the grindy nature of the game makes it a tedious endeavor.
- “Quests range from being too easy or too difficult in terms of reward, and realistic cities have been turned into uninspired blocks of habitable places. Not to mention, main quests that focus on covering a certain percentage by network in the city are pretty unstable too; sometimes it suddenly drops a lot due to the annoying growth of the city, further adding to the grinding scheme of this failed experiment.”
- “As I would say, Cities in Motion 2 was beautiful back in 2013, but it hasn't aged well due to its user-unfriendly mechanics, making the experience grindy and taking longer than it needs to be.”
- “It makes setting up any transit lines a chore, and editing is very tedious.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The music in the game has received largely negative feedback, with many players describing it as horrible and repetitive, leading some to turn it off in favor of their own playlists. While a few users found the soundtrack fitting and enjoyable, overall, it fails to compare favorably to other games, prompting players to seek alternative music options.
- “Sounds are 8/10, soundtrack is 8.5/10 - very fitting and addictive, but quite repetitive, so you may end up turning it off and playing your own music instead. Although I must say that the combo of soft techno and soft electro is very fitting and I enjoy it a lot.”
- “The music in CIM 2 is not as good; I turned the music off and instead downloaded the SimCity 2013 soundtrack to listen to while playing.”
- “The soundtrack is very fitting and addictive, but quite repetitive.”
- “Horrible music”
- “It's like Sid Meier's trains but with worse graphics, non-intuitive controls, and terrible music.”
- “Music does not compare either.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with players expressing disappointment over the reliance on in-game purchases for additional content, such as vehicles, which are not available through DLC. Additionally, technical issues, particularly with the Steam Workshop and in-game purchases on Mac, have hindered the overall experience, alongside the absence of an autosave feature that could lead to potential data loss.
- “Great game, although I am a bit disappointed at the amount of in-game purchases needed to unlock more variety in gameplay.”
- “Great game, although I'm a bit disappointed at the amount of in-game purchases needed to unlock more variety in gameplay.”
- “There are also some notable issues: the in-game purchases (extra vehicles, etc., which aren't available via DLC) don't work on Macs due to a Steam overlay bug.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers significant replayability, enhanced by numerous successful add-ons that provide fresh experiences. Players can manage a public transport company across expansive, evolving regions, making each playthrough feel unique and engaging. Overall, it stands out as a more playable alternative to its predecessor.
- “A breath of fresh air after the SimCity 5 fiasco, this much more playable game (from an indie developer - hello!) lets you manage a public transport company in various humongous regions that grow and change based on your work.”
- “Still, it is very much more playable than its older sibling, because there are many add-ons, all of which have worked very well for me.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional response to "Cities in Motion 2," with some stating that the game evokes feelings so intense that it brings them to tears. This suggests a deep connection to the game's themes or experiences.
- “Cities in Motion 2 makes me want to cry.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by a "hilariously game-breaking dynamic urbanisation mechanic," which adds a comedic twist to gameplay, often leading to unexpected and amusing outcomes.
- “Hilariously game-breaking dynamic urbanization mechanic.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players appreciate the game's balance of challenge and a relaxed atmosphere, which contributes to an enjoyable and engaging experience.
- “We enjoy the game for its challenge, and yet the relaxed atmosphere and pace.”