The Arcade Castle Podcast 
Episode 02:
Sim City: The Card Game

On this rainy day in April, The Arcade Castle decided to distract themselves from the boredom and woes that only come from being stuck inside during rainy weather. Searching through the archives they come across a game that reminds them of their youth; halcyon days filled with designing cities, relaxing music, and bulldozing schools and libraries to get a higher population count. However, as they open the game and begin reading the extensive tome that acts as the guidebook to playing this game, will Arcade Castle be overjoyed, or underwhelmed, by this mid-90s card game by Mayfair Games and Maxis Games? Can the budding city of ArcadeCastleopolis survive disaster?!


In this episode, Arcade Castle examines SimCity The Card Game. In stores from 1994 to 1995, this CCG saw several starter sets and trading card packs. But can this card game live up to players' expectations? Does this card game successfully capture the strategy and gameplay from the video game series?
 
 


 

                  Directly Download Episode 02 Here!
 

Episode Outline:


00:00-05:00: Podcast Updates and Show News.

05:00-10:00: Once Upon a Powerup: The Story of Will Wright and the Simulated City.

10:00-20:00: Discussion about the SIM franchise and how Sim City as a video game works.

20:00-40:00: Examination of the Rules and Gameplay of SimCity: The Card Game.

40:00-60:00: Comparing SimCity: The Card Game to SimCity the video game. Looking at how both games function as well as the core gameplay and core strategies that drive each of them in turn. What do video gamers bring to the table when they play SimCity? Does the card game meet those expectations?

60:00-72:00: Breakdown Discussion: How faithful should a licensee be when they are adapting a video game into a board game or card game? Can you truly adapt a video game from digital into analog?