MyTown 2 Review

MyTown 2 attempts to merge the location-based gaming of the original MyTown with a more standard city-building sim like CityVille. You build homes, community buildings, and decorations, but you can also create businesses based on real shops and restaurants that are near you in real life. It’s a neat twist, but it doesn’t do much to alter the core gameplay, which is essentially that of a competent CityVille clone.

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MyTown 2 has a few neat ideas, but doesn’t execute them all that well

MyTown 2 attempts to merge the location-based gaming of the original MyTown with a more standard city-building sim like CityVille. You build homes, community buildings, and decorations, but you can also create businesses based on real shops and restaurants that are near you in real life. It’s a neat twist, but it doesn’t do much to alter the core gameplay, which is essentially that of a competent CityVille clone.

As always, the goal is to simply build up a big, bustling city. You can place homes that earn you rent, community buildings to increase your population, decorations to spruce things up, and you’ll even earn wonders, special buildings that provide extra boosts. It’s all pretty standard stuff as far as city builders go.

The only real difference is the businesses. These will earn you money regularly, and they’ll actually level up as you use them, letting you customize them further and earn more money. It’s a nice twist on the standard upgrade system. And as an added bonus, the game uses your real-world location to generate actual businesses that are near you. It doesn’t do much to change the game, but it’s a neat touch.

The other twist on the formula, which comes from the previous game, is the ability to check-in to real world locations to earn bonuses. Check-ins work sort of like energy, and they regenerate as you progress through the game. Checking in to businesses can satisfy goals, but it’s also a great way to earn extra experience and coins. While your check-ins are limited this time around, much like in the first game you don’t actually have to be in or even all that close to a business to check-in to it. This makes it easier to play from home, but also defeats the purpose of a location-based game.

MyTown 2
MyTown 2

Since the success of CityVille, there are a lot of city building games to choose from, and despite its unique features, MyTown 2 doesn’t really make a case for itself in this crowded field. The location-based features are too simple to matter much, and the core gameplay isn’t all that different from other city builders. It doesn’t even have any real social features. It looks pleasant enough, and has a surprisingly beautiful soundtrack, but the game itself is one you’ve seen many times before, only with new features that aren’t all that compelling.

The good

    The bad

      70 out of 100