Check out what real city builder simulation is like with My Country for Windows Phone

Tired of old-school construction games that lack real action? You're not alone. This very quote kicks off the description for Game Insight's latest release for Windows Phone, My Country. The game is essentially a challenging city builder with more content than one would expect. Players are tasked with developing industries, transportation infrastructure, hiring employees, eliminating ecological threats and controlling energy use.
Oh, did we mention you're building your own country too?
So what makes the game so beefy? I've personally never been a fan of city builders, apart from SimCity (curse you EA / Maxis for the latest SimCity mess) but My Country offers something unique on the mobile, which makes me want to come back and continue where I previously left off. I can easily see hours being poured into this title and I'm not alone as other consumers feel exactly the same with reviews generally positive across the board.
The reason it's engaging is the player isn't simply restricted to simple construction. The task list is fairly extensive, as mentioned above. There's the hiring of employees, management of energy and ecological threats, development of industries and transport. There's a lot to do in My Country. The result can be a complex, but well-managed country, but this can also be a downside for some consumers. My Country could be seen as too complex.
Some of the basics
Currency is used in My Country to purchase buildings, upgrades and more. Game Dollars funds the player with basic construction, etc. while Country Bucks are utilised for premium options, including the completion of tasks immediately - like speed boosts. Both currencies can be added to the game through in-app purchases, but this isn't required. Here are some helpful pointers to be a successful city builder in My Country:
- Build residential buildings to increase your city's population
- Open office buildings and upgrade them to employ more citizens and create higher profits - Develop industries, sign contracts and buy vehicles to transport the goods you produce
- Manage the ecology and energy use in your city by building power stations and parks
- Change the landscape: build canals, create lakes, plant trees and pave country roads
- Establish a bus transit network for your residents
- Gather collection items from the residents of your country
- Hire professionals to grow a forest of skyscrapers in your city
As mentioned previously, there's a lot to do. We've touched on the potential learning curve, but there are measures in place to help ease the player into the game. This includes a tutorial and 'ventures', which are essentially missions the player can complete to be rewarded with some XP and cash, as well as progress through city development.
The little things matter
While the game is free, there is the ability to purchase in-game currency to help with the development of the country. This isn't required to really get going and one can easily progress through the game without spending a penny. It can be expensive (with options that go over $100), so be sure to have security in place for the little ones.
You can download My Country from the Windows Phone Store (available for Windows Phone 8 only) for free. The high ratings and reviews from other consumers make this a title well worth checking out. Also, this is a game that's already available on iOS and Android which makes the deal that much sweeter.
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Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.
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Been playing this game for a long time now. I'm a millionnaire
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Me too. But the game kills the battery.
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Btw, i stopped plating because i got sick of clicking all the buildings for collections.
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Yeah a "collect all revenues" + "launch all contracts" function would help a lot
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The option is there, it just costs 5 CountryBucks to do. It's under Your Office, the fourth button on the bottom left corner.
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Oh right well, I would like a free option please :P
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Yeah, talk about a cheap money grab.
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I've been wanting to play this game since it came out. Wish I was able to get a WP8 device.
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seems like its time to swtich to WP8, we are not getting any love here at the curved windows logo side of this platform.
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How necessary are in app purchases?
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Not necessary. It is just VERY difficult to unlock more land without paying.
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Yep what he said just makes it a little harder task to DIY then if you just spend real money.
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I played this game for about three weeks or so. It was addictive to an extent, but I am also cheap since I don't pay a dime to these games. With that said, I couldn't get any of the drops to gall so I could complete quite a few of my buildings. That ticked me off a bit, so I deleted the game. That was my biggest complaint about the game.
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Just started, I think it needs notifications or live tile support. I'm not going to remember to check a time based game.
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I played this for a long time and couldn't unlock the rest of the map without paying. Was I missing something?
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Ohhh man!!! I want this app but I've a lumia 710.
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Move on dude
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On august, i live in Spain :) in finishing my contract. I'm going defenetly with windows phone
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If I waited for my contract to be up, I'd be stuck on my Trophy until January '14. Not all of us can simply "move on" from old hardware.
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I was playing this game and started a nice little city, until...I had to hard reset my phone. Games like this need backing up. :'(
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Haven't had this problem yet, but I must agree 100%. To lose all that info and have to start over would make most just say whatever and walk away.
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Freemium!
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oh ? Forget it
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Too bad it's not available in the brazilian store =/
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Ah I feel you my Brazilian friend. Im starting to think buying this lumia 900 was a mistake.
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I was thinking I will buy the game if it is five bucks or less. Freemium games means no go for me. :(
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Does it really need a SD Cart to play? i didn't bought it because I've a 920 wich don't have sd card slot
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Finally I forgot I wanted this game. Thanks for reminding me.
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I've been playing for a long time and got millions but I stop playing because I don't like having to wait for randomly generated props from buildings
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Better than ice age, ONLY because its still playable and not crashing on startup lol. Addictive like all simulation games! Spent about $5 of real money already. Worth it with the effort they've put in the game imo, willing to spend more tbh
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Are we still missing experience points and the social side of the game?
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>curse you EA / Maxis for the latest SimCity mess
Agreed so much, I decided to skip it....Disapointed too...I read all the reviews :( -
From what i understood is that because of the problems the game didnt work well and thats why it got bad reviews.
But i also read that if you jump in now that you will get a stable game that is fun to play. The gameplay is not the problem. The always online thing is. -
Anyone has problem of getting the game online? Mine always shown offline, the globe icon is grey out all the time...
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Mine is too I have wondered about that since I can only help Mary and go to sport and the summer worlds oh and the world map
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At least I'm not the only one...
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Yeah that's what I wanted to know, my mate has an iPhone and has extra features and seasons he can access. Was hoping with this review the creators of the game had finally implemented them. No big prob just the game get a bit tedious without them. On a side not my mates getting the L925 when available.
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This game really f'ed w/battery. Uninstalled it
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I can't find the app at the store
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does this app require data services to run like the happy tower or thw wordament?????