"Simply Great, Superb Even"

Introduction:
Ah, SimCity. It's such an old game the shear greatness of this game takes you back a bit. When I received SimCity 3000 (a while a go). I must admit I didn't like it. It was so difficult I just couldn't play it for fun. (Except on the Metropolis level). I bought SimCity 4 on impulse. And was amazed by it.

Graphics:
The graphics are simply awesome. I understand that the developers had more time to make the graphics better. And boy, they used it well! Buildings are so detailed and the streets are alive. The lighting effects are superb. As the time of the day is registered, unlike previous games, you see a sunset and sunrise. Game faces are the same as the Sims. Which is brilliant. Realism is a big factor as previous games graphics are a bit cartoony. So now the Empire State Building looks like the Empire State Building. Not a cartoon version of it.

Gameplay:
As I explained before SimCity 3K was very hard. You started up commercial zones and then people abandoned their shops. But in SimCity 4 it's so easy to get started. You just build the zones and buildings you need then it starts to grow. Want farms? Well in SimCity 4 you can zone farms, rather than zoning small industrial zones. There are loads of amenities to keep your Sims happy. From small paved area to major league baseball stadiums. Also most utilities (and transport) can be upgraded to suite your cities size. Too many sick Sims? Upgrade that small medical centre to a large hospital. It's the same story with education. Another improvement is that schools, police stations and the like have coverage. So that one police station can be for each zone. Leave one elementary school, for example, for a large town with over 5000 people then the teachers will strike! A bad thing in gameplay is budgeting. Put all your eggs in one basket and soon you'll be in the red. Which really takes the fun out of it. Something like a sand box mode would be good idea. Transport is another annoying thing. Your Sims demand public transport, but never use it. And there are huge traffic jams everywhere and still Sims don't use the bus. It's all very frustrating but it doesn't really effect anything except your environment rating. God mode is a great idea. Bored of your city? Destroy it with many disasters, my personal favourite being meteorite shower.

Lifespan:
SimCity 4 is what I call an infinite game. You can play it until you get bored. The brilliant region idea opens up your city to other cities. So what your thinking? We've had that before. Yes, but YOU take control of these cities! So if you had the London region you can take control of Chelsea and sell your power to Westminster. Or take control of Brixton and sell your garbage to Croydon. You can run out of regions, but just make more of your own. Unfortunately there are no proper ready built cities. Yes, there are tutorials and cities, but the ready made cities are in dire trouble in one way or another and aren't fun. But they are good for serious gamers and I like to start from scratch.

Sounds:
Sounds are above average with decent sound effects and music. Like landmarks making their trademark sounds. But the best thing is that you can pop your own tunes into the game directory. That's a nice touch.

Positives:
Were do I start? Graphics? Lifespan? Improvement from last game? Its 9 out of 10 for a reason, you know. It's really that good.

Negatives:
Budgeting - as explained above.

It runs on some computers like a pig. Crashes to the desktop aren't uncommon. And your computer sometimes has enough of it and restarts. Remember it is a whopping 1GB in size. If you are considering buying this game then I advise you borrow it somehow to check it runs on your machine.

To end with…:
SimCity 4 is superb. It is a great improvement on the last game. It's a great simulation game and yet it is over 15 years old. The cross over to The Sims is done well and it's very in depth. A game for all gamers. If you are serious or looking for fun. SimCity 4 does the job.

Well worthy of the nine out of ten score.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/13/06