I have a confession to make: I've never played a Sim City game before (unless you count the kiddie version Sim Town). I know, I know, where on earth have I been? And what is really strange is the fact that I absolutely adore all the City Building games from Impressions Games and Sierra. For some reason, Sim City has always looked too modern for my blood.
But when this newest deluxe version showed up on the reviewers list, I decided it was time to bite. Then I became the bitten.
I'm not going to waste space exhaustively detailing a game that has already been reviewed by our staff. Readers can peruse these reviews of Sim City 4 and the expansion pack Sim City 4: Rush Hour for all the relevant information. What I am going to write about is the sheer, incredible addictive nature of this game for micromanagement maniacs like myself.
While many people groused about the never-ending resource management of Caesar III, I delighted in it. When everyone gushed about how the succeeding games were better because some of the nitpickiness of this micro-management were automated or eliminated, I was disappointed. I still like Caesar III the best. Well, I'm here to say that Caesar has met a worthy successor. Control freaks, rejoice.
There is just so much to do in this game. Once a city is built, endless tweaking can go on in improvements and changes. And, of course, with all the attention to details like the city lights at night, the traffic, people playing basketball and just the myriad things all these tiny little businesses and people are doing, it's engrossing to sit back and watch from time to time. However, all this incredible visual detail comes at a price, a high end machine is needed for optimum performance once the cities become large. I am playing this game on a P2.4 256MB RAM, 64MB video card, and there is a discernable slowdown for bigger cities when panning across the screen. The video settings can be adjusted downwards, but the cities just don't look as good then.
There are several tutorials for beginners which do a great job of walking newbies through the game mechanics. The interface is one of the best I've seen for a game of this type and most of the buttons are self-explanatory. For the deluxe version, there is also an added difficulty level for ease of play, which is great for younger players.
The Rush Hour expansion pack adds some needed depth to the overall package, with its fun missions and abilities to direct traffic around the city, this give players much more control over traffic flow and road design, plus the missions add some direction to the game.
The only thing missing from this game is the lack of goal-oriented scenarios, wherein players must complete certain goals to win the scenarios. The driving missions offer a little flavor in this area, but not enough. The sandbox mode is quite fun and addictive, but more directed play is needed to balance the overall game.
This is a great game that everyone in the family can play, with the addition of difficulty levels making it more accessible to younger players. The deluxe version can be had for $40, which makes it a great buy. If getting this for a gift this holiday season, however, make sure the recipient's machine can handle the graphics.
