Reviewed by MonkeyPoo on 01/14/2003

Bigger Better Bolder Sims?

Introduction

From the guys that have brought you the original SimCity, the monstrosity of a 2d view with boxed R, C, I buildings, to a fully immersive 3D, all encompassing, city making joy. The Sims makers have really out done themselves in bringing together the latest in all of their games and wrapped it into one neat package. The game has gotten very innovative and offers a host of new and exciting features that will blow your mind away. Building your metropolis has gotten a little bit complicated but with the easy to use interface, you would be able to delve quickly into the spector of the game's premise.

Graphics (10/10)

New buildings and a sleek design interface is only the beginning! On a full zoom the Sims are alive and the traffic lights work! No more blocky pixels that plagued SimCity 3k when the zoom was set at its maximum. I would have to give props to their art department as they have really outdone themselves in creating all the different designs that go into each building, park, animal, cars, etc. From your original flower gardens to skate ramps and tennis courts, you can view your sims enjoying their time in the day or watch the nightlife when the sky turns dark. The visual is highly immersive that you would sometimes forget to pay attention to your actual city. Everything is so detailed, right down to the clothes hanger and the crime scene decors on some of your poorest sims. The disasters might look a little cartoony with the exception of the lighting which I think is the best of them all. A flash here, a flash there and fire everywhere brings about one of the best light shows next to the game's spontaneous firework shows that appear in the sky.

Audio (8/10)

Let's face it, with incorporated mp3 playing and a host of Maxis' added sounds, you can not go wrong. Although the game music can get fairly annoying, like being forced to stand in an elevator, but it does set a very good city building mood. If the music gets bland or boring, pop one of your mp3s in and rock on. The ambient sounds however are very good. I belive it consitutes nearly 80 percent of the sounds heard in the game and it really adds to the effect of a growing city. Construction, horn beeps demolition, trains, protests, whatever the case makes it sound like NYC on a clear spring day. Ahh the sound of sirens :).

Gameplay (10/10)

By far one of the most immersive experiences ever. The host of new options and rules will definitely keep you busy. It is a plue however to forget whatever you have learned in the previous simcitiy games as this one is a whole different beast. The game starts out with the Region, a huge landmass divided up with smaller plots. You can then essentially build 3 or four different cities and connect them via the region. God terraforming mode before you build up the city is one of the best ideas ever. No longer are we forced to click the randomize button for land formations that we absolutely hate. One of the best features is the ability to erode the land to give it that nice natural look. The overall gameplay hasn't changed all that much that you would still have to zone, add municipals, and mainly taking care of every aspect your sims. The budget has gotten a little bit easier to read and appropiate funds accodingly. The feature to lower or raise the spending on specific buildings has got to be a plus. Now we can save every penny we can without hurting the efficiency of the city, or if you are in the red can save a little money in hopes of bringing yourself back into the black. The area effectiveness is also a nice feature and gives the player a very good idea where to place new buildings. The zoning streets could be either a good idea or a bad idea. I think it is a fairly nice idea, to show that not all cities are made up of streetlights and high-speed roadways, especially in urban areas of America. At least you can build an actual road over the existing streets to make the traffic in those areas move faster. The city opinion poll has got to be one of the best innovative ideas ever. No more fiddling with data maps, we now have a quick access to a lot of information in a very little space. One last feature of the game is to actually have your Sims move into the city. A quick scan of your hard drive will pull any Sims you have worked with when playing TheSims series will appear and can then live in your city. The sad part is that you can't control them but the ticker bar will tell you what your sim is up to at all times.

Concluding Thoughts (20/20)

I feel this game is totally worth it. A purchase at your local store not only unlocks all the great features but you can actually play the game online with other people. Download city packs or compete with others in being one of the best mayors of them all. SimCity 4 has a lot to offer and a comprehensive tutorial for the n00bie beginner to get their inexperienced paws on. The photoalbum from TheSims help to tell your story of your city and adds a personal touch. Simcity 4 focuses on the life of your sims, much like our own lives and to experience different aspects of what your city means to you and to your Sims is a reward in itself.