Product Description
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Create, customize and populate your own city in the latest
version of this outrageously popular addition to the Sims
franchise.
.com
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It's hard to believe that creator Will Wright had trouble
selling his original SimCity concept to publishers. That first
game went on to fame, notoriety, and great praise--from critics,
gamers, and even educators--and spawned countless imitators, not
the least of which include Wright's own smaller-scale The Sims,
which went on to become a phenomenon in its own right. Now on its
fourth edition, SimCity returns to our hard drives, and would-be
city planners everywhere will be busy for a long, long time.
SimCity 4 functions much like its predecessors. You've got the
power to zone land as residential (green), commercial (blue), and
industrial (yellow). You control the budget. You decide where to
place crucial services like , fire, medical, and even
utilities like power and water. You place schools, parks, roads,
water towers, and scenery as you accede to the many demands of
your Sim citizens. Do a good job and your city will grow and the
money will flow into your coffers. Do a bad job and the people
will pack up and move away, leaving your city treasury in
horrific debt and landing you what the game cheekily considers to
be a far easier job: senator. The game requires a balancing act
that takes both planning and a persnickety nature. There are
charts to read, reports to watch, and, above all, needs to
juggle. It's rewarding when it all comes together, and
frustrating when you fail, once again, to build anything
worthwhile.
That's why I wish the game came with a better manual. The
included book glosses over most major information and then
neglects important aspects, such as the RCI indicator (which
explains zoning needs) and parts of the budget. At the very
least, the manual should include tips on handling debt. There are
two tutorials which cover the basics, but again, they won't help
you get out of trouble once you get in too deep. You can find
this information in the strategy guide (
/exec/obidos/ASIN/0761540016/${0} ), which is sold separately,
but you really shouldn't have to go that route.
The graphics are amazing, showing a vibrant metropolis with
scurrying traffic, wandering Sims, smoking chimneys, and
sparkling lights when night falls. Fireworks reward each year of
service. And wait until you see the cool disasters you can
unleash if the mood strikes you--fire, lightning, tornado,
volcano, and giant robot. Oddly, there's a significant
performance hit even on fast systems. Thankfully, the stuttery
scrolling and slow-to-respond zoom don't hurt the game too much
since you can pause it at will or fast forward if you need to
wait for your cash reserves to build. The most significant flaw
is that the game only offers one save slot, which discourages
experimentation.
Despite minor imperfections SimCity 4 is an awesome game. You
can build several cities next to each other on the and make
them dependant on each other. (You can build the greater L.A.
area, in other words.) You can even import your Sims from The
Sims to live in your city. Such familiar characters can tell you
a lot about what your city needs. Put simply, city planning has
never been this fun, this challenging, or this deep. --Andrew S.
Bub
Pros:
* Beautiful graphics and animation
* Deeper and more realistic than ever before Cons:
* Runs slowly on most systems
* Inadequate manual
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From the Manufacturer
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In SimCity 4, you don't just build your city, you breathe life
into it. Sculpt ains, gouge riverbeds, and seed forests to
lay the groundwork for your creation. Then construct the most
realistic metropolis you can imagine. Your city comes alive with
the hustle and bustle of construction crews, the snarl of
traffic, and the activity of your Sims. Move your personalized
Sims into your city and watch as they go about their daily lives.
Build mansions on ainsides, raise skyscrapers downtown, and
build transportation networks to form a massive region of
SimCities that share and compete for resources. With every
decision you make, your city and your Sims will respond for
better or worse. In SimCity 4, your city pulses with the life you
give it.
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