SimCity 4

The Simcity series by Maxis has given us great games over the last 15 years. Now we get Simcity 4. Simcity 4 contains improved graphics and new features that were not present in the older version, Simcity 3000.

The biggest change in SimCity 4 is probably the addition of the SimNation. The SimNation is divided into smaller squares in which you will be able to build an entire city. The cities can even trade energy, water, etc for money. All you have to do to start is click on one of these squares and name your city. The early stages of making your city are very similar to older Simcity games. The first thing to do is to build a power plant, hospital, police station, etc and layout some industrial, commercial and residential zones and giving them time to fill up. All you need to do to do this to click and drag with your mouse. Each of these 3 zones have 3 different density options. These decide what type of buildings will be built. So a light density residential area will probably be built into low-income apartments while the high density residential zones would be built into fancy looking condos.

Your goal is to make your new city profitable as soon as you can. There’s always something to keep you busy in the game. You’ll constantly need to balance the shifting demands for the 3 zones and add better services. If you’re bored, you can always look though the games various charts or click around the town with your inquiry tool.

Simcity 4 has an attractive new interface, a better version than the one found in The Sims. Though the buttons on the interface are unlabeled, they’re very easy to get used to. Helpful pop-ups appear whenever you keep your pointer over the buttons for a few seconds, telling you everything you need to know about that button. The game now gives you a lot more control over some aspects of your game. In older Simcity games, you had the option to lower or raise taxes. In SimCity 4, the taxes are broken down by the 3 zone types and then by the economic class. You can also fix the budget for your police and fire services.

But Simcity also has some problems. The game crashes to the desktop every once in a while. It might also start to run slower as the game progresses and you’ll see small graphic problems from time to time. The worst thing that can happen is the game not even starting. Experienced players might also be disappointed by the fact that there are no single scenarios. Though you’ll be able to download tons of player-made scenarios from the internet, it would be nice to have some included with the game.