Simcity - Evolution of a virtual city simulator (Part 2)

In this second article that covers the Simcity franchise, we shall be taking a look at Simcity 4 Deluxe Edition. If you've not yet taken a trip down memory lane, you might want to read the first article that covered Simcity, Simcity 2000, and Simcity 3000. Due to the length of this review, there will be a third article to cover Simcity Societies and beyond.

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Simcity series
Game Category: Simulation
Distributor: EA Games
Rating: ESRB - Everyone

Simcity 4 Deluxe Edition
Developer: Maxis
Release Date: 22 Sep 2003

Comprising both the base game of Simcity 4 and the Rush Hour expansion, this release of the virtual city simulator brought even more to the table. Released back in 2003, the fourth version also marked the last time a Simcity game was released by Maxis. And it was for obvious reasons that Simcity got relegated to the backburner - it came in the form of The Sims, a life simulator from Maxis that sold more than Simcity ever would.

Welcome to Simcity 4... there's so much to do here

Since this article is covering the evolution of the Simcity series, you could say that the fourth version has it all. Instead of a city, you could now manage and build up an entire region in Simcity 4. Regions are huge tracts of land that are divided neatly into manageable city-sized squares. You select a square of your choice and then incorporate a city there.

There are three modes in the game. If you don't like the look of your starting area, you can terraform it in God mode - erect mountains and carve out valleys, then seed a couple of forests and drop a couple of wild animals onto the terrain of your dreams. Make sure you're happy with your terraforming efforts since you can't return to this mode without obliterating your incorporated city.

Playing god

You will play the main game in Mayor mode. Zoning will now automatically come with streets laid out for you. Another change is that zoning low density industrial areas are now called agricultural zones; this is great for those who like that rural look. A much needed feature though is this - in earlier versions you weren't able to build on slopes, this is not so in Simcity 4; houses can now be built on slopes with the game engine creating level ground for it.

You are able to build a wealth of options - there's a comprehensive transportation network that includes wide highways complete with cloverleaf, T-intersections, overpass onramps, and side onramps. Trains, monorails, buses, subways, airports, and seaports are back in full force; as are the addition of a water and wastage management system. You also have access to police and fire stations, a full complement of educational and health buildings, plus landmarks and parks to decorate your neighbourhood.

You get four building styles in the Deluxe edition

The data views available to you are very complete, with a view for almost everything; you can scrutinize desirability, traffic, crime, education, pollution, garbage, and even radiation levels. A panel of advisers are on hand to to help you out and you can also check out a series of graphs and tweak the budget in the highly detailed panels you will find via the friendly user interface. For the business-savvy mayor, you can set up lucrative deals between neighbouring cities - a surefire way to improve the cities of your region.

The last mode available to you is the My Sim mode. You can zoom down to street level and pick a Sim to hear his thoughts about living in the city that you built. You can even import in your own Sims from The Sims game.

Welcome home, Bob Newbie 

The ultimate addition to Simcity 4 (thanks to the Rush Hour expansion), is the Route Query tool and the U-Drive-It mode. The former is a feature that allows you to see the trips your Sims would make to and from work. With it, you are now able to look for bottlenecks and resolve those sticky traffic issues.

The latter is an entirely new game mode in itself - you can now drive a vehicle in-game with the U-Drive-It mode. This is reminiscent of the game play concept taken from the Streets of Simcity - a Maxis game released back in 1997. Unlike its predecessor, you won't get to view the city in full first-person 3D splendour - you would instead be driving vehicles from an overhead third-person view. There are at least 80 driving missions waiting for you to try out, however you will have to refer to the game manual to figure out the requirements to trigger some of them.

Cruising along in my police car

As in previous versions of the game, you will find yourself having access to disasters - like starting a fire, watching a volcano rock your city, surviving a meteor strike, picking up the pieces after a twister rips through your city, or making it through an attack by a huge robot, a living monstrosity created from automobiles, or a UFO. Missing from Simcity 4 though are the ubiquitous scenarios, a mainstay in the past three games; in its place are a couple of handy tutorials.

Simcity 4 has come a long way and it tells. The graphics look highly detailed and that's because the landscape, large buildings, and vehicles are modelled in 3D. When you zoom all the way in, you can see quite a lot of intricate detail - it can be quite fun watching your city come to life at that level. Unfortunately, not all is at it seems - that's because you are still constrained to ninety degree rotations of your city.

The cities are looking larger than life

But if there was one thing to contend with in Simcity 4, it would the game's difficulty. The game can be quite a challenge even at the Easy setting, so be prepared for that mayor. If you follow the tutorials and master the concepts for making money, then you'll be set for building the best and brightest conglomerate of cities of any region out there. Otherwise, at least you will have the music soundtrack to accompany you in the game - it does quite a good job of helping you to relax.

Daily PC Game Review Score: 8.5 / 10

Review Date: 26 Jul 2012