Lite on graphics, and lite on sound,
SimCity 4 only has one thing to fall back on, and that's its gameplay. And, just like the previous three games, this one offers the same outstanding gameplay you've grown to love. As the mayor of your city, you will have to build small, and grow large. And
SimCity 4's click-and-drag environment makes it easy for newcomers and old-schoolers alike to dive right into the action of developing a city.
This time around you aren't limited to creating a single city, but instead are given the opportunity to develop an entire region. A typical region consists of tons of different-sized grids for building your cities from scratch, or starting from the already-incorporated cities on the terrain. And, like before, you can adjust the terrain in each region to your own liking before you begin to build. But unlike before, you now have some incredible tools to create anything from standard hills and valleys to giant canyons and eroded volcanoes. Any way you please, creating this new terrain is as easy as sculpting with clay.
Now that you've started your very first city, you can also link it to other cities in your region via water, road, or rail. You can also share resources like power and drinking water with your neighbors, which will help the overall economic development of your region. This is key, in fact, to growing a healthy region. Why? Because SimCity 4 offers a bit more difficulty in building a healthy city than any of the previous versions.
An added feature of SimCity 4 is the use of individual Sims (people). Whether you decide to simply create a basic Sim within the game, or import your own game saves from The Sims on your computer, you'll be in charge of many aspects of their lives. If your Sims are looking for work, you better create some jobs. Adding Sims is a great way to help you know just how well your city is developing.
Another added feature to SimCity 4 is the option to play online with fellow mayors. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, this option wasn't available to test. Look for more information on simcity.com.
