Is sim city 4 still worth purchasing?

[KIERONOO 1]

I've never played sim city games. I'm interested in the new sim city but heard 4 is better? Is it worth getting or should I wait for the new sim city? Or is it worth getting both?

[jason leo 485]

If what you want is just another game, choose the expensive one. If you want a city simulator game with it's limitation is your imagination, choose the 10 years old game. I'm sure if you choose SC you will enjoy SC for a month or two, and then get bored and stop to play it. And I'm sure if you choose SC4 you will be a bit frustrated at first before able to know all of it's features, then everything start to become smoother as you master the basics of the game and then, you will enjoy it for long time. And if you choose SC4, I also suggesting you to buy the digital version from Gamersgate/Amazon instead of Steam or Origin. And if you are interested to buy SC, I suggest you to look at information about SC and what are the features it has and wait for reviews from players before decide to either buy it or not.

[AwkwrdPrtMskrt 22]

Well, considering SimCity4 has better costumisation options than SimCity 2013, it's actually worth a try either you want to compare both games or you think the new one sucks.

[SimRico 968]

YES! that's the only way I can express it. Ive delved into sc4 back in 2005 and loved it every since. I bought the cds in January this year to get back into it,,,, couldn't wait for the delivery so I bought the Downloadable on amazon and got my game instantly.

Sold the cds with no problem.

[AndisArt 2,068]

Two different shoes, as it appears. SC4 probably has, as Jason leo put it, a steeper learning curve, but ultimately the more longterm appeal because you have much more creative options. Also it opens up the doors to an amount of custom content that catapults the game way beyond what it is coming out of the box. It's questionable that you will find this amount of custom content for the new game.

[Bajkar 0]

 And if you choose SC4, I also suggesting you to buy the digital version from Gamersgate/Amazon instead of Steam or Origin. 

please explain, i bought digital version from Origin, is there some limitations or something else ?

my version is latest one, it is called deluxe or something like that (rash hour included inside)

[Turjan 1,048]

 And if you choose SC4, I also suggesting you to buy the digital version from Gamersgate/Amazon instead of Steam or Origin. 

please explain, i bought digital version from Origin, is there some limitations or something else ?

Just the usual. In principle, SC4 is a DRM-free game, given its age. If you want to play the game somewhere outside of the city in the mountains or so, the first two stores might be easier.

 

However, I haven't checked whether the Steam version actually is DRM-free or not. What many people don't know: Quite a few Steam games can just be copied to a different location and decoupled from the service. I didn't check whether that's the case for SC4, though (I doubt it). However, that's definitely not the case with Origin, they are strict in this regard.

[Sandis_van_Great 346]

its worth every peny

[blaqsk8 45]

I bought the game three separate times...and I would buy it a fourth time.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Both Steam and Origin (EA) want you to log on to their servers to play.  SC4 is a stand-alone game.  Why should you be bothered with these guys who only want to collect stats and make it difficult.  If their servers are down, you can play "off-line", but it is an off-line game anyway, so it is a waste.  Get the freestanding digital version from the sensible sellers.

 

As for which is the better game?  To each his own. 

 

I've had SC4 for over 10 years since I first came out (without rush hour), and have played it almost continuously since.  In fact, I've pretty much stopped playing other games because they don't hold my attention.

 

I have several objections to the new SimCity and I will try to enumerate them, but may miss several:

1. Invasion of privacy.  The EULA and other things state that the server will "scan" your system.  Phooey!
2. Always on line.  Can't play very long if the net is down, and saves are in the cloud.  Blecch!
3. Cartoonish graphics.  3D doesn't matter to me, I am monocular anyway.
4. Too much money for a game you can only license, not own.
5. Many missing features that have developed SC4 into an artists canvas.
6. User custom content not provided for.  If you can't have a local save, how can you test anything?
7. Regional gaps, and no real control over the region. 
8. No terraforming!  Can't cast pearls before me because I am not a swine.
9. It is a GenXY game all gussied up with no content.
10. Life expectancy 2 years maximum.  What happens when the servers are taken away?
11. People without broadband internet or with an internet that charges by the packet have to pay, and pay, and pay, and ...
12. Don't give a rats patootie about competitive regional play, leader boards, multi-user, and all the guff that EA thinks is necessary to have a modern game.
13. Can't stand all the sugar in the hype.  I am diabetic, and it sends my blood pressure through the roof.

[paeng 2,525]

I bought the game three separate times...and I would buy it a fourth time.

 

Yep, same here... as a matter of fact, I 'habitually' pick up a copy when I see it in a store (just the plain CD, DeLuxe+RushHour)... I have 2 or 3 originals stashed away, just to be sure I never "run out"  LOL

 

Yes - initially it looks daunting, what with all the available custom content... just take your time and add stuff little by little, to understand what you are adding. There is enough to last years ;-)

 

 

SC2013 - well, I'm sure it will have its own fans. If you're the patient type, wait for proper (honest!) reviews, and for the price to drop...

[arozarker12 51]

If you are willing to take time to learn SC4, to test and retest, to have fun coming up with new and interesting regions, to enjoy taking the time to watch your small town grow into a city, then SC4 is the game for you!  Add to that the fact you don't have to be online or play with others, etc., then there ya go!

I have been playing SC4 for a few months and it has never gotten old or boring and I can get lost in planning things and trying things.  I fall easily into the "Just this one last thing, and I will get off here" thing big time hard!  LOL!

[Cefien 361]

Well, most people around here will still stick with SC4 for the next several years or even more. I mean as long as our great BATters, LOTers and MODders around here still create their masterpieces, SimCity4 will still live on. Soon the NAM team will released their new masterpiece, and hell i'm not gonna miss that. And you don't get it in the new SimCity, only in SC4!

[Bdub01 201]

In one word YES or as Daniel Bryan would say Yes! Yes! Yes! Seriously I play the plain deluxe version with no other custom content and I LOVE the game. I bought the game candy and a dozen roses to show my appreciation of it . Once you play and get addicted you won't stop I assure you.

Now on the flip side if your looking for a quick high action fast paced game don't bother with SC4. I started a new region about two weeks ago and just now I'm starting to get some halfway decent cities!

Personally I'd say don't bother with the new SC. But that's just one mans opinion!!!

[Cyclone Boom 17,031]

Undoubtedly yes! Just because there's a new SimCity on the horizon, it doesn't mean we're all going to abandon SC4. In fact, in the game's 10 year history, the fan-base has continued to grow, and will continue to do so. The key to the game's durability has obviously been a solid base, which has over time, been enhanced by custom content. Challengers such as SimCity Societies and CitiesXL have not really succeeded in this regard.

 

Just because SC4 is over 10 years old, doesn't necessarily mean it's outdated. Yes, there are limitations -- graphics for one are never going to match current standards. But with the custom content factory still operational, it certainly doesn't play like an old game. Based on this, I think SC4 is still a long way from entering decline, and will be played for many years to come!

[yayaya1 22]

The new simcity does not realistically simulate the heavy responsibilities of a true mayor. You have to handle crime, fire, water pipes, and energy more realistically in simcity 4 than simcity. Simcity just has roads for water pipes and power lines. Crime isn't a challenge at all in simcity and every fire does not have to be manually taken out, the fire fighters just do it themselves, which is fine, but I really want a a challenge. Simcity 4 is a true city simulator. 

[Turjan 1,048]

The new simcity does not realistically simulate the heavy responsibilities of a true mayor. You have to handle crime, fire, water pipes, and energy more realistically in simcity 4 than simcity. Simcity just has roads for water pipes and power lines. Crime isn't a challenge at all in simcity and every fire does not have to be manually taken out, the fire fighters just do it themselves, which is fine, but I really want a a challenge. Simcity 4 is a true city simulator. 

 

Actually, if you have a decent fire station coverage in Simcity 4, there is no need for you to put out any fires, either. You only do it yourself for fires out of or at the edge of the range, or if you don't have a city hall.

[yayaya1 22]

true, but there isn't any range in simcity. Also, are you sure about the city hall thing?

[Turjan 1,048]

true, but there isn't any range in simcity. Also, are you sure about the city hall thing?

 

Now that you mention it, no, I'm not. I read this somewhere, but in my experience, decent fire station coverage is sufficient.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Generally, you only have fires if you somehow don't get the area covered in time.  The dashboard will tell you if safety is down.

 

As you can see, there is a strong following for SC4.  So far all we have had on SimCity 2013 is hype.  We'll know more when, and if, someone from here buys it and comments honestly on it after having it for a couple of months.  Never, never, never purchase a pig in a poke.

 

You could wind up like the poor girl who was still a maiden after being married to a programmer for a year.  When she divorced him, she told the judge all he did was sit by the bed and tell her how good it would be.

[SimRico 968]

I purchased a cd earlier of another building game (Civilization?) that was from Steam. When i was installing it, i was being prompt to set up an online account andbno doubt my computr wasbbeing scanned. The game also wouldnt run until i provided onlime info.

I cant imagine anyone wanting to play SC4 over an external server, being at the mercy of if the server is up and running or if a player is having logon issues.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Well, the requirement for SC 2013 is not only that you be on line, but that your saves will be on the server and not locally.  Further, these is a limited number of them.  You sure can't test custom content that you may have built on such a system.  I do not expect client custom content to ever be available for this version.

[nats 99]

Steam is fine. It has loads of advantages such as being a permanent backup for your games in one place f you should change your computer, upgrade something or reload Windows, plus it mean you never will need a disk again (which is worth it on its own to me). You also get nead stats such as play time, and Steam acheivements that although pretty useless do actually make things fun when you compare how you are doing to other players. Obviously there is also the great advantage that you can buy a game and be up and playing it within the hour.

 

Yes Steam is a form of DRM but its pretty painless, you can play games offline if need be should your connection go down (and it does for me quite often - both Steam and my broadband itself). Its the best of a bad lot IMO. Obviously you are reliant on Steam being there in 20 years if you want to play that long - but I dont usually play games longer than a year or two at max.

 

But this permanent online thing is terribly bad and I will never buy a game that requires it. So I am not buying Sim City 2013. I may buy Sim City 4 instead I think, I played the ohter incarnations a lot and di own SC4 on disk a while ago but never played it and sold it. But all this about Sim City has made me wonder whether I should give SC4 another proper go.

[Bdub01 201]

@Nats. DUDE!!!!! GET SC4 and play, play, play!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

@Nats:  Well, Steam is not nearly as invasive as Origin, but you can get the game, no strings attached from other sites such as Amazon.  I have a copy of my downloaded installer from Gamersgate on an external hard drive.  If I change systems, I still have that drive and it has a USB connection.

 

I expect to be running the new beta of Ubuntu, due out at the end of April, and all I have to do is reinstall the game from my external HDD.  Further, I don't care how others are doing.  This is a stand alone game, and if you want to compare, there is this forum.

 

I guess I've been around machines so long that I keep all kinds of multiple records.  I have two external HDDs, and if my box dies, I just replace it with another one, reload the O/S, and away we go.

 

I am also a very private person as far as having some other outfit rooting around in my machine.  This is a crash landing for Origin.

[nats 99]

@Nats:  Well, Steam is not nearly as invasive as Origin, but you can get the game, no strings attached from other sites such as Amazon.  I have a copy of my downloaded installer from Gamersgate on an external hard drive.  If I change systems, I still have that drive and it has a USB connection.

 

Yes I often buy my Steam games elsewhere they are usually cheaper on Amazon. SC4 is around £8 on Amazon vs £10 via Steam so its not that big a deal for this game.

[aaaling 83]

Yes, SimCity 4 is a very good game, and you should purchase it.

[AnathemaDevice 35]

Another vote for SimCity 4

 

I won't be buying 2013 either due to the always online requirement and the privacy issues. I use my computer for business so I won't allow spyware to snoop around my files putting my clients' data at risk. I take my clients' privacy and data protection seriously even if Origin don't. No external agent gets to scan my files so Steam is a no go for me too for the same reason.

 

[Mr Saturn64 742]

The only problem is that SC4 and SC2013 are so different yet in the same series, that there are too many differences between the gameplay that it's hard to compare. Which one to buy depends on your taste in city building games. If you like the fast paced, zoning and logical kind, you're going to like 4. But if your the kind who prefers the better graphics over the gameplay, hen 2013 is the better choice. The real thing these game have in common is that quirky feel the characters give you. There's no word for it other than: Sim City. The tone is set to a great friendly atmosphere that you can't help but like.

Take your pick. You've gotten advice from so many people.

[Prophet42 1,503]

Most definitely get SC4.  Even if you get SC2013, SC4 is still worth to get.