What to buy?

[cyberott 0]

Hi there!!

I have never played any SimCity-like game, but I want to buy something for my son, what game to buy? Its for PC/win10? I have found SimCity 4 Deluxe edition at Origin? Is that the one to get or shall I grab City skylines? 

 

What do you think?? Any good sugestion?

 

Thanks in advance!!

[SIM-ple Jack 17,444]

SC4 at GOG

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Hi cyberott!

First of all, I'd like to say that either game is a good and solid choice if your son is into this genre (planning and building up something). Obviously, Cities:Skylines (C:S) is by far the more modern game. From what I have heard, it also emphasises city transportation (road network and public transport) a bit more whereas SimCity 4 is more focused on the development of the city's buildings.

I'd say that SC4 has a great long-term playing value especially if your son is the type to enjoy fiddling with fine details (maybe even playing the game with mods created by the - still very active - user community) and can live with a certain "retro charm". On the other hand, I'd wager a guess that Cities:Skylines is probably the more polished overall experience, though, and it also has an active modding community.

If you do decide to go for SimCity 4, I'll second @SIM-ple Jack: get it from Good Old Games (gog.com). The Origin version cannot be fully patched! That's really an unexpected disadvantage, so I guess a warning is in order. I have the GOG version myself, and it comes fully patched and runs fine on my 64-bit Windows 10 system.

Being a hardcore SC4 player and modder and never having played C:S myself (only watched a friend play a little), it's really hard for me to decide, especially since I don't know your son. Still, I'd say that Cities:Skylines might be the safer choice because I can imagine for someone who hasn't grown up with it, SC4 as a 17 year old game is a bit of an acquired taste.

One thing that may help us a little: Do you happen to know some of your son's favourite games?

In any case, unless you're in a hurry it's probably best to wait for some other members' input, though, because other people are more familiar with C:S than I am and my perspective may be too one-sided to be a good guide.