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As I mentioned in the sticky I'm probably going to pre-order it, since there's no harm and I won't be billed until release. The £40 voucher is pretty sweet, a free game or two, and I actually think the game looks promising from the footage. However, that said, if at release it doesn't meet my expectations or doesn't have a capable offline mode I'll chase a refund. Thankfully where I am, the UK, legally companies (even Steam) are obligated to issue a no reasons needed refund within 7 days of requesting one.

Created an account just to share my thoughts. I absolutely adore the Sim City series, I grew up playing them. They have always been pretty solid games that scratch a rather niche itch with (well made) city management. Origin I'm ok with, it's not that bad and the spyware rumours about it are completely unfounded (I will provide proof if people are uncertain). It's just a shame that EA force it down our throat with every new release now, but it's something that I'll take given that it's no worse than steam (not talking about customer reputation or the company who run it here). A permanent online connection I'm OK with too provided there's offline play as well. I don't mean the faux-offline connection dropping ability, I mean a proper ability to run without internet connection. Making a game online only, a la Diablo 3, is a cheap and nasty form of DRM. Blizzard can just about, by the skin of their teeth, get away with it as that was designed as a co-op game, but Sim City certainly can't. I know that most of us are on decent internet deals with virtually unlimited downloads but what about people who don't have this? Or those of us who want to play it whilst travelling, hell even commuting like our Sims/agents? It's just not fair to dictate when we can and can't play the game that we paid for, especially a game that is fundamentally single player experience. Multiplayer should be an option not a requirement; I would love to create regions with friends and have cities/economies that affect each other but I don't want to be forced into it every time I want to play and I imagine that most of us here agree. Dark Souls is the epitome of doing this right, excluding GFWL. It's predominantly online but works absolutely fine in offline mode, without an internet connection. That said, Sim City 2013 really does interest me as a game; it looks polished even in the (pre) alpha footage, it looks like they've really considered how to make the economy run and it seems to have recaptured the spirit that Societies lost. For that reason, I'll probably pre order it (and use the £40 for a free game or two) and give it a try on release. If it runs offline I'll keep it and if not I'll demand a refund, something they are legally obliged to do here in the UK. I just hope Maxis see sense and listen to the community. EDIT: Is there a petition that doesn't read like it was written by a 13 year old and Maxis might take seriously? That one above hurt my eyes to read.