SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition
- July 20, 2010
- EA - Maxis
- 53h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Apple StoreSimCity™ 4 Deluxe Edition lets you build and design a unique city, controlling everything from terrain to transportation. As mayor, provide for your Sims' needs, optimize traffic flow, and prepare for "Rush Hour" with new roads and transportation systems. This edition also includes bonus disasters like UFOs, ensuring constant challenges and excitement in your virtual metropolis.
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Reviews
- SimCity 4 remains a classic city-building game that has stood the test of time, offering deep and complex gameplay.
- The game features a vibrant modding community that continues to enhance the experience with new content and fixes.
- Despite its age, the graphics and gameplay still hold up well, providing hours of engaging and nostalgic fun.
- The game frequently crashes, especially on modern systems, leading to lost progress due to the lack of an auto-save feature.
- It can be challenging to get the game running smoothly on newer hardware, often requiring various tweaks and mods.
- The user interface feels outdated and can be cumbersome, making it difficult for new players to navigate.
- graphics431 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of SimCity 4 are widely regarded as dated, reflecting its 2003 release, with many users noting low-resolution textures and occasional graphical glitches on modern systems. However, despite these shortcomings, the game's charming art style and nostalgic appeal still resonate with players, and modding options can enhance the visual experience. Overall, while the graphics may not meet contemporary standards, they are often seen as a minor issue compared to the game's engaging gameplay and depth.
“The graphics, while not cutting-edge by today's standards, still have a charming and distinctive look that perfectly complements the game's mechanics.”
“The graphics are charming and well done and manage to not look outdated for a game released over two decades ago.”
“The graphics have aged like fine wine, and the detail really makes it.”
“The graphics are dated, with low-resolution textures and blocky models that fail to create an immersive city-building experience.”
“The graphics are outdated, and it's not worth $20; I would say it's worth $5-10.”
“The graphics may not be as fancy, but I prefer older games like this to the newer ones.”
- gameplay251 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of SimCity 4 is characterized by its deep and intricate mechanics, allowing for a rewarding city-building experience that balances complexity with accessibility. While the core mechanics remain consistent with previous installments, the addition of regional play enhances strategic depth, though players may encounter frustrating bugs and crashes that detract from the overall enjoyment. The modding community significantly enriches the gameplay, offering numerous enhancements and customization options, making it a classic choice for both casual and hardcore city simulation fans.
“The regional play feature, allowing players to connect multiple cities, adds an extra layer of strategy and makes for a more cohesive and engaging gameplay experience.”
“The simulation engine provides a challenging and rewarding gameplay experience, where players must balance the needs of their citizens while managing resources and handling unexpected events.”
“The gameplay still holds up to today's standards and you can easily get sucked into building all the cities within your region.”
“The gameplay is not intuitive, and this is one of those games where to really learn it you must spend the hours and get experience.”
“The game's mechanics are complex and unintuitive, making it difficult to understand how to build and manage a successful city.”
“Despite its potential for captivating city management gameplay, the persistent crashes detract from the overall enjoyment.”
- music138 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised as one of its standout features, with many reviewers describing the soundtrack as "fantastic," "banging," and "timeless." It effectively enhances the gameplay experience, creating a vibrant atmosphere that players find memorable and enjoyable, often comparing its quality to that of iconic titles like Skyrim. Despite some minor criticisms regarding its age, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack remains a significant draw for both nostalgic players and newcomers alike.
“The music is impeccable, never gets old and really gives a good vibe to the overall game.”
“Easily one of the best video game soundtracks in existence.”
“The soundtrack is one of the best of any game.”
“It won't even boot past the initial logo window with intro music for me.”
“Although this game is for the glorious PC master race, the graphics aren’t all that glorious and the music will have you banging your head on your desk after a few solid hours.”
“Worst soundtrack of 2003 award.”
- stability101 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and frequent crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players experience issues such as freezing, graphical glitches, and loss of progress due to crashes, particularly on modern systems. While some enjoy the game despite these problems, the overall consensus suggests that its technical flaws make it largely unplayable for many users.
“Still runs great on old hardware, and makes the time absolutely disappear.”
“It's simple to understand, has an ever-active modding community, looks great, and still runs great for its age, and has endless replay value.”
“The game's performance is also subpar, with long loading times and frequent crashes and freezes.”
“This is basically unplayable, due to freezes during saving which causes it to not save half the time, and the never-ending crashes.”
“The game glitches out a lot making it very difficult to play and enjoy at all and also the settings and layout are all jacked.”
- story92 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is largely minimal, with many players noting that it lacks a traditional narrative. Instead, the gameplay focuses on city-building mechanics and optional vehicle missions that provide some entertainment and rewards, though these missions can be frustrating due to bugs and AI issues. Overall, while the missions add a playful element, they do not contribute significantly to a cohesive storyline, leaving players to enjoy the game primarily for its city management features.
“Where my love for city building began, I loved the little missions that immersed you into your city.”
“The 'u-drive-it' missions add an element of playfulness that I feel is missing from other city builders.”
“The expansion provided also includes side missions that help keep gameplay from becoming stale and help unlock new buildings to use in your city, such as an advanced hospital.”
“📜 no story (a storyless saga)”
“🔳 terrible storyline”
“🔳 there isn't really a story”
- optimization55 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 36 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is widely criticized, particularly for its poor performance on modern systems, leading to frequent crashes, long loading times, and stuttering, especially in larger cities. While some players report being able to improve performance through mods and tweaks, many still find the game unplayable without significant adjustments. Overall, the game's age shows, and it struggles to run smoothly on contemporary hardware, making it a frustrating experience for many users.
“This game strikes me as a crossover between classic SimCity and Cities: Skylines, because I can see that Skylines took everything that was loved and familiar from SimCity 4, left out everything that didn't work, and optimized everything else to make it the best possible playing experience for the player.”
“With a few tweaks to run smoothly on modern systems, there is a wealth of opportunity to build and develop thriving regions with millions of residents.”
“Played this game a decade ago and wanted to check it again, legit this time, it's amazing how it keeps fresh, fun, and challenging, still runs smoothly on newer PCs.”
“The game's performance is also subpar, with long loading times and frequent crashes and freezes.”
“SimCity 4 is not optimized for modern computers.”
“Crashes and performance issues are abound on modern hardware, and it doesn't seem like EA would ever willingly release the source code of the game.”
- replayability47 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game boasts exceptional replayability, with players highlighting its unique city-building mechanics and the endless possibilities offered by a vibrant modding community. While some users note that replay value may diminish after reaching certain milestones, the overall consensus is that the game remains engaging and fresh due to its varied terrains and flexible playstyles. Many reviewers emphasize that the game's age does not detract from its replayability, making it a timeless classic.
“This game has tons of replay value as no two cities are ever the same.”
“The replay value of this game is beyond compare, for something different is always awaiting you, and the mods are endless to build off what the game originally provided.”
“SimCity 4 offers great replayability and complexity, with an insane amount of player-created content available on the internet.”
“That being said, the game doesn't have much replay value; once you've built up a city as big as it can possibly get, with all reward-buildings unlocked and built, I don't see any reason why I would ever go back and do it all over again.”
“Although the game has aged a little too fast for my liking on some fronts, it still retains its replayability.”
“As a matter of fact, I have gone through about 5 copies of this game… SimCity 4 has infinite replay value.”
- humor25 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- -8 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a blend of classic Maxis charm and quirky situations, with players finding amusement in both the absurdity of city-building mishaps and the game's playful commentary. While some feel it lacks the depth of humor found in earlier titles like SimCity 3000, it still offers plenty of funny moments and scenarios that keep the gameplay engaging. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the complex simulation, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate a mix of challenge and comedy.
“Build a city and then destroy it in so many funny ways; after 30 years with SimCity, it will still haunt my dreams, but in a good way.”
“Also, it's hilarious when newbies place power plants right next to residential areas.”
“The texts are funny too; for example: 'Sim addicted to licking stamps donated his tongue to science.'”
“This game tries to be funny, but the jokes fall flat and feel forced.”
“The humor in this game is cringeworthy and often misses the mark.”
“I expected some laughs, but the comedic elements are stale and unoriginal.”
- grinding17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- -12 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be both a double-edged sword; while it can lead to hours of engaging gameplay and a rewarding sense of progression, it often requires significant time investment that can feel tedious and frustrating, especially with certain missions and occasional crashes. The game offers a variety of play styles, from farming to urban development, but the need for meticulous management can detract from the overall experience for some. Despite these challenges, many appreciate the depth and detail that come with the grinding, making it a compelling, if time-consuming, endeavor.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
“The grind is satisfying and offers a real sense of progression.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding (goodbye social life!).”
“I love it when I tediously spend an hour trying to balance my budget by fixing a road problem, only to get randomly rebooted and spit out of my city by a game that came out in 2003, with my i7, 16GB gaming laptop.”
“Only real negative about the game is that it gets kinda 'grindy' if you want to make a good city.”
- monetization9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising it for being completely free from microtransactions, while others criticize it for incorporating aggressive monetization strategies that feel exploitative. Players appreciate games that offer cosmetic-only options or mild, non-intrusive microtransactions, contrasting them with titles like SimCity that have been perceived as cash grabs. Overall, there is a strong preference for games that prioritize player experience over aggressive monetization tactics.
“None, completely free from microtransactions (no wallets harmed here!)”
“Cosmetic-only microtransactions (style without the pay-to-win)”
“Mild microtransactions, not intrusive (a sprinkle of microtransactions)”
“I felt like this game was far ahead of its time and felt like the next step, where 3000u felt like 2000 with pretty graphics and a few new things, and whatever the new 'SimCity' game is - it feels like a gigantic step backwards and sideways into microtransactions and the obvious advantage-taking of a fanbase that EA acquired - one that Maxis earned.”
“Aggressive microtransactions, but avoidable (pay up or face the consequences).”
“Mild microtransactions, not intrusive (a sprinkle of microtransactions).”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its cozy, jazzy urban environment, enhanced by a captivating soundtrack that includes ambient and gritty jazz music. This combination creates a unique sense of timelessness and emotional engagement, making it stand out among other city builders, despite some critiques regarding its overall depth.
“I played it when I was a small kid, and since then I have been absolutely loving this atmosphere of a cozy, jazzy urban environment that you can create in this game.”
“Other city builders can be more complex and realistic, but this one to this day is definitely the most atmospheric.”
“The jazzy, atmospheric music and the pastel colors all help in creating this atmospheric sense of timelessness and universality as you are working on your city.”
“In my opinion, an important factor in gaming is the music, as it creates most of the atmosphere.”
“Atmosphere: 2/5”
- emotional3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while the emotional impact of the game "SC4" remains strong even after two decades, players express disappointment with its storyline, finding it boring and lacking engagement. This has led some to feel disenchanted, suggesting a disconnect between nostalgia and current gameplay experience.
“The storyline felt incredibly boring and failed to evoke any emotional response.”
“I found the emotional depth lacking; it just didn't resonate with me.”
“The characters were one-dimensional, making it hard to connect on any emotional level.”
