I see that SimCity 4 has been released. Ahh, such memories of youth, playing that game (and its silly code-key on that red paper). I’m curious whether the game logic has changed much since the original, or whether the graphics are the primarily updates. Oh, I see that IGN has a review:
For the most part, gameplay follows suit with the earlier SimCity games, but this time around you can build on slopes and hills, which is a necessity for a landscape like San Francisco. Slopes have their drawbacks, though. While residents like the view from hills, industrial complexes won't locate on hills because they prefer flat, wide-open spaces.
Another nice feature is the addition of automatic roads when you built a block. Since all buildings must have street access, the game automatically builds side streets around your defined blocks. This really saves you time since you don't have to plot out your road system before laying down blocks. […]
The game logic has improved tremendously. Of course the graphics are beautiful, and amazingly detailed — those screenshots that look like real aerials are not airbrushed! — but I have been completely impressed with how challenging and complex this new version is, compared to the others. The thing that I like most is that even if you DO use cheats, which I really haven’t been compelled to do yet, the game doesn’t become super-easy and tiresome. It still takes a LOT of strategy. Very cool, though. I give it five stars. =)