 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
SimCity 4
- Windows
- Price: $45-50
- Genre: Simulation
Common Sense Media says
City building sim offers great entertainment & education.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that players have the ability to bring down a massive series of disasters (such as tornadoes, fires, earthquakes) to reduce their cities to rubble.
What's it about?
SIMCITY 4 carries on the tradition of the SimCity series by allowing you to be the all-powerful mayor of your own city. Start with a 100,000 simoleons (Sim-style dollars) and a city name. Zone land for people and jobs; plan roads, the water system, and the energy network; trade with nearby cities; establish schools, hospitals, and emergency services; create parks and gardens. Plant trees, create parks, and plan community gardens.
Graphs, charts, and maps aid you in your decisions, as does listening to your Sims, a major new element in the game. You can name individual Sims, decide where they will live, and then observe how your city-level decisions affect them. Place a school near your Sim and they have a better chance at getting a higher-paying job; poor health care means your Sim could get sick and even die.
Is it any good?
Who would have guessed running a city could be so challenging, yet so fun? Your city is surprisingly resilient and the game is forgiving as you learn how to make your city a better place to live. You cannot help but learn some of the mechanics of politics, economics, geography, and ecology. For example, you can see the positive impact of a well-designed mass-transit system -- how it affects congestion, pollution, and the quality of life -- but you also see its cost.
There is one violent element: disasters, which can be brought on either by random acts determined by the game or by the player. Tornadoes, fires, earthquakes, and even giant robots can wreak havoc on your city. The game may not communicate the emotional impact of disasters very wel l-- something you may want to address as your children play the game.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how these disasters may affect the people who live in the cities.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
how can you rate this
in my opinion this game cant even be rated
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
This game is non-violent (however, the disaster such as giant robots and earthquakes are there), interesting and educational. I will allow my young brother to play it.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Great City Simulator
This is a great, fun, and engaging game. You build cities, ground up, into massive metropolises. You are pretty much the mayor, and control everything from water to education. Depending on your standards, this game can be pretty difficult. Balancing a city budget is hard to do, and it's always a pressing matter. You can immerse yourself into your city by driving around in it and doing missions to benefit your city. Your cities will trade with each other, and your region will grow. If you're bored, you can send down a giant robot or a tornado to tear up the city. Seeing buildings collapse is about as bad as the content goes for this game. I enjoyed it a lot, a must for the creative.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Good and educational
I bought simcity 4 and simcity 4 deluxe for my son he likes them both. It tought him about monthly
income and expenses, and that it's hard to earn money in a fun way. You can teach this game yourself after a few weeks
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
I LOVE this games!
It is a great game for all ages. I have been playing ever since it came out and now I have basically mastered the game. I recentally installed it for my brother (7) and he likes to destroy his city more then build it, but that is part of the fun. It has a simulated buget system and you have to keep track of it, otherwise you will get recalled and mayor!
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Cool Game
It's good. You have more control over your city than any other game. The three modes, god mode, mayor mode, and my sim mode let you enjoy the game in 3 different ways.
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Platforms: | Windows |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Simulation |
| Developer: | Electronic Arts |
| Release date: | October 7, 2003 |
| Price: | $45-50 |
| ESRB rating: | E |
Contact us to give us more feedback on our learning ratings.
Review It
Tell us what you think about our new Learning Ratings. We value your feedback.
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already played it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
