SimCity 4 - Mac

I had the most advanced Apple, that is until the new aluminum ones came out, and I have had trouble with performance. My computer is full of memory and has the best graphics card apple offers. When my city was still small I would have problems when I scroll with the map becoming segmented. That is to say that as I scroll portions of the map would show up in their own "window" of sorts completely out of place. This detracted seriously from the playability of the game. If not for that the game would be more enjoyable.

While SC4 isn't without it's flaws, Aspyr has taken pains to code windows-like interfaces for file access and skipped on making them work with the Mac file system. The game blocks many system features making it impossible to Command-Tab out to check e-mail, fast forward iTunes or whatever else you want. My attempts to contact customer support were responded to tersely and with no concern for my patronage.But maybe you don't want to switch out of the game or customize maps. Maybe you don't want access to the Maxis conent, such as making a SC4 map of the area you live in. Did you want to play the game? You do? I hope you have 15 minutes to spare because that's the longest I've ever gotten it to run.But there's the Rush Hour expansion... Sure it's been panned but it must stabalize the game... Nope, check the fan forums.Once again Aspyr has taken a popular game, done a weak port and avoided all forms of support. Thay have your money, go away. My advise is to load an older version in classic and tell Maxis hat they won't get their cut from Mac games as long as they continue letting Aspyr screw their customers.

When Aspyr licensed SimCity 4 from EA Games to do a Macintosh version they quietly decided that there was no need to allow Macintosh users the one ability that makes this game a lasting favorite. While PC users are linked by a network of designers who regularly edit and release additional lots, buildings, landmarks, game enhancements and regions, Macintosh users will find themselves left out in the cold. The serial number included with the game will get you registered at Aspyr's website but will not register you with SimCity.com, the ONLY place a SimDesigner can obtain a little program called the Lot Editor which allows you design your own buildings and parks and just about anything else you can imagine. Additionally, Aspyr tells you that all the official landmarks and 3rd party buildings will work with the Macintoch version, howver they do not tell you that to recieve these extra, free landmarks from SimCity.com that you must be registered there... which you can't.My recommendation is to NOT buy this game is you are a fan of the previous versions. Aspyr makes no apologies about the limited features in the Macintosh version and has no plans to currently resolve any of these issues. Additionally, other users who report slow game play are correct. A Dual G4 1GHz with 2GB of RAM creeps along once a city reaches 100,000 inhabitants and there are numerous visual anomalies during game play as well as unexplainable random crashes which require you to regularly reinstall the game to resolve.While the game has lots of promise for those who enjoy this series, I find the Aspyr Macintosh version HIGHLY disappointing.

I've been a fan of the Sim games since the days of playing SimCity (and later, SimCity 2000) on my old 386 PC running DOS. Times have changed a lot since then, but oddly SimCity has largely stood still. SimCity 2000 was the first and only major revision to the series, and arguably was the best out of all of them. So how does SimCity 4 stack up?SimCity 4, like SC3K before it, is largely a visual upgrade. The graphics are indeed very well done, and the game has a rich lifelike feel to it. The sound effects are top knotch as well. Cars driving around, children playing at a playground, the soft whoosh of wind power generators. Sadly the music does not match up to the quality of the sound, varying wildly between very annoying and passable. Unlike previous Sim games, there are no catchy tunes to be found here. And don't expect to play this game on a slow Mac - even my Power Mac with dual 1GHz G4s tends to chug when I change zoom levels and such.The mechanics of the game are largely unchanged from the days of SimCity 2000: build a city, manage taxes and infrastructure, keep the Sims happy. SimCity 4 is more complicated in some ways (budgeting is more detailed, the model for residential/commercial/industrial demand is more complex, etc.) and this can make things very difficult. It took me a number of tries to build a city that wasn't burning thousands of simoleons every month. The game is still just as fun as ever, though.Unfortunately, a number of the changes are actually omissions. Gone are the scenarios (like Dullsville), the real world cities, and the ability to generate random terrain by adjusting a few sliders. You have to custom carve each area you build a city in, unless you load up a pre-built region. These features are sorely missed, and they take away quite a bit of what made SimCity so enjoyable in the past.What it all comes down to is this: SimCity 4 is a lot of fun to play, and Aspyr did a great job porting it. If you can forgive the missing features from previous SimCity games, and if your machine is powerful enough, I definitely recommend this game. Now if you'll excuse me, I must attend to some unhappy Sims protesting outside my mansion...

It runs a but slow on my Dual G4 800 with 1.2 GB ram and 64 MG GeForce2 video card. Aside from speed issues, the game is great with excellent graphics and gameplay. I recommend. SC3 sucked, and I nevered played it. However, I have been playing SC4 quite a bit.

I am a big fan of the original game on A drive for computers and Super NES. Why can't we buy that version today? It would sell!This version is more complicated and takes a lot of planning. You're not going to build your city in one night.I lost interest after a month.