Cyfu said:
Eh, that doesn't really sound like something for me. I like the fact that you can play with friends, but I want that to be a thing I choose, not something I've been forced into by the game.
The game doesn't FORCE you into playing multiplayer, but it does force you into being connected to EA's servers, and some people perpetually erroneously conflate "online" with "multiplayer", so you're going to have people moaning about how "it used to be a single player game" when...it can still be a single player game. It's just, you know...saddled with DRM.
So...on to your questions...
DO I THINK DRM LIKE THIS WILL BE MORE REGULAR? Yes, whether you buy this game or not. It is the current go-to solution for battling piracy on the PC, and a lot of companies are going to dip their toes in.
HOW IS ORIGIN? Fine, really. Not much different than Steam. Pricier, with less generous sales, and equally abysmal customer service, but there's nothing uniquely horrible about it. All of the game store/applets have their pros and cons you're likely quite familiar with by now.
HOW IS SIMCITY? Pretty fun actually, but not without flaws. There's the always online requirement, the cities are VERY small, multiplayer is somewhat dubious and feature light, and the game is plagued by some bugs and simulation break-downs. On the pro side, it's very clean and intuitive, it looks good, and when the simulation works it's enthralling.
SHOULD YOU BUY IT? If you're absolutely hot in the pants to play SimCity, I guess so. It's a popular title from a historically popular IP, so I don't predict huge price drops in the near future, but you never know. If you're on the fence, wait for more in depth reviews. If you're absolutely eager to play, check out some of the lengthy let's plays. WoWCrendor/Jesse Cox did a 5-6 part series, and TB and his wife did a 1.5 hour in-depth look at the game yesterday. Those should give you a pretty solid impression of what to expect.
