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New Simcity: $60

New 2GB RAM chip to upgrade to 4GB of RAM: $52

New video card: $100

Time to install these things and set them up: Around 2 hours. 

Sitting down only to find out the game isn't working at all and wishing you had bought Tomb Raider for the Playstation instead: Priceless.

Seriously this is messed up.  The always-on connection was dumb, the small city sizes is dumber and I even have quibbles with some simulation choices but I was willing to roll with it.  After 10 hours at work today and then spending time to upgrade my computer all I wanted to do was play Simcity and I can't do it becuase EA blew it when it came to getting the darn thing to work on release.  Why can't I play the city locally? Why is the game so gimped because of this fear we've been told since the dawn of computers that games have to be made for weaker machines?  If this game was just Sim City 4 Deluxe with a massive graphical and UI change (plus the NAM) I would have gladdly laid down $100 to buy it and $1000 for a new computer to run it.

Instead... I get this. Nothing. Can't play the game at all.  Thanks a lot for causing me to flush $200 down the drain today.  If you're going to release a product MAKE SURE IT WORKS!  Anyone want to start a class-action lawsuit on this BS?!