Game Profile: Sim City DS

Sim City DS has snuck in under the radar to quickly take its place among the most anticipated games of 2007.

What? A fully featured translation of Sim City 3000 for the PC. This version adds support for stylus input, as well as a series of minigames and modes, including a limited multiplayer system that allows players to “chat and trade landmarks”.

When? Sim City DS is set for February 2007 in Japan. No word of a release date in North America yet, but it is almost guaranteed.

Who? The game is being produced by Electronic Arts Japan, which although surprising raises the possibility that it will come to all other territories sooner than later.

Where? Apart from the PC version of Sim City 3000, this game has not been seen anywhere else. No plans have been announced to bring it to any other platform (although the Wii seems like a good candidate). Quite frankly, this suits us just fine since the DS sems like the most natural place to play this touch-heavy game for now.

Sim City 3000 was a favorite among players of the original franchise on PC. As the sucessor to the popular Sim City 2000, this game retained many of the same gameplay mechanics, while adding some interesting new twists. Sim City 3000 featured the concept of waste management for the first time ever (that’s right kids, now you can play the garbage man!). Garbage would literally begin to pile up in the streets if not collected regularly.

No Sim City experience would be complete without having the ability to wreak utter destruction down on your little sim citizens, and 3000 did not dissapoint in this respect. The all important disasters included in Sim City 3000 included tornadoes, earthquakes, riots and UFA attacks. No word on whether this new Japanese port will add Godzilla attacks to the list, although that would be freaking awesome.

Perhaps the most obvious way that Sim City DS will deviate from its PC counterpart is in its setting. According to a rough translation of official Japanese website by an intrepid reader over at DS Fanboy,

“Graphic updates will aim for a feeling of being in Japan. The various elements that make up most architectural features will be modified, and such things as residences and farmhouses with tile roofs, post offices and train stations, and grass ballparks will adopt characteristics peculiar to Japanese buildings and institutions. Also, famous Japanese castles will make a reappearance in this game as symbolic landmarks.”

It all sounds like a recipe for a solid and innovative game on the DS. Plus, it contains a very Kawai-looking Will Wright in the bottom screen for you to poke at with your stylus.

Will Wright, Class of Awesome