Electronic Arts bringing back ‘SimCity’ franchise after 10-year absence.
The new 3-D entry in the “SimCity” series is set for release next year for PC and will add the ability to construct curvy roads as well as introduce an online multiplayer mode that will allow one gamer’s digital city to affect neighboring towns created by other players.
“This is the first ‘SimCity’ where your city sits side by side with those of your friends playing in a region,” said Bradshaw. “The choices you make are going to directly impact their cities. You can cooperate to create regional aspects of your cities. Connect them together — or not. Be a polluter, and you’re ultimately going to affect your friends’ cities.”
I dabbled in SimCity back in the mid-1990s and really enjoyed the game. While I was going through my Master's in Public Administration, I trekked across campus to Knowlton Hall and the City & Regional Planning program to take a couple of classes. One of the profs told me that up until a few years prior - she had a simulation that her students were required to run in the game because it was, surprisingly, one of the best simulators she could find. That's a ringing endorsement!
There's a lot of aspects in this video that make the towns look sick as all get out - hell: there's an appearance by a Krupp Bagger 288! Plus, as a former trucker (I did more than a bit of truck-rail for a while) I really dig the containers and intermodal terminal operations that look pretty slick.
My primary concern is going to be if it'll be supported on the Intel-based Mac OSX platforms (The Sims is, so I'm really hoping that they release a Mac version of SimCity as well as the PC one)












