sc4 unleashed on the world
EA reveals the latest in its ridiculously popular deity simulation series, as developer Maxis goes back to what it does best
17:45 Wiping out entire cities since 1989, Will Wright's mighty Sim franchise has appeared a little wayward of late, but with SimCity 4 it seems as though Maxis is finally back on track. Avoiding the perils of full 3D, the developer has stuck to the tried and tested isometric viewpoint instantly recognisable to all.
In the great expanse of time since the last proper SimCity title, fans are quite reasonably expecting major improvements, and Maxis is endeavouring to meet these expectations. This time, cities are not independent of each other and over time become part of a thriving region, interlinked by road and rail.
Furthermore, fresh from its experiences with The Sims, SimCity 4 allows you to personalise and follow individual Sims around as they go about their business, offering insight into how successful your town planning really is.
"SimCity 4 is the ultimate SimCity experience," said Lucy Bradshaw, general manager of Maxis, obviously disappointing all those hoping the developer had gone out of its way to make the worst one yet. "We have really lifted up the hood and made amazing improvements to the underlying simulation to give the player the most responsive, personal and satisfying SimCity yet," she added.
Considering the success of previous instalments, SimCity 4 is likely to be bigger Gerard Depardieu's snout when it hits stores later this year. Expect tons more from E3.
MARAVILHOSO