Maxis was an unknown company until it published Sim City game. However, Sim City release pushed the company name forward, which has released numerous sequels and spin-offs of the game since Sim City release time.
The newer games are not exactly sequels; instead, each new version adds more details to the simulation and deeper realism to the game.
This was the first incarnation of SimCity, released for MacIntosh and Amiga computers, followed by a Commodore 64 and IBM PC versions. Since then it was released for numerous plataforms and defined a new type of simulation game.
Back to TopIn its second version, a new view perspective was added: now the game has a isometric 3D view. This way the game became more complex, forcing the player to deal with hills and valleys. The game also added "water" to the simulation, meaning that water should be supplied as well as eletric power. Another interesting feature added in this game was the concept of neighbor city. The game was released first for MacIntosh and IBM PC. An Amiga version followed and then several other computers and videogames was presented with a version of it.
Back to TopThis new version added waste management to the simulation, which means garbage has to be collected and dispensed. Farms and agriculture were also added, and the power plant simulation improved (prodution decrease when it is old). Interactions with neighbor cities was also added in this version. The land value simulation was also added, creating different neighborhoods depending on the land value. This game was released for Windows, MacIntosh, Linux and Nintendo DS.
Back to TopThis version improves the relationship between neighbor cities and the player can now manage several different cities. The game also added a God Mode where the player can change almost everything. The game also added some integration with The Sims game. This game was released only for Windows and MacIntosh.
Back to TopThis version is very similar to Sim City 3000, but adds special features for the dual screen and touch screen capabilities of Nintendo DS. This a Nintendo DS-only game.
Back to TopThis is the most original incarnation of Sim City since the first version. This time the player is not so concerned about being a mayor, but building a better society. Many elements of previous installments were removed, such as "zone building": the player now can select where a specific building will be placed. The player has to manage productivity, prosperity, creativity, spirituality, authority and knowledge of the inhabitants of the city.
This is the first full-3D incarnation of the game series, but even with all those changes, the game was not well received by the public.
Back to Top03/19/2008
# SimCity v1.0.0 released!
03/11/2008
# Web Page is now online!
02/11/2008
# Project started!