News
12 CommentsMaxis teases SimCity amusement park DLC, coming May 28
By Alexa Ray Corriea on May 16, 2013 05.16.13
SimCity's next round add-on content, the Amusement Park Pack, will be available on May 28, according to a footage of a leaked product page and a tease from developer Maxis on the SimCity Facebook page. The pack was leaked earlier today in a video from Hypnotoad Productions, a webshow that shares video game walkthroughs and news. The footage, posted above, walks viewers through screenshots of a listing on downloadable game site Green Man Gaming, which reportedly leaked news of the DLC earlier. "Some of you may have seen thrilling new SimCity content that arrived too early at the gate. It's coming May 28th. We think you'll be amused," reads the post on the SimCity page. The Amusement Park Pack adds several rides to players' buildings tools, as well as park entrances they can customize...
News
195 CommentsSimCity mod demonstrates the possibility of some form of indefinite offline play
By Emily Gera on Mar 14, 2013 03.14.13
It is possible to play SimCity offline indefinitely, according to a video of a modded version of the game posted to YouTube. Modder UKAzzer uploaded the video which shows him disabling the game's disconnection timer. Previous tests confirmed that SimCity will kick a user from the game after roughly 20 minutes of offline play; however, while its impact on a number of features in the game means this offline mode is still not ideal, the video demonstrates some form of unlimited offline play is indeed possible. According to the modder's initial posts on Reddit, while the game can be played indefinitely without connecting online, it is not possible to save the game without reconnecting the game and cross-region play is also impossible. "Works a treat! No region stuff of course, and you...
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3 CommentsTaiwanese animators skewer SimCity debacle
By John Funk on Mar 11, 2013 03.11.13
Next Media Animation, a Taiwanese media studio that has gained minor notoriety in the West for its absurd CGI takes on the news stories of the day, has released a news video explaining — and lampooning — the various crises surrounding the launch of Maxis' SimCity. The video stars an overweight gamer who is apparently YouTube comedian Francis, and features a rather literal representation of "cloud computing" and a slightly uncomfortable racial joke in which Maxis GM Lucy Bradshaw takes a fireball to the face from a furious Jeff Bezos and turns black. It's still worth a watch. NMA has tackled other serious and not-so-serious matters in its trademark surreal style, from New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's perceived nanny state to the US Supreme Court's videogame verdict and e...
Today I Played
92 CommentsToday I Played: SimCity
By Chris Plante on Mar 05, 2013 03.05.13
I experimented with SimCity games during grade school, but I would hardly call myself a simulation gamer. If you've watched previous Today I Playeds, you might have noticed my affinity for action and adventures games. Yeah, I like smart, thoughtful, slow games, but I also love blowing stuff up. I'm a simple man. Squeezing a button and being rewarded with streams of visual mayhem plays to my id. Simulations, they were usually too slow. I could play a simulation game for hours, weeks even, and still lose. I was trained on cheap gratification, and these games expected so much from me. SimCity is a simulation for mouth-breathers like myself. Every click is rewarded with a snappy sound effect or orchestral trill. Neighborhoods and skyscrapers grow, collapse and regrow in minutes. And when...
Video
3 CommentsSimCity trailer shows how to save a city from itself
By John Funk on Mar 04, 2013 03.04.13
Real-life mayors must manage their cities and towns through crises big and small, and armchair mayors in EA's SimCity are no different. In the "City on the Brink" trailer, EA showcases just a few of the many pitfalls that can befall your virtual city in the new SimCity: Homes and buildings burn down, traffic congestion is unbearable, meteors fall from the heavens and the citizens are unhappy. The trailer also shows how would-be mayors can tackle these problems. Building another fire station saves your city's inhabitants from the flames. Building a cross-river bridge dramatically reduces traffic, and building a sports stadium makes your citizens happy and spurs the local economy. SimCity is out for PC tomorrow, March 5th. Check out Polygon's official review.
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Simcity Gallery
By Arthur Gies on Mar 04, 2013 03.04.13
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14 CommentsThe man behind the original SimCity plays and discusses the new take on his game
By Samit Sarkar on Feb 27, 2013 02.27.13
Maxis' upcoming SimCity is very different from Will Wright's original 1989 SimCity, and in a video released today, lead designer Stone Librande interviewed the SimCity creator about his time with the new game. Wright seems to be enjoying SimCity — he highlights new elements like the street-level view (which he loves because it builds investment with individual neighborhoods), the new road tool and graphical overlays for vital information such as infrastructure and demographics. Wright says he's been experimenting with each new city he creates, trying different approaches that often leave his in-game bank account running low on funds. "I was actually very impressed with the way it was presented, because there was obviously a lot of stuff going on underneath the hood of the...
News
11 CommentsSimCity on Mac launching after PC version, cross-platform play supported
By Samit Sarkar on Jan 29, 2013 01.29.13
The Mac OS X version of SimCity won't be available until some time after the PC version launches March 5, but it will offer the exact same feature set and cross-platform play will be supported across both versions, developer Maxis announced yesterday. SimCity will be released on Mac this spring. According to an FAQ posted to the SimCity website, the delay exists because the Mac version isn't a port of the PC version — it's being developed natively on Mac. "Because of this," Maxis said, "we want to take the time to ensure that Mac fans will get a version worthy of their platform." The Mac version of SimCity will have the same features as the Windows PC version, and users on both platforms will be able to play with each other in the same world: both versions share servers. Maxis did...
Video
2 CommentsSimCity opening clip sweeps across one of the game's multi-city regions
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Jan 09, 2013 01.09.13
The newest footage for developer Maxis' SimCity reboot features the game's introduction, the first 80 seconds of sweeping scenic view players see when they first boot up the game. The opening video, posted above, uses in-game footage from Multi-city play, the symbiotic multiplayer experience between players' cities, and gives quick look at city specialization, the focus on producing one major export per city. Players will also get a good look at the how to strategically place housing and municipal buildings, how resources travel on routes throughout cities and a handful of different ones — from a bustling suburb to a florescent-lit metropolis. SimCity will launch for Windows PC in North America on March 5 and in Europe on March 8. A Mac version is planned for release early this year....
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15 CommentsSimCity trailer shows multi-city gameplay, seamless multiplayer
By Griffin McElroy on Dec 11, 2012 12.11.12
SimCity will let players control multiple neighboring towns, specializing each to fit their needs and transferring resources between them at will, as seen in the game's latest trailer, posted above. In the video's example, the player has a very lucrative casino-centric burg, which demands more power than the city can provide. The player doesn't want to burden the metropolis with pollution-producing coal power plants; instead, they open a neighboring city, build some power sources, and share money and energy between the two. An online friend asks to join the player's region, and assumes control of the latter town seamlessly, providing even more help to the area's main capital. SimCity launches on PC and Mac March 5, 2013.
