SimCity DS
SimCity DS is a city building game for the Nintendo DS. It was developed by EA Japan and published by parent company Electronic Arts in 2007. In 2008, the game received a sequel, SimCity Creator.
Gameplay Edit
SimCity DS inherits SimCity 3000's graphics and uses the handheld's dual screens to display additional interfaces. Console-specific features are also prominent, such as the use of the systems' integrated microphone, which is used to blow out fires and the touch screen which is used to control the interface. Before beginning a city, the player must choose a location in the region, one of five advisors and then sign the town charter using the touchscreen and stylus. The upper screen of the DS displays the city and news ticker, while the map, advisor, information and buttons are shown on the touch screen.
Advisors and petitioners Edit
SimCity DS features five advisors who help players make proper decisions in the game by providing recommendations and advice. As opposed to earlier SimCity releases, the player must choose only one advisor to help them when they sign the town charter. The different advisors include Julie McSim, Ayako Tachibana, Kaishu Tachibana, Servo 3000 and a secret advisor named Alien.
There are also petitioners, many of which are citizens of the players' cities, that approach the player with problems and request solutions or to modify city policies, such as lowering tax rates, or neighbor deals (old coot offers to take trash for $250 per month, Granny Agnes offers to buy water for $500 a month, both last 5 years). They may also give the player rewards or request certain structures to be erected in the city.
News ticker Edit
In addition to the advisor, a news ticker scrolls along the bottom of the upper screen, displaying pertinent information about the city in the form of news stories, such as indicating that the city needs improvements in certain areas, or how well a particular city department is functioning. Generally, when things were going very well in a city, the news ticker displays headlines which are comical, or even nonsensical and often seemingly useless to the player.
Landmarks Edit
Independent real-world landmarks (and one fictional landmark) are also prominent in SimCity DS, but must be unlocked throughout play or by using passwords. Examples of landmarks featured in SimCity DS include the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty, the White House and even Bowser's Castle.
Disasters Edit
The game features a number of disasters which the game can inflict upon a city, including earthquakes, fires, Ape attacks and UFO attacks. In SimCity DS the disasters are actually minigames in which the game requires the player to successfully avert the disaster, such as blowing into the microphone to put out fires and using the touch screen to fire missiles at a giant Ape.
The game also features a "Save the City" mode in which the player must help one of several cities recover from a disaster and reach a specific target to succeed.