SimCity Creator (Nintendo DS)

SimCity DS 2 SimCity Creator
North American Boxart
Developer(s)	AKI Corporation
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Series	SimCity
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Genre(s)	City-building
Mode(s)	Single-player

SimCity DS 2 is a city-building game for the Nintendo DS video game console. The follow-up to SimCity DS, it was released in Japan on March 19, 2008. It was released in Europe, North America, and Australia under the name SimCity Creator in September 2008.

Gameplay

Building on the traditional SimCity formula, SimCity DS 2 offers a new Challenge Mode that sees players guide their city through different historical periods, always starting at the Dawn of Civilization stage, before the player can choose to deviate along a European Oriental city, or American style city. Because of this, it is now possible to create cities with a historical theme. For instance, the player can create a Renaissance themed city, a pre-historic themed city or a futuristic city, and unlock famous landmarks as they progress through time that can be built in the open-ended free play mode.

Players are also able to take pictures of their city and share them with friends through Local Wireless.

Challenge Mode Eras

There are 10 different stages in SimCity DS 2 from five different eras.

Ancient

• Dawn of Civilization - The ancient world features crudely made homes and trade centers where Sims can trade goods. The completion requirement is to reach a population of 5000, and can lead to Open Asia age or the European Renaissance. However, by choosing to stay in the age, after completing it, and waiting for the population to reach 6,000, a garbage disposal mound is unlocked, which becomes an important asset by the Modern Age(s).

Medieval

Societies begin to form in this era and the opportunities to add fire, police and military protection become available, along with education and health facilities. The budget tab is introduced to allow players to manage income and expenses according to the city's situation. To complete either stage, the population must increase by 20,000.

• European Renaissance - Renaissance Europe now features brick architecture and small stores now susceptible to crime. The changes in society, culture and religion make this stage more liable to riots from citizens, and also allows military protection to be instated by constructing a special fortress building.
• Open Asia Age - Isolationalist Japan features wooden architecture dating from the Tokugawa period, and because of which are highly susceptible to fires. The Himeji Castle and Warring States Fortress are both now available as special buildings, along with a Western Mansion, should the player allow foreign Sims to enter the city.

Modern

Each stage available in the Modern era now introduces the necessities of electricity and water, along with the inconveniences of congestion, waste disposal and pollution. Many recreational facilities, such as zoos and parks also become available, and coal plants (and in the Asia Development Age, oil plants) become essential to the city's growth. Cities no longer rely on agriculture to provide for the city, but can be kept as a "pollution-free" industry if the player wishes. To complete any era, a 100% Approval rating must be obtained for the city.

• Asia Development Age - Postwar Japan now incorporates some Western culture into its society along with its own, shown in the Architecture. An "International Athletics Tournament" can also become available to the player, along with its Stadium to be built in the city.
• European Industrial Age - Industrial Europe incorporates many Gothic and Victorian era style buildings, along with the advent of Coal plants and industrial factories. Also prominent is soldiers collecting for funding for a "great war" likely to occur in the near future, which the player can donate to, in the hopes of receiving the money with interest, should the player's country be victorious.
• American Prosperity Age - The Wild West features as the main background for the expansionist America stage. Architecture has developed into red-bricked buildings, maintaining a Frontier-like appearance to many public buildings. Immigration can be incorporated to support city growth in this stage.

Present Day

• Global Warming Age - each of the three stages lead to this stage, but all are slightly different. Should the player have implemented a garbage disposal mound in the Dawn of Civilization stage, it has since grown into a large tree which, depending on the stage the player progressed from, leads to different interaction options. To complete the stage, you must increase the population of the city by 500,000.
  • Asian - developing into a metropolis, the player must now make the city carbon neutral. Demolishing the great tree can lead to an oil-processing plant being constructed, at an ecological cost, whilst raising Oil Plant efficiency. The Twin Towers can be built upon completion of the stage.
  • European - like the Asian style city, once again the player must strive to make the city carbon neutral. The great tree can be excavated for a museum of history. The Messeturm can be built upon completion of the stage.
  • American - The American stage also focusses on the importance of carbon neutrality. The great tree, like in the Asian stage, can be demolished in place of an oil-processing plant. The St. Louis Arch can be built upon completion of the stage.

Future

• Post-Global Warming Age—In the Global Warming Age, we have failed to stop global warming and most places in the city are now underwater. You have to construct a city above the water, and undo all the pollution we have made in the present era. Once done, a tree representing life will be built.

Zones

There are three types of zone featured in the game, and Density type (Low, Medium and High) determines the types of buildings that appear within a zone.

• Residential - These zones allow Sims to construct different types of houses, from simple dwellings and huts at the Dawn of Civilization stage to sky-scraping high-rises in the future. The three densities each allow large family homes, multistory apartment buildings or large skyscrapers to be built at best land value.
• Commercial - These zones allow trade centers to be built for Sims or large commercial centers where they can spend Simoleons. The three densities each allow large stores, supermarkets or gigantic shopping malls to be built at best land value.
• Agri-Industrial - These zones allow orchards, rice paddies and pastures to be built to sustain the city's Sim populace. Once the civilization has gone beyond farming, industrial zones are where windmills and small and large factories are constructed.

External links

• Official SimCity Creator website
• GameSpot Review