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When Will Wright first designed SimCity Classic™ over 10 (count 'em!) years ago, he didn't know he'd be starting a gaming revolution. His idea was to create a first-of-its'-kind game called a "System Simulator." The game gave players a set of rules and tools that let them create and control a system -- in the case of SimCity Classic (and the now available SimCity 3000™ Unlimited), that system is a city.
SimCity™ lets you take control of a big area of land and gives you the power to build the city of your dreams. Pave roads. Lay down power plants and power lines. Zone for industrial, commercial and residential development. Build stadiums, seaport, airports and police and fire stations. Set a tax rate. If Sims -- Simulated Citizens -- like what you've done, they'll move in and build their own houses, factories and businesses.
Will's idea, originally scoffed at by industry insiders, has addicted players for a decade and has sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
Now, you have the chance to experience the many faces of SimCity through the menagerie of images below. From the various looks of SimCity 3000 Unlimited to the early editions of what would come to be known as a classic. You have before you a loose timeline of the history of SimCity.
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This early Amiga version (c. 1989) of SimCity was used in Europe where Infogrames distributed Maxis titles for many years. The city here is Sydney, Australia. Take note of the snazzy Terrain Editor advertisement seen on the back of the box. And what's that? They get an armadillo, but no llama. These were the early days, indeed. |
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This version of SimCity was created for a Japanese computer, FM Towns. It was one of the early "multi-media" computers to utilize CD-Rom technology. This form of the game marked an early milestone for SimCity in that it was the first version to be in color. Will Wright remembers fondly that "we had to bring in real artists" for this version. The original requirements for the game were 2 Mb of RAM. When reminded of this requirement Will's only comment was: "That's cute."
For all you die-hard collectors out there, the original packaging included a giant, all-too-familiar lizard in place of the tornado. A certain likeness to a very famous giant lizard, found in Japan, prompted Maxis to change the box slightly. If you have a copy of the original version, you are certainly holding on to a rarity that just might have some value. |
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In this collection, users were able to enjoy all that was the SimCity 2000 product line in one package. From SimCity 2000 Urban Renewal Kit to the multi-media edition of 2000, users were in for a treat in 1995. The red-square background in the SimCity 2000 title -- seen here in Chinese characters -- represents the early branding identity for Maxis. |
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What is this? |
CrawlingAntz ... Over the years we've created a number of tchotchkes to give to the press to catch their eye when writing articles. Other items include a small SimCity 2000 brick and a pizza cutter for The Sims. Can you guess what exactly
what this one may be?
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China |
Japan |
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The emerging markets in Asia are a top priority for Electronic Arts. While multiplayer games are huge in Asia today, the SimCity series continues to be one of the most popular PC games. |
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Europe |
| In Europe, the latest version of SimCity 3000 is called SimCity 3000 World Edition, not SimCity 3000 Unlimited. While the games are identical, Europe chose to highlight the international flavor of the new version to appeal to their local markets. |
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Germany |
| In Germany, SimCity 3000 Deutschland Edition, is particularly exciting. The various German theme scenarios, such as "A Better Betterfeld" and "Fall of the Wall," are particularly inspiring to our German fans.
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These SimCity playing cards speak for themselves. Any software game that transcends the computer is certainly a classic. |
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