SimCity 64

SimCity 64
Box art
Developer(s)	HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Series	SimCity
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64DD
Release date(s)	JP: February 28, 2000
Genre(s)	City-building simulation
Mode(s)	Single-player

SimCity 64 (シムシティー64 shimushitī-rokuyon) is a city-building video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64DD. The game and this peripheral were released exclusively in Japan.^[1]

Gameplay

Top: Standard, Hide&Seek.
Bottom: Train, Helicopter, views

SimCity 64 may have been intended as a sequel to Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) release of the original 1991 SimCity, given several elements from the SNES version are found in SimCity 64, including Dr. Wright, the city advisor. Although general gameplay in SimCity 64 is much like SimCity 2000, the game's graphical textures and building tilesets are considerably different. However, the game sports several advanced features that were not seen in SimCity 2000 or even SimCity 3000: The ability to view the city at night (now also available in SimCity 4), pedestrian level free-roaming of a city, and individual road vehicles and pedestrians (which could only be seen while in the free-roaming mode). Cities in the game are also presented in 3D hybrid graphics. The 64DD incarnation of the game SimCopter,^[2] which was first planned as a stand-alone title, was later integrated into SimCity 64.^[1]

Development

SimCity 64 was developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. Producer Shigeru Miyamoto was involved in editing the game.^[3] SimCity 64 was originally intended to be released as a launch game for the peripheral.^[4] After numerous delays of the 64DD, SimCity 64 was made playable at Nintendo Space World in 1999.^[5][6] The game is considerably obscure, given its Japan-only release and designation to run on the ill-fated 64DD platform. It is now available as a downloadable ROM.^[7]

Reception

The four reviewers of the Japanese magazine Famitsu awarded SimCity 64 scores of 8, 8, 8 and 7^[5] for a total of 31 out of 40 points.^[8] IGN, however, gave the game a passable 6 out of 10.^[1]

References

1. Schneider, Peer (June 28, 2000). "SimCity 64 (Import)". IGN. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
2. IGN Staff (October 9, 1997). "Sim Copter Shuttles to 64DD". IGN. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
3. IGN Staff (January 8, 1997). "New Miyamoto Interview". IGN. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
4. IGN Staff (June 2, 1997). "Four Games to Launch with Japanese 64DD". IGN. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
5. IGN Staff (February 24, 2000). "Famitsu Insane?". IGN. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
6. "64 DD 出展ソフト一覧" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
7. "64dd.org". 64dd.org.
8. ニンテンドウ64 - シムシティー64. Weekly Famitsu. No.915 Pt.2. Pg.33. 30 June 2006.