Gaming News - September 2003
Redwood City, CA (September 22, 2003) - Electronic Arts (today
announced the release of the first expansion pack for SimCity 4, SimCity 4 Rush
Hour Expansion Pack.
From EA:
For the first time in SimCity history, players can take charge of vehicles in
their cities to drive or solve missions that earn reward buildings and vehicles.
Players have the ultimate level of control over their city's transportation
network by completely taking charge of roads, rail, air, and even waterways.
SimCity is on the move in SimCity 4 Rush Hour.
"We focused SimCity 4 Rush Hour around transportation, because it was the
number one requested area to expand upon among SimCity 4 fans and is the
life-blood of every city," said Lucy Bradshaw, Vice President in charge of PC
Development at EA's Maxis studio. "Players can control vehicles freely, solve
missions that will affect their game play, and experience the thrill and power
of creating the ultimate transportation utopia."
In SimCity 4 Rush Hour, players take control of their city's transportation
with a wide variety of new options. They can create the elevated train networks
of Chicago, the wide-avenues of New York, or the one-way streets of San
Francisco. Players can develop a seamless mass-transit system including
monorail, subway, or even a scenic ferry service that connects to a greater
regional travel network. With all-new problem-solving maps and tracking tools,
players can see the pulsing flow of traffic, map out the most efficient routes,
and quickly get Sims from one city to another.
For the first time, players take charge of vehicles in their cities. Is the
fire department stuck in traffic on its way to a four-alarm fire? Players can
take direct control and pursue the quickest route to the blazing inferno. They
can also put their Sims on the move in new cars, scooters, futuristic jet-packs,
and motorcycles.
Players also solve missions that range from good to evil. Players that accept
good missions such as catching car-jackers and thwarting bank robbers will earn
reward buildings and other vehicles. Players that decide to be lawless and drive
the get away car will earn more Simoleons, but their mayor rating will take a
hit. As players gain traction by fixing transportation problems and solving
missions, they watch their mayor approval rating soar and their Sim population
grow!
Also new to SimCity 4 Rush Hour are over 30 new bridge options and a bridge
selection tool. Players also can create a city based on an all-new modern
European building set or choose one of three new architectural styles included
in the original SimCity 4 including Chicago 1890's, New York 1940's, or Houston
1990's. Players can add dozens of new structures including rail yards,
lighthouses, and ferry buildings. Players can now place a space shuttle launch
center in town or a TV news station with a helipad for the news copter. They can
make their final mark as mayor and personalize their city by labeling street
names, mountains, neighborhoods, and points of interest.
True to the SimCity™ series, the expansion pack features new disasters. Car
accidents and train derailments can snarl traffic and wreck havoc on the
commute. Players can start a UFO alien invasion and watch the abduction of Sims,
the destruction of buildings, and the creation of crop circles. Others may want
to take control of their own UFO from Dr. Vu's Area 5.1 to create their own
chaos and abductions. Players can also watch Autosaurus Wrecks transform and
come to life out of buses and cars and cause destruction and devastation in the
city. Players can now put their foot on the gas and get their Sims on the go in
SimCity 4 with SimCity 4 Rush Hour.
SimCity 4 Rush Hour also includes tutorials to help new players get started
and new gameplay levels, so players of any skill can create the city of their
dreams.
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