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SimCity Creator
SimCity Creator
from Wikipedia
SimCity Creator
DeveloperHudson Soft
PublisherElectronic Arts
SeriesSimCity
PlatformWii
Release
  • EU: September 19, 2008[1]
  • NA: September 22, 2008
  • JP: September 25, 2008
  • AU: October 2, 2008
GenreCity-building game
ModeSingle player

SimCity Creator (シムシティ クリエイター, ShimuShiti Kurieitā) is a video game in the Sim game series by Electronic Arts. It was released for the Wii in 2008.

Overview

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SimCity Creator follows the basic SimCity formula that sees players managing a city and placing residential, commercial, and industrial zones for buildings in addition to facilities such as police stations, hospitals, seaports, and stadiums. Players are also able to customize the look of their buildings by choosing from several themes for the city such as Egyptian, Roman, Japanese, European, Las Vegas, and near-future styles, in addition to ones that result in a crystal or confectionery-like appearance to buildings, along with unique soundtracks to go along with each theme. Players are also able to tour their city, rendered in 3D graphics, in a helicopter or airplane. If the player builds an airport, more touring vehicles can be unlocked.[2] In contrast to the DS title of the same name, players are not able to greatly advance the technology of the city short of the examples above.

Taking advantage of the Wii, the pointer function of the Wii Remote is used to directly draw roads and train tracks onto the map. Players were able to share their cities through WiiConnect24,[2] and the game's advisors were redesigned to resemble MySims characters.

Similar to SimCity 4, SimCity Creator features a day and night cycle, as well as a seasonal cycle last seen in the SNES version of SimCity. Players may tackle disasters including dinosaurs, giant robots, tornadoes, aliens, fires, and meteorite impacts.[2]

Construction

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Zones

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In SimCity Creator, areas can be zoned by the type of development and the density. There is also a landfill zone available which allows garbage to be stored. Each zone is color-coded:

  • Residential (yellow): Housing for Sims to live in. This zone's buildings include houses for low-density zones and apartment towers and skyscrapers for higher-density zones.
  • Commercial (blue): Where stores and office buildings are located. Sims can work in stores and offices, and the commerce can be taxed. Offices are usually built on commercial medium or high density zones. Hotels and restaurants are sometimes built as well.
  • Industrial (red): Contains the factories and warehouses. Sims may work here but it lowers land values and pollutes the air.

Transportation

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Zones must be connected by lines of transportation. Some of the types of transportation choices for a city include roads and highways.

Roads and streets are basic lines of transportation that cars, buses and trucks drive on. They can be either curved or straight.

They can lead into each other to form crossroads or roundabouts. Heavy congestion can cause pollution above the affected road.

Highways are 4-lane roads. Cars travel faster on highways than roads or streets. However, they need on-ramps to function.

The player cannot build streets over rivers. However, building a road or railway over a river automatically creates a bridge.

Railways are what trains run on. However, they require train stations to work although they lower traffic congestion.

Subways are underground railways so they do not require buildings to be bulldozed, which makes it a more sensible choice for dense cities. They are more expensive to build than ordinary railways, about 8 in-game currency per tile, however, making it more sensible not to use them to link parts of your city that are far away from each other and do not have buildings in between them.

Subway stations are also smaller than train stations, occupying a 1x1 square rather than a 3x3 square for regular stations.

Subway stations are also easier to link to rails than ordinary railway stations.

Seaports are where boats stay. Seaports increase industrial demand.

Airports are where planes land.

If an airport is built the player will see planes, helicopter, airships and hot air balloons flying above their city, especially near the airport.

Airports also raise commercial demand and enable several flight missions to happen.

Energy and Climate

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Development

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The game was first announced on February 12, 2008, by Sims label president Nancy Smith along with other upcoming EA Sim titles including SimAnimals, MySims Kingdom, and MySims Party.[3]

Reception

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The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[4] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one seven, one eight, one seven, and one six for a total of 28 out of 40.[5]

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
SimCity Creator is a city-building published by , with the Nintendo DS version developed by AKI Corporation and the Wii version developed by ; it was released on September 22, 2008, for the and consoles. In this installment of the long-running series, players assume the role of a tasked with constructing and managing a virtual by land for residential, commercial, and industrial use, developing infrastructure including roads, power plants, and transportation networks, and addressing the evolving needs of virtual citizens while mitigating the impacts of natural and other disasters. The Nintendo DS version, titled SimCity DS 2 in , distinguishes itself with a historical progression that guides cities through distinct eras—from prehistoric settlements to futuristic metropolises—unlocking over 400 unique buildings, landmarks, and options specific to each time period as players advance. It includes two primary modes: a sandbox-style free-play mode allowing unrestricted city building without objectives, and a structured challenge mode where players must achieve specific goals, such as population growth or economic targets, to unlock subsequent eras and enhancements. The game leverages the DS's dual-screen setup and touch-sensitive interface for direct placement of elements via , enabling precise control over and simulation of real-time city dynamics like and . Additionally, it supports features for sharing city screenshots and unlocked content with other DS users. In contrast, the Wii edition emphasizes intuitive motion controls, utilizing the Wii Remote's pointer to draw freeform roads—including curved paths for the first time in the series—and define irregularly shaped zones, fostering greater creative flexibility in layout design. This version adheres more closely to traditional mechanics, focusing on balancing budgets, public services, and in an open-ended environment without the era-based progression of its DS counterpart. Both platforms' iterations earned an ESRB rating of E for Everyone. The DS version includes descriptors for mild language and mild violence, while the Wii version includes mild violence and references to alcohol and .

Gameplay

The gameplay of SimCity Creator varies between the and versions, with the DS emphasizing historical progression and touch controls, while the Wii focuses on motion-based intuitive building in a traditional open-ended format.

Game Modes

The version offers two primary gameplay modes: Challenge Mode, which structures city-building around historical progression, and Freeplay Mode, which emphasizes unrestricted creativity. In Challenge Mode, players begin in the Dawn of Civilization era and advance through seven subsequent historical periods by achieving specific objectives, such as reaching population milestones or attaining 100% mayoral approval ratings. The eras include the European Renaissance Age (c. 1480–1520), Open Asia Age (c. 1830), Asia Development Age (c. 1950–1980), European Industrial Age (c. 1850–1900), American Prosperity Age (c. 1870–1930), Global Warming Age (c. 1997–2070), and Post-Global Warming Age (c. 2080–2200). Each era introduces unique buildings tailored to its theme, such as primitive pit homes and farms in the Dawn of Civilization or advanced eco-structures in the Post-Global Warming Age, alongside era-specific challenges like managing resource scarcity or levels. Successful completion unlocks symbolic landmarks, including the for the Dawn of Civilization, Notre Dame Cathedral for the European Renaissance, and the Five-Storied for the Open Asia Age, which serve as progression markers and city enhancements. Freeplay Mode allows players to construct and manage cities without predefined objectives, providing access to all buildings unlocked from a selected era for experimentation and open-ended design. This mode supports unlimited building on various maps, enabling focus on aesthetic or thematic city layouts rather than timed goals. Across both modes, progression in Challenge Mode gates content availability, with a total of 427 unique buildings distributed across the eras to encourage strategic advancement. Advisors offer recommendations tailored to the current mode, such as optimization tips for era transitions in Challenge Mode. In contrast, the Wii version features a single open-ended mode without era-based progression, allowing immediate access to all buildings and focusing on long-term city management, budget balancing, and service provision.

Zoning and Building

In the version of SimCity Creator, forms the foundation of urban development, allowing players to allocate land for specific uses that drive the city's expansion. Players designate zones using the stylus on the touchscreen, creating areas for residential, commercial, and industrial activities, each available in low-density and high-density variants to accommodate varying scales of growth. Residential zones, marked in green, attract housing developments to house the city's , while commercial zones, in blue, draw retail and service buildings to meet consumer needs. Industrial zones, shown in yellow, support factories and production facilities that generate employment and revenue. Additionally, landfill zones serve as essential areas for , where garbage dumps and facilities are constructed to handle refuse accumulation and prevent health crises. Building placement occurs automatically within zoned areas once conditions are met, including proximity to roads—residential zones require adjacency within four tiles, commercial within three, and industrial within five—to enable development. Zones develop based on current demand indicators displayed on-screen, influenced by the city's overall population, job availability, and land value; for instance, high demand for residential will prompt the construction of homes if adjacent to supportive . The game features 427 unique , unlocked progressively through era-specific advancements as the city evolves from ancient times to the future, ensuring that placements reflect historical authenticity, such as primitive huts in early eras giving way to in modern ones. Adjacency to complementary zones, like residential near commercial for shopper access, further accelerates building growth and upgrades levels. City growth mechanics revolve around balancing these zones to foster influx, resident , and . increases as zoned areas fill with buildings, but sustained growth demands a of approximately 8:3:1 for residential, commercial, and industrial zones to match with jobs and services, preventing abandonment due to or oversupply. , visualized through sim icons and approval ratings, rises with high land values from dense, well-placed and drops from or , directly impacting development speed and economic output via taxes and . Economic balance is maintained by adjusting —low- for early stability, high- for rapid expansion—while monitoring demand graphs to avoid imbalances that stall progress. As the city advances through historical eras, new options unlock, enhancing growth potential. Advisors play a key role in guiding zoning decisions, with the Maxis advisor providing on-screen prompts and tutorials tailored to optimize development, such as recommending landfill placement at population milestones around 6,000 to manage waste before it hampers expansion. These suggestions emphasize strategic zoning to boost land value and happiness, alerting players to issues like low demand or poor adjacency that could hinder building attraction. By following advisor feedback, players can refine zone layouts for efficient growth, ensuring zones integrate with transportation networks for better accessibility. The Wii version uses the Wii Remote's pointer for zoning, allowing irregular shapes and greater creative flexibility compared to the DS's grid-based touch input.

Transportation and Utilities

In SimCity Creator for Nintendo DS, transportation infrastructure primarily consists of roads and rail systems designed to facilitate connectivity and support zone development. Roads are constructed on a strict grid system without diagonal options, simplifying placement via touch controls while ensuring efficient urban layout. Residential zones require adjacency within 4 tiles of a road to develop, commercial zones within 3 tiles, and industrial zones within 5 tiles, directly influencing accessibility and growth potential. Rail lines and train stations provide alternative transit options, connecting distant areas to reduce reliance on roads; players connect rail tracks to stations to enable train operations, which help manage commuter flows across larger cities. These systems impact , pollution levels, and overall city efficiency, with poor planning leading to congestion that hampers and increases emissions from vehicles and trains. Roads and rails contribute to , particularly in industrial-heavy areas, where high volumes exacerbate and lower land values. Effective transportation networks enhance zone , allowing faster development and higher densities, but require ongoing to avoid breakdowns that disrupt commerce and residential satisfaction. For instance, integrating rail can alleviate road congestion by diverting industrial cargo and commuters, though railroads themselves do not support utility transmission. Utilities encompass power generation and distribution, water supply, and waste management, forming the backbone of sustainable city operations. Power plants include coal, oil, gas, wind, solar, microwave, and nuclear facilities, unlocked progressively across historical eras to reflect technological advancement. Electricity is distributed via dedicated power lines, which transmit up to three tiles from the source and propagate through compatible structures like roads and subways, but not railroads, streets, trees, or water features; buildings without power cease growth and function poorly, risking blackouts during peak demand. Coal plants, available in early industrial eras, offer reliable but polluting output, while renewables like wind and solar promote lower emissions at higher initial costs. Water systems rely on towers or pump stations placed near water sources, automatically propagating supply across the map without needing explicit pipes, though proximity to roads aids distribution. Adequate water is crucial for building expansion, as zones without it remain limited to single-tile structures, stalling population and economic growth. Waste management involves landfills to handle garbage from residential and industrial zones, preventing health crises and pollution buildup; over-reliance on landfills increases environmental strain, necessitating balanced placement away from residential areas. Climate mechanics integrate with energy and transport, where seasonal weather variations elevate power demand in colder periods and amplify pollution effects from fossil fuel plants and heavy road use. In later eras like the Global Warming age, sustainable options such as wind and solar become essential to mitigate rising temperatures and maintain approval ratings, with excessive emissions from coal-powered transport or industry triggering ecological penalties. Balancing infrastructure involves weighing construction and upkeep costs against efficiency—inefficient networks lead to blackouts, traffic jams, or water shortages—encouraging players to optimize layouts for long-term viability without excessive spending. The Wii version introduces curved and freeform roads using motion controls, enhancing layout creativity beyond the DS's grid restrictions, with similar utility and transportation mechanics but without era-locked unlocks.

Disasters and Events

Disasters in the Nintendo DS version of SimCity Creator represent critical challenges that disrupt city development, allowing players to trigger or encounter random events that destroy buildings and . The game features classic types such as earthquakes, fires, floods, and tornadoes, alongside innovative era-specific variants that align with the game's historical progression from ancient times to the . For instance, early eras may see Viking raids as historical invasions, while later periods introduce UFO attacks as otherworldly threats. These events adapt visually and thematically to the current age, enhancing immersion; a in the primitive Dawn of era appears as a massive biblical deluge, whereas in the modern Global Warming age, it manifests as rising sea levels due to and . Disasters negatively affect city stats, including population happiness, economic output, and overall stability, by damaging zoned areas and utilities, which can lead to decreased growth if not addressed promptly. Recovery from disasters requires players to clear rubble, rebuild affected structures, and repair transportation networks, often with guidance from in-game advisors who suggest preparatory measures. While some events occur purely by chance, others may be influenced by factors like high levels, emphasizing the need for balanced . Special era-specific occurrences, such as invasions or extraterrestrial visits, integrate into Challenge Mode objectives by forcing adaptive strategies, while positive events like morale-boosting festivals can occasionally counterbalance the chaos to improve resident satisfaction. involves selecting resilient building types available in each age and monitoring advisor warnings to anticipate and lessen impacts on the city's and . The Wii version includes similar classic disasters but without era-specific variants, focusing on general disaster management in its open-ended gameplay.

Development

Concept and Planning

SimCity Creator originated as the sequel to SimCity DS, released in 2007 for the Nintendo DS, and was retitled for its Western launch to emphasize its creative focus while maintaining continuity with the franchise's city-building core. In Japan, it launched earlier in March 2008 under the name SimCity DS 2: Kodai kara Mirai e Tsuzuku Machi, highlighting its narrative of cities evolving from ancient eras to the future, a departure from the static modern settings of prior entries like SimCity DS. This historical progression was designed to differentiate the DS version by simulating urban development across time periods, allowing players to witness architectural and infrastructural changes as civilizations advance. The primary design goals centered on making city-building more accessible and , positioning it as the "most light-hearted" entry in the series to appeal to players of all ages beyond traditional strategy enthusiasts. Key emphases included fostering creativity through intuitive controls tailored to each platform. For the DS version, this involved using the stylus for direct and road-drawing on the touch screen, which streamlined building placement compared to mouse-based predecessors. The era-based mechanic in the DS version was intended to provide educational value by illustrating historical city-building principles, from prehistoric settlements to futuristic metropolises, while introducing era-specific challenges like in ancient times or control in industrial periods. This approach aimed to blend simulation depth with progression-based storytelling, encouraging players to experiment with across 427 unique buildings and evolving landscapes. In contrast, the Wii version's design focused on motion controls with the to enable freeform road drawing, including curves, and irregular zoning shapes, enhancing creative flexibility without the DS's temporal progression. Development was led by ' Sims Label under oversight, ensuring fidelity to the series' foundational mechanics of , utilities, and citizen needs. The DS version incorporated Japanese studio AKI Corporation's expertise in adapting simulations for handheld platforms. AKI, known for prior work on , handled platform-specific implementation, with providing creative direction to integrate series hallmarks like disasters and transportation systems into the new temporal framework for DS. The Wii version was developed in collaboration with , emphasizing traditional gameplay adapted for console motion controls. Early prototypes for the DS version emphasized leveraging its capabilities for immersive interaction, including stylus-based zoning for precise residential, commercial, and industrial placement, and connectivity for sharing completed cities between players to extend creative collaboration beyond solo play. These features were refined to support four modes in the DS version—Challenge for guided era progression, Free Play for unrestricted building, Chance Encounter for randomized events, and Gallery for viewing shared designs—prioritizing ease of use and social elements to broaden the game's appeal.

Production Process

Nintendo DS Version

Development of SimCity Creator for the Nintendo DS was led by AKI Corporation, following their work on the 2007 predecessor SimCity DS, with the project wrapping up for a 2008 release under publisher Electronic Arts. The team adapted the core SimCity mechanics to the handheld's capabilities, incorporating touch-screen controls for placing buildings, roads, and zones directly on the lower screen. An advisor character named Mr. Maxis, modeled after series creator Will Wright, was integrated to offer real-time guidance on city growth, resource management, and era-specific challenges. Technical implementation emphasized the DS's features, including wireless connectivity that allowed players to exchange screenshots of their cities and unlocked building data with others nearby. The game supports 427 unique buildings across its historical eras, from ancient civilizations to post-global warming futures, requiring careful optimization to handle era transitions and large-scale simulations on the DS hardware. Testing focused on refining the balance of era progression, disaster events, and economic systems, with multiple iterations to ensure stable zoning growth and utility distribution under hardware constraints. managed Western localization, adapting the Japanese-original SimCity DS 2 for global markets, alongside final .

Wii Version

The version was developed by in collaboration with , focusing on integrating motion controls for intuitive city planning, such as pointing and drawing freeform roads and zones. Unlike the DS, it adhered to core mechanics without historical eras, including day-night and seasonal cycles, and supported sandbox-style play with budget management and disasters. Production emphasized optimization for hardware to enable larger cities and real-time simulations, with release aligned to September 2008.

Release and Distribution

Regional Releases

SimCity Creator was released for the Nintendo DS and Wii platforms. The DS version was first released in Japan on March 19, 2008, under the title SimCity DS 2: Kodai kara Mirai e Tsuduku Machi (シムシティDS2 古代から未来へ続くまち), serving as a direct sequel to the earlier SimCity DS. The Wii version followed in Japan on September 25, 2008. The game launched in Western markets several months later in September 2008, with both platforms receiving releases in North America on September 22 and in Europe on September 19. Australia followed with the DS version on September 25 and the Wii version on October 2. SimCity Creator has seen no ports to other systems or remakes as of 2025. Localization efforts included full support in the domestic release, while Western versions featured English and other European languages, with minor adjustments to era-specific cultural landmarks and building names to better suit regional audiences—such as Japan-themed elements in the Asian development era for the Japanese edition.

Marketing and Promotion

Electronic Arts launched promotional campaigns for SimCity Creator that highlighted the Nintendo DS version's portability, allowing players to build and manage cities on the go, and its creative building mechanics tailored to the handheld's touch screen. Trailers produced by EA emphasized the game's unique progression through historical eras—such as the , European , Industrialization, and Global Warming—demonstrating how players could evolve their cities across time periods using intuitive controls for tasks like and resource management. Pre-release media coverage played a key role in building anticipation, with hands-on demos showcased at 2008 and EA's annual studio event, where the DS edition's simplified interface was presented to illustrate its accessibility. Advertisements appeared in gaming magazines, including full-page promotions in publications like , focusing on the game's blend of strategy and creativity. A television commercial aired in the United States further promoted the title, underscoring the satisfaction of constructing diverse urban landscapes from ancient villages to futuristic metropolises. The marketing targeted longtime SimCity enthusiasts seeking a portable iteration of the franchise, alongside younger and more casual players drawn to its educational aspects of historical city-building and simplified gameplay, featuring approachable advisors inspired by the series to guide new users. While no major hardware bundles were announced, the campaigns briefly referenced connectivity options for sharing city progress with friends via DS wireless features, encouraging social interaction among players.

Reception

Critical Reviews

SimCity Creator received mixed or average reviews for both its Nintendo DS and Wii versions, with aggregates of 67 out of 100 for the (based on 17 reviews) and 67 out of 100 for the DS (based on 16 reviews). In , the DS version, titled SimCity DS 2, was awarded 33 out of 40 by . For the DS version, critics praised the accessible touch controls, allowing intuitive stylus-based placement of roads, buildings, and zones, making city-building approachable for newcomers. The historical progression in Challenge mode, spanning eras from ancient times to the future, was highlighted for its educational value in teaching urban development concepts through evolving city needs and . Freeplay mode was commended for offering creative freedom, enabling players to construct unrestricted cities without time pressures or goals. However, reviewers criticized the repetitive nature of challenges, where era-specific tasks often followed predictable patterns despite changing music and visuals. The game's economy and disaster systems were seen as lacking depth compared to PC SimCity titles, with simplified mechanics that reduced strategic complexity. Nintendo DS hardware limitations were frequently noted for constraining city scale, resulting in smaller maps and occasional interface issues like small icons requiring precise taps. IGN scored the DS version 6 out of 10, describing it as a solid but uninnovative simulation that captured core elements yet suffered from interface shortcomings. Nintendo Power gave it 6 out of 10, appreciating the fun of building but faulting the shallow strategy and limited replayability. GameSpot awarded 7.5 out of 10, noting its appeal to series newcomers through responsive controls and era-spanning progression, though it fell short in depth for veterans. The Wii version also garnered mixed reviews, with praise for its intuitive motion controls using the to draw freeform roads and zones, offering creative flexibility. However, critics commonly faulted the imprecise pointer controls, limited depth in simulation mechanics, and lack of significant innovations beyond the series' basics. rated it 5.9 out of 10, citing control and interface issues despite competent gameplay. GameSpot gave it 6 out of 10, noting enjoyable elements but hindered by poor controls and superfluous features. Nintendo Life scored it 5 out of 10, criticizing it as a quick cash-in lacking depth.

Player Response and Legacy

Player response was generally mixed for both versions. DS owners appreciated the portable adaptation of the SimCity formula through touch-based and building, as well as the novel progression across historical eras from ancient civilizations to a modern global warming age. However, many criticized the touch controls for being unresponsive and imprecise, requiring multiple taps, and the limited depth compared to mainline titles. The Wii version received similar mixed feedback, with users enjoying the motion-based building but frustrated by control inaccuracies and simplified strategy. user scores reflect this: 6.3 out of 10 for Wii (from 8 ratings; 13% positive, 63% mixed, 25% negative), while DS user ratings are sparse but align with critic sentiments of accessibility over depth. The DS version's local wireless connectivity allowed sharing city designs and photos, boosting casual play in the late 2000s DS era, though no online features existed. The Wii supported no such sharing. Fan mods are minimal for both due to closed hardware, limited to cheats and unlocks via passwords. A niche fan community persists, especially for DS speedrunning on platforms like speedrun.com, where players race to complete challenge mode through all eras, with world records under 50 minutes as of 2024. In legacy, SimCity Creator experimented with platform-specific controls—touch for DS, motion for —bridging traditional simulations to handheld/console adaptations, influencing later mobile titles like SimCity BuildIt. Overshadowed by the 2013 SimCity reboot, it remains a solid portable/console entry. No post-release updates or DLC were issued, typical for 2008 cartridge/disc releases, but it holds nostalgic appeal in retro and communities.

References

  1. https://strategywiki.org/wiki/SimCity_Creator_%28Nintendo_DS%29/Dawn_Of_Civilization
  2. https://strategywiki.org/wiki/SimCity_Creator_(Nintendo_DS)/Dawn_Of_Civilization
  3. https://strategywiki.org/wiki/SimCity_Creator_(Nintendo_DS)
  4. https://strategywiki.org/wiki/SimCity_Creator_(Nintendo_DS)/European_Industrial_Age
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