Sim City built for DS
And on its way there in Japan.
Sim City is to become the latest in a growing line of mouse-controlled PC titles to wend its way to the Nintendo DS, according to Famitsu Weekly in Japan. It's due out there sometime this winter.
Sim City DS, as it's known, will be loosely based on Sim City 3000, although it will be tailored to the Japanese market with local settings and character designs, GameSpot tells us as it works its way through Japanese preview.
Obviously the game will use the stylus for the main control, and will introduce several new features. Along with a tutorial and an advisor character, who offers tips as you go, there'll be a new Save The City mode that throws up scenarios in pre-rolled cities, which you'll then have to overcome using your brilliant urban planning instincts.
That's on top of the traditional city-building mode, where you do Sim City's main thing - throwing together a city design using the pointer and then tending to its various needs.
Sim City DS will also take advantage of the system's wireless networking functions so that you can chat with other players and also swap landmarks.
Electronic Arts has yet to say anything about the game's fate outside Japan, but we can hope. We can also hope it fairs a bit better than some of the other PC-to-DS translations like the phenomenally dreadful Zoo Tycoon.