Has been a while since we have heard anything about any of the SimCity games, but that just changed. Now we all knew that SimCity 5 was inevitable, it’s one of those genres/series that still has a lot of money to milk, and quite frankly I don’t see them stopping at five, six, or even SimCity 7.
So what’s new and different in SimCity Societies? Well for one the title is new, which is part of the whole reorientation of the SimCity games. With more focus on your sims and less on micromanagement, which is always a welcome change. Next big difference is that Maxis (too busy with Spore, as they should be) are not making the game, but Tilted Mill Entertainment guys are.
Advisers are gone as well, and are instead using a system that reflects the situation on the city itself. Say your sims are unhappy about how you do certain things, they might start rioting or turn to life of crime. Or if you are lucky, they might just skip their work. “Goal-oriented sandbox gameplay” seems to be a new and very interesting feature. There will be no scenarios with set goals to reach by a set year, instead the game will look at how you play and give you new goals to reach for rewards such as new buildings.
Looks very interesting, can’t wait till it comes out, which is expected to be sometime late 2007. For more screenshots have a look at 1UP’s recently posted preview of SimCity Societies.