Mac Gaming News - SimCity 4 Rush Hour Ships For Mac OS X

by , 1:30 PM EDT, September 28th, 2004

Aspyr Media announced today that SimCity 4 Rush Hour has shipped. Rush Hour is an expansion pack for SimCity 4, and the addition gives players the opportunity to take more detailed control of traffic systems in your SimCity, as well as other facets of how your Sims move around the city. From Aspyr:

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.

The expansion pack is priced at US$29.99. You can find more information on the title at Aspyr's Web site. The company specifically noted that Rush Hour requires a (licensed) version of SimCity 4 (US$49.99 - Amazon).

Aspyr Media