SimCity DS (SCDS) is a simulation/city building Nintendo DS installment in the SimCity series of games. It was published by Electronic Arts (EA) and developed by EA Japan.
Gameplay
SimCity DS, seen here displaying a city on the top screen and the city's map at the bottom screen.
SimCity DS is a heavily modified version of Simcity 3000. The game inherits SC3K's graphics, but makes use of the handheld's dual screen to display additional interfaces at once. System specific features are also prominent, such as the use of the systems' integrated microphone, which is used to blow out fires and the touch screen which is used to control the interface. Before beginning a city the player must first choose a location in the region, one of five different advisors and then sign the town charter using the touchscreen and stylus. The upper screen of the DS displays the city and the news ticker while the the map, advisor, information and the buttons are shown on the touch screen.
Advisors and petitioners
SimCity DS features five advisors who help players make proper decisions in the game by providing recommendations and advice. As opposed to previous versions of SimCity, the player must choose only one advisor to help them when they sign the town charter. The different advisors include Mr. Maxis (A Will Wright cameo), Julie McSim, Ayako Tachibana, Kaishu Tachibana, Servo 3000 and a secret advisor named Alien.
There are also petitioners, many of which are citizens of the players' cities, that approach the player with problems and request solutions or to modify city policies, such as lowering tax rates, or enacting an ordinance. They may also give the player rewards or request certain structures to be erected in the city.
News ticker
In addition to the advisor, a news ticker scrolls along the bottom of the upper screen, displaying pertinent information about the city in the form of news stories, such as indicating that the city needs improvements in certain areas, or how well a particular city department is functioning. Generally, when things were going very well in a city, the news ticker displays headlines which are comical, or even nonsensical and often seemingly useless to the player.
Landmarks
Independent real-world landmarks (and one fictional landmark) are also prominent in SCDS, but must be unlocked throughout play or by using passwords. Examples of landmarks featured in SCDS include the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty, the White House and even Bowser's Castle.
Disasters
The game features a number of disasters which the game can inflict upon a city, including earthquakes, fires, Ape attacks and UFO attacks. In SCDS the disasters are actually minigames in which the game requires the player to successfully avert the disaster, such as blowing into the microphone to put out fires and using the touch screen to fire missiles at a giant Ape. The game also features a Save the City mode in which the player must help one of several cities recover from a disaster and reach a specific target to succeed.