So, after nearly a decade on ice, SimCity is coming back in a big way in 2013, which got me thinking about the SimMania that gripped the world in the early-to-mid-90s. Back then half the PC games on the shelf had to be SimSomethingorothers.
Now that the granddaddy of all Sim games is returning, I think Maxis should look into reviving some of SimCity’s strange grandchildren…
SimAnt
This was probably the most popular SimSpinoff because, come on, running an ant colony is just cool. There’s a reason every kid on the planet tries (and usually fails) to make themselves an ant farm at some point.
Next-gen graphics could really give this one new life — tearing apart the evil red ants would be all the more satisfying in HD.
SimHealth
So, back in the early 90s a Democratic President was trying to reform U.S. Healthcare much to the Right’s chagrin — hmmm, sounds somewhat familiar. Back then Maxis waded into the debate creating SimHealth, which gave players the power to decide how to run the U.S. Healthcare system. It’s a super dense, complex game that very few people actually played, but you still kind of have to admire Maxis for tackling the subject.
I’d love to see them try it again, if only for the incredibly douchey Fox News segments it would inspire.
SimTower
My personal favorite SimSpinoff — SimTower’s actually a fairly simple game in terms of strategy, but being able to see into every room in your tower and tinker with the lives of the people within is kind of a voyeuristic thrill. In a lot of ways SimTower was the Sims before the Sims existed, what with its focus on making your tower aesthetically pleasing and watching it’s hapless inhabitants stumble through their everyday lives.
The design of skyscrapers themselves has advanced a lot since SimTower first came out — I’d love a new one that let players build a crazy Dubai-style tower.
One thing I have to wonder — would Maxis have the balls to keep the terrorist attacks from the original game intact?
Streets of SimCity
Streets of SimCity let you drive around the streets of a city you created in SimCity 2000, carrying out missions and getting into death races. In other words, it was GTA III four year before GTA III, except the city you were driving around in was your creation. It was an amazing concept — unfortunately the game itself was clunky, buggy and not a lot of fun.
Still, the concept itself is absolutely worth reviving. Streets of SimCity was too far ahead of its time in 1997, but the whole open-world gameplay thing has been pretty thoroughly worked out since then.
SimEarth
SimEarth allowed you to control a planet’s atmosphere, temperature, oceans and whatnot with the ultimate goal of creating sentient life. I’ll admit, I was always a bit confused by the game as a kid, but I’m sure updated graphics and a modern interface would help a lot. Now that Al Gore has made us all care about the planet and stuff, I think it’s about time we got another SimEarth.
What about you guys? Which of Will Wright’s brilliant creations/random brain-farts do you think needs reviving?