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Maxis working on new SimCity sequel
Before Maxis spawned The Sims, the best-selling PC game of all time, and descended into a sordid existence of releasing an endless stream of expansion packs, they were best known for the classic city management game SimCity. Now they're returning to those roots with SimCity 4, featuring an all-new graphics engine and a wider scope. Instead of simply running a single city, you will now find yourself part of a larger region with multiple cities that can work together or in competition as they are linked by transport networks and grow towards each other. Maxis have also taken a voyeuristic leaf from their budding Sims franchise, allowing you to introduce a little Sim into your city and then watch them as they go about their day-to-day business, giving you hints as to what's wrong with your urban masterplan, or simply providing a vicarious thrill. "We have really lifted up the hood and made amazing improvements to the underlying simulation to give the player the most responsive, personal and satisfying SimCity yet", Maxis manager Lucy Bradshaw is quoted as saying. If the game lives up to this billing it should be huge - the SimCity series has already shifted several million units worldwide over the last decade, and giving it a more personal touch for all the legions of Sims fans out there could help it to reach an even wider audience. Either way we should know more soon, as the game is due to debut at the E3 trade show in Los Angeles next month. Related Feature - Sim Best Seller