Sim City 4 expands

EA has announced that the first mission pack for Sim City 4, Rush Hour, is in development, and has released shots to prove it. The pack concentrates on rapidly expanding control over the transportation aspects of the game with additional management and route planning tools, as well as brand new methods of ferrying your Sims about, such as the elevated train networks of Boston, the wide-avenues of New York, or the winding one-way streets of San Francisco. Players can also develop a seamless mass-transit system including rail, subway, or even a scenic ferry service that connects to a greater regional travel network.

True to form, Maxis will also introduce new landmarks and disasters, including car crashes and train derailments, and will allow players to control a UFO to wreak havoc with or instigate an alien invasion, causing the abduction of Sims and the formation of crop circles, all of which sounds like a fine example of one of my weekends.