It wasn't long after the initial release of "SimCity 4" that Maxis announced they would be releasing an expansion pack for the game. I wasn't surprised - they saw how popular expansion packs for "The Sims" were. They didn't create just another game to buy, they listened to what the players (us) wanted.
"Rush Hour" focuses on transportation. A part of the game, that players commonly suggested additions too. The pathfinding could be tweaked and more options for transportation were desired. "Rush Hour" gives us almost 10 new ways of transportation - many focused on mass transit.
Let's not forget about the new features that aren't transportation orientated!
- U-Drive It - Drive around your city freely or for a mission. Missions unlock rewards, while just driving around will you help you spot areas that need improvement.
- Building Style Control - You control which styles of buildings are built and when! A new tileset is available too.
- Congestion / Volume Map - A new query tool will show you where the congestion is during the evening and morning commutes. The Volume map will show the different types of transportation in the city.
- Difficulty Levels - Choose the difficult level when you start a new city. All cities made in "SimCity 4" are on the difficult level.
- Sign Tool - Label your cities with signs and name your streets.
Does this expansion pack really make the game better? Is it worth buying? Yes. Just the new one way roads and avenues made the game feel more complete to me. What you shouldn't do, is buy the game for the U-Drive It feature. While it is a nice way to take a tour of the city, the controls are difficult. Don't expect it be a racing game feature, instead think of it as a transportation tool, and a way to get rewards you haven't unlocked.
Granted, the features in this pack probably should have been included in the original, it's a good buy for fans of "SimCity." Now all we need is BAT and scenarios.
