SimCity 2000 Network Edition

Unlike the original SimCity, SimCity 2000 is essentially the same on all platforms. It was ported only to hardware that supports 256 colors and square pixels, graphics were the same everywhere, no sound effects were added or removed, though of course the interface might differ, especially on the consoles. And so there are no different version for the same platform either, like SimCity Classic and SimCity Enhanced CD-ROM on DOS.

With one exception: The SimCity 2000 Network Edition.

Probably the rarest Maxis game in existence today, SimCity 2000 Network Edition is the excellent multiplayer version of Will Wright's popular SimCity 2000. Released in 1996, the game's sales figure was so disappointing that Maxis decided to pull it off the shelves in less than a year after release. Worse, the version has never been included in any SimCity 2000 compilation that Maxis released, such as the CD Collection or any subsequent shovelware. As a result, many die-hard SimCity fans are not aware that this superb version ever existed—well, until now :) Home of the Underdogs

As far as I could find out, the SimCity 2000 Network Edition exists for Windows 95 and for Windows 95 only. Versions for other platforms may have been planned, the low sales figures probably halted production. Thus this was the first Windows-first SimCity game, three years before SimCity 3000.

Apart from the multiplayer support, there were few changes:

The interface of the game has been updated to be more consistent with Win95's start menu. Selecting one of the boxes at the right or bottom edge of the screen expands that branch into additional selections. The last selected item remains as the default icon the next time you select that box. The graphics of the buildings and terrain is well designed with the option of loading alternate tile sets from SCURK (SimCity Urban Renewal Kit which is included with the game). The option to zoom in areas of the map still remains. Completely zoomed out reveals some bugs such as signs clipped by hills and graphics not redrawn correctly when switching from another task back to the game.—Frank Laughlin

The low resonance must have been so frustrating for Maxis that it took them seven years to attempt a new multiplayer SimCity: SimCity 4.

The SimCity Games
SimCity									SNES	89
SimCity 2000									SNES	93
SimCity Classic
SimCity Enhanced										94
SimTown
SimCity 2000 Network Edition										96
SimCopter
Streets of SimCity										97
SimCity 3000										99
SimCity 4										03