<s>
SimTower	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Vertical	I-Application
Empire	I-Application
(	O
known	O
as	O
in	O
Japan	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
construction	B-Application
and	I-Application
management	I-Application
simulation	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
OpenBook	O
Co.	O
,	O
Ltd	O
.	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Maxis	O
for	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
Macintosh	B-Operating_System
System	I-Operating_System
7	I-Operating_System
operating	O
systems	O
in	O
November	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
OpenBook	O
that	O
same	O
year	O
and	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
and	O
3DO	B-Device
in	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SimTower	B-Application
allows	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
build	O
and	O
manage	O
the	O
operations	O
of	O
a	O
modern	O
,	O
multi-use	O
skyscraper	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SimTower	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
built	O
around	O
an	O
elevator	O
simulation	O
program	O
,	O
places	O
a	O
strong	O
emphasis	O
on	O
good	O
elevator	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developed	O
by	O
Yoot	O
Saito	O
of	O
OpenBook	O
,	O
SimTower	B-Application
was	O
originally	O
titled	O
The	O
Tower	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
works	O
on	O
computers	O
running	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
or	O
Macintosh	B-Operating_System
System	I-Operating_System
7	I-Operating_System
operating	O
systems	O
;	O
the	O
game	O
will	O
operate	O
on	O
68k-based	O
Macs	O
at	O
a	O
minimum	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
requires	O
8-bit	O
colors	O
and	O
four	O
megabytes	O
of	O
random-access	B-Architecture
memory	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics	O
and	O
sounds	O
used	O
in	O
SimTower	B-Application
are	O
similar	O
to	O
those	O
of	O
previous	O
Sim	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
high-resolution	O
graphics	O
are	O
also	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
attending	O
Waseda	O
University	O
,	O
Saito	O
played	O
SimCity	B-Application
on	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
,	O
which	O
prompted	O
him	O
to	O
pursue	O
video	O
game	O
creation	O
after	O
graduating	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Saito	O
handled	O
the	O
graphic	O
design	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
a	O
monochromatic	O
scaled	O
tower	O
created	O
in	O
HyperCard	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
development	O
neared	O
completion	O
,	O
Saito	O
noticed	O
that	O
the	O
Mac	O
's	O
performance	O
had	O
improved	O
and	O
decided	O
to	O
increase	O
the	O
color	B-Data_Structure
palette	I-Data_Structure
size	O
from	O
16	O
to	O
256colors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SimTower	B-Application
was	O
successful	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
earning	O
the	O
developers	O
a	O
profit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
initial	O
Japanese	O
release	O
,	O
Maxis	O
president	O
Jeff	O
Braun	O
contacted	O
Saito	O
regarding	O
a	O
worldwide	O
release	O
;	O
SimCity	B-Application
creator	O
Will	O
Wright	O
had	O
informed	O
Braun	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maxis	O
published	O
SimTower	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
and	O
Macintosh	B-Operating_System
System	I-Operating_System
7	I-Operating_System
operating	O
systems	O
in	O
November	O
1994	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
and	O
3DO	B-Device
Interactive	I-Device
Multiplayer	I-Device
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Comparing	O
SimTower	B-Application
to	O
SimCity	B-Application
2000	I-Application
,	O
the	O
review	O
remarked	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
more	O
interesting	O
to	O
watch	O
people	O
live	O
out	O
their	O
lives	O
in	O
a	O
tower	O
rather	O
than	O
to	O
observe	O
cars	O
moving	O
around	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
appreciated	O
the	O
"	O
homely	O
"	O
feeling	O
of	O
SimTower	B-Application
,	O
in	O
contrast	O
with	O
other	O
Sim	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
SimEarth	B-Application
and	O
SimLife	B-Application
,	O
which	O
they	O
felt	O
were	O
too	O
universal	O
to	O
take	O
on	O
a	O
personal	O
identity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
reviewer	O
for	O
Next	O
Generation	O
panned	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
saying	O
it	O
lacks	O
the	O
bustling	O
interactivity	O
of	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Sim	O
franchise	O
:	O
"	O
There	O
are	O
bug	O
infestations	O
and	O
the	O
occasional	O
fire	O
with	O
which	O
to	O
deal	O
,	O
but	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
SimTower	B-Application
sees	O
you	O
standing	O
around	O
waiting	O
for	O
cash	O
reserves	O
to	O
grow	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
add	O
more	O
floors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Australia	O
's	O
The	O
Age	O
found	O
SimTower	B-Application
a	O
pleasing	O
return	O
to	O
form	O
for	O
Maxis	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
disappointing	O
SimFarm	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
she	O
also	O
felt	O
that	O
SimTower	B-Application
had	O
good	O
replay	O
value	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
non-linear	O
gameplay	O
,	O
giving	O
the	O
game	O
four	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Informer	O
referred	O
to	O
SimTower	B-Application
as	O
a	O
"	O
lesser-known	O
"	O
simulation	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
described	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
fun	O
and	O
addictive	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
the	O
San	O
Diego	O
Union-Tribune	O
,	O
Matt	O
Miller	O
felt	O
that	O
,	O
when	O
compared	O
to	O
SimCity	B-Application
2000	I-Application
(	O
1993	O
)	O
,	O
gameplay	O
in	O
SimTower	B-Application
moved	O
slowly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1995	O
,	O
the	O
Software	O
and	O
Information	O
Industry	O
Association	O
listed	O
SimTower	B-Application
as	O
the	O
"	O
Best	O
Simulation	O
Program	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
Consumer	O
software	O
category	O
of	O
their	O
annual	O
Codie	O
awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
Yoot	B-Application
Tower	I-Application
(	O
called	O
The	B-Application
Tower	I-Application
II	I-Application
in	O
Japan	O
)	O
,	O
also	O
designed	O
by	O
Yoot	O
Saito	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
initially	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
24	O
,	O
1998	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
in	O
January	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yoot	B-Application
Towers	I-Application
gameplay	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
SimTower	B-Application
—	O
players	O
build	O
hotels	O
,	O
resorts	O
,	O
and	O
office	O
buildings	O
,	O
and	O
work	O
towards	O
building	O
a	O
five-star	O
tower	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vivarium	O
launched	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
SimTower	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
,	O
called	O
The	B-Device
Tower	I-Device
SP	I-Device
,	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
April	O
28	O
,	O
2005	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
Sega	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
on	O
March	O
15	O
,	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
of	O
SimTower	B-Application
called	O
The	O
Tower	O
DS	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
DigiToys	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
June	O
26	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yoot	B-Application
Tower	I-Application
was	O
also	O
released	O
for	O
iPad	B-Device
devices	O
via	O
the	O
online	O
iOS	O
App	O
Store	O
.	O
</s>
