Going hands-on with SimCity DS

Joystiq recently got their hands on the upcoming U.S. localization of SimCity DS and they seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. They talk a lot about the transition from SimCity 3000 to the DS and what kind of changes, for the better and worse, the game has undergone. They even talk over a minigame involving Santa Claus, where he flies over the city and the player must tap the screen to make him drop presents. These presents allow for improvements to the city or turn into new buildings.

SimCity DS even features a landmark trading mode, not unlike the Nintendogs Bark Mode. Sadly, this doesn't work online, so you're going to need to find someone out in the real world (GASP!) in order to take advantage of the feature. The game is currently slated for a June release in the United States.