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REVIEW
Cities XL

Dubbed as the next generation of city building, Monte Cristo’s Cities XL picks up the ball that the SimCity franchise dropped a few years ago. It’s a powerful and fun city-building simulator. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to take the game online, so I will only be addressing the solo portion. Don’t be fooled by that moniker, though. This simulator still has a hefty amount of variety and challenges galore.

Those who have played SimCity before will slide into the game fairly easily. The familiar Zones (Residential, Commercial, Industrial) are available, but with a twist. Each zone has several layers to it: Unqualified Workers, Qualified Workers, Executives, and Elites. Each of these sub-categories attracts a different level of income and business to the cities. For instance, once the executives want to move into the city, you can start to create high-tech industry (that utilizes executives, qualified, and unqualified workers).

Those who have not played SimCity before will not find it too difficult to pick up the game. The tutorial that is available is both entertaining and insightful. However, those who have city-building experience may want to pass it by, as it can get somewhat tedious if you know what you’re doing.

If I could pick a word to describe this game, it would be “flexible.” Placing structures is easy, as the game will inform you whether or not you allowed to actually drop a building in a particular spot. Placing zones is also very easy, whether it’s an individual building, a tiled area, or an irregular polygon. That’s right. Irregular polygon. You can actually create curved roads in this game. Buildings come in many shapes and sizes, which adds to the fun. The game engine randomizes the appearance of the standard buildings somewhat, loaning a certain realism to your cities.

The single player campaign places you on a planet with different terrain types. Each major terrain type contains five city building plots where you can create your masterpieces. Each area has unique challenges and landscapes, ensuring that each of your cities will be different. These areas will also force you to make choices about how you run your cities, as they will all eventually be linked on your personal planet. You can set up trade between cities. For example, perhaps if one city is short on a commodity, you can set it up so that another city can export that commodity to the city in need.

Another good word I would use to describe Cities XL is “scalable.” From the graphics rendering to the actual city structures themselves, the game makes the most of your computer hardware and your mental hardware. My computer is probably in the 60th percentile for performance, yet Cities XL does a great job with rendering a fairly realistic looking city. The day/night cycle is most cool. The game also allows you to zoom right down to street level and walk around, letting you view your city as if you actually lived in it.

Online play is the next layer of the game that makes it interesting. Instead of your own “planet,” you are placed on a planet with a number of online users, making this an Massive Multiplayer Online World Simulator. Instead of just trading between your own cities, you can form contracts with others. Whether you play the online component or not (there is a monthly fee), you should definitely register your game.

Once you register your game, you are allotted a profile page upon which you can list some simple information about yourself that the Cities XL community will be able to see. Having a profile page also allows you to “win” a blueprint for a megastructure (this is random). These structures allow your city to become more attractive and gain certain bonuses.

Cities XL has received a lot of flak; people claim that this game is boring. However, one must remember it is a city-building simulator. If you enjoy this sort of game then I would highly recommend playing this one.

Check out our Cities XL gallery »

Posted in PC, Reviews |