Game: Cities XL
Publisher/Developer: Monte Cristo
Genre: MMO City Builder Sim
Verdict: An intriguing mix of city building sim and MMO that doesn’t quite hit the spot but has oodles of potential
Pros: Great concept that certainly appeals to the megalomaniac city mayor
Cons: A few irritating bugs, especially when it comes to the trade system.
Developer Acquired

Sometimes it feels a little like the gaming industry lacks true innovation. So many publishers and developers seem to play it safe and stick to tried and tested genres, never daring to step out of their comfort zone to trying something new. That’s why it is great to see an amalgamation of the city building and MMO genres. This is a combination that I don’t think has been tried before, and in the case of Cities XL, it very nearly succeeds in its goal.

Comparisons to the SimCity series are pretty hard to avoid. With SimCity being such a landmark in gaming history, while simultaneously setting the bar for what is expected from a city building simulation, it’s inevitable that a game like Cities XL would be compared to such greatness. However, this could potentially be a big mistake, as I suspect SimCity veterans and newbies to the genre will have entirely different experiences.

Those that have not been indoctrinated into the city building genre should love the relative simplicity to the game. Weighing in its favor, the tutorials are particularly comprehensive and always intuitive in their explanations. The rudimentary mechanics behind the game are easy to get the hang of, with everything merely involving selecting where you want to place houses, roads, or shops… you get the idea.

A nice feature was the ability to add curved roads rather than just the traditional straight variety, making the game more fluid than simple straight grid based layouts. At times it felt a little like the Caesar series, with regular reminders interrupting the action to point out what was required to keep the city running smoothly. An array of different types of workers can also be attracted to your city, giving you plenty to do. Further complicating matters, certain housing types attract unqualified workers, while others attract executive workers. The same can be said of the office building types and amenities such as hospitals or bowling alleys. Quickly, you will fall into a routine of obeying whatever the tool tips suggest.

Of course the real meat of Cities XL isn’t just building your city and watching it hopefully flourish, it has more to do with the unique online capabilities. There are a number of servers to choose from, each housing up to 10,000 cities. Once you’ve chosen a server, it’s time to choose the type of plot you want. This mostly affects the difficulty of the area you’ve chosen and what resources are available. The server choice also determines who is available to trade with, which forms the crux of the online side of things.

Trading with other players is initially a fantastic idea that can be used to ensure that you have the resources necessary for your community to flourish. Under most circumstances this works fine, but at times it can be extremely buggy and awkward. Sometimes it forces you through a few too many hoops, leaving you with no other choice but to simply jump to trade a few things. This is a landmark concept, but it could certainly use a little more work.  One can only hope that a patch is forthcoming from Monte Cristo.

At times, in both the Planet mode and the Solo mode (which admittedly feels a bit of an afterthought), things begin to feel a little boring after a while. Sure, lots of juggling is needed to keep the city running smoothly, but with the lack of anything else really occurring, it lacks excitement that one would expect. Where are the natural disasters would normally occur in cities? I am not referring to the staple alien invasions that are present in SimCity, because Cities XL is obviously trying to be more realistic than that, but it would be nice to experience something a little different.

Then again, perhaps the the real beauty of Cities XL is in simply sitting back and watching your city flourish or fail. The core mechanics tend to lend itself more to passive gaming experiences, rather than something that needs constant attention. This is also really where the MMO side of things can take precedence, with the general chat box to entertain you, as well as trading with other players and building up relationships with them.

Ultimately, Cities XL suffers from the same critical flaw that has continued to plague MMOs: it simply doesn’t feel like a completed product yet. That said, in a few patches time, I think it really could be a force to be reckoned with. The development team over at Monte Cristo have already been outspoken in their ambitious plans for the future. Current subscription models offer the promise of new content every month, such as additional buildings and maps based on real geographical locations. Expansion packs are also in the works including such additions as ski resorts and beach locations. The foundations of a great game are certainly there, it just lacks that certain oomph to make it great.

By default, Cities XL is the ultimate MMO city builder. It’s a shame that the game struggles with several significant bugs and a general lack of any sense of humor, because it really could have been something special. If this were a school report, the graded version would have a ‘could try harder,’ written at the end.