It is also a game that is not meant to force the player into constant adaptation. The game engine does a good job at introducing enough variables, and relationships between these, to keep players on their toes and focused on how to best develop and grow their cities. But for pretty much anyone else, this is exactly what was missing from the gaming shelves. For veterans of the genre this may not be desirable. Game OverviewĬities XL 2012 is an accessible city builder that brings the genre back to the masses by providing just the right amount of complexity and variety without falling into a spiral of micro-management that would result into a steep learning curve. Monte Cristo originally developed Cities XL, and despite having folded because of it, Focus Home Interactive believed in the project, bought and reshaped it, and has taken charge of it ever since. It was only thanks to a small French studio that we have today a city builder in the category of AAA games. Will Wright said those words in 2004, but the promised sequel to SimCity 4 never materialized. When Will Wright once said that the next instalment of SimCity would bring the franchise back to its roots and not condemn new players to a painful climb through the learning curve, he was very well aware that the city builder sim genre needed to adjust its direction or risk eventually disappearing.

Cities xl 2012 guide