Cities XL Reviewed

The guys over at Monte Cristo seek to topple SimCity as the leading city-building strategy game with the new Cities XL.  Cities XL looks to stay true to the fundamental ideas of city-building strategy games, but also to bring this genre to the masses by having the game play online.  Cities XL is still playable offline and without any subscriptions, but those looking to experience the game fully will have to sign up for a monthly membership.  We take a deeper look at the good, the bad, and the ugly in our review of Cities XL.

The Good

The Graphics
Cities XL looks great.  There’s no other way to get that point across more clearly.  Whether you’re high in the sky overlooking your city, or on the ground walking past that new stadium, Cities XL does an amazing job on the graphics of the game.  The buildings have the perfect amount of detail on them, and don’t slow down your computer too much while scanning across your massive city.  The people of CitiesXL resemble cartoons, rather than real people, but this art choice was probably done to devote more time to the buildings themselves – which is preferable in this game.  Graphics of course do not play a major factor in our review, but it’s been awhile since a great looking city-building game has come along, and we appreciate the detail that’s shown in every building.