The new chapter of the Cities series is finally out. Cities XXL aims to be the best city management software, broadening the horizons of that Cities XL released in 2012, of which it still uses almost all the mechanics without neglecting to insert new features. Find out what we think of the new Focus Home Interactive title in our review.
An evolution of the series
When in 2009 the series debuted on the market launched by the French of Monte Cristo Multimedia and changing its name from Unlimited to XL, the video game promised to change the mechanics of SimCity by offering a massive multiplayer online-style title. The unexciting result, however, forced Monte Cristo Multimedia to close its doors in 2010 and went bankrupt. The series was then purchased by the French of Focus Home Interactive who decided a radical change: they abandoned multiplayer to devote themselves completely to single player, thus making the video game more usable and with new content. The 2011 market release seemed to meet the needs of buyers so much so that in 2012 a new updated version came out. Cities XL then becomes a successful brand and this allows Focus Home Interactive to try again and go out with Cities XXL.
However, the style of play remains anchored in the past, the title of the video game with an extra X serves to define the size of the title that makes the maps three times larger, without however adding anything new. Cities XXL so it looks like a Remastered of the title released in 2012.
The video game tutorial does not put us in the shoes of the mayor of the city or even in those of his right arm, but in those of an intern who will have to learn to manage the city with the help and advice of his boss, starting us with the functions of the video game. When we have completed the three basic tutorials we will be given the opportunity to choose which chapter to tackle and, in case we are already experts, we can also decide to skip the rest of the tutorial.
This title has several strengths and one of these is certainly in the choice of maps that will allow us to choose sixty-seven different scenarios, indicated by a series of values that indicate difficulties, land resources, size and tourism possibilities. These scenarios offer us many different terrains available, from the Grand Canyon to the rocky desert, from the metropolises of Paris and New York to the big city of Rio de Janeiro and Hong Kong, from the volcano island of Krakatoa to archipelagos, from snow-capped mountains to large coastal plains.
Once the territory has been chosen, we could also choose other aspects of our land such as the type of infrastructure available, choosing an American style rather than a European or an Asian one, a choice made possible by the presence of forty-seven architectural styles.
How many things to do
Once we have chosen the basic characteristics that our city must have, we will finally be able to build what we want. The tools that the video game makes available to us are many as well as many are the various approaches that we can use to build our city: we could decide to build an industrial city and therefore do not care about structures suitable for tourism, or we could decide to dedicate ourselves to tourism and therefore avoid the large industrial settlements that can pollute the territory. The choices that the video game makes available to us are endless and each time we will be able to decide how we want to behave and what kind of city to build.
However, the game system remains quite simple: it will be enough to be able to create a balance between housing and jobs and we will see our city grow without disturbances of any kind. Developing residential neighborhoods suitable for general workers rather than skilled workers does not change the video game approach, just as the approach to building neighborhoods suitable for executives and the elite does not change. What matters, however, is to build balanced neighborhoods, equipped with adequate services, such as schools, build a good transport network, locate industrial areas distant from residential areas and add entertainment services, such as basketball courts, from time to time. or Ferris wheels, without forgetting, however, the safety of the city constituted by the sheriff's office. To these can be added health services or tourist facilities.
The level of challenge is therefore practically absent and when we find ourselves in difficulty, help on the screen will tell us what we need, for example we can build bus or subway lines to lighten traffic or build new roads to connect different neighborhoods, all obviously considering the variables they may have on the management of the economy.
The economy itself largely affects the growth of our city. In fact, when we start the game we will not have all the buildings we need available and we will unlock many of them when we reach various objectives, such as having reached a number of inhabitants or having reached a certain number of jobs. The video game also provides us with a tool that will serve to trade with our other cities, selling excess resources and buying what we need. In case of need, help can be requested from Omnicorp, a fictitious multinational from which we could buy what we need, at cheap prices.
Everything continues slowly and consistently with the choices we will have made during construction. The video game itself allows us to download the creations of the Steam Workshop and to upload our own creations which serve to expand the number of buildings we can build.
The only goal is to build our metropolis using all the features that the video game makes available to us. We will have no limit for the creation of our city and whatever we want to build we can build it once it is unlocked and certain objectives are achieved.
Graphic and sound sector
The graphic system of the video game is quite dated and with several slowdowns when our city begins to have a certain size. When we decide to zoom we notice that the polygonal models and the textures of the video game are not very defined, however it is enough to keep the camera at an adequate distance to avoid noticing these inaccuracies, which could certainly have been refined.
The sound sector is in style with the title, including a series of indie songs some of which are relaxing, perhaps in a limited number but certainly with a more than satisfactory quality.
[signoff icon = ”quote-circled”] Cities XXL wants to improve what has been done with Cities XL and in a certain sense it succeeds. The numerous additions certainly make the title more varied even if overall it remains quite the same as the previous chapter. The title is therefore quite repetitive for those who have played Cities XL and could instead be interesting for those approaching this series for the first time. The overall rating of the video game is more than enough even if perhaps a general renewal could have been expected from this new chapter. [/ Signoff]
