Cities XL 2011

 PC
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. My Gamer
    Dec 20, 2010
    88
    Considering many of the missteps that the newer SimCity games have taken I am more than happy to say that Cities XL is more than able to contain the mantle of spiritual successor.
  2. Vandal
    Jan 13, 2011
    79
    Cities XL 2011 is an astoundingly complete game, which further enhances the quality of the previous game. It has almost infinite gameplay options, and although we miss a more human approach to our inhabitants, it has incredible management options for our city.
  3. Impulsegamer
    Dec 20, 2010
    79
    In the end, Cities XL 2011 is far superior than the previous game and its only downfall is that it may be a little too complicated for some.
  5. GameWatcher
    Dec 22, 2010
    75
    It's good that Focus offered a significant discount to anyone who had already bought Cities XL, as otherwise there would be little here to entice old players. New people to the franchise who've longed for a decent city-builder should definitely try this out though.
  6. Computer Games Online RO
    Dec 20, 2010
    75
    It's not a technical failure, but it just doesn't offer anything new to the genre that was created and has remained the same since Caesar and SimCity.
  7. 3DJuegos
    Oct 20, 2010
    75
    Cities XL 2011 is a good and realistic city-building simulator, but a bit conventional.

Awards & Rankings

100
#100 Best PC Game of 2010
94
#94 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
92
#92 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 40 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 40
  3. Negative: 12 out of 40
  1. Viljanen
    Feb 8, 2011
    6
    City building games have sadly been ignored by the game companies for a long time. Simcity Societies was a huge disappointment and Sierra'sCity building games have sadly been ignored by the game companies for a long time. Simcity Societies was a huge disappointment and Sierra's city builder-series seems to have ended with Caesar IV. Therefore it's nice to see a new addition in this genre. Cities XL 2011 is a worthy successor to Simcity 4. Many things which I found irritating in SC 4 are much better in Cities XL such as micromanagement with utilities and public transportation. This allows the player to concentrate in the more enjoyable parts of city building. The trading aspect from original multiplayer Cities XL is still there and it encourages to specialize the cities so that the player can trade utilities and products between them. There is a lot of nice landmarks and special buildings which offer a nice challenge to build.

    This all is very nice and makes for a very addictive city building experience. However, the game suffers from major technical issues that make playing it a pain. The game slows down to an unplayable crawl very quickly because some memory leak issues. Focus hasn't so far done anything to fix these issues and therefore the game is not enjoyable to play as it is. Unless these issues are patched I really can't recommend buying Cities XL 2011.    … Full Review »
  2. wolverdick
    Feb 5, 2011
    2
    This game is a huge disappointment. I bought the original Cities XL limited edition when it was first released and it was one bungled affair.This game is a huge disappointment. I bought the original Cities XL limited edition when it was first released and it was one bungled affair. The re-release of the same game as XL-2011 is a mocking kick in the face to original players. There are still issues with the game play that have gone unresolved since first launch, and the fact that the game was originally intended as a MMO (which failed miserably) still leave certain elements of the trading and city specialization aspects grossly underutilized. The road system and upgrades make future planning major headaches. If you want a great city simulator, go back and install SimCity3k. While this game has some great visuals and other more advanced elements (like curved roads) that the old city sims don't have...you should not be rewarding a company that has underachieved and misled its loyal users over and over again. Bad companies deserve to fail, no matter how mediocre the product is.… Full Review »
  3. ajm1205
    Jul 10, 2011
    3
    I have a number of deal-breaker problems with this game and the company that made it. Overall, the game is bordering on fun, but theI have a number of deal-breaker problems with this game and the company that made it. Overall, the game is bordering on fun, but the problems that I have run into have made it unbearable to play.

    First, the graphics system implementation seems to have missed a few steps in the testing process. I have a Radeon HD 5800 series video card in my laptop which is a fairly common series. Add into this the fact that I keep the drivers up-to-date and don't make drastic customizations to the display/card settings and I feel confident in saying that I shouldn't run into many out-of-the-box problems. However, I have yet to get the game to successfully change resolution. I've tried all the resolutions that my monitor and card combination will support (including an external monitor), but it all ends with a stuck on top white box and an not responding game. Since I run the game through Steam, where I purchased it, I automatically have the latest version of the game and still no change.

    Second, related to the first problem, is the absolute lack of support from the publisher. I've e-mailed them, checked their website, and even tried to get into their non-existent forums and the result has been total silence. No, auto-response email telling me that the e-mail I sent arrived and they will get to it when they are good and ready (not even one telling me to "check my drivers"). As with other companies I have dealt with in the past where the only reliable response was no response, I have to assume that they aren't listening and will probably appear in a short news story about another developer bankruptcy. I think that I have a pretty reasonable expectation in terms of support from most developers when I ask that they post a few FAQs and maybe a functional forum with posts about known problems.

    Finally, is the mixed bag that is the game play itself. I like the models and rendering that is used in the game, and I think the interface is functional if a bit simplistic. The removal of a lot of the normal city simulation micromanagement is tolerable since it has struck an acceptable balance between detailed control and needless effort. I really enjoy the supply and demand implementation that gives very quick, visual feedback concerning your addition of new services and zones. Unfortunately, the road system is very difficult manage and makes it very difficult to set up a grid system city. In addition to the overly, snap oriented road system is a camera control system that makes it extraordinarily difficult to get a useful perspective on what you are trying to do with your city.

    In summary, the game has great potential with poor implementation and absolutely awful technical support. I'd recommend not buying it and using the money to convince someone to make a real sequel to the Maxis SimCity games.    … Full Review »
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