If it's dumbed down SimCity then why not play SimCity4? What are the advantages of Cities XL?

I've always loved the Sim City series and Sim City 2000 and 3000 were great games but to me (and many others) Sim City 4 went over the deep end with too much detail and too much complication and balance which just didn't make it fun anymore if you just wanted to do "causal" city building.  Not that I don't want to "think" but I think the balance was good in say 3000 in terms that you controlled things like taxes, ordinances, needing schools and such but it didn't go overboard.

So does Cities XL 2011 feel more like SC2K or 3K?  Good city building with some micromanagement but not all crazy overboard micro that SC4 had?

That's weird. I think the SimCity4 is quite simple and I's say there are too few factors to manage. But even now, with dozens of customs lots it's visually astonishing despite of course of its artificiality.

What I look in city simulator would be richness of modded SC4, more flexible environment allowing creating of the 'real' cities, real and accurate height maps from all around the world, combined with real troubles and decision making of city planner and the mayor. And this whole stuff placed in customized environment, "country" of some kind, with certain fiscal and international policies.

Maybe I'm exagreggating the meaning of 'real'. Some giant Death Droid invasion would be cool also:)

I still play SC4RH expansion...  great game.  It did take a while to figure out the system, but it's a blast.  I download custom tiles and the like from simtropolis all the time.

One thing that Stardock fails to mention in their Impulse page is SecureRom DRM for Cities XL 2011.  The failure to mention this surprises this given their stance.  This is enough for a no-sale from me.

Tark