Unfortunately, Cities XL sucks.
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/cities-xl they pissed everyone else off at launch, too
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/cities-xl-2012 not much better
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/cities-xl they pissed everyone else off at launch, too
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/cities-xl-2012 not much better
Haemimont's Tropico games are also very good (Metacritic: http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/tropico-4) city-builders, with a smaller scale than traditional SimCity titles but more flavor and atmosphere. Steam has a bundle with the latest version, Tropico 4, plus all its expansions for $40 (http://store.steampowered.com/sub/19282/).
It just has a crazy charm to it, and it also has really nifty features, like how it shows the whole (albeit simplified) production line for food (fisherman catch fish, take them to a fishery, etc.).