Aside from the Super Mario series, probably the class of game I've spent the most time playing has been the urban simulation, mostly after the SimCity fame. I was first introduced to SimCity via the original's port to the SNES, but later cut my teeth on PC's SimCity2000, 3000, and SimCity4. I've been witness to the growth in popularity of the genre, and have participated in online city journals which chronicle the growth and development of player's creations. I have also discovered many styles and reasons for play, with my principal motivation being the exploration of the simulator itself. Long have I desired a realistic economics engine be incorporated into a city simulator.
Probably the last two significant developments in the genre have been EA's SimCity Societies, and Monte Cristo's CitiesXL. I haven't paid much attention to SimCity Societies (which has since been released to mixed opinion), ever since learning EA was to take the SimCity series in a direction which pandered to more casual gamers, and radically dumbed-down the simulator itself. CitiesXL, however, appears much more promising, even at prerelease. Their staff has proven themselves very responsive to fan opinion and feedback, and so far the game itself looks intriguing, to say the least.
Here is a link to the CitiesXL website, which includes blogs and discussions on the various aspects of the simulation.
So, is anybody else here interested in city builders, or anticipating the next generation of urban simulation?