I want to be excited for this. I've been a huge Sim City fan. I'm not sure if I like 3000 Unlimited or 4 better. 3000 felt like a more rewarding game that did a better job of simulating a city within the confines of the map. 4 was way too focused on region play and exploiting borders despite its wealth of things to build particularly in transportation. 2000 was great too and difficult compared to the others.
My problem is that EA and Maxis tend to see Sim games as toys these days. I don't think they really understand what it means to be a simulator game anymore. I remember getting all excited for Spore and then being completely disappointed by what they kicked out the back of the truck. I can see they may be picking up bad ideas from Socities and putting them in 5 with the way buildings can be plopped down like Monopoly houses and hotels. I don't want to plop down a high-rise residential tower and babysit the inhabitants. I do want to help them get to and from work, create tourist attractions, control pollution, and put on events like parades and grand prix. I want to decide where to place a mega mall, military base, and expensive bridge. I don't want to put a cartoon balloon factory in the heart of my city to keep people happy, but I would be open to finding a home for an amusement park.
I hope Maxis visits Simtropolis, the Network Add-on Mod, and other fan sites to see the amazing things people have created. Then I want that stuff implemented into the game. People are creating great stuff for Sim City 4 even to this day. Ground light rail, sunken highways, arbitrary-size plazas, and so many other things have been added to the game. I just hope Maxis doesn't screw this up like I fear they will.
Now where is Roller Coaster Tycoon 4?