8. Possibilities
Naturally, SimCity is all about choice, and that is felt far more strongly in this installment than any other. Though to begin with you don't have all of the possibilities at your disposal, the city system is impressively intuitive at running with the ball you hand it; choose whether your city is going to be residential, commercial or industrial, and it will begin to grow by its own will, while you simply guide it along the right track. From here, it's all about satisfying your Sims; they will want basic things like sewage treatment and health-care, and the degree to which your capitulate will usually ensure whether your town flourishes or flounders. Like any real town, it's funded by the taxes of its citizens, and appropriating this money is really where the fun comes in; you can, of course, work for the best interests of your "subjects", or like me, you can splash cash irresponsibly on exorbitant casinos and essentially prop yourself up as a tyrannical dictator. Bear in mind, though, that karma tends to abound...usually in the form of aliens or a meteor strike.