Removing Maxis was like dethroning the kings of Sim games.
If you liked RollerCoaster tycoon, you might actually like this game. Its similar because you actually have to plop every building. For you hardcore SimCity people, you know that in the history of the game, it has always been ZONES, well, not anymore. I don't know about you, but micro-managing a city, especially when it gets big, is not my idea of fun. Building every building, and having them depend on personality aspects of other buildings shouldn't be what building a city is about. I mean, the totally changed the point of the game. The first 4 games (SimCity - SimCity 4) was focused on two main things, population and you bank account. SimCity Societies doesn't focus on anything, its just a loose cannon.
In more detail, the video runs pretty smooth, and the buildings look nice, but thats probably the only plus in a world of minuses. Oh, and you know how in SimCity 4 we had about 5 or 6 different transit systems to build. Well, forget that. You have a dirt road, a city street, a bus stop, and a subway station.
In all, the game gets a 4.5, for very bad gameplay and direction. One point of advice? Don't waste you money!