The gameplay is just as good, if not better, than the past SimCity games. However, the maps are WAY TOO SMALL!
Now to the one thing that I cannot overlook...THE MAPS ARE TINY! They say they are as big as the medium sized SimCity 4 maps...which may be true. However, in this game, so many important buildings will expand over time. For example, City Hall takes up maybe 6 squares when first "plopped," but if your city grows, it soon fills up quite a few squares. All major buildings require upgrades that take up space (schools, clinics, fire stations, transportation buildings, water pumping stations, etc.), and some upgrades take up LOTS of space, or are completely separate buildings. Then if you decide to actually specialize your city, the specialized buildings are huge or can expand to large proportions (events center, mines, casinos, etc.). Everything needs so much room to breathe that you quickly run out of space. If the game had huge maps like the biggest maps in SimCity 4, I could easily find myself giving the game a 9.
I'm not going to complain too much about the "always online" aspect. I play on a computer that will be always online under normal circumstances. I don't necessarily like it, and understand how someone playing on a laptop or who have bad internet may be upset by this requirement. Online only for a simulator is ridiculous. Plus, I think that right now, the multiplayer aspects are underwhelming. Mainly because everyone in my regions either haven't played in 2 weeks, or are doing the same thing I am: trying to fit as much as they can in their own map. No one seems to specialize. But realistically, how many people want to make a city dependent on someone else? Especially when it's not easy to coordinate activities. Also, some of the most needed specializations seem unappealing in my head...like a city full of garbage disposal and sewage processing. Or a city full of water pumps that quickly drain their water table. Or a city full of oil wells and ore mines. It's fun to have all of that if you know it helps YOUR city. But specializing that way so SOMEONE ELSE can have a city full of skyscrapers, residents, parks, and no pollution does not sound fun...at all.
My bottom line is that the game itself is as good as any other SimCity. The first several hours of a city may even be the most fun I have ever had playing SimCity games. However, once my maps fill up, the games quickly lose appeal. I find myself thinking "I wish I had more room" too much to enjoy it. Sure it makes you think and make important decisions. However, it feels forced. There's nothing more frustrating than having millions of simoleons and no where to spend it. If you buy the game, realize that unless you enjoy tweaking a city to death, size will become an issue.