I really like Heaven’s Vault, but haven’t managed to finish it. The world-building and atmosphere are incredible.

My absolute fave was Theme Park (the Bullfrog game, something like RCT’s grandma). Looking back, it was a pretty dark game, at least if you went bankrupt!

A bit later on, I played Sim City (can’t quite remember 2000 or 3000), and the Impressions city builders games: Emperor, Zeus, and especially Pharaoh. I adored those, and am now playing the Pharaoh remake.

I still play The Sims 2, btw. There’s a small but active community over on Tumblr.