I run a Sims website, and I have the game.
I, myself love it. I'm a huge fan of the original SimCity games, and I knew this was going to be nothing like it. This isn't a replacement in the series, more of a Spinoff as Maxis is occupied with The Sims series.
Societies is a lot like the neighborhood in The Sims 2. You basically plop down your buildings and try to keep your sims happy. If you love playing SimCity 4 and love a good challenge, this game isn't for you. But if you love the neighborhood aspect of The Sims 2, then at $25, this is a great buy.
However, this game does have its fair share of bugs. EA rushed it out and didn't give Tilted Mills any more time to correct them, so they are currently working on patching the game. Many folks are having issues with the game crashing due to huge population and bad programming errors. I myself haven't came across any issues, but I only build small towns.
To be honest, this game will keep dropping in price, and pretty soon it will hit $19.99. I'd wait another month for the patch to release then snag it at that price. Or if you want it now, $25 ain't bad either.