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It is the best of games, it is the worst
of games. It is a game of capitalists and a game of communists. A game of poverty and
a game of wealth. A game of enjoyment and a game of fustration. A game of industrialists
and a game of environmentalists. A game of intellectuals and a game of laborers. A game of
action and a game of inaction.
Tropico is a confounding gaming experience. I have long shied a way from any game with
the word “sim” in the title. These simulation games never quite grabbed me, as I was
always wondering “Is this actually fun?” I generally have enough frustrations in my day-to-day
life, and dealing with a simulated city block that has no water supply and high taxes
was, in fact, nothing more than a video game simulation of frustration. So it was with great trepidation that |
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loaded Tropico. One hour into the game and I was hooked. This game meets my personal
criteria of “original game concept”. The idea of controlling a caribbean island as
dictator is brilliant. And I do mean control. Every aspect of your island is at your
mercy. Need more citizens? Set up an ob/gyn clinic. Need more housing? Build a tenement
or an apartment complex if the coffers are full. Next election might not go your way?
Eliminate your opponent. After all, what’s the point of being a rum-swilling despot if
your army can not enforce your egotistical will? Starve the local population and build
opulent tourist hotels to pad your swiss bank account? If it feels bad, do it. As the
Tropico box succinctly states “You rule”.
Of course there are consequences to your actions. Anger the populace too much with poor
island conditions (lack of schools pollution, poor housing) and you face losing and
election, or worse, confronting a military uprising of the people. But that is why you
have a strong, well-funded militia, right?
This game is not perfect. When building major structures (airports, luxury hotels, power
plants), it can take over a year of in-game time to build. There are times during the
course of the game where I found myself irritated at the slow pace of the game. For
example, I can have $200k in the bank, but can still only construct one building at a
time. No matter how many construction offices I built, it was difficult to achieve my
“grand vision” due to the slow construction process. Fortunately, the game has an option
to speed up game play during these slow construction periods, but this is more of a
cosmetic solution to a blemish in the game.
One great feature is that you can use the overhead camera to zoom in close on your islands
inhabitants. Check out the fat tourists lounging at the pool, drunken locals at the
neighborhood pub or see who is going in the adult cabaret. Cartoonish graphics of each
personality type fit the game perfectly.
Overall, this game is a breath of fresh air in stale gaming environment. Tropico interested
me from day one just based on the fact that it was not another fps or RTS game. Tropico
deserves your attention based on the original game concept, excellent graphics, and high
humor quotient.
Sliceboy's Rating:
4 out of 5 Planets
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Tropico>> |
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Buy it @
amazon.com |
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