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Tropico well worth the visit

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: June 05, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I hesitated on buying Tropico for several weeks, since I felt I was badly burned by my last game purchase, Black and White. Now, I wish I hadn't hesitated. Tropico is a really fun game that is both reasonably intuitive (at least at the basic level) and extremely fun. The graphics are beautiful and your sychophantic aide adds just the right amount of dry humor. (For instance, if you click on a dying citizen, he will say something like "Adios, muchachos." and if you get ousted from your island "I guess the people just don't recognize your genius, El Presidente." If you read your citizens minds like the good faschist dictator you are, they will think of things like "What this island really needs is a good train simulator.", which is a reference to PopTop's last hit Railroad Tycoon II.) Anyway, the game has charm. There are some minor quirks (i.e. even with the patch the airport takes forever to build. By the time you are ready for it it is probably too late to start building it. Also, some buildings can't be rotated and it would be nice to be able to name the various regions of the island yourself.) But overall it is a very fun and addictive game. If you think you might like this game you probably will. I fully anticpate that it will carry me through till Civ 3 is released.

best strategy game in some time, but still a bit lacking...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: September 24, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Civilization ruined it for all of us. The breadth, width and complexity of the Civilization series has yet to be matched in a strategy game. So maybe I'll never give another strategy game five stars because Civ spoiled me. Tropico, though, comes close as you can get.

The interface will look familiar to fans of Railroad Tycoon II, so much so that it's kinda creepy. Half the time I started hearing train whistles and banjo music. But the comparisons end there. Tropico puts you on an island as dictator to reek as much or as little havoc as possible. The basics are all here for you to provide: food, shelter, trade, military; but the micromanagement is almost nil. Your computerized peons do the work for you! Your job is to set wages, rent and build, build, build. One of the best things about Tropico is (like the only good part of Black and White) it doesn't make value judgements based on whether you're capitalist or communist, intellectual or religious, etc. It just passes judgement on whether you're a good one or not.

The down side is the lack of military involvement, unless you decide to be a complete jerk to your constituents. Also, the maximum reign for score-keeping is 70 years (although you can continue on or start in sandbox mode and just build), and there are no scientific or industrial improvements during that time. In other words, the buildings you can build at the beginning are it.

Bottomline, Tropico is a good game well worth the initial price, but it's no Civilization!

So far, so good, a few minor problems though

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: May 08, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I just received this game, and I've been playing it for a few hours now. It seems like a really fun game. The graphics are quite good, although things are rather slow moving. The attention to detail has its ups and downs. While it seems like the creators tried to make this as detailed as possible, they missed a few things. For one, somehow on Tropico, your priests can get married...I know it's minor, but it's not logical. Secondly, you're only allowed to build dirt roads, and some of the building is really limited (perhaps this is due to the tropical locale, but nonetheless...) While I've only been playing the game for a few hours, it seems pretty difficult...not a bad thing, but a little frustrating to start off. Other than those minor points the game is great, and I look forward to playing more of it. Hmmm...Study for finals or play Tropico?

Disappointing

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: May 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I was one of many people who could hardly wait for this game to come out. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed in Tropico. The graphics are wonderful and there are some interesting pieces to this game; however, the game just did not keep my attention.

I found a great deal of the game play to be tedious and just not interesting. Part of the problem may be the poorly written manual. The manual really doesn't provide you with good information so you understand cause and effect relationships. In addition, certain things, like the airport, take an incredibly long time to be built even though I had apartments and a construction office nearby.

Finally, the political side of the game was much more simplistic than I expected. The politics seemed to be less complex than the political game play in Civilization.

I am a fan of the Sims games. If you don't like the Sims type games, I doubt this one will be a good pick for you. If you do like them, you may enjoy Tropico. As I said before, the graphics are great and there are pieces of the game that are enjoyable.

ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT TROPICO

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: October 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

All I have to say about Tropico is:

What a fun game! What fallen human being hasn't wanted to be a tin-pot dictator? If W can get himself appointed President of the United States, then surely each of us should get at least one tiny Caribbean Island.

This game features wonderful replay value, an awesome sound track and the best narrator around. Presidente...this is truly a fun game! From poor rural beginnings to your hopeful retirement with a massive Swiss bank account, Tropico is a blast.

I highly recommend Tropico. There is almost no learning curve involved. Instead there are hours and hours of guaranteed fun.

A good game with a few flaws, albeit debilitating ones

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 19, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Sim City on an Island (hold on, didn't they make a Sim Island?? Oh nevermind). That's what it should be named. After reading the reviews here, I felt it would be worth my time and money to go out and buy a copy of Tropico. It is an enjoyable game, although frequently annoying.

The premise, that you are a dictator on a Carribean island named Tropico, and that you and you alone, through wits or might, make it or break it by ruling your own banana republic. Promising, right? The developers actually manage to pull it off too...everything from the look of the buildings to the mood music in the background is just right. Having made more than a few visits to the Carribean in my military days tells me that the layout and operations of the island is surprisingly accurate too.

Everything's not sunshine though...you'll start off relying on crops to bring in the major portion of your income. Your money levels fluctuate very erratically though, so be prepared by saving an extra few thousand before making any big purchases (power plants, cigar factories, airstrips, etc.)...and since I'm no farmer, I've had thus far some mixed experiences with my crops, most notably with my tobacco and sugar farms...they make lots of money, *when* they're working, that is.

My only foray into tourism resulted in countless thousands of dollars lost while slob tourists depreciated the value of the land, regardless of whatever action I took to prevent otherwise. I set up nice bars, restaurants and hotel on thier end of the island, only to see them move to the other end of the island to congregate with the locals in the slum bar. I've been to those bars in the Carribean...no thanks, I'll stick with the nice hotel ones. ;)

Education of your citizens if critical. After a while, filling certain jobs in whatever industry you want to make (you'll need a slew of High School educated people for most) is of incredible importance. In every game I build a High School to address this problem, but after a few citizens graduate, they have this crazy pattern of simply applying as a teacher at the same high school and staying there, thus depriving the industry that I educated them for of thier knowledge. Pretty soon you have a High School with 10 teachers and 2 students, and you still can't run your Cigar Factory because only one HS educated worker even works there, no matter how much money I pay them. This holds true also for the Church you build. Expect one foreign priest to show up. Also expect there to be only 3 parishioners to regularly attend church. It doesn't matter how many priest spots are filled, only 3-4 people will ever attend there. This after all manner of ruckus and complaint about not having a Church from my citizens.

Logging brings in a heap of cash, as does mining, but the problem is that you have to put the things so close to your settlements...if the workers spend all thier time walking there, they'll usually arrive, chop once on a tree, yawn, and then head back the 1 mile to goto bed. All this is not bad, however...this game demands a good head for planning and urban development, as the developers have wisely programmed into the game building delays. Know *exactly* where it is you want to put that apartment building, because it's going to take a while to build it.

A wide variety of dictator personalities is given at the beginning of the game for you to choose from, everything from Fidel Castro to Eva Peron. Still, I would have liked to custom build my own dictator, with my own name. The custom options are all great, no complaints there...your island can be customized to death with options ranging from making it mountainous/flat, to large/small, to deciding how many trees will be on it. The economy can be customized as well, making it either harsh or easy depending on your level of expertise. Be forewarned though that another critical omission in the game is the lack of ability to modify your tax rates.

Tropico is a good game, and if you've ever played Sim City, you'll get the basic premise of it quickly. It does have good replay value because the base design of it is rock solid, but the few flaws that I pointed out, as well as a few others, are simply too big to overcome. My suggestion...wait until it's in the bargain bin... before you purchase.

Worth Every Penny!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: May 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I am a HUGE fan of The Sims, The Simcity Series, and of Caesar III, so it came as no suprise to me or my husband when I quickly became addicted to Tropico!

Tropico combines the city building of both Simcity 3000 and Caesar III, with unique and individual charachters on The Sims. Take in mind that you cannot actually control your "tropicans" as they have free will, but unlike both Simcity 3000 and Caesar III, your people have names, families, and likes and dislikes. They cannot and willnot be forced into anything, and must be pursuaded by either money, bribery, propaganda, or even assasination attempts!

As the El Presidente of Tropico, you can actually choose how you came to power of Tropico (Elected, Religious Radical, Dictator,etc), and can even choose your strengths and weaknesses. (Compulsive gambler, liar, flatulence, ugly, Kleptomanica etc..)

The gameplay is like most other city building games, but with better graphics and an enchanting soundtrack. (As with Railroad Tycoon 2, you'll walk away humming the songs...if not singing the spanish words!)

Tropico is a MUST have for any city building fan who has enjoyed other city building games, but longed for detailed graphics and more plot twists!!

Take a chance on Tropico....I promise that you won't be sorry!!! (I know I'm not!)

Tropico Rules

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: August 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Tropico is one of the most enjoyable games I've played in a while. The premise - playing the dictator of a banana republic - is just plain fun. The game looks really good, and has a great soundtrack.

Tropico differentiates itself from other games in the genre in a couple of areas. One is obviously the setting. Another is that compared to other games (e.g. Pharaoh), it's easy to figure out what needs to be done to improve your country, which greatly reduces frustration. It does, however, require a great deal of advance planning, since buildings aren't built immediately, and even after they are built, you have to wait a while to have it attract employees, and even longer for the building to have an effect. The political game thus comes into play, since you have to be able to identify trends and identify problems early on.

The game loses a star for a couple of reasons. One is that the middle of the game can get pretty slow, since you basically just sit around waiting for buildings to be take effect. I frequently found myself letting the game run and leaving the room. Another drawback is that the scenarios included with the game aren't that compelling, so I found myself almost always playing random maps.

If you like games like SimCity, Caesar, and other city/empire building games, you'll like Tropico. If you're new to the genre, Tropico is a great place to start, since it's so much easier to learn than many of it's competitors.

Too challanging for me to get into

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I am a lover of sim games. My favorite sim game is Ceasar. I played about 7 or 8 levels before I got bored. Roller Coaster Tycoon is another good one. It is challanging and has a lot of different scenarios and rides.
One of the cool things about Tropico is its premise. Its got a cool soundtrack and the in-game tutorial really lets you get into the story line. The problem was, I spent over 8 hours of gameplay and couldn't succeed at anything. I tried several different strategies and even set the game to cheat modes (unlimeted budget with no elections)and I still couldn't make the citizens happy or even get an airport built.
One thing that differentiates this game from Tycoon or Ceasar is that there are no level advances and I am not sure what the purpose of the game is. You may start over and choose a different scenario, but you don't progress to new "missions" or "challanges." This may be alright, however,because it seems impossible to win anyway. Another thing; islands are only so big and that causes challanges in and of itself.
I would recommend this game to an economics or poli-sci major who is up to a real challange.

Your country awaits, El Presidente...!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: May 06, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Wow...!

I rarely have time to play games so when I do, I'm very picky about what games I choose and I tend to shy away from games that I know will draw me in. Well, Tropico is the temptation I couldn't resist. And let me tell you: this has got to be one of the coolest games I've ever played!

You play El Presidente of a Caribbean island -- you pick your good and bad character traits and even how you came to power. Ever wanted to lead a military coup? No problem.

As El Presidente you have complete control of your island. Well, almost. About the only thing you can't control directly are your citizens, who have minds of their own. But...you can influence them. And, if they become a threat, you can just have them imprisoned or executed. Don't like the Intellectuals challenging you? No problem, El Presidente; you can just have a book-burning party and virtually wipe out the Intellectual faction. Tired of elections? No problem, refuse to have them. Or, better yet, accept one and then rig the election. Or, just knock off your opponent or declare martial law. After all, El Presidente, you are in charge, yes?

The first time I played the game, I started with the tutorial and decided I'd be a capitalist, pro-American, peace-loving benevolent leader -- and I lasted about 37 years. My people loved me!

The next time I played, I tried the same approach but wasn't so popular. So, I refused to hold elections. My people hated me. I had a coup attempt by a faction of my military within the first 5-10 years: I only had two soldiers, so it was funny watching the traitor and the loyalist running around the streets shooting at each other. Luckily for me, the traitor was killed. Unfortunately, he was one of my few educated citizens and I really needed him.

I could go on forever about the things you can do in this game -- er, simulation -- but when I say you can do anything, I pretty much mean it. If you've ever thought you can run a country (or would like to try it), here's your chance. Ever want to be a ruthless dictator? Ah -- here's your chance. You'll be forced to deal with various factions (Capitalists, Communists, Intellectuals, Environmentalists, Religious, etc) and learn to appease them (or eliminate them) in order to remain in power. Educated workers are important, but aren't as easy to control either. After all, educated people are harder to fool -- and they won't be content to work menial jobs. Tourism is a cash cow, but tourists are picky and sometimes up the crime rate. Getting an idea of just how involved this game is?

One of the coolest features of the game is that you can zoom right down to individual citizens and watch them go about their lives -- much like the Sims. You can bring up everything there is to know about them -- family, allegiances, concerns, job, age, education, etc, etc. These are your constituents (if you allow them to vote). At the least, they are your source of income. Actually, they are also threats to your power, because if you make them mad they may just arm themselves, and attempt to overthrow your government (better increase your military and police presence, eh?).

So that's that. Stop reading this review and go buy the game already. The replayability is very high because you have a choice of pre-defined scenarios or endless random maps with different goals, character traits, etc. It's a definite great value for your money. The only downside is that once your reign comes to an end, you'll realize that several hours have passed by while you were glued to your computer and you won't be able to rely on servants to bring you your dinner.

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