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OK, I suppose...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: December 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Be warned: this game has some pretty specific requirements and will not work on many machines! Read the box carefully before purchasing it.

The actual game is quite different from the original Zoo Tycoon. The graphics are nice, the animals and guests do more, and you can zoom way farther in than you could in the original game (and there's a nice guest mode), but this one seems to be directed more at children than the original was.

The animals are way less picky in their exhibits. This allows for more creativity, but it makes this less of a strategy game and more of an elaborate toy. Additionally, there are less animals to choose from. The species are diverse, but number only 30, and considering the complexity of the animals, I doubt that there will be many user created ones in the future.

Zoo Tycoon 2

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: May 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game after playing and enjoying Zoo Tycoon 1. It is the same idea, but greatly improved. It is a fab game and I would recommend it to anyone who likes animals and looking after them!

Zoo Tycoon 2. Family Fun. Pros and Cons Listed

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: August 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this game after playing with the first one for about a week(complete all scenarios and got freeform game with 100 guests, over 40 animals, $400k). The first one was really fun at the beginning, but lost its replay value really fast to me. Some things that I didn't enjoy about the first one is: Not very smart staff that are not very useful sometimes especially the maintenance workers, animals reproducing too much or dying too fast which I wish the makers would have given us the capable method of keeping x to y number of animals in there at all time and any lower I would be notified. The guests weren't very bright either, you give them what they need sometimes, but they refuse to satisfy themselves and therefore lower your guest happiness rating. Basic AI problem with all. There were other problems, but this review was meant for part 2.

Zoo Tycoon 2
Graphics: 7.5 Sound: 7
Control: 7 Replayability: 6-7
Animals:

I was skeptical about part 2 for the simple fact that it seemed like part one, but with added graphics. What made me get it was reading up about the game more and finding out there were added options and a better updated guest/animal/staff system as well.

With currently 30 graphically improved(excluding endangered species expansion), incredibly detailed, 3D animals(I hear some more expansions are coming along) and numerous objects to design your zoo with Zoo Tycoon 2 has improved on many factors. There are now modes you can choose which are options to do during gameplay.

Differences:

1. The mode ability to zoom into animals, guests, or caretaker and actually see what they see, do what they do, and basically be in their shoes or...in some cases paws, hoves, etc. As caretakers you can feed, groom, and basically interact with your animals and other things. As guests you can tour your own zoo in the guest's point of view and interact with stuff. So on so on..

2. Pleasing animals and guests are easier because of AI improvement.

3. Ability to build across up and down.

4. Your ability to adopt animals are now more limited and are opened slowly throughout the progress of the game and improvement of your zoo.

5. Starting out with 3 animals (peacock, moose, and cammel).

6. As I thought, improved computer simulation AI especially the guests. Guests also seem know more about the animals they are seeing, unlike the first where guests are pretty much happy with every animal, guests even wear clothes etc that are related to what they saw in the zoo.

7. Photo Safari Mode which gives you the ability to take pictures of animals and events, with some scenarios giving awards for those pictures.

8. Changing the terrains are now free, but the method of doing so is different instead of the old block per square block. Fences also don't break down and animals can only escape due to inappropriate fencing type.
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Basically, the rest of the game is pretty much the same. You make the guests happy by decoration and adding attractions to please them. Higher zoo rating and gradual progress through time gives you more items, animals and obtain you awards depending on how well things go. Guest happiness including hunger etc are still listed as so.

Cons(or potential cons for some of you):

Game can become frustrating at times and if you have already played Zoo Tycoon 1 and RollerCoaster Tycoon, you will probably find the new extras not so much of an extra afterall. You also have limited interactive ability as zoo guests to the items you build. Terrain tool has fewer options than the first. Predatory animals are toothless and there's no more violence. Babies come into your zoo just like that(but then again its a kid's game). Fewer scenerios(about 17) and objective is similar as first Zoo Tycoon. Slow and rocky game map scrolling system even with fast cpu. Sound is relatively the same with the once and awhile guest and animal sounds.

If you really like the first one and it last for months with you, get this, otherwise, don't expect this game to be of a lot different. Its different and improved, but still a lot similar to the first.

The BEST GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 15
Date: May 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is very good although it takes FOREVER to load (IF YOU SAVE IT.) I have zoo tycoon 1 also and my dad bought me the dinasaur digs/marine mania thing that you have to have zoo tycoom 1 to play when I heard about it at school. When I got zoo tycoon 2 though, they only have mammals.(EXEPT FOR ALLIGATORS!)
I was disapointed that they didn't put sea creatures on this game but I was still THRILLED that I had gotten it.The animals must be pregnat to have young, witch is good cuz you can wait for the baby.The WORST THINGS IS THAT MY DADDY GRIZLY BEAR KILLED HIS SON AND MY LEAMUR DIED CUZ HE WAS SICK!!!I recomend this game for EVERYONE!!! bye, I'm gonna go play it now...

Lacks in some areas and makes up elsewhere

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: July 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I was a huge fan of Zoo Tycoon since the very first one hit the shelves. After that, I purchased each and every expansion pack as soon as they came out. I grew older though and soon distanced myself from the series which was about the time Zoo tycoon 2 came out. I was cleaning up my stuff one day and found my old Zoo Tycon: Complete expansion pack. Floods of nostalgia came pouring in as I set it up and played it. I then recalled them making a brand new series and so I looked it up. By then, Endangered Species came out so I downloaded a demo of it and loved it! The very next day I went out and purchased Zoo Tycoon 2 and recently, purchased both Endangered Species and African Adventure. Needless to say, this is not like the first series but it holds it own.

The exhibits are not challenging to make (I recall yelling at the stupid Markhor to like his exhibit in the old ZT) however the ennviroment that ZT2 has makes up for it - how the animals interact with thier surroundings.

The original had 44 animals. We see alot of these return however some favorites don't make it into this game. However, ZT2 includes animals that people were begging for (i.e. Ring-tailed Lemur, American Beaver, Peafowl, Red Panda) even though it's only 30 of them. These animals would of never been able to be put in the orginal ZT but in this series, we get them. As well, this might of had 30 animals in it but add 40 extra animals from the most recent expansion packs and you got yourself a nice selection of animals to choose from.

The zookeepers are pretty dumb in this game however the guests are very animated and more personal.

The zoo keeper mode is just plain cool.

The only thing I am a bit skeptical on is some of the animal behaviors and the amount of buildings in this game. I miss the Bird, Reptile, Insect houses that the first ZT had.

Overall, it's on par with the orginal series cause it adds it's own qualities that ZT1 didn't have and vice versa.

Great Fun although Slightly Kiddied Down

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: March 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I am a HUGE huge fan of the Zoo Tycoon series. Zoo Tycoon 2 is well worth buying - the graphics are amazing and the gameplay is quite addictive!

First off, the premise. You are the owner of a zoo. Your aim is to create the best possible habitats for your animals so they are happy - and to keep your visitors happy so they give you money so you can get more animals. It is just as important to educate the people as it is to sell gifts to them. It is critical that you learn what environment each animal enjoys - from the type of terrain to the trees, foods and other such items that they want around them.

Where Zoo Tycoon made you do this all through memorization, Zoo Tycoon 2 has really optimized things. Right on your animal screen, you have a zookeeper telling you what that animal enjoys. So your selections are automatically limited to the appropriate items. It's very easy to paint terrains, add in foods, shelters, toys and more.

Moving terrain up and down and changing its type does not cost money, so there is no fear of "how much will it cost to fill in this lake". That makes general construction MUCH easier, and you save up your money for building the fences, shelters and various gift shops that keep your zoo running.

While some of these changes are very common sense and make the upkeep of your zoo much easier, some of the simplifications actually seem to make the game TOO easy. For example, in the first game, it mattered where you put the trees and rocks. Some animals liked having a 'full' landscape to hide in, while others liked having trees along the edge and a nice big open area to run in. With this current game, they really don't care. Drop in a tree and a rock and they're happy. It gives me much less of a sense that the animals even notice what I'm doing.

There are the normal challenges, and the sandbox mode, so you can either tackle a specific puzzle or just play in a zoo to your heart's content. The prompts are always quite humorous and entertaining. The message in the game is clear - saving animals is important, and having happy animals is important. They emphasize donation boxes heavily - perhaps trying to encourage us to donate when WE go visit zoos.

The graphics are just amazing, and you can zoom right in to each animal. There is a 'camera' mode where you can walk around in your zoo from a first person view, taking action photos of creatures and things. It's really quite fun! There are the traditional clipping issues - sometimes the zebras seem to merge into each other as they turn around - but that's a standard problem in pretty much any game involving polygons and motion. It makes for some amusing photos of two headed horses :)

Highly recommended!

Creativity Makes the Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: April 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I definitely think that if you liked the first Zoo Tycoon computer game and all of its expansions, you will also very much enjoy Zoo Tycoon 2. However, I will tell you right now, it does not require you nearly as much to use strategy skills, as the first one does. If you have already read the reviews of Maria Padue "Strategy Game Fanatic" and D. Neal "Catlady", you may be quite appalled by this game by now. But before you decide that Zoo Tycoon 2 is definitely not the right game for you, just hear me out, because I think that they are both missing the beauty of the game. They obviously were both looking for something in the game that made them think and use strategy skills, and I think that that is why they particularly did not enjoy the game. However, if you are someone that likes to use their creativity, like me, I have no doubt that you will love this game.

The new tools and features are so much better than the ones in the first Zoo Tycoon. They allow you to build much more unique and realistic exhibits that resemble your animals' natural habitats. In the first one, the game only allows you to make box-like exhibits, and if you want to raise or lower the ground in an area, it will only do it in squares. In Zoo Tycoon 2, the tools allow you to shape the ground so that it looks natural. Also, the new biome brush makes it much easier to meet the environmental needs of your animals. The game allows you to construct the pathways, fences, and buildings diagonally as well, which gives you more options and lets you be more creative when you are building your zoo.

The new 3D effects are also absolutely awesome!! When I am in the zoo guest mode, I feel like I am really walking through a zoo. I love that it allows you to get a truly close-up look of the animals. (you can take pictures of them and put them in your photo album too!!) The new zooming and turning features are also very handy. I find it quite frustrating in the first Zoo Tycoon that the closest it will let you zoom in is still a pretty far distance away, and you only have four angles to view your zoo from. Zoo Tycoon 2 gives you the maximum "zoo-viewability", with almost every angle you can imagine. It makes it much easier to see things that you need to get to, like an empty food trough that is hidden behind a tree.

Also, the different playing modes allow you to choose how you want to play the game. I especially like the freeform mode because you can be as creative as you want while building a zoo. In this mode you do not have to worry about how much money you are spending in doing so because there is an unlimited amount of money that you have to spend. And even when you do want that extra challenge, you can go into the challenge mode, where you do have a limited amount of money.

Overall, I think Zoo Tycoon 2 is amazing!! They did an awesome job of making a new and improved version of the game. I definitely suggest that you buy it. I think the true challenge of the game is to use your creativity to build you ultimate dream zoo, and that's what makes this game so awesome!!

* If you want a better feel of the game, I would suggest going to www.zootycoon2.com. They have some awesome close-up screenshots from the game, info, and other cool stuff.*

I hope my review was of help to you.

ZT2: Better than original

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: October 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a GREAT game. Sure, after the 25th time playing it, it gets a bit dull, but you only need to wait a while and it gets interesting again. The only problems are:
1) Not enough animals
2) No avatar for guest mode
3) The predators never eat the other animals, which would be fun to see
4) In photo mode, you can't go through gates.
5) There aren't that many guest varieties
6) In guest mode, you can't go into things things like Pony Ride and restaurants, which you should be allowed to do, since you're a "guest".
7) Some animals who can't swim fall in pools sometimes in multi-animal exibits, which gets really annoying.
8) Not enough kiosks
I hope that the expansion packs address these problems and enhance the gameplay even more.
Here are the good things:
1) You can zoom in REALLY close
2) The kiosks are well detailed (Though I wish the scorpions and stuff would actually move)
3) Animals don't just sit around, they do stuff.
4) The biome creator really saves time, since you don't have to place
individual flora pieces.
5) Having waterfalls is fun
6) Having the zoo staff have thoughts is kinda fun
7) Being allowed to have more than one gate in an exibit is helpful
8) Multi-species exibits are fun to create
9) You don't pay for research
10) In sandbox mode, you have unlimited money
11) Music rocks are fun to use

Not compatible with Video Cards

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 11 / 17
Date: December 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is not compatible with so many video cards it is ridiculous. If I were you I would check this list (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/889368) before buying the game. The list wasn't in the paperwork in the game, on the box, or here on amazon. It was a total waste of money and now I am going to have to lose money returning it! What a waste of time and money! My daughter was also very dissapointed when she couldn't play it on our brand new computer! Very dissapointed with this game.

Don't touch it unless you have the right graphics card

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 14 / 25
Date: September 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

It's not just me. Read all the other reviewers who are warning about this. The list of perfectly mainstream graphics cards that this game won't work with is on the Zoo Tycoon support page. ([...]) It is LONG. We have the bog standard: an ordinary Dell with a standard ATI card. Thank you Microsoft for the look of dismay on my son's face as yet another Microsoft game refuses to work... not! I do not think this game is fit for the purpose for which it was sold.

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