User Reviews (1 - 11 of 53)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Review abstracted by Capalive.com

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 28 / 34
Date: January 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Professor Thomas Kosnik,
Consulting Professor, Stanford School of Engineering, and Lecturer, Harvard Business School , Technology Today, CNBC-TV Cable
"Capitalism is a world class, hands-on learning experience which I've used at Stanford School of Engineering and Harvard Business School. Gamers not only learn the subtleties of growing an entrepreneurial business but also learn about leadership and team building necessary in any business situation." "Capitalism is very realistic and will allow the dynamics to change depending on whether you're selling a cola product, which is sort of a low tech-branded consumer good, or whether your selling consumer electronics or a PC."

Professor Drew Fudenberg
Harvard University
"This game does an excellent job of modeling many of the key aspects of modern business. Not all aspects of it are realistic, but enough of them are that many sensible strategies are encouraged. In particular it's gratifying to me to see that the game rewards thinking about sources of long-term competitive advantage, be it from brand recognition, low production costs gained from learning-by-doing (a nice touch!), a monopoly on high quality inputs, or a big technological lead."

Businessweek, October 21, 1996
Capitalism isn't just for those who aspire to be the next Michael Dell or Sam Walton. It can be a fun and useful exercise for anyone who wants to test their entrepreneurial mettle without, for once, taking any risk. Players can choose to compete against computer-controlled rivals in four different industries: farming, manufacturing, raw material mining, and retailing. For a truly adventurous and time-consuming game, players can mix and match industries as captains of giant conglomerates. As in the real world, players compete locally, in one city, or fight it out on the global stage.
With so many possibilities, Capitalism is an intense strategy game, much like chess, where players must constantly think ahead. As such, it could easily overwhelm novices. But by adjusting several factors--competency and managerial style of the computer-controlled rivals, for example, can be varied from very aggressive to conservative--gameplay can be suited to various styles and speed. The game even allows a player to hire presidents to manage the day-to-day operations of different divisions so the player can concentrate on the big picture.

Far Eastern Economic Review, September 26, 2002
The mass market isn't the only audience for Chan's games. Like Virtual U, Capitalism has made the leap from game room to classroom. Because of its high degree of realism, the game has been used by professors at institutions like Harvard and Stanford Universities to help students learn basic business principles. Chan is hoping that Restaurant Empire and Hotel Giant will also be adopted for training and education. "Simulation games are a fun way to learn about anything," he says. "They prove that computer games aren't just about shooting things but can also be educational."

CNN - 22nd May 2002
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN Correspondent
Some guys have all the luck. They have the billion dollar market cap, the brand, and the empire, while the rest of us spend our lives toiling away in cubicles with no chance to ever run the show. That is until now. Even the desk jockey can claw his way to the top in "Capitalism," the game.Hong Kong game developer Trevor Chan just released the follow-up to the award-winning original, but the objective is the same. Move your assets to turn an upstart into the most profitable company in the world. First-time players can choose a challenge like, the world in your hands, where you manage a research and development lab out to post annual revenues of $400 million, and as you take on the competition, that's when the real drama begins.But "Capitalism" is no Business 101. Critics call it a deep involving game that could test even the sharpest business document. In fact, it's been used as a simulation exercise for business students at Stanford University.

A Great Business Simulator

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 31 / 32
Date: April 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This title is less of a game than it is a tool for immersing yourself in a business environment. This is good because this was how it was advertised to me before I bought it. That said, it is very good at the latter, and fairly decent at the former.

The goal is relatively straightforward. Make money, hit some profit targets (or whatever the scenario asks for - could be cornering a market, achieving aggregate sales targets, etc), and succeed at capitalism.

The gameplay is very deep. Price setting, factory building (and floor planning, even), real estate, economic cycles, a slew of products to choose from, technology research, training investments, marketing, income statements and balance sheets for comparative analysis, stock market gyrations - if you can find it in the Wall Street Journal, chances are high it's in this game too. And, most features are realistic enough to give plausibility to the entire enterprise. I like the focus on total capital rather than just running a business with high sales levels - I think most people considering this title would agree that wealth and income streams are more important than simply being popular (and not rich).

The graphics are in between Sim City 2000 and 3000, which was the standard when it was released, and are fairly decent even today. They do not detract from gameplay.

The sound is not bad, either. The sound effects are quite nice - I like how they added touches like playing a clip of the trading room floor when you look at the stock market. The music...can be turned off, unless you like being in an elevator.

The replayability is where this game shines. This game has a mammoth store of scenarios, and ends with a scenario that encompasses all of the previous ones combined (I have put in 12 hours on this one scenario alone and still have not completed it, although it was mainly due to tediousness rather than difficulty - imagine cornering not just the auto market but all types of consumer and industrial markets from tires to toothpaste, along with all aspects of retailing, manufacturing, and commodity production). I found the challenge factor to be very near the top of strategy games in general, and very much enjoyed the complete non-linearity with which you could accomplish tasks and goals.

One caveat, which may further reveal the depth of the game: When you play this game, and put your all into it, you'll begin to wonder why you're not simply reading *real* market trends and income statements, and overseeing your *real* businesses and investments. That, more than anything else, made me put this game aside, and pick up the Wall Street Journal once more. Otherwise, a great business simulator, and fairly entertaining at that.

Capitalism 2... It's unlike anything on the market!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 23
Date: March 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'd rather not bore you with a lengthy, sugar-coated review. If you are into business/tycoon games at all, and enjoy dealing with finances, the stock market, analyzing charts, etc. then this is the game for you! Like I said, when it comes to depth and addictiveness, It's unlike anything on the market, especially for $10!!

Great Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: April 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

A good game for people who wnat a challenge in business. This game has many dimensions; stock market, retail, manufacturing, wholesaling, media management, apartment/commmercial building management, etc. You can even buy out your competition and have control over them or sell to them.

NOTE: You do NOT have to complete the tutorials to play the game.

There are several senarios to play, ranging from simple to very complex, each has a rating on a scale.. You decide! One senario I chose, I became the 6th richest person in the world! Assets and cash over 10 billion dollars. Hours of fun and you can stop and Save... or retire with a Rating.

next level business sim

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: October 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

As a fan of the original capitalism, I enjoy the greater scope of the sequel. I've played the game on a limited basis, but I've noticed more of the options.

A fun economic simulation

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: November 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Definitely made by someone that knows what they're doing in the business world. Can be quite a bit of fun if you're willing to dedicate time to learning how to play properly, and you have a good business head on your shoulders.

Awesome game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 11
Date: March 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I love this game! Great business simulation with many different ways to play.

Simple, yet impressive

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: February 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm impressed. There are no frills, there are no gimmicks. This game cuts right to the chase. It's all about supply and demand, and the rest is open ended. The game provides the player with a vase array of goods. It's up to the player to decide which part of the production/consumption chain he wants to invest in, and then it's all about making money.

This game is pure simulation with just enough in the graphics department to keep the game in the 21st century. I would recommend this game to anyone who is into tycoon games or business simulations. It's the best one I've seen in quite awhile, and I play a lot of them.

Don't let the drab packaging fool you. This one is a keeper, and the replayability is very high. The only reason I didn't give it a full five stars in the "fun" department is simply because I like a few frills and easter eggs here and there. This game is all business.

Amazing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: April 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I loved this game, when i played the demo sometime back but forgot the name of the game, so once i found it i immediatly bought it...

The game has a very good stock market, it has training missions(called the entraprenuers campaign) which each most of the things(buttons) to use and is very helpful.

Strategies, like when to enter which market and what to research will depend on missions and personal choice.

It is a very addictive game and when i sit down to play it it takes me abt 2-3 hours each time, time flies without knowing it...

One huge plus about this game is it's low price (10bucks) and it works on Windows Vista as well (so future proof).

I am just sad that there is no Capitalism 3...

Extremely Comprehensive Business Sim

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 52 / 54
Date: September 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

There are almost as many different ways to make money in Capitalism 2 as there are in real life. The game models the complete manufacturing chain -- from raw materials such as coal and iron, to intermediate goods such as steel and plastic, through consumer products such as PCs and leather jackets -- for over 80 different products. You can buy products from other companies and focus on retailing, or get involved in any or all stages of the manufacturing process. (Of course, the biggest profits can be had by seeing a product all the way from raw materials to the retail checkout counter.) There's a stock market, commercial and rental properties, and three different advertising media.

The game's economic model is highly sophisticated. There are a number of factors that determine how well a product will sell. Of course, the price and quality of the product relative to its competitors is very important. Product quality is based on a combination of the quality of the input goods and the quality of the technology involved in the manufacturing process. (You can open research centers to improve your manufacturing technology levels and can also buy and sell technologies with your competitors.) For simple products such as bottled milk, the quality of the inputs (namely, milk) is the dominant factor. For high-tech products such as mobile phones, the manufacturing technology is much more important.

Other factors in the economic model include brand recognition (which is increased by advertising and also increases naturally over time if the product sells well), brand loyalty, the location and type of the store (there are about 16 types of stores ranging from mega-warehouses to specialty boutiques that only sell a few products), and the overall economic climate of the city (during a recession, luxury items will suffer but people will continue to buy staples such as food items.)

I'm sure I've failed to mention a dozen cool features of the economic model, but hopefully this is enough to whet your appetite.

As impressive as the economic model is, the true brilliance of the game lies in the interface. The game presents you with a staggering amount of data about your corporation, your competitors, and the markets in which you're competing. The complexity could easily become overwhelming, and it does take a while to familiarize yourself with all of the reports that are available, but the information is organized in a way that makes it easy to quickly hone in on problems that require your attention. Although the game features enough numbers to warm the heart of any accountant, the most important information (profitability, supply, demand) is also presented in graphical form. You can quickly flip through all of your businesses and read the vital signs of each business with just a glance. If you detect a problem, you can dive deeper into the vast ocean of data to determine the cause.

The only minor complaint I have about the game is that the AI is fairly weak. In particular, the AI companies aren't aggressive enough about acquiring natural resources. For example, you can easily buy up all the iron deposits in the game world and lock your competitors out of the lucrative steel and electronics markets. Also, the AI companies never seem to buy media firms, which are extremely powerful because they effectively allow you to advertise for free.

Nevertheless, even if the AI doesn't present much opposition, it's still fun to see how much money you can rack up. The game features a "Billionaire Scoreboard" that compares your personal fortune (and that of the various AI personalities) with real-life tycoons. It's very satisfying to knock Bill Gates out of the top spot.

Although the graphics are fairly good, all cities, from Beijing to Boston, are depicted using the same generic city graphics. It would've been a nice touch to have different architectures for the different cultures, or at least throw in some distinguishing landmark for each city.

In summary, I heartily recommend this game to anyone who's even the slightest bit interested in business-oriented simulations.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next 

Actions