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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Strategy Developer: Haemimont Publisher: Kalypso Media |
City building games are all about choices, but the overall appeal of the design depends on whether or not those choices are interesting
and interrelated. The Tropico series has always scored high in this area, giving players a system that feels logical and consistent but
also charming and unpredictable. The third game in the series, “Tropico 3,” captures the appeal very well. “Tropico 3” adds a layer of
political action that makes players feel like a real leader and not just a businessman.
From the first day players take office, they will have ships at the docks dropping off immigrants and picking up exports. If players want to
remain in power, they will have to balance between giving the people what they want and doing what will keep them in power. Players
will begin with a couple of farms and a tenement, but they will want to add new housing and farms as the population continue to grow.
They will also need to make sure that everything is connected by roads and enough garages to provide transportation for the people.
Obviously, a larger population will require more service, so players will need to construct more buildings and adopt new policies to fight
crime and pollution. Players can add more layers on infrastructure; build canneries and furniture plants to make more valuable exports,
or hotels and tourist destinations to earn money from vacationers. Players can also add an immigration office that will help determine
who can and can’t enter or leave the island.
“Tropico 3” is an enjoyable city builder, but when the political and diplomatic options are added, the game is even better. Players are
free to enact a variety of policies from basic food and social security benefits to more conflict-ridden things, such as book burnings. The
edicts extend to the player’s involvement with the U.S. and U.S.S.R., which can have profound benefits to their society but also risk of
upsetting nationalists and revolutionaries.
If things do get bad, players will have an election with more options. They will have the chance to make some promises, praise
disenfranchised groups and institute a tax cut to sway public opinion. If players are able to win they get to keep playing but they will deal
with consequences. If they lose the reload option is available. Players can expect armed resistance if things don’t go well. The game
will give players updates as people become rebels and the player’s military advisors will remind players when they need to strengthen
their forces. Players will immediately get a campaign that allows players to work through 15 different islands with varying objectives.
Each island starts players with some cash, a palace and a few important buildings to get things going. From there players are free to
develop the island however they see fit to reach the goals. Though many of the campaign have only one goal, there are occasional side
goals that can take the game in a different direction.
A lot of the overall character and story of the island will come in the type of leader that players choose to play. “Tropico 3” includes a
large number of Caribbean and South American leaders, from Castro to Pinochet. Each has unique traits that make life on the island
easier or harder for the play as they try to rule the island, but the real fun of the game comes from the ability to make a personal dictator
and deciding what qualities they will be able to bring to the game. Players will have the chance to pick a background, a path to power
and two different advantages and disadvantages from a list for their dictator, so players are able to express some very unique ideas and
create a very unique character for the game.
The traits not only allow players to set up a little bit of personality in their leader, but also give players a chance to fine tune the difficulty
of the game. If players have a mission that requires them to stay in power for a long period of time, they can easily tip the scale in their
favor by creating a ruler that enjoys some additional loyalty points. Players are able to tip the scales so much that they will be able to
start off some missions with such high rating in some areas that some of the more difficult options become available instantly. Of
course, players can play the other way as well, trying to see if they can create an attractive tourist paradise with an extremely brutal ruler.
“Tropico 3” combines the elements of a great city building game with the intrigue of a political game. The city builder portions of the
game are driven by a lot of logical choices and consequences that leave the player feeling free to explore their own paths towards
success. This isn’t a game when the associations are so rigid that players will end up building the same city on each island. Also, the
unpredictable event system gives players a chance to change their focus and add more context to their game. The political system
gives players a motivation to succeed on their own terms without locking them into any specific strategy. Unfortunately the pace of the
game is a little bit slow at times and the interface could be a little bit clearer in some spots, but these are minor issues that won’t keep
fans of the series or genre from enjoying all the other things that the game is able to get right.
and interrelated. The Tropico series has always scored high in this area, giving players a system that feels logical and consistent but
also charming and unpredictable. The third game in the series, “Tropico 3,” captures the appeal very well. “Tropico 3” adds a layer of
political action that makes players feel like a real leader and not just a businessman.
From the first day players take office, they will have ships at the docks dropping off immigrants and picking up exports. If players want to
remain in power, they will have to balance between giving the people what they want and doing what will keep them in power. Players
will begin with a couple of farms and a tenement, but they will want to add new housing and farms as the population continue to grow.
They will also need to make sure that everything is connected by roads and enough garages to provide transportation for the people.
Obviously, a larger population will require more service, so players will need to construct more buildings and adopt new policies to fight
crime and pollution. Players can add more layers on infrastructure; build canneries and furniture plants to make more valuable exports,
or hotels and tourist destinations to earn money from vacationers. Players can also add an immigration office that will help determine
who can and can’t enter or leave the island.
“Tropico 3” is an enjoyable city builder, but when the political and diplomatic options are added, the game is even better. Players are
free to enact a variety of policies from basic food and social security benefits to more conflict-ridden things, such as book burnings. The
edicts extend to the player’s involvement with the U.S. and U.S.S.R., which can have profound benefits to their society but also risk of
upsetting nationalists and revolutionaries.
If things do get bad, players will have an election with more options. They will have the chance to make some promises, praise
disenfranchised groups and institute a tax cut to sway public opinion. If players are able to win they get to keep playing but they will deal
with consequences. If they lose the reload option is available. Players can expect armed resistance if things don’t go well. The game
will give players updates as people become rebels and the player’s military advisors will remind players when they need to strengthen
their forces. Players will immediately get a campaign that allows players to work through 15 different islands with varying objectives.
Each island starts players with some cash, a palace and a few important buildings to get things going. From there players are free to
develop the island however they see fit to reach the goals. Though many of the campaign have only one goal, there are occasional side
goals that can take the game in a different direction.
A lot of the overall character and story of the island will come in the type of leader that players choose to play. “Tropico 3” includes a
large number of Caribbean and South American leaders, from Castro to Pinochet. Each has unique traits that make life on the island
easier or harder for the play as they try to rule the island, but the real fun of the game comes from the ability to make a personal dictator
and deciding what qualities they will be able to bring to the game. Players will have the chance to pick a background, a path to power
and two different advantages and disadvantages from a list for their dictator, so players are able to express some very unique ideas and
create a very unique character for the game.
The traits not only allow players to set up a little bit of personality in their leader, but also give players a chance to fine tune the difficulty
of the game. If players have a mission that requires them to stay in power for a long period of time, they can easily tip the scale in their
favor by creating a ruler that enjoys some additional loyalty points. Players are able to tip the scales so much that they will be able to
start off some missions with such high rating in some areas that some of the more difficult options become available instantly. Of
course, players can play the other way as well, trying to see if they can create an attractive tourist paradise with an extremely brutal ruler.
“Tropico 3” combines the elements of a great city building game with the intrigue of a political game. The city builder portions of the
game are driven by a lot of logical choices and consequences that leave the player feeling free to explore their own paths towards
success. This isn’t a game when the associations are so rigid that players will end up building the same city on each island. Also, the
unpredictable event system gives players a chance to change their focus and add more context to their game. The political system
gives players a motivation to succeed on their own terms without locking them into any specific strategy. Unfortunately the pace of the
game is a little bit slow at times and the interface could be a little bit clearer in some spots, but these are minor issues that won’t keep
fans of the series or genre from enjoying all the other things that the game is able to get right.
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