 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Logo by Max Layne Photography
| PC |
According to recent research, the reason that a majority of men enjoy playing videogames so much is because of the fact that they enjoy
being able to control their world and conquer everything in it, which is exactly what videogames allow. It is obvious that computer
games are one of the last places that men are able to vent their primitive urge to dominate the world around them and no game
developer has done a better job of appealing to every man’s desire to play a god then Microsoft. Players were able to redefine world
history in the Age of Empires series and then control deities in the Age of Mythology series. Finally, with games like “Zoo Tycoon,”
players were able to build their very own multi-million dollar Zoo for the ground up from what was once nothing but a barren landscape.
Though the generalization may seem to be a little bit sexist, many can’t argue with the fact that a majority of gamers are men and most
of those men spend their gaming time playing games involving destroying an entire alien races that is attacking the planet or taking
control of a group and trying to lead them to have control of everything that is available. Any gamer that enjoys have control over
something will want to install “World of Zoo” as quickly as possible so that they are able to take control of the lives of thousands of
animals.
When players first load up “World of Zoo,” they may feel as though they have been cheated. There is no aerial view for players to use,
looking down on everything that they control, instead they are standing on ground level and the animals in the game will react to the
presence of the player as if they are nothing more than an everyday customer. Also, players may realize that they will soon be
surrounded by small children offering up comments of how cute all of the animals are in the game. Players will quickly realize the
“World of Zoo” isn’t the kind of game that they were expecting to play, but even with that said players may get pulled into this game
because of the fact that it has a fair amount of charm packaged with it.
From the very beginning it is quite clear that “World of Zoo” is a casual title aimed towards a younger gaming audience, or gamers who
like something a little bit more laid back than the typical simulation game. The game play focuses on a small park in which the player is
able to interact with a wide variety of animals. These can all be purchased with the game’s currency, which the player gradually earns
by completing certain criteria. The animals are then able to be customized in terms of their appearance. Players aren’t able to create
their own animals however, just to change the animal’s appearance by selecting from a variety of options.
Once the animal has been bought and its appearance has been finalized, the animal enters the park and players can engage in certain
activities with it. They can get it to chase toys, pet it, or they can buy items that are able to be put in the cage with the animal for them to
play with. The animal will also come close to the player and attempt to interact with the player, which gives the game a more personal
style of game play compared to other games of this type. The players is able to make a connection with animals in the zoo on a more
emotional level by naming the animals, playing with them and learning interesting facts about the animal along the way. All of this is
combined with the cute cartoon style graphics, and the game’s emphasis on player’s improving the animal’s quality of life means that it
is a great way to educate children about animal captivity and welfare.
Through this game kids will learn a lot about how animals interact with each other. Sometimes they will play fight and occasionally
certain animals will scare each other. The only real downside to the game is that it doesn’t really attempt to dismiss this whole myth
that wild animals are cute enough to want to pet. When players first start the game and purchase a big cat, it rolls around like a little
kitten with hearts emitting from its ears while players pet it with the cursor. It is obvious that having the reality of the creature ripping the
players apart if they get too close would scare off the target audience, but it is curious that the game doesn’t try to caution players about
the danger some of these animals could cause.
Besides the dangerous animal factor, “World of Zoo” is a well put together casual game. The cute cartoon graphics in the game make
it endearing, while the game is well paced progression, with new animals, toys and features are constantly unlocked, meaning that
there are a lot of incentives to keep playing the game. It is very obvious that “World of Zoo” isn’t a game for everyone, especially for
those gamers that are looking for the chance to look over an area and control its fate. However, players will find that sometimes being
nurturing can be almost as much fun as killing, conquering and ruling.
being able to control their world and conquer everything in it, which is exactly what videogames allow. It is obvious that computer
games are one of the last places that men are able to vent their primitive urge to dominate the world around them and no game
developer has done a better job of appealing to every man’s desire to play a god then Microsoft. Players were able to redefine world
history in the Age of Empires series and then control deities in the Age of Mythology series. Finally, with games like “Zoo Tycoon,”
players were able to build their very own multi-million dollar Zoo for the ground up from what was once nothing but a barren landscape.
Though the generalization may seem to be a little bit sexist, many can’t argue with the fact that a majority of gamers are men and most
of those men spend their gaming time playing games involving destroying an entire alien races that is attacking the planet or taking
control of a group and trying to lead them to have control of everything that is available. Any gamer that enjoys have control over
something will want to install “World of Zoo” as quickly as possible so that they are able to take control of the lives of thousands of
animals.
When players first load up “World of Zoo,” they may feel as though they have been cheated. There is no aerial view for players to use,
looking down on everything that they control, instead they are standing on ground level and the animals in the game will react to the
presence of the player as if they are nothing more than an everyday customer. Also, players may realize that they will soon be
surrounded by small children offering up comments of how cute all of the animals are in the game. Players will quickly realize the
“World of Zoo” isn’t the kind of game that they were expecting to play, but even with that said players may get pulled into this game
because of the fact that it has a fair amount of charm packaged with it.
From the very beginning it is quite clear that “World of Zoo” is a casual title aimed towards a younger gaming audience, or gamers who
like something a little bit more laid back than the typical simulation game. The game play focuses on a small park in which the player is
able to interact with a wide variety of animals. These can all be purchased with the game’s currency, which the player gradually earns
by completing certain criteria. The animals are then able to be customized in terms of their appearance. Players aren’t able to create
their own animals however, just to change the animal’s appearance by selecting from a variety of options.
Once the animal has been bought and its appearance has been finalized, the animal enters the park and players can engage in certain
activities with it. They can get it to chase toys, pet it, or they can buy items that are able to be put in the cage with the animal for them to
play with. The animal will also come close to the player and attempt to interact with the player, which gives the game a more personal
style of game play compared to other games of this type. The players is able to make a connection with animals in the zoo on a more
emotional level by naming the animals, playing with them and learning interesting facts about the animal along the way. All of this is
combined with the cute cartoon style graphics, and the game’s emphasis on player’s improving the animal’s quality of life means that it
is a great way to educate children about animal captivity and welfare.
Through this game kids will learn a lot about how animals interact with each other. Sometimes they will play fight and occasionally
certain animals will scare each other. The only real downside to the game is that it doesn’t really attempt to dismiss this whole myth
that wild animals are cute enough to want to pet. When players first start the game and purchase a big cat, it rolls around like a little
kitten with hearts emitting from its ears while players pet it with the cursor. It is obvious that having the reality of the creature ripping the
players apart if they get too close would scare off the target audience, but it is curious that the game doesn’t try to caution players about
the danger some of these animals could cause.
Besides the dangerous animal factor, “World of Zoo” is a well put together casual game. The cute cartoon graphics in the game make
it endearing, while the game is well paced progression, with new animals, toys and features are constantly unlocked, meaning that
there are a lot of incentives to keep playing the game. It is very obvious that “World of Zoo” isn’t a game for everyone, especially for
those gamers that are looking for the chance to look over an area and control its fate. However, players will find that sometimes being
nurturing can be almost as much fun as killing, conquering and ruling.
| Genre: Simulation Developer: Blue Fang Games Publisher: THQ |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
