Zoo Tycoon
SCORE: 87
There are some games that just make me say: "WOW!" Zoo Tycoon on the Xbox 360 is one of those games. Going into this game I knew I would build zoos, take care of animals, keep guests happy, and spend time at virtual zoos. I was not expecting to go walking around and see my zoo in 3D.
Old time traditional Zoo Tycoon veterans need not worry. The tried and true sky view is still in Zoo Tycoon. In fact it is easier to use that view to build the zoo, design its layout, add animals, and more. There is something so awesome about driving around in a little buggy seeing what you built.
I tip my Seattle Seahawks hat to Microsoft. They put together one impressive looking home console video game. The tutorials are amazing. I recommend families play through all ten tutorials. There are important skills taught there. I was bummed that there was no achievement for playing all ten tutorials.
The four game play modes in Zoo Tycoon are Training, Freeform, Challenge, and Campaign. You can earn items in Campaign Mode that can be used in Freeform. Freeform is by far my personal favorite. With unlimited funds you can build a monster zoo that is impressive beyond belief.
Families need to be more strategic when they play Challenge and Campaign. There are missions that need to be completed. They range in time and difficulty. I personally ran into issues completing some of them. Failing a mission will cost the player something. Doing a mission right will grant bonuses. These two modes are also a lot slower than Freeform.
How many games have really cool loading screens? Zoo Tycoon has a great one. The image of an animal morphs into another animal. Or it morphs into words. This is one small aspect of Zoo Tycoon that told me all kinds of thought went into creating this intelligently designed home console video game.
I do have one complaint concerning Zoo Tycoon. These small habitats are where we put animals like komodo dragons, and anacondas. The walls are so short they could easily escape. Every zoo I have been to has reptile buildings. This is the biggest problem I have with Zoo Tycoon. The lack of realism felt lost when I see a guest to the zoo face to face with a komodo dragon. It could have easily bit the guest.
All in all
I am very impressed with Zoo Tycoon. I love making global changes to the
zoo, as well as localized ones. I enjoyed seeing the walking paths
automatically populate when I put down another part of the zoo. I
enjoyed advertising, and researching for new things in my zoo.
- Paul
UPDATE {12/01/2013}: Mild evolutionary religious belief content was
discovered in this home console game in the Zoopedia. Such as the
inaccurate comparison between human and chip DNA where much of the data
was thrown out to get a higher number.
Graphics: 95%
Sound: 85%
Replay/Extras: 90%
Gameplay: 85%
Family Friendly Factor: 80%
System: Xbox 360
Publisher: Microsoft
Rating: 'E' – Everyone
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