About a week ago, (a week ago? i think it was a week.. i've lost track of time) i agreed to a friend to review my new-found favourite game, Tropico 3. I had a b.. Shit! Was i supposed to do it for this weekend? No! I mean yes..! I was! bloody fuck, ok..
Er, well, i guess actions save a thousand words, or pictures speak louder than words or whatever, so i may have to phone in sick saying, "i enjoyed it so much, i've been unable to write anything.. so um, here's some pictures..?"
PS. to whom it may concern: Ha, i'm joking.. i am still gonna try and write a proper review, i promise! Possibly within the week, i dunno.. I've only got a couple of islands left.. so hopefully..
Btw since few people know anything about this game: it's a sim-city strategy style game, set in cold war era carribean. You play a dictat.. I mean Presidente, aided by your (generally) trustworthy advisor Penultimo, building a nation from scratch on deserted islands to fulfil various objectives. Throughout each level the superpowers compete for your "loyalty to their respective ideologies" (read "usefulness") sometimes by making helpful offers, sometimes demands, and sometimes, if things get really bad, by turning up to say hello with some gunships. There is never a dull moment, with the various domestic factions and their silly requests, the people occasionally being the unappreciative shits they can be, random events and obviously elections.. if you choose to go in for all that democratic rubbish, of course. Nothing in the game is obligatory, but every choice you make- from choosing a capitalist or communist approach, to your response to posed offers, to the 'fate' you might arrange for a particular troublesome citizen- everything impacts something somewhere in the game. As the dischordia saying goes: Do what thou wilt, but remember, no one likes an asshole.
Most of my islands have been tobacco paradises.
A little on going sandbox project, where i'm trying to see if i can get the population's happiness up to 100%. I don't think i've ever got higher than 65%, and that only after the KGB put drugs in the water supply.
Hi-5 if you know it
The custom avatar page lets you choose your characters strengths and flaws. I haven't had the courage to try out this flaw yet..Tropico 3 can be slow paced (fitting for carribean culture really), but very satisfying, especially if strategical thinking pleases you in games, and you're happy to do it in a world whose citizens take dilemnas with a pinch of salt, a fat cigar and some disprortionately joyful music.
Incidentally if you decide to try it out, a few things:
1. right now its on sale for less than £7 on steam. (normally £20)
2. this game has a lot of detail, it can be very subtle and complex, yet it has a frankly pitiful attempt at a tutorial- and the steam version doesn't even come with a manual. I've seen many comments on the internet like: "don't like this game. I can't feed the people and they keep starving", "this game is too slow, each level takes days." and "rebels keep attacking me and i can't stop them" because people simply don't know how it works. The manual can be useful for reference and can be downloaded here. There is also a fan guide that people have said have helped them here, although imo the author doesn't seem to know where his opinions stop and rational strategy starts. Experiment a bit in the game (you don't have to know everything right away) and hopefully you'll be away.
3. Thirdly.. the DJ.. he is fucking annoying. You can turn him off in the options. Or even have him shot, if you have the expansion pack and you're feeling like that.
Right well, i suppose sooner or later i need to get on with a proper fucking review. Oh.. and sorry i haven't posted here much for a while, i... i don't know, i don't think i even have an excuse this time. I am well though, more or less, hope you've been fine too :)
