The greatest thing about Zoo Tycoon is that you can remove the walls of the exhibits and let the animals run loose, eating guests and causing mayhem until recaptured. The hard work stops as soon as you’ve finished your objectives, and all there is left to do is twiddle your thumbs until you rub your fingerprints off. And it doesn’t exactly make for good gameplay. You can spend ages adding a bit more savannah grass, and tweaking the amount of dirt on the floor before the critters are fully satisfied. As well as company, toys and food, your animals need their original environment recreated with just the right percentage of ground covered with the correct surface. There isn't much micromanaging to endure but, as if to make up for this, Zoo Tycoon has a very stupid system for ensuring the well-being and happiness of each of the animals. You start off with a small number of animals you can 'adopt’ and stick in the exhibits, but you can research new species (not quite sure how that works) as well as new habitats, shelters and toys, while also improving staff training. In both cases you have to build paths, fence in areas and hire keepers and repairmen. The game is divided into two modes: scenarios and freeform, the first one setting out very clear objectives to be completed within a specified time, the second closer to the original Theme Park, giving you carte blanche to build until you simply can’t take it anymore. For one thing, we haven’t seen such a boring management game since Sim Ant. Putting moral considerations aside though, Zoo Tycoon is still open to criticism. Zoos are still portrayed as the place the whole family can go for a fun day out and a perfectly suitable subject for children’s books.
Not that the public at large will think so.
But building an empire around a bunch of animals shoved in cages for visitors munching candyfloss to stare at still seems distasteful.
Entertaining, educational, and a pleasure to behold, Zoo Tycoon is a must for animal-loving Xbox One families.On a scale of questionable ethics, a game about running a zoo doesn’t quite compare with say,Ĭoncentration Camp Tycoon. Thanks to some smart voice commands that let you call up key pieces of information - such as which animals need attention and which buildings need repairs - on the map, you need never worry about getting stuck surfing around dull menus. So, too, is running around the zoo at street level, where you can make faces for monkeys to copy (thanks to the power of Xbox One's next-generation Kinect, which recognizes facial expressions) or drive around in one of the zoo carts.Įven the business simulation stuff is easy to understand and well integrated into the adventure. Building enclosures, outfitting them with interactive pavilions, and airlifting in animals to populate them is a ton of fun. Not only does it look terrific - the animals are so lifelike you'll want to reach into the game and pet them - it's also a blast to play. Zoo Tycoon is an unexpected gem among the initial crop of launch games for Xbox One (although it's also playable on Xbox 360). A cooperative online mode allows kids to play with up to three others to more quickly achieve goals. You may be required to create a new attraction to please bored guests, research and build a breeding center to help propagate a species, deliver items from the main gate to a concession, or just go take some pictures of your favorite animals for a nature magazine.
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Then, kids are free either to start building the zoo of their dreams in the virtually unlimited free-form mode or begin taking on specially designed scenarios in the career mode, where they'll be given specific tasks and objectives.
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A series of comprehensive tutorials leads players through all facets of the simulation. Your aim is to look after the zoo, keeping it functional, clean, and profitable while also researching ways to expand it, adding new animals and attractions, and spending some quality time with the creatures in your care.
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