Zoo Tycoon

"Taking care of animals sounds like fun... but not as much as you think"

This is one of the MANY Tycoon games out there. I don't know, I just haven't ever been a huge fan of the Tycoons. Maybe you are, but I'm not. They just don't pick up a lot of fun for me. This game didn't really take a turn on that, either.

In fact, it was much more boring than the Tycoon games that I have are. Really, all you do is set up cages and put animals in them, and watch them grow. In Rollercoaster Tycoon, you get to see all of your guests ride the rollercoasters and other rides. It just is a lot more interesting than this game, as I will tell you why.

GRAPHICS- 7/10

They're OK. Maybe not all that great, but they're definitely suitable. The Tycoon games just weren't made for their graphics.

OBJECTIVES- 8/10

Since the game doesn't have a real storyline, it's basically a game of objectives and building up huge zoos. Your objectives are usually based on getting a high enough park rating by a certain month of year, which I find a difficult task. I must admit though, I am a teen, so I'm not all that great with the financial stuff.

GAMEPLAY- 4/10

Why am I rating it at a 4/10? Because it is BORING. Really, it goes like this: set up a cage for your animal, select the animal that you want to buy, and place it in the cage. If it's a dinosaur (which is awesome, except the t-rex never is happy with its environment), then it'll first have to hatch. Other than that, all you get to do is watch the animals and watch your employees take care of them. Boring. There are some fun things to do, though, such as breaking down part of the cage and watching your t-rexes and lions eat up everyone in the park. But, of course, this is not what the game is about. Really, it's just a thing about money. It isn't a lot of fun, I have to tell you.

LENGTH- 10/10

Oh, there's plenty of places to go. It's just that you're never going to build zoos on half of those places. There is PLENTY of variety, from sandy deserts to watery valleys.

CHALLENGE- 9/10

Whenever I rank challenge, I consider 6/10 to 8/10 for an appropriate game challenge. This one ranks at a 9/10 because most people (aside from people who work in the financial industry) will have trouble getting all of that money racked up in the end. I have to tell you that it is much more difficult than it looks.

REPLAY VALUE- 7/10

There's some replay value, but after a while, it seems almost pointless to do the SAME thing over and over again.

OVERALL- 6/10

This game has its flaws, but there are some pretty cool things that you can do and experiment with it. What is my final recommendation? Rent it.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/01/07

Game Release: Zoo Tycoon (US, 08/06/03)