[ 1 DVD ]
- Published by: Activision Value
- Developed by: Activision
- Genre: Business Strategy
- Release Date: Jan 25, 2005
SeaWorld Tycoon 2, the latest themepark game offering. ">
Hot on the heels of the new release of Microsoft's Zoo Tycoon 2, comes SeaWorld Tycoon 2, an Activision Value production. This updated version features a fully rotational 3D view, more rides and attractions, and the ability to choreograph animal shows.
Upon startup, players can choose from several beginning scenarios of varying difficulty. Players new to building-type games should start with the first and easiest level, to get a feel for the game. However, even at this easy level, many things are left unexplained, and players will often end up clicking around in a trial-and-error manner, as the manual is not available from inside the game. The manual is installed in the game folder during installation, and it's probably a good idea to read it before beginning the game.
The first level just requires players to add three buildings to the existing park. The objectives are listed in the menu, and the status of the objectives can also be seen at the top of the screen. Building is a snap, and each object can be easily rotated for the best placement. However, there doesn't appear to be an "undo" function, which is an annoyance, as the bulldozer function only recoups part of the cost of the building. Another, milder annoyance is the lack of a right-click function to get rid of buildings attached to the mouse cursor.
Information on each building can be obtained by right clicking on them, with handy menus detailing the building's pricing and other information, as well as facts on the animals and staff. Cameras can be assigned to the animals and staff, too, which is a great tool. Sometimes, though, it's hard to pick out the staff member from the general crowd, even with the camera, as the viewpoint isn't close enough.
All the animals in the exhibits look fantastic, and the shows are lively and exciting. The backgrounds and other objects are not as well detailed, but are still pretty good. The people are the least detailed, and look quite pixelated.
The interface menu is adequate, and gives out a decent amount of information on various things. Figuring the menus out at first is difficult, though, and requires perusal of the manual. The camera is the best feature of the game, and it's extremely easy to zoom in and around the park to see into every nook and cranny. The amount of detail necessary for each building and background object to achieve this flowing movement must be phenomenal. The only drawback to the camera view is that the zoom isn't zoomed in quite closely enough.
This simulation title is based on the SeaWorld license, and adheres pretty closely to the spirit of the real thing. There is a good amount of buildings and rides to play around with, but not anything like the number of animals and items in Zoo Tycoon 2 or any of the Roller Coaster Tycoon games. The choreographing ability is well-done, though, and the animal shows are more lifelike here than in Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania.
For the price, this is a worthwhile game for players looking for another animal-themed park simulation game. While there isn't quite as much to do as in some simulation games, there is still plenty to fiddle around with, and most theme-park enthusiasts will enjoy it.
Sytem Requirements :
| Windows 98/ME/2000/XP | ||
| Pentium III 800MHz Processor | ||
| 128MB RAM | ||
| 173MB Hard Disk Space | ||
| 8X CD-ROM Drive | ||
| DirectX 9 | ||
| 32MB DirectX compatible Video Card with Hardware T&L | ||
| 16-bit SoundBlaster compatible Sound Card |