Latest News
Announced back in February 2013 during the PS4 reveal conference, PlayStation Now has finally gone open beta on the PS4.... [read more]
Last week, BioWare released a strange trailer for a new game. Today, another strange trailer came out that doesn’t answer any questions, just creates news ones.
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To defeat Sauron the dark lord, The Wraith comes to aide Talion as he battles through Sauron’s forces.
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Latest Articles
This June was an important month for Nintendo. Prior to them winning the hearts of gamers across the globe at E3, they were in some hot water over a game that came out just a few days before. That game, Tomodachi Life, became the center of a world of drama that was not only ... [read more]
Announced during the Sony E3 Press Conference, PS4 owners got their first shot to play Destiny. The Destiny Alpha only lasted a few days, but it left a big impression.... [read more]
Even though Nintendo was not producing a live press conference, they didn't spare any expense with the production value of their E3 Digital Event. ... [read more]
Latest Reviews
It's safe to say that Titanfall is the first highly-anticipated next gen (or should I say current gen) game for 2014.Developed by Respawn Entertainment, Titanfall received some huge hype at E3, and it was well deserved. Although the game is not perfect, it's heading in the r... [read more]
I can honestly say that Conception II would be an incredibly awkward game to try and describe to anyone who doesn’t watch anime or play RPGs. In fact, if someone could find a socially acceptable way to describe a game where you impregnate girl’s souls using your “star ... [read more]
Outlast became one of my favorite survival horror games and I gave it a 9 in my review. The game, however, left me wanting for more jump scares and thus I was naturally excited to quickly dive into its story related DLC, Whistleblower.
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Latest Videos
From Deconstructeam, Gods Will Be Watching is a new take on the point-and-click gameplay. If you're having trouble understanding how the game works, this video will give you some insight on the unique gameplay.
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The Original Gamer crew returned to San Japan with more panels. This panel, "Everything You Wanted to Know About Video Games," featured O.G., Joe Guerra and Victoria Sertich from 3D Generation and Brandon Alexander, co-owner of Ultra Arcade. ... [read more]
8-Bit Eric finally got around to playing Super Mario Bros. U. He probably loved it, but watch the video to see why. ... [read more]
I can distinctly remember that day way back when I was ten years old, going to the local library and watching as a bunch of kids gathered around the only computer there. They were playing Sim City 2000, a game which would quickly become one of my favorite pastimes, and one which I still look fondly upon today. But the Sim City franchise saw a swift collapse with the release of the underwhelming Sim City Societies, so when I was asked to review Tropico 4 which I had heard was a similar experience to that franchise of old, I was more than excited. Although the game has been panned for being little more than a minor upgrade of Tropico 3, having not been familiar with the franchise until this point, I am going to try to offer an honest review based on the merits of the game itself. So light up a Cuban, peel a banana, and let’s get into Tropico 4.
SWEET, CUBAN TOBACCO
The World Is Yours - Tropico 4 is an island simulator in which you are creating and maintaining a dictatorship, and it does a great job of selling this and immersing you in the environment. I was initially unimpressed by the standard “build this here, build that there” approach early on. After I whisked through the brief but informative tutorial and learned all of the game’s tiny factors, though, I was sold. There are many things to consider such as food production, importing and exporting goods, and monitoring citizen happiness, which acts as the backbone for the game. Though it operates on a smaller scale than Sim City, it feels much more intimate because of this, and will be a real thrill for anyone who enjoys playing God.
Sweet As Sugar - Most importantly, Tropico 4 is a lot of fun. The interface is simple, and though there are a lot of things to consider when constructing and maintaining the island, there isn’t a huge level of micromanagement to worry about. With a campaign setting available, and with each campaign having multiple player objectives that yield small rewards, it feels a little more focused than some games of this type. But with a full sandbox mode also included, there will be plenty here to keep anyone occupied long after the campaign is finished.
White Sand, Blue Water - To close up the package, the game is incredibly well presented. The music in particular is absolutely fantastic, keeping a heavy Cuban vibe the whole way through, and the dossier overlays, silly caricatures and heavily accented voice acting helps maintain a very light hearted theme, especially considering the somewhat dark subject matter. (Just you try and tell me that my sweat shop canneries aren’t kind of twisted. I dare you.) Apart from a bunch of calculations and numbers being processed in the background, there really isn’t too much to games like this, so presentation is a fairly important element and Tropico 4 does it very well.
CORN FOR DINNER AGAIN?
By The Numbers - I don’t have a lot of negative things to say about the game, except that at a certain point, it will no longer be difficult or interesting to run your island. Tropico 4 offers many opportunities to adapt, but there is often only really one right way to proceed. Campaign mode can feel a bit rigid at times because of this; even though specific objectives are nice for those who need guidance, they often feel like an unwavering blueprint on the types of buildings you should construct, and in a sandbox game such as this, following a specific build order can get boring pretty quickly.
What's your most anticipated game for August?
