Old One
Arcane
Although there are a couple of other Tropico threads, I didn't see one specific to 4.
A few weeks ago I picked up Tropico 1, Tropico 2, and Tropico 4 in a sale. I remember being interested in 1 when it first came out, but not until now have I ever tried it. I played a few games of 1, then a few games of 2 (I had no idea it was about pirates), and now I've played a few games of 4.
I like many things about 4 (especially how it stays faithful to the mechanics of Tropico 1, and improves on them) but I made this thread primarily to rant about the couple things I hate.
The second-worst thing is that it often wanders away from what it's focus should be, which is the management of a Caribbean or Central American banana republic. I'm not talking about game mechanics as much as I'm talking about the editorial voice. As an example, why, while the game is loading, am I given quotes from Sun Tzu, Napoleon, and Margaret Thatcher? These people are not part of the Tropico milieu, and the displayed quotes are not in reference to the Tropico setting.
The worst thing though, is the lame comedy and the fact that it's integrated into all parts of the game so you can't escape it. Tropico 1 had a funny premise, and there were jokes in it and funny things about it, but it never presented itself as a gag game. In Tropico 4 every NPC is a goofy caricature with a goofy portrait and some goofy nonsense to say. That might be okay if it were funny, but it's not funny.
I'm on mission 4 of the campaign, and it's really becoming a drag to have to listen to Sunny Flowers, the anglo hippie-chick caricature who represents the Environmental faction, complain about pollution again. Bleh.
The sad thing is, it's all part of the cosmetic presentation. There's no reason it has to be this way, because the underlying game seems pretty good. Frustrating.
/rant
A few weeks ago I picked up Tropico 1, Tropico 2, and Tropico 4 in a sale. I remember being interested in 1 when it first came out, but not until now have I ever tried it. I played a few games of 1, then a few games of 2 (I had no idea it was about pirates), and now I've played a few games of 4.
I like many things about 4 (especially how it stays faithful to the mechanics of Tropico 1, and improves on them) but I made this thread primarily to rant about the couple things I hate.
The second-worst thing is that it often wanders away from what it's focus should be, which is the management of a Caribbean or Central American banana republic. I'm not talking about game mechanics as much as I'm talking about the editorial voice. As an example, why, while the game is loading, am I given quotes from Sun Tzu, Napoleon, and Margaret Thatcher? These people are not part of the Tropico milieu, and the displayed quotes are not in reference to the Tropico setting.
The worst thing though, is the lame comedy and the fact that it's integrated into all parts of the game so you can't escape it. Tropico 1 had a funny premise, and there were jokes in it and funny things about it, but it never presented itself as a gag game. In Tropico 4 every NPC is a goofy caricature with a goofy portrait and some goofy nonsense to say. That might be okay if it were funny, but it's not funny.
I'm on mission 4 of the campaign, and it's really becoming a drag to have to listen to Sunny Flowers, the anglo hippie-chick caricature who represents the Environmental faction, complain about pollution again. Bleh.
The sad thing is, it's all part of the cosmetic presentation. There's no reason it has to be this way, because the underlying game seems pretty good. Frustrating.
/rant
