Kidnapping, slavery, and forced prostitution are the backbone of this game (Tropico 2 (PC))

Member Name: madda

Product:	Tropico 2 (PC)
Date:	19/05/04 (104 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Addictive & well-balanced, Nicely detailed and beautifully annimated

Disadvantages: No multiplayer, Standardised sound effects

Tropico 2: Pirate Cove is a sequel to Tropico, one of the best dictator simulation ever. Unlike the original game, the role of the leader in Tropico 2 is clearly set - you are always a villain. As an all-powerful Pirate King, you must manage a seventeenth century band of buccaneers. You can build ships and send out your pirates to grab money or kidnap a captive with a particularly helpful skill or just raid a settlement for more captive workers. There are six ships to choose from, ranging from the tiny Snow, which should only be used for exploration, to the huge Galleon. To keep your pirates happy enough that they won't murder someone or stage a coup you'll need to provide them with entertainment in the form of drinking, wenching, gambling, feasting, and a feeling of anarchy, while prisoners thrive on food, rest, religion, fear, and a sense of order in their lives.

In comparsion with the original game, there are three big changes to "Tropico" Model. The first is that the traditional economic model is reversed - you maintain your wealth not by production of materials, but by plundering merchants on the high seas and bringing the victims back to the island as captive workers (the population is divided into pirates and their captives). Of course, captives must be kept in fear (for example you can order random executions) or they will try to escape. Another major change is the increased emphasis on the importance of characters, especially pirate characters. Each pirate captain on your island is unique with unique character art, portraits, characteristics, etc. Some of these captains are legendary pirates like Morgan or Captain Kidd. You will care if one of your captains gets captured, and you will appreciate his greatness when he is promoted. The island is also zoned so that richer pirates may sequester themselves in their own booty-fil
led mansions, which automatically upgrade as their standards of living improve. Finally, the campaign mode i
s also a change, or rather an addition.

Tropico 2 features four basic modes of play - Learn (tutorial), Campaign, Stand Alone Scenario, and Sandbox. The campaign mode encompasses 16 missions and puts you in charge of a certain island, with modest resources and limited buildings to choose from. Of course, you can also play stand-alone scenarios or a player-generated game where you set all the parameters and create your own pirate king. The Sandbox mode allows you to set your own victory conditions on an island difficulty of your choosing.

The city building type games have gotten so boring and stale. This game makes the genre fun and gives new hope for the future of this type of game. If you've ever wanted to rule a desert island, Tropico 2 might well be the game for you. Kidnapping, slavery, and forced prostitution are the backbone of this game.

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