Tropico 3

Title: Tropico 3
Platform Played On: PC
Release Date: October 20, 2009
Date Played: Spring-Summer 2012
Time Played: 54 hours
Completed (Y/N): Yes
Score: 4/5



Opinion:

I have never played Tropico 1 or 2, I never even knew that such a series existed until Tropico 3 made a splash with several podcasts that I listen to. The main appeal of the series is the fact that instead of trying to be a good mayor as is encouraged in other games (Sim City for example), in Tropico 3 you play the role of a dictator. Basically a 180 degree turn from the typical.

Tropico 3 consists of a sandbox mode which offers exactly what you would expect. An endless supply of random scenarios and missions. However even without that Tropico 3 features a lengthy campaign consisting of 15 missions, which took me 54 hours to complete.

Each mission is its own island with its own objectives, bonuses, restrictions and caveats. The mission objectives vary from staying in power for a certain amount of time to making your island nation financially viable. You will find yourself dealing with disgruntled citizens either by appeasing them or by murdering them and their families in cold blood. You will find yourself dealing with the capitalists and communists, nationalists and the church. Tropico is flexible enough to let you run your country in whatever way you choose to. From praising yourself in the elections to outright banning election. From bribing influential people to allying with the Soviets or the US. Needless to say, Tropico 3 is a fun strategy sim game.

Every level starts out about the same. It is the 50's and you find yourself for one reason or another as El Presidente of a small island nation. You build roads, housing, farms and other infrastructure, while at the same time try and set up an export economy by exporting tobacco or oil or gold or iron or whatever your island can produce in order to make money, and if you got nothing then perhaps it is a good tourist destenation? Tropico 3 does a good job at giving you choices (although some scenarios funnel you towards using one resource or another to go with the story line). Once you establish your nation's infrastructure you need to start worrying about crime, pollution and other needs of the citizens. Ignorance can lead to revolts, coupes or revolutions. And what dictator would want any of those? You need to keep an army ready to defend you and your Castro hat from any threat.

I had a great deal of fun with Tropico 3. I felt that it is an excellent twist on the Sim City series that makes the genre more interesting and also makes you feel like you have a lot more choices in how to play and what to do. If you like Sim City style of game I would definitely recommend checking out Tropico 3 (or 4), they are some of the best games in their genre. I plan to jump into the expansion "Absolute Power" fairly soon.