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Zoo Tycoon DS (DS); Review
Topic Started: Monday Jun 5 2006, 10:41 AM (201 Views)
Chiasmata Monday Jun 5 2006, 10:41 AM Post #1
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Sense is not common.
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<td width="100%" height="70"><b><font face="Tahoma" size="4">Zoo Tycoon
DS</font></b></td>
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<td width="100%" height="23"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><b>Developer:</b>
Blue Fang/Microsoft</font></td>
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<td width="100%" height="23"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><b>Publisher: </b>
THQ</font></td>
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<td width="100%" height="23"><b><font face="Tahoma" size="2">Genre</font></b><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><b>:</b>
Simulation/Tycoon</font></td>
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<td width="100%" height="23"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><b>Players:
</b>1</font></td>
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Classification: </b>G</font></td>
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<td width="100%" height="23"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><b>Release Date: </b>
17/11/05</font></td>
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<img border="0" src="http://home.iprimus.com.au/loynes/DSA/zootycoon.jpg" width="220" height="197"></td>
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<p align="center">&nbsp;</p>
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<td width="100%"><b><font face="Tahoma" size="4">Introduction...</font></b></td>
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<p><font face="Tahoma" size="2">First up, a disclaimer. I am a massive, <b>
massive<i> </i></b>Zoo Tycoon fan. I own both Zoo Tycoon and Zoo Tycoon 2 for
the PC, and each and every expansion pack and official download for both games.
When I heard that Zoo Tycoon was coming to the DS I almost wet myself. Zoo
Tycoon is, unexpectedly, a game about running a zoo. You play as the omnipotent
manager of a zoo, with the welfare of animals, staff and guests in your hands.
You can construct animal exhibits, adding terrain, trees and natural features to
suit the animal's natural environment. How suitable the enclosure is for the
animal impacts on their happiness, which then influences the enjoyment the guest
receive from watching that animal. You also add guest amenities such as eating
areas, restrooms and amusements. Most scenarios within the game rely on both
animal and guest happiness, or an achieving a certain goal, such as breeding x
number of animals or reaching a certain income, etc. </font></p>
<p><font face="Tahoma" size="2">It all sounds simple enough, and familiar to
anyone who's every played a Tycoon game. How could such a simple formula go
wrong? Well, if Zoo Tycoon DS is anything to go by, things can go horribly,
terrifyingly bad. </font></p>
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<td width="100%"><b><font face="Tahoma" size="4">Gameplay...</font></b></td>
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<p><font face="Tahoma" size="2">Let me start at the beginning. The DS can load a
game in a heartbeat, right? So there is utterly no reason to subject the player
to 16 seconds of unskippable logos upon loading the game. Yes, I timed it.
Sixteen whole seconds, for four logos and one copyright screen. For any other
platform 16 seconds would be fine, but on the DS it is utter grating. I might
sound like I'm nitpicking here, but this is a prime example of how this game
must have been designed by a team who have never even used a DS. </font></p>
<p><font face="Tahoma" size="2">The menu and navigation systems within the game
are... interesting. The map is displayed on the top screen, and the menu on the
bottom. You can scroll around on the top screen using the D pad, and select
animals/objects using A. The touch screen is used to navigate the menu system,
which is always extensive and the greatest portion of Tycoon games. The touch
screen is also used to add fences and terrain to the map, but in the most utter
convoluted way. Upon selecting which fence/terrain type to place you're
presented with a diagrammatic view of the map on the touch screen, made up of a
grid with green coloured squares showing where a fence piece can go, and red
squares showing map areas that are too uneven or already used, where fences
can't go. The grid is centred around the cursor on the map, and changes as you
scroll around the top screen. The grid also covers more area than the top screen
shows, but on the touch screen is scaled down so that you can see all the
squares. This means that it can be utterly impossible to see where you're
actually going to place the fence, or to correlate between red obstructed
squares on the touch screen and what the obstruction actually is on the map.
This leads to an utterly trial and error method for placing fences. Especially
since in the DS version you can only drag out a square shaped enclosure, not
place individual fence pieces. On top of that, once you've drawn out on the
touch screen where you want the fence to go you have to tap an 'OK' button.
However, there's no way to deselect a square to stop the fence going there. Yes,
there is a button to deselect all the squares, but not just one or two. This is
frustrating. Utterly, utterly frustrating.</font></p>
<p align="center"><img border="0" src="http://home.iprimus.com.au/loynes/DSA/terrain.jpg" width="287" height="400"></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Tahoma" size="2">
<a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/Zoo_Tycoon_DS_DS/4528-10068_7-31424388-2.html">
Terrain placement is appauling</a></font></p>
<p><font face="Tahoma" size="2">The terrain placement uses the same grid based
top screen/touch screen combination and suffers from the same problems. Often,
you'll find yourself placing terrain outside an enclosure when you're trying to
work inside because there's no representation of fences, paths or any object on
the terrain grid.</font></p>
<p><font face="Tahoma" size="2">It's blatantly obvious that this game was
designed on paper, with almost no play testing. The poorly designed fence and
terrain systems demonstrate this, as does the zoo keeper recommendations screen.
If you have your cursor inside an enclosure you can click on the 'Zoo Keeper
Recommendations' button, which will tell you how to make the enclosure more
suitable for the animal. For example, they might recommend adding more
rainforest floor terrain. After reading this, the user must exit out of this
display screen, select the 'Construction' tab, then the 'Terrain' tab, then the
'Terrain Types' tab, then select 'Rainforest floor' from the selection. Anyone
who's played this game for more than a minute would wonder, wouldn't it be
better to tap on the rainforest floor icon in the recommendations screen, which
would take you straight to the terrain placement grid, with rainforest floor
already selected? In fact, this is exactly what happens in Zoo Tycoon 2. But is
not a feature that is added here. </font></p>
<p><font face="Tahoma" size="2">And therein lies the main fault of Zoo Tycoon
DS. This game is a direct port of the 2001 PC game, warts and all, with none of
the gameplay improving features that were added in the two expansion packs for
this game included in the DS version. And some of these improvements fixed
considerable issues in the PC version. In the base game if the player was given
six months to achieve a goal in a scenario, the game wouldn't finish until six
months had passed. In the first expansion pack for the PC this was changed so
that as soon as the requirements for the scenario were met the game was won.
This is not the case in Zoo Tycoon DS, where the game again runs to the end of
the allotted time. While this might be a downside on the PC, it is utterly
unforgivable on a handheld game. After completing the requirements for the
scenario you are forced to sit and watch your game until the time expires, which
could be twenty minutes or more. Or, as I do, complete the goals and then leave
my DS to go do something else. For a platform that is mean to be played on the
go, this is a major letdown. </font></p>
<p><font face="Tahoma" size="2">The scenarios included in the game are also
identical to the PC version. And I mean absolutely identical, with no
modifications made at all. This is disappointing. Firstly, because the target
audience for Zoo Tycoon DS is surely Zoo Tycoon fans, and almost all of them
would have played through the original Zoo Tycoon scenarios in the five years
the game has been available. Secondly, the PC version has features the DS
version does not, but the maps aren't changed to reflect this. In the last
tutorial scenario there are paths already laid down on the map, and the user
just has to build fences within these paths. One of the path layouts is in an
L-shape, to introduce the user to the fact that exhibits don't have to be
square. But in Zoo Tycoon DS you can only make square enclosures, there's no
option for placing just lines or individual blocks of fencing.</font></p>
<p><font face="Tahoma" size="2">The gameplay of Zoo Tycoon DS is a kick in the
face. The menu system, which is the heart and soul of a Tycoon game, is
convoluted. The touch screen is employed in such a superficial way that the game
would be better off without it. The game designers have a complete disregard for
the differences between desktop computing and handheld platforms. </font></p>
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<td width="100%"><b><font face="Tahoma" size="4">Graphics...</font></b></td>
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<p>The graphics, in a word, a poor. The animals and people in the game are tiny,
with no option to zoom in, however you can zoom out two more levels. Why you
would want to zoom out more is beyond me. There is no blending of different
terrains, as in the PC version, which gives the map a fake checkerboard-like
appearance. There are four isometric views of the map, but almost all objects
only have two views. The animals and foliage have a decent level of detail,
however, and there are a sufficient amount of different animations for each
animal species. The objects such as statues and food kiosks have enough detail
to tell what they are at a glance, but are not inspiring in any way. The text in
the game is absolutely tiny, and requires squinting to read in anything less
than perfect DS conditions. </p>
<p align="center"><img border="0" src="http://home.iprimus.com.au/loynes/DSA/pretty.jpg" width="256" height="384"></p>
<p align="center">
<a href="http://www.thq.de/html_repository/reports_general.php?report=1083&ad_year=2005">
A quite creative and beautiful map... created by some who was paid to do so</a></p>
<p>Using the many decorative items included in the game the map can actually be
made to look quite pretty, although with such appalling gameplay you're inspired
with little inclination to do so. </p>
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<td width="100%"><b><font face="Tahoma" size="4">Sound...</font></b></td>
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<p>Not applicable. Well, alright. The menu screen plays the title song for the
game. There is no background music in the game itself. There is, however, a bird
noise which repeats every five minutes or so as ambience. An animal noise from
one of the species in your zoo might also play every ten minutes or so. Yes,
this is exactly as tedious and horrible as it sounds. Most of the time the game
is completely silent. There are, however, a sound effect for placing trees,
buildings, statues, fences and staff members. The same sound in used for all of
these. Animals, when placed on the map, make a noise specific to their species.
This is the same noise that might play as ambience. Apart from the click made as
you navigate through the menu, this is all the sound the game has. You could
play with the sound off, or better yet grab your MP3 player, and not loose
anything from the game at all.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>
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<td width="100%"><b><font size="4" face="Tahoma">Replayability...</font></b></td>
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<p>None, this game is barely playable the first time round. Plus, I'm guessing
for the majority of people who purchase this game it already is a replay, as
they will have already defeated these scenarios in the PC version. If you ever
complete Zoo Tycoon DS I suspect you'd ritually burn the game cart and possibly
your DS too, so that would remove all chance of replaying. </p>
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<td width="100%"><b><font face="Tahoma" size="4">Conclusion...</font></b></td>
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<p>Gameplay = 4/10</p>
<p>Graphics = 5/10</p>
<p>Sound = 1/10 (the theme tune is rather catchy)</p>
<p>Replayability = 0/10</p>
<p>Total = 2.5/10</p>
<p>Zoo Tycoon DS is an abysmal game, made with little consideration for the
platform or the market. I bought this game expecting a mobile version of the
game I love. Instead, I got a bland, uninteresting and poorly thought out car
crash of a game. Avoid Zoo Tycoon DS like the plague. If you want to get into
Zoo Tycoon grab yourself Zoo Tycoon 2. It's cheaper, a thousand fold more
interesting and will not induce brain failure. </p>
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I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.- Robert McCloskey

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slim_reapr Monday Jun 5 2006, 12:25 PM Post #2
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death to snakers
 Great review dude.Really well written.
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Ingram Monday Jun 5 2006, 01:59 PM Post #3
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WHY SO SERIOUS!
slim_reapr
Jun 5 2006, 11:25 AM
Great review dude.Really well written.

Great review BABE! :mad:

Really I need to see about installing some kind of M or F mod in the forums that displays a little M or F icon under your name!

Anyway another top review Chia. Really what more can we do besides the +Elite tag for your wonderful work?
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Chiasmata Monday Jun 5 2006, 02:46 PM Post #4
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Sense is not common.
 Thanks guys. I like writing, so it's nice to have a place to post some stuff. :)

I think a l'il M/F icon is starting to sound like a good idea. :P
I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.- Robert McCloskey

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slim_reapr Monday Jun 5 2006, 05:20 PM Post #5
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death to snakers
Quote:
 
Great review BABE!

Yeah i call everyone dude.Even my mum and gf.Bad habit i guess.

I wonder if we could possibly coerce kirby to make the reviewer of the month a special sig with his hardcore photoshop skills....
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FreakyLime Monday Jun 5 2006, 05:59 PM Post #6
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The tasty citrus™
 Whenver my friend wants to show me something he will always, and i mean always go
'Dude, hey dude, dude, let me show you something dude'. Never changes from that. It's his trademark.
--

Nice review, your really pumping them out!
Here they're gonna steal my soul
Ghost Train
Waiting out until I know
Ghost Train
Trying not to feel like you did
Ghost Train
Moving up until I go go home..
Ghost Train
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Eagle Boy Monday Jun 5 2006, 06:57 PM Post #7
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Total = 2.5/10


lol thanks for that i was about to buy this...
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