Zoo Tycoon was, to me, the standout reveal at E3 2013. I always intended to buy both an Xbox One and a PS4 but unique games like this is what pushed me to go for the Xbox One first…and I don’t regret it at all.
Zoo Tycoon is quite unique in the console world. There aren’t a lot of ‘point and click’ simulation/strategy games around at all when you compare to pc which is a shame really.
The game is exactly what you would expect from the title. You build up a zoo and try to keep your guests happy and make money.
The animals are stunning. If you take the time to walk around your zoo and watch the animals you will see the attention to detail is incredible. The animals look very lifelike and behave as they would in real life. In an interview, the developers said their main goal with this was to make the most beautiful animals in gaming and I think they succeeded. There is an ‘animal view’ camera mode in each enclosure so you can follow each animal around and see just how realistic they are. You can jump into your Zoo at any time and walk/drive around and examine your handiwork. I am quite fond of the ZooMobile. Animals can be released into the wild at level 15 and the game will give you regular updates on how they are getting on in their new home.
The game has optional Kinect functionality from voice commands (say ‘BEEP BEEP’ whilst driving around and your ZooMobile will sound its horn!) to motion control, everything can be done with the controller so no part of the game is forcing you to use the Kinect if you would rather avoid it.
You can interact with your animals if you build the right activity in the enclosure. Animals such as Elephants and Giraffes can be fed, Bears can be washed with a hose and you can play ‘monkey see monkey do’ with chimps, lions and tigers. There is something about winking at a realistic tiger and having them wink back at you that gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside!
Customization is deeper than it first seems. When placing an exhibit, the shape and size is predetermined based on what kind you go for (each exhibit comes in small, medium or large) and roads are automatically connected but this is to ensure the Zoo doesn’t break. No matter what you place you can always get around the zoo and it always looks beautiful. After placing something you can then go back into it and customize things such as the colour of the road, types of tables outside your burger shop, add in extra decorations etc… so it’s not as detailed as the PC games but there is more customization than it seems at first but because of this the game is accessible to gamers of any age. There is a limit on the items you can place but this isn’t as restrictive as it first seems once you get used to the game and how to please the guests.
The game has 3 main modes: Freeform, Challenge and Campaign. Campaign missions have you managing Zoos all over the world each with its own objectives. Challenge mode gives you little tasks in each Zoo such as driving to restock the shops, delivering medicine to sick animals, breeding a certain number of animals, taking photos of animals, etc… starting with a limited amount of money and Freeform is the ‘unlimited money do whatever you want’ mode. You can upload your Zoo to the cloud too and play the game online with up to 3 other people.
The game has over 100 animals and 2 more were recently released as free dlc so that is a sign of even more being added in the future.
So to sum it up: Absolutely beautiful to look at (native 1080p!), fun to play and educational for people of any age. Kids can pick it up easily and there is customization for more proficient gamers. Not as much to customize as the PC games but enough to make this an enjoyable console entry into the series.
I would recommend this game to:
*People who enjoy simulation games
*People who appreciate cute animals
*People who want something unique to play on their Xbox
*People who have children
*Someone who likes the idea of getting an achievement for cleaning up animal poop
I would avoid this game if you:
*Only want hardcore customization
*Don’t play a game unless you can shoot things in it
– Cathe
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