Hot Dog King
Score: 80% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Meridian4 Developer: Fuzzyeyes Studios Media: CD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Simulation/ Themed
Graphics & Sound: In today's fast-paced, competitive world of fast-food joints, apparently it isn't how tight you manage your assets, it is how tight the bikini fits. Hot Dog King is more about the entertainment and gameplay than it is about die-hard economic modeling. In fact, when it comes to modeling, I think they took it a whole different direction. I know that sex sells, and I am not opposed to that, entirely. There is a decent game here without that. You compare a game like this to D.O.A. Beach Volleyball which was obviously not much of a game at all, and the difference is that there is actually a halfway decent marketing game. But I am sure that the "cherry" on top for many will be the risque clothing and overdeveloped girls. The graphics were very easy on the eyes, especially the female renderings. I am just going to come out and say that it appears there were not many female artists working on this title because the women were well done and all of the guys were, shall we say, not up to par. From the opening movie to any of the loading screen stills, it is apparent what is being used as marketing. The animations could use some polishing, but in all, the game looked very good. No orchestra budget here. The music is contemporary enough, and not distracting. I would have to say, though, they are definitely sticking with a theme. The music does nothing to move this game out of the idea that it is more about the physical allure than gameplay.
Gameplay: In Hot Dog King, you start a new game in one of three modes: Campaign, Single City and Tutorial. As shallow as the exterior of this game is, I highly recommend the tutorial be your first stop. After all, this is actually a marketing game. You begin Campaign Mode by choosing the feel of the game you wish to play. You are asked whether you are going to play a Personnel, Fashionable, or Commercial style of game. Once you have figured out the focus of your game, and what difficulty level, they ask which city it is you wish to begin your domination of the world's snack stand market. You can choose from Seattle, L.A. or NYC. Each city is broken into different districts. Choose your district wisely and start small. Earn money and respect as you build more shops and hopefully happy customers. I will talk about that further down. There are a bunch of little mini-games that will pop-up during the course of the game. These initially felt out of place to me, but later they were a welcome enough break from the monotony. In Single City Mode, you have many options to keep you busy. There are five different and new ways to play the game. In Open Game, you play until your reputation bottoms out. In D-Day, you have a week to get as far as you can. Survive that week and it is on to the next. How long can you keep up the pace? In Vigilante Mode, you restore your father's lost reputation before it is too late. Avoid corporate buy-out in Invasion Mode as rival companies move into your territory. Last but not least is Attrition Mode. It is survival of the fittest as you go toe to toe with a rival competitor, who is even with you from the beginning. Sex sells and you use it to sell in this game. Hire female employees that will bring in customers. Put these girls in little to no clothing and sell even more. I would have to say if you had to stare at an avatar for long periods of time, much like Lara Croft, then you would want the character to be easy to look at. Whereas Ms. Croft is easy on the eyes, she isn't using her body to sell. She isn't getting a stat bonus for the less she wears. Here, you reap the benefits of a low stitch count.
Difficulty: Hot Dog King offers enough variation in game styles and difficulties, ranging from Easy to Hard, to please everyone. They also do a good job of offering many different foci for your gameplay. What I mean by that is if you are into a social game, then play a social game. If you want to focus on the commercial and cut-throat business aspects, then choose that path. All provide a very challenging set of goals. Inside of the Single City Mode, there is enough difficulty and variation to keep most people happy. I had the most fun and challenge from the Invasion Mode where you were forced to protect what was yours from major companies coming in and competing against you.
Game Mechanics: With Hot Dog King, I would have to say that their biggest draw is, unfortunately, the women. They had a really good game by all rights, and I don't feel that they needed to cheapen it with pixel panties and lingerie in a snack bar. I am sure that there is at least one health code issue with that. Kidding aside, this is a decent marketing game. A very basic supply and demand principle, plus an obtainable growth system. So it is a little candy-coated with the mini-games and sex appeal. Still a decent game. This game's female characters have been popping up in conversation many places across the Internet and for good reason. If they wanted to make sexy computer girls, then they were successful. If they wanted to integrate that dynamic into a game, then again they were successful. If they wanted to build a tycoonesque game that had strong resource management and realistic business models, then well they were kind of successful. I hope this is a stepping stone to a complete game where the business and all graphics are on par with its female avatars. I am sure that due to the portrayal of female characters, we are going to hear about this game again or it is going to be used in someone's speech. As I scored it a "B" game, it is going to be an "A" game in its controversial nature, for some.
-WUMPUSJAGGER, GameVortex Communications AKA Bryon Lloyd
Minimum System Requirements: Windows Vista/XP/2000, 1 GHz Processor, 256 MB RAM, 64 MB 3D Video Card, Directx 8.0, 1 GB of available Hard Disk Space   Test System: Windows XP Pro, 3.2 GHz P4HT CPU, 2 GB Ram, 512 PCIE 16 ATI X1600XT
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