Zoo Tycoon 2 DS
Score: 90% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: THQ Developer: Altron Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Simulation/ Edutainment/ Strategy
Graphics & Sound: The DS is an amazingly versatile device. To imagine a PC game translating well to the small screen with most features intact is difficult enough. In the case of Zoo Tycoon 2 DS, it worked beautifully, just as it did the first time with Zoo Tycoon DS. The downside for players of the smaller form-factor is that the view isn't quite as expansive and you can't see as much as you can on the PC. Zoo Tycoon 2 DS uses magnification and rotation to make up for these shortcomings. At first, it is a bit disconcerting, but you get used to it as you go along. The magnification doesn't get you down to the ground level exactly, so there aren't as many opportunities to watch the animals as you would if you were visiting the zoo. This was one of my favorite parts of the PC game that I missed here. The alternative is a mini-game mode that lets you watch a close-up of the animal while you help feed, groom, and take care of it. The trappings of Zoo Tycoon 2 DS are all easy on the eyes, and there is a lot of variety. Buildings, walking surfaces, decor for the facility... it all looks nice on the screen and is customizable in terms of location and orientation. The controls aren't in the way at all, which is the biggest surprise considering how much there is to do behind the scenes. There are great musical touches and even the option to turn the music off completely. Hitting the pause button will bring up a jukebox of types where you can skip from track to track or turn it all off. Animal sounds and other sound cues help make you aware of current events, which is important once things at the zoo start moving more quickly. Navigating through menus is all handled with the touch-screen and even though there are a lot of menus and submenus, you'll never find yourself lost.
Gameplay: The point of the game is to build a good zoo. Zoo Tycoon 2 DS makes up a few more games within the main game that are engaging, but you'll still find yourself in zoo-building mode most often. This time around, you'll have a similar disbursement of modes. The Freeform Mode is just as it always has been. Stack the cash and then start building. The zoo will pass or fail based solely on your efforts and you'll have no real coaching on what to do or how to do it. Fans and devotees of the first game will probably enjoy jumping in on this mode and seeing all the new animals available. The Campaign Mode is a better place for first-time players unfamiliar with the interface and the style of play. The early stages of Campaign are similar to a tutorial. You'll be walked through almost every piece of the game's basic interface, but you'll be building zoos along the way. It doesn't feel like a typical tutorial. Quickly things start to become more oriented toward specific challenges or goals you'll have to meet in order to "graduate" from one level to the next. Early on, it's a simple matter of building specific buildings or establishing animal exhibits with specific animals. Later, things are more difficult and you'll find yourself aimed at accomplishing tasks where multiple factors must come together in order for the goal to be met. The only other way to play besides these two modes is in Multiplayer. Here, you'll need two copies of the game, which is a disappointment until you realize that there are some huge take-aways from the Multiplayer competitions. In the "Trade a Zoo" variation, you'll be able to give a friend an entire copy of a zoo that you've developed a little or a lot. Check back in with them later and see how far they've come, working from your blueprint. "Tycoon Showdown" is a more interactive mode where you'll have a set time to develop a zoo, working against your friend. When the clock runs out, your work will be compared and one of you will be crowned the winner. These are neat modes but it would have been nice to give out something like the mini-game without requiring two copies of the game.
Difficulty: For the most part, it is hard to screw this thing up. As long as you build exhibits that people can actually reach and don't starve your animals, you'll find yourself successful. Just building a basic zoo isn't the ultimate challenge; almost anyone can get on and build a working zoo, but it does require some skill to reach the higher levels of Campaign and see all the content unlocked. Zoo Tycoon 2 DS has more than a few secrets and locked material. If you can untangle some messy zoos and meet some high customer expectations, you'll find yourself in the catbird seat, but not before you've failed a few times. Establishing the right design for your zoo is probably the most difficult thing. You're free to tear down exhibits and sell animals at any time if you have something that's not working. You can hire more staff, launch an advertising campaign, and change the prices for everything from admission to hamburgers. Heck, you can even close the zoo if things are working well. It's all in a day's work for an aspiring zookeeper. New content like the dolphin and dolphin show is tricky to get right and even trickier to score huge points. At the end of the day, it is all possible to master and it isn't really any kind of a "pressure" game with lots of action. It's a perfect counterpoint to all the twitch games out there and a nice option for people that may not like the big-brain quotient of RPG or strategy games, but may want more than the casual game or puzzler.
Game Mechanics: Compressing keyboard shortcuts, drop-down menus, and macros into the little touch-screen on a DS and a handful of buttons is truly an accomplishment. So how's it done? The first step is to keep all controls contextual whenever possible. Clicking on an animal while you're trying to place a tree doesn't do anything. Clicking on an animal when you don't have anything else going on brings up a detailed view of that animal's stats. Clicking on some stats will further drill down into a set of preferences that animal has for food, environment, and even amusements. Clicking on icons along a vertical line on the left side of the screen allows you to control most everything that you'll place into the zoo. One of the icons on this list will bring up a deeper list that allows you to tweak things like item and attendance pricing, advertising campaigns, and other minutiae. As you click any of the menu items on the left, you will see their expanded options along the bottom of the screen, still taking up very little space. Each click brings you a little deeper into the interface, but you never have clutter on the screen. The top screen shows all the relevant detail, such as the information on the item or animal that you are selecting. Placing objects other than animals or animal enclosures will generally include a prompt for swiveling the object and the option to drag it anywhere around the landscape. It's a smart use of the technology and very intuitive. There's a lot to love about games with rich, detailed graphics or non-stop action. Shooting, explosions, aliens, monsters... it all makes for a good game when handled correctly. The amazing thing about Zoo Tycoon 2 DS is that it has so many moving parts and such a simple set of objectives and still manages to be engaging. Gamers looking for some intelligent and educational fun need look no further and fans of the first game should be very pleased to see all the new additions. The Zoo Tycoon series has spawned some excellent titles, so let's hope that continued success will translate to more games released on this platform.
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
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