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By Anthony Swinnich on March 31st, 2008
The Sim City and Civilization series proved that building imaginary places can be fun, so naturally companies jumped on the scenario-building gravy train. Zoo Tycoon 2 DS is the newest edition available to gamers interested in simulated animal captivity, but this theme park is in need of major renovations.
"... this theme park is in need of major renovations."
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One of the major problems with Tycoon 2 is that the tutorial does no actual tutoring. Sure, there’s text everywhere saying what things are, but it doesn’t even explain the fundamental basics, such as what you need to accomplish with them to be successful. The menus are easy to read, but since you never know exactly what you’re looking to improve, it’s entirely too easy to fail. Sim City 2000 had clearly labeled objectives back in 1993; it was always clear if you needed a police or fire station. Why couldn’t Zoo Tycoon 2 do this in 2008? Another major problem is that even with all the menu screens, there isn’t a clear indicator of your progress. The zoo’s ranking was rising as it was expanded; people were visiting, and I was raking in money. Research was done to learn how to take care of lions! Then, inexplicably: mission failed. There was money in the bank, the animals were happy, people were visiting... the worst part is I can’t even explain to you how it happened. You shouldn’t need to look up an FAQ on the net to figure out how to play a game, and here Zoo Tycoon 2 fails miserably. The game’s touch-screen controls work well, so there’s at least something user-friendly to its credit.
"... the game looks like a shareware- sandwich."
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While the menus are well-designed and easy to navigate, the rest of the game looks like a shareware-sandwich. The animals have little definition even on the closest zoom setting, and the workers look little better than Atari 2600 sprites. The buildings look decent enough, but the textures used for the miscellaneous types of ground are passable at best. Concrete pretty much looks like gray grass. Again, Sim City 2000 had a neatly drawn and well-defined look in 1993! That was a decade and a half ago – what’s wrong with this picture? If this is what the Zoo Tycoon series has to offer up, perhaps it’s time to close the facility down. Most players will spend their time trying to figure out the game’s interface and nuances through repeated failings via trial-and-error experimentation – something of a misnomer given today’s increased focus on the easily frightened "casual gamer." | 
