Video Game Review: Tropico 3

From the onset, Tropico 3 looks just like it is. This is a sim(ulation) game. It's pretty straightforward on that as well. The concept of the game is what might catch the attention of those who love games like SimCity and other games in that genre. If you like The Sims, this is not for you.

The scenario of this game is pretty unique. Like in the other versions (which I have not played) you are the leader of a small tropical island (Cuba). You have control over what is built, and what resources are gathered. The goal is to accumulate people, and personal wealth via a Swiss bank account. The latter is for your retirement. You come to power in 1949 and the game goes until 1970.

The main campaign, which is single player, has a limited timeframe. This makes the campaign mode rather short, taking maybe a dozen hours on standard speed. You can speed up the game, which is recommended, but that will cut down the play time dramatically though you will not miss any major events.

The other problem with the campaign mode is that the events in the game are the same each time. So after a run through or 2, you can get a solid plan to take advantage of the events to come. Also the layout of the island remains the same in campaign mode, so ideal placement of businesses, farms, and other items can be worked out.

In terms of the look of the game, it is quite nice. Zooming in to individual characters is easy. They look crisp and detailed. The buildings have a 50's look and feel. The vegetation sways to the breeze, and all the native characters look tropical (ie Hispanic).

Obviously the imagery is a play on Cuba. Including the voice of the leader (for male characters). But the look of the character does not have to be a mimicry of Fidel Castro. The character creation is simple, but allows for a moderate selection. There are clothing choices and hair options plus a few other items that allow for a character that is not completely a cartoonish caricature of people in the tropics.

The character can be models in mannerism after a dozen famous, and not so famous leaders of small 3rd world leaders. Like Che of course. Or you can create a custom leader with a couple of good points, and of course flaws as well.

The play itself is pretty much old hat to anyone who has played SimCity before. There is not a lot of challenge at the default setting. Farming is the main export, but the city can be nation can be built up to be a tourist mecca if you choose. There is also the option to be a very Fidel-like leader in that you can create secret police, remove (kill) rebels or others that disagree with your leadership, or you can build churches and higher education facilities. You can also allow for immigration at several different levels from open to anyone to no one can leave.

The sound of the game is cute at first but it will quickly become grating. It is a pseudo tropical radio station with a decent but limited selection of quasi-instrumental songs. Occasionally this will be interrupted by a radio announcer declaring various events on the island, or the mood of the people, or international events. This too is limited and will often repeat. But at times it can be comical to hear about the "18th attack against our leader's hat". And occasionally it will provide information that is important like a coup attempt.

So visually the game is decent. The sound is good, if not repetitive. The gameplay operation is smooth and direct. The tutorial is simple but enough to give you most every option you need to know, and the rest can be figured out from there with ease.

But for me, in a sim game, the replay value is critical. This is where Tropico 3 fails. It's just not different each time. Yes the population will grow or act somewhat differently each time through, but they are a minor factor. A tweak or 2 and they are basically not an issue. And by the 3rd time through, the key elements of the game are figured out. So unless you want a challenge by doing something drastically different, you can be pretty assured of the results.

Tropico 3 is meant to be a light-hearted sim targeting Cuba and leaders of "banana" nations. It has a strong effect of making fun of people from the tropics, more laughing at than with. It is limited in replay value and is short on scope. It has decent looks, good but eventually annoying sounds, and a simple to figure out set of control maps.

I would not purchase Tropico 3 at the current price of roughly $40. I might buy the game at $10 in a bargain bin, or on clearance sale. And I might be more interested in the game if I were new to simulation games than if I were an old pro at SimCity.

Overall, avoid this game.

Boycott 33 variations - Hanoi Jane Fonda

Some stars fade with time, some entertainers excel in their later years. Morgan Freeman didn't hit the A-list until after he was 50 years old. So it's no surprise that a celebrity is returning to the stage in 2009.

Except that this 'celebrity' is Jane Hanoi Fonda. After 40 years of exile from the stage, and slightly less time from movie screens, Hanoi Jane is returning to the stage to see if anyone remembers her actions during and since Viet Nam.

Well to be accurate, someone is betting that this traitor (in my opinion) still has fans somewhere and that they will see her perform. Obviously I am not one of those people. More likely I would be in front of the theater protesting and wishing for the play to fail.

The play is called 33 variations. It will be performed at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre from February 9th until May 24th. It is my sincere and ardent plea that none of my readers see it.

I do not like Hanoi Jane Fonda. I despise the actions she took in the 1970's that harmed American soldiers. I have never seen anything she has been in, and intend to stay that way until I die. My words and thoughts of Hanoi Jane are decidedly too graphic, dark, and vulgar for my blog - but I think you can understand what I would say in person.

I realize that Hanoi Jane apologized, 30 years after the fact, for her actions in Viet Nam. I also realize that she did this in a book as a means of gaining profit. I do not accept an apology decades after the fact where it is the means of soliciting a sale. That is not remorse. That is not sincere.

In the past decade there have been a couple of attempts by Hanoi Jane to re-enter Hollywood movies and the fame she once long ago enjoyed. Each movie she has been in over that period, and I believe in the last 30 years, has been a failure. The only exception I recall is the last film of her father, Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond. That film likely only succeeded due to his extreme age and death thereafter.

Hanoi Jane Fonda is a repugnant human being. I would happily pay a woman to hit her, in the face, with brass knuckles. I seriously don't like her, her performances, and her beliefs.

I feel bad for the other actors and actresses that have the sad obligation to perform with Hanoi Jane. I am sure many of them are good, and having this blot appear beside them sullies their abilities. I feel bad that I am asking for several people in front of and behind the stage to loose their jobs because of this woman. But that sadness is as nothing compared to the pain and suffering American men and women felt in this nation and in Viet Nam due to her actions.

If Hanoi Jane Fonda wants to make more movies or act on stage I suggest she go to an audience that likes her. North Viet Nam once welcomed her and I am sure they would do so again with open arms. Perhaps the Communists in Bejing would care to see 33 variations. And I'm sure Fidel and Raul Castro would force a packed house for anything she might do.

But here in America I say Hanoi Jane Fonda is an unwelcome eyesore. And I hope for the singularly worst reviews and absolute failure of this play while she performs in it.

Do let me know if you agree or not.