Tropico 4

I bought this second time, this time on gog. Although my favourite is tropico 3, fourth have a lot of charm as well. Saying that I would like to stress that I do miss Betty Boom and Juanito...

Payed next to nothing for this and played it for over 100 hours.

I already wrote about Tropico 3, so off the bat, what does this game do better? It has quick build, a bit more foreign diplomacy considerations. While quick build isnt a great way to fix the problem of unpredictable builders, it makes development possible. The tone of the game changed as well. Its more satire focused and doesnt take itself seriously. Most of the previous issues from the game remained. Insuficient data on certain things, weird game balance, a lot of mechanics that you dont really use. But despite that I spent around 70 hours in the main campaign. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The DLC buildings vary in regards to usefulness, but its nice having them. I didnt go through much of the Modern Times DLC campaign, but the premise is that throughout the years older buildings get replaced with newer ones. Plus certain events happen that can effect product prices, active edicts, etc. Interesting concept, but I felt the wobly game balance was being pushed around even more, so I didnt stick with it. If you are looking for some fun, this could be an enjoyable experience. But be aware that it might not have everything run perfectly in terms of gameplay.

Having played every Tropico, 4 is the sweet spot between humour, gameplay and price. In 4, all the game elements have been invented, and the humour is still present. In 5 and 6, the add a few minor technical elements, but lose the humour which peaked in 3. Get 3, get 4, but 5 and 6 didn't really go anywhere from here.

If you played Cities: Skylines or Simscity, you'll really like this game. It's more interesting than those two to me, but I'm writing an article about this later. It's fun tho, so just get it!