Tropico is probably one of the most relaxing games I have ever played. Theres something about being a heartless dictator that just soothes my soul, I guess. Or maybe its the delightful soundtrack playing in the background. I don't really know, to be honest. Tropico is a pretty standard god-game. You play a newly elected president of a small Caribbean island who's in charge of bringing happiness and prosperity to the nation. You can do this in numerous ways including farming, mining, tourism, etc. Pretty basic stuff for this kind of game. Anyway, where the game really gets interesting is the interaction you have with your citizens. Each one of them has a unique personality and unique needs that come along with it. They are all grouped into different factions based on their beliefs (for example, a religious faction for people who go to church often or a military one for people who support the troops). In order to win elections, you need to appease these groups, as well as fulfilling basic needs for you people (like healthcare). True, in many scenerios you can win elections through fraud, but this makes the people unhappy which in turn makes the next election harder to win (or more expensive). Its a balancing act, that needs to be perfected in order to succeed. This is probably my biggest complain about the game, actually. Once you know how to run a decent island, its not too difficult to succeed. The harder scenerios in the game actually don't make running your nation harder, they just make winning much more difficult. Its difficult to explain why this isn't as fun as it should be, but basically it boils down to seeing how fast a player can make a booming economy. Since almost all scenerios end up going down this road, the game can feel a bit repetitive after a while. There are also a lot of little gripes I have about the game, but to be honest most of them don't bother me enough to discuss here. Despite what you may think, I really enjoy this game. As silly as it may seem, the music is the best part. There's something really relaxing about playing a laid back god-game while listening to relaxing island music that really relieves stress. I highly recommend this game for anyone who just wants to sit at their computer after a long day and let the tropical breezes of Tropico carry them away. I should mention something about Tropico 2 since its in here. Like the other reviews mention, its basically Tropico, but with a piratey theme. I honestly haven't met anyone who plays the second game more than they played the first. Still, its worth a look.
Stronghold Crusader is a medieval geek's paradise. Not only do you get to build and siege castles, but you get to do it in ways that other games haven't even tried to explore. When I was young, I used to love books about medieval castles. To my delight, many of the cooler siege aspects that I had completely forgotten about were covered in this game. Catapulting disease-ridden cows--check, preparing and pouring boiling oil--check, you can even lay down pitch that you can light on fire with fire arrows. The combat in this game isn't perfect, though the realistic aspects (missiles have realistic trajectories, for instance) make up for limited formation options. As much fun as building walls and besieging them is there's many more layers of depth in the gameplay. Besides combat and defense, there is the whole economic aspect of the game. It basically plays like a simplified city building game like Pharaoh or Caesar with popularity and food being the most important resources. Also, there are optional "good things" and "bad things" you can place that affect your popularity, efficiency, and troop strength. Also, these things really help to spruce up and otherwise ordinary looking castle. Speaking of charm, this game has plenty of it. While not as graphically impressive as its predecessor, it really is fun to watch your city in action. The sounds are also well done, with voicing being occasionally corny and flat but still entertaining. When you first hear your soldiers yell out a battle cry before charging or your archers in your towers firing a barrage of fire arrows you'll get a warm fuzzy feeling that will warm your heart. The game features four campaigns, though they are basically extended tutorials. The real meat of the game is in the Crusader Trail and multiplayer. The former is a series of skirmishes that get increasingly challenging as your progress. While there isn't really a story for any of it, its great if you just want to sit down and build and besiege castles for an hour or two. I'm very busy nowadays, so this is the perfect kind of game for me. Oh yeah, and it has desert ninjas.
