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Tropico 4

As great as the boon of big blockbusters that fill up the holiday season can be, there’s no denying that at a certain point it becomes overkill and the desire to play yet another first-person shooter begins to wane. Happily, Tropico 4 provides a much-needed breath of fresh air.
   
The Tropico games have never been the most popular — a series devoted to simulating the life of the president of a tropical nation is never going to be a major unit shifter — but it has the same appeal as Sim City; what may seem like a dry and dull simulation is transformed into something far more accessible and fascinating than you ever thought possible.
   
The majority of your time is spent building up the economy. If you focus on farming, you can grow crops to feed to your people or export them to other nations for manufacturing. Farm enough tobacco, for example,  and you can build a cigar factory which in turn allows you to cut out the middleman and manufacture your own products for an even higher price. If you don’t want to work through farming, you can focus on tourism, building up a tropical paradise so visitors can inject their money directly into your treasury. Watching your tiny town grow into a massive city that runs like clockwork is satisfying, and seeing the profits generated put back into improving the quality of life for its citizens and creating a self-sustaining cycle is fascinating.
   
Since you’re running a Cuba-esque nation, there are dangers far worse than a simple failing economy. Numerous factions — communists, capitalists, environmentalists, militarists — are constantly pulling you in every which way. It’s up to you to find a solution for each problem that comes along without alienating any organization, knowing very well that angry rebels and a coup d’etat lurk around every corner. There isn’t simple impeachment in Tropico; you’re literally kicked off your throne.
   
How these different factors — the economy, the happiness of your people, the various factions — meld together into one complete, cohesive package is what makes Tropico 4 the fantastic experience it is. There’s real tension when you run low on money in the middle of a slow patch and must hope you’ve accumulated enough product to sell to get back into the black before a revolt begins. It’s such a long, touch-and-go process that, when you do finally have a nation that actually begins to thrive, there’s a sense of real accomplishment.
   
Tropico 4 may not be the biggest budgeted or flashiest game out there, but it offers an incredibly rich and rewarding experience by letting you build something out of nothing. Few things can compete with the satisfaction in that.

Bits & Bytes
   
Rockstar Games has officially announced the development of Grand Theft Auto 5, the next instalment of the hugely influential series which will take players back to Los Santos, the Los Angeles-inspired city last seen in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Upcoming Releases
Nov. 15 — Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (PS3, 360); The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3, 360, PC); Saints Row: The Third (360).
 
   
Mel Stefaniuk is a writer who can tell the difference between Mario and Sonic.