Review: Game Dev Tycoon

In Game Dev Tycoon you replay the history of the gaming industry by starting your own video game development company in the 80s. Create best selling games. Research new technologies and invent new game types. Become the leader of the market and gain worldwide fans.

Pros:

• Big chunky cartoon graphics. Pleasant to look at and easy on the eye.
• Work your way up from a nobody to a somebody, Create games from your garage and work your way up to the big offices of a major company, Your company.
• Relive the timeline of game consoles. Starting off on computers, most kids of today wont even know the name of, Go through the NES, Master System and even re enact the great SNES-Megadrive war!
• Research new genres of game and make games that the people want to play.
• Controls are simple and with the game all menu driven, You are never left overwhelmed.
• The game is very easy to pick up and learn, The key is to master it.
• Make your own company and make a game within your cash budget. Make desicions on what areas of the game to focus on. Should it have good maps with low sounds or accurate AI with shoddy graphics? Just a few of the desicions you make on a daily basis in game.
• Very much a time managment game. Every action has a timer and all this takes place with an ever decreasing bank balance looming over your head.
• Go bankrupt and your dream is over.
• Get the true experience by having your game reviewed and scored by the top magazines in game. Anxiety and panic hit you as you see the numbers roll in.
• Watch your game sales tracker fluctuate until the shelf life expires.
• Get progress reports,Sales figures, Research data.You really are the boss.
• Hire new people and experts in particular fields.
•  A real good well executed story that is different everytime according to your choices.
• Help section always on hand to explain things should you get lost or stuck.

Cons:

• Not a lot of difference from the cheaper Android and iOS versions of the game.
• The game pace even though it can be changed, Will feel a lot quicker to players old and new.
• Feels like a Facebook game at times, Constant pop ups of progress and just general feel of the game.
• The game never gets really deep. I mean you are basically juggling a few menus at first. Then as you grow so do the menu’s and choices. It becomes less about the games and more about the bottom line. (So yeah basically just like real life actually).
• Once you have been on a good run, Theres not a huge desire to jump straight back in and try again.
• Review scores and overall progress feel like luck more than skill. Creating the same game twice can pull different results for example.

In Summary, The game does serve as a bright and insightful look into the history of games consoles. The developing side of it is a very interesting perspective to take in a game genre and one that does show promise. Lacking any real depth you soon forget you are playing a game about games and instead focus on man management and finance allocation. Players will get some enjoyment from it even if its a short lived high. Perfect game for a quick go and defiantly worth a purchase upon a price reduction. Its average at best. A sequel with more options and enviroments could see this a true contender.