Tropico 5 Reviews
'Tropico 5' is less of a sequel and more of an update for the franchise, as could be said of its immediate predecessor. It is more accessible to a grizzled 'Tropico' fan, but the gameplay is still as addictive as ever. The limited multiplayer and lovely sandbox mode give the game legs, even if it's hampered by some visual and tutorial issues. Deep city building mechanics and a sardonic sense of humor make it stand out in the sparse field of simulation titles on the 360.
Dialing the difficulty up also provides a real test of anyone's management abilities. So look past the satirical elements of Tropico 5. The humour is there, and it's funny, but the real strength of this series - especially with Sim City falling off the map completely in recent years - is that it plays so, so well.
Tropico 5 really wants you to win the hearts of your people as dictator. Well, maybe a little.
Loads of replayability, but way too much paid DLC
Not a dramatic reinvention, but still an enjoyable game of construction, economics and election fraud.
Overall, Tropico 5 makes a solid entry into a genre already populated by great games. It has some drawbacks, but it gives you a good construction game while offering enough variety of play to offer many hours of fun games and great replay value.
Tropico 5 will inevitably keep you going and the dynamic nature of it's gameplay will keep you on your toes. Along with gorgeous graphics and a quirky charm Tropico 5 is a must have for RTS fans.
That's by no means a bad thing; despite its similarity to its forebears, it's still a welcome escape from other city-building franchises, and is a deep enough experience to keep players engaged for quite some time. One can't help but feel like it's shackled by its presumably-slim budget, though, as its lack of radical improvements and its mediocre overall production value will make it a hard sell for people who were indifferent to previous Tropico games.
If you already own Tropico 5 then the lack of new content means that there is little reason to purchase the title again but if you a newcomer and are looking for an enjoyable RTS game on the PS4, look no further than Tropico 5.
To play Tropico 5 is to look behind the cult of personality surrounding iconic leaders throughout history—who are both lionized and loathed—to understand the rationale behind both their atrocities and their good deeds. The loopy dictator is only as loopy as the world that made him; his brand of insanity merely combats the surrounding insanity. Tropico is an open invitation to either revel in it or understand it.
I'm just going to state the obvious to round things up: this is basically Tropico 4.5. There simply isn't enough variation from the previous game to justify its development, let alone the full price tag, so I simply cannot score it too highly. Yet, as mentioned, I can happily recommend Tropico 5 as a game in and of itself. For newcomers to the series the inclusion of multiplayer, the eras system and some decent general balancing work make this the best iteration of Tropico yet. For series fans however, it'll be difficult to see past the lack of innovation. In all likelihood though, like me you'll still have a great time playing it, and isn't that what's most important?
It's a tropical vacation, always pleasant and relaxing… and one that you're always ready to leave behind.
In technical respects Tropico 5 feels more like an expansion rather than a successor in the series. Many parts of the gameplay feel similar to past titles, but the inclusion of the era system, an overall campaign that is brimming with choices and consequences, as well as a plausible maiden attempt at multiplayer gives long time fans something new to try out. With touchy political subject matter that is completely mocked and music that makes you move in your seat, it's hard not to play Tropico 5 without a smile on your face.
Taking control of El Presidente and ruling over a sunny paradise used to be a unique guilty pleasure for RTS fans. Tropico 5 retains some of that, and newcomers might appreciate the gameplay alterations, but overall the franchise seems to be slipping.
Tropico 5 features a number of improvements to its long-standing formula and there's a lot here to like. The humour and in-fighting of your aides provides a lighter tone missing from other management sims, and there's a degree of satisfaction to be found progressing through the distinct eras. It also looks more vibrant than any previous entry. It works well for now, then, but Tropico 5 is clearly more concerned with introducing new concepts atop the old than it is with overhauling its base mechanics. Looking ahead to the future, this long-running series would benefit from having the fires of revolution lit beneath it.
On the PC there are too few new features to satisfy existing fans, but on the PlayStation 4 the joys of being an island dictator still feel enjoyably fresh.
The bottom line is Tropico 5 is a good entry-level sim and strategy game. If you love SimCity and Civilization, this should be up your alley. Of course, you could just keep playing a board game, but I digress…
While there might be a few snags, the start of El Presidente's fifth term is looking to be a worthwhile one.
Ultimately, Tropico 5 features a number of improvements in an attempt to separate itself from the previous games in the series. The humor of the series remains and the addition of progressing through eras give a feeling of accomplishment. The core gameplay mechanics are largely unchanged though, but there is definitely a lot to like here and just enough change to give it a shot.
Tropico 5 is a stop-gap measure, another coat of paint on a series designed for a specific audience that's looking for a specific experience. The freshly streamlined interface may court some new blood, but a lackluster campaign and a failure to branch out from the micromanagement-heavy core sim experience makes this a tough sell for outsiders to the genre.