Does anyone really play Zoo Tycoon for the 'Tycoon' aspect?
The animals, suffering from the neglect of the developers, are left in the hot car in this remake of Zoo Tycoon. The same visual perspective that the PC version uses to full advantage does not translate to DS. Instead, the third-person perspective is horribly distant and alienating from your little zoo. Even if you squint, nope, those little blurry black smudges don't look ANYTHING like panthers.
Instead, the game really comes down to the dirtier aspects of Zoo culture: The money. The most sophisticated screens in the game happen, unsurprisingly, to be the spreadsheets where the user can analyze data about the economic efficiency of their zoo. Honestly? Are accountants playing this game? Who in their right mind wants to play a game so crudely stripped down to dollars and cents? Where's the option of naming your little furry creature? These are cute little endangered animals here, people, not decorations that make your zoo more attractive to visitors!
Ok, I admit, I'm sure it's a consideration that the management of a real zoo takes into account, but, it's not the aspect that I want to play in a handheld game. Where's the magic? Where's the mystery?
I didn't like it. It made me feel sorry for animals in REAL zoos.
... unless that was the point of the game?