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Review: Tropico: Mucho Macho EditionReviewed By: Bill Stiteler Review Computer: Mac OS X v10.2.6, 800MHz iMac, 256MB RAM, GeForce 2 Review Date: October 5, 2003
"I think in a past life I must have been a mighty king, because I like it when people do what I say." — Jack Handy.
Until those simple people rise up and kick your butt onto the next departing ship. The Mucho Macho edition collects the full version of Tropico along with a slew of new scenarios, including the tourist-focused Paradise Island expansion. And things haven't gotten any easier, Jefe. Tropico remains one of the hardest games to win at, even though it's a cinch to learn with one of the more helpful tutorials ever included with a game of this complexity. As opposed to most other god games, combat plays a very small role in Tropico. While the military is one of the factions you must keep happy in order to maintain your rule, the only actual fighting in the game occurs in skirmishes with rebel forcesÑmore of a nuisance. Tropico is a game of resource management. And, as all those film strips from the 50s tell us, what is our number one resource? People! You have to try to make everyone happy on a limited budget while padding your own bank account.
But most of the new scenarios are devoted to turning your poor country into an island paradise for rich western tourists. The Yanquis, of course, have their own needs: The resorts they visit must be far away from the slums your people live in, but not so far that the people can't make the commute to work there. An armed insurrection really puts a damper on Spring Break, so beef up security without turning into a police state, which cheeses off the American government. Get around that problem by offering elections, and your people will express their newfound democratic power...by voting you out. And then there's the time limit!
Tropico takes a long time to master, but you won't mind. The game has a keen sense of humor, is a lot of fun to play, and gives you a lot of ways to reach your goals...if you're willing to deal with the consequences. The chipper, sunny tone of the game helps a lot—even though you're dealing with a totalitarian government, the game is sunny and colorful, the voice of the narrator is chipper and friendly, and the Latin music that accompanies the game keeps everything upbeat. If you're looking for a challenge wrapped up in a fun, bright game with a good sense of humor about itself, Tropico: Mucho Macho is the game for you. Maybe you can even get Oliver Stone to kiss your bootie.
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Tropico is a god game played from the perspective the absolute dictator of a small tropical island. As the game's tag line goes: you rule. Enforcing your communist dogma or trying to lure Yanqui vacationers to live off their greenbacks; ruling with an iron fist or a velvet glove, you are in control of this tiny island nation and its simple people.
All of this is made even harder by the goals of the new scenarios. The Mucho Macho edition supplies some real corkers, the best of which is the idea that your plane has crashed on the island and the survivors have elected you to build a society so they can construct an airport and fly back to civilization. Wonderfully ludicrous, especially since—for game reasons—you also start with a dock that services ocean liners. Why not just climb aboard them? Uh...hey, just shut up and play the game.
Tropico is a delightful juggling act where, ironically, your job as a dictator is to make everyone happy. It's also one of the most difficult games ever made. After playing for weeks, I'm finally coming close to winning one of the scenarios. The biggest problem is that—unlike most god games—you have to take your people's attitude into consideration in a big, big way. Sure, you can build a gold mine all the way on the other side of the island, but that doesn't mean that your construction crew will build it any time soon. That's a long walk! Where are the roads? And where are the houses nearby? And why should I want to live there when there are no recreation facilities?