Zoo Tycoon

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Zoo Tycoon
Image:zootycoon.png
Zoo Tycoon boxart
Developer(s) Blue Fang Games
Publisher(s) Microsoft Game Studios
Series Zoo Tycoon
Version 1.0
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, Macintosh
Release date(s) October 17, 2001
Genre(s) Business simulation game
Mode(s) Single player
Rating(s) ESRB: E
Media CD-ROM
System requirements Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP, 233 MHz processor, (300 MHz recommended), 250 MB of hard drive space (600 MB recommended), 32 MB of RAM (64 MB for Windows ME or 128 MB for Windows XP), 4 MB SVGA 16-bit color video card, DirectX 8.0a
Input methods Keyboard, mouse
For the series of video games, see Zoo Tycoon (series).

Zoo Tycoon is a business simulation computer game developed by Blue Fang Games and released by Microsoft Game Studios. It is a tycoon game in which the player must run a zoo, and try to make a profit. Although first released for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh in 2001, it was ported to the Nintendo DS in 2005.12 It was followed by two expansion packs, Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs and Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania, which were released in 2002, as well as a sequel, Zoo Tycoon 2, released in 2004.3

Contents

Gameplay

A basic Zoo in Zoo Tycoon

The goal of Zoo Tycoon is to create a thriving zoo by building exhibits to accommodate animals and keeping the guests happy. Exhibit building is one of the primary goals of Zoo Tycoon. To keep the guests and animals happy, exhibits should be suitable to the animal; for example, a lion is best suited to a savanna environment.1 Choices in terrain, foliage, rocks, shelters, and toys all contribute to the suitability of an exhibit and the happiness of the animal. Guest happiness is dependent on animal choice, buildings, and scenery. Buildings may include bathrooms, restaurants and food stands, shops, or entertainment buildings such as movie theaters. Scenery involves aesthetics that raise guest happiness slightly, such as topiary art, lightposts, or benches. Keeping both animal and guest happiness allows the player to gain monetary awards and steady income.

There are three modes in Zoo Tycoon: Tutorial, Scenario, and Freeform. Tutorial teaches the player how to build exhibits and keep guests happy. Scenario mode has the player complete a series of objectives, sometimes within a specific timeframe. These objectives may include achieving a certain guest and animal happiness, achieving a certain exhibit suitability, displaying a certain number of animals, or breeding a certain animal. Freeform allows the player to choose the amount of money and the map that they start with. They are presented with an open lot with a limited selection of animals, buildings, and scenery. As the game progresses, more animals and items become playable. Additional animals and items may be researched, where money is invested to make them playable.

Third-party creations

The success of Zoo Tycoon also led to the creation of new features by fans, both fact and fiction. Mods were created to fix problems with the game and unlock new features. Many of these mods were made possible by an official program created by Blue Fang named Animal Project Editor (APE), which allows the player to easily create one's own animals, with either simply re-naming a premade animal or creating frames for another animal.

Expansion packs and sequels

Zoo Tycoon Complete Collection Boxart

Zoo Tycoon was created in the wake of the success of the 1999 Hasbro Interactive game RollerCoaster Tycoon, which sold well for many years.4 Zoo Tycoon did well enough for Microsoft and Blue Fang Games to release two expansion packs: Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs, which added prehistoric-themed items and animals, and Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania, which allowed aquatic-themed items and animals. Eventually, Microsoft bundled the expansion packs with Zoo Tycoon to create Zoo Tycoon Complete Collection which had the functionality of both expansion packs and bonus content.

Zoo Tycoon 2 was released on November 2004. Although released with fewer animals than Zoo Tycoon, more animals were introduced in its expansion packs: Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals, Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania, Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species, and Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure. The later two were bundled in the Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper Collection.5

Animals

North America:

South America:

Europe:

Asia:

Africa:

Australia:

Antartica:

Legendary animals:

Dinosaurs:

Reception

Review scores
Publication Score Comments
IGN
6.9 out of 104
 Passable
GameSpot
7.1 out of 101
 Good
GameSpy
67 out of 1006
Metacritic
68%7
 Based on 18 reviews
Game Rankings
70.1%8
 Based on 26 media outlets

Zoo Tycoon was received with mixed reviews, gaining an average 68 out of 100 at Metacritic.7 Positive reviews came from Computer Games Magazine and GameZone, which gave the game scores of 4.5 out of 5 and 8 out of 10, respectively.910 The more negative reviews came from Adrenaline Vault and PC Gamer.7 Commercially, Zoo Tycoon did quite well, with 4 million units sold worldwide from its initial release to 2004. It was also one of the top 15 best selling PC titles in the US.11

Zoo Tycoon and its compiled Complete Collection also garnered several awards and accolades, gaining the Bologna New Media Prize in 2002. Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection received the Parents' Choice Foundation Gold Award - 2003, the AIAS Computer Family Title of the Year Interactive Achievement Award - 2004, the Scholastic Parent & Child Teacher’s Pick – 2004, and the Children’s Software Revue All Star Award – 2004.12

References

  1. ^ a b c "Zoo Tycoon for PC Review - PC Zoo Tycoon Review". Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  2. ^ "Zoo Tycoon DS for DS Review - DS Zoo Tycoon DS Review". Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  3. ^ "Zoo Tycoon 2 for PC Review - PC Zoo Tycoon 2 Review". Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  4. ^ a b "IGN: Zoo Tycoon". Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  5. ^ "Zoo Tycoon - Home". Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
  6. ^ "GameSpy.com - Reviews: Zoo Tycoon (PC)". Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
  7. ^ a b c "Zoo Tycoon (pc: 2001): Reviews". Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  8. ^ "Zoo Tycoon Reviews". Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  9. ^ "CG Online-- Zoo Tycoon Review". Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  10. ^ "Zoo Tycoon Review - PC". Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  11. ^ "GameSpy: Zoo Tycoon Sells BIG". Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
  12. ^ "Blue Fang Games ~ Awards". Retrieved on 2007-11-21.

External links

v • d • e
Zoo Tycoon franchise
Main series
Spinoffs
Blue Fang Games • Microsoft Game Studios • Games for Windows

Wikipedia content modification information:

  • This page was last modified on 7 January 2009, at 02:48.

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