Si si . . come visit el Presidente – or else . . . !

by Chief Jimbolaya:

©2010 Aaron Klein:

[Ed: Tropico 3 landed on Australian soil only a very short time ago (March), at least now we have a chance of exploring the possibilities of our own republic . . .]

Tropico 3 takes a lighthearted, and frankly, quite educational, look at the Cold War through a unique lens: that of a dictator of a small Caribbean island.

And as such, you are on the front lines of the tension, as the Soviet Union and United States try to woo and intimidate you for influence.

In America, we see the Cold War as the global struggle to preserve our way of life by stopping the spread of Communism. It was very black and white.

But Tropico 3 wasn’t made by Americans. It was made by a Bulgarian developer, and distributed through a German publisher.

As such, the point of view in the game, that of a leader being manipulated by both superpowers, is especially poignant.

• Vote for El Presidente ! – Or Else

While you could project your own politics into Tropico 3 through how you play it, the game itself is refreshingly objective and humorous.

It’s not out to make any point about the free market, or socialism, but it does force you to react to how these competing ideologies and their champions effect your own struggle for power and your citizens’ well-being.

You start the game by either selecting a historical dictator, like Fidel Castro or Che Guevera, or customizing your own avatar with unique traits and flaws that affect your influence over your people.

Ultimately, the game is about power. How to retain it and how to execute it. As dictator you must ensure that your people are employed and happy. You must build your island nation’s economy through industry or tourism.

You must play to both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. to gain foreign aid and investment and make certain they don’t force regime change on you. And you must build security forces to crush the rebels who inevitably oppose you. All while you squirrel money away into your private Swiss retirement account.

Your citizens are individually simulated as they go about their day. As “El Presidente,” you have total control over their lives, but not their minds. You can fire them from their jobs, bribe them for support, arrest them, assassinate them, declare them heretics or arrange an “accident.”

Many of these oppressive actions lower your esteem in the eyes of your citizens, making it less likely they will vote for you in the next election and more likely they will join the rebels who assault your city from the hills.

Ruling with an iron fist ends up requiring more resources spent on security and less on productivity. In addition, tinkering with election results earns the disdain of the United States and brings the Marines one-step closer to your shores.

However, it is just as tough to be a benevolent dictator, if such a thing exists. Your citizens’ fancies are dictated by their membership in several factions, each of which has opposing viewpoints.

The capitalists and the communist factions, and the religious and intellectual factions, for example, attempt to pull your rule and policies in different directions. You influence their moods through the amenities you provide and the public policies you enact.

• Tropico 3 Trailer

Your public policies, or edicts, are rooted in historical and contemporary politics.

You can, for example, ban contraceptives to gain popularity with the religious faction, but your standing amongst the intellectual class will diminish. For the exact opposite results, you could try allowing same-sex marriage.

The interplay of all these moving parts makes for a constant challenge. It doesn’t matter if you’re truly trying to do right by your people, or just trying pad your Swiss retirement account… you can’t please all the people all the time. Sometimes you have to pick the less of two evils, and sometimes you have to be underhanded to ensure you stay in power.

There is a lot of reward to be found in this game, both in replayability and in the challenge of creating your ideal island nation. But the deep strategy and occasional micromanagement is a niche draw. Someone who only plays first-person shooters will not have the patience to slowly build a city and watch their decisions bear expected and unexpected fruit.

But if you have an interest in politics and history, and enjoy strategy and management games, Tropico 3 is a great game for the PC, and an absolutely one-of-a-kind title for the Xbox 360.

Note: Aaron Klein is a U.S.-based freelance video game writer. Read more of his reviews at cornfedgamer.com.

“8/10

©2010 Aaron Klein

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