Platform: PC ( Microsoft Windows RT )

Developer: Greenheart Games

Publisher: Tradewest ( Midway )

Release Date: December 10, 2012

Genre: Business Simulation

Nerd Rating: 9 out of 10

Reviewed by Spekkio

Game Dev Tycoon is addictive and pretty friggin’ awesome I must say. There are so many aspects to this game I can discuss in this review. I played this game on my Microsoft Surface 2. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s Microsoft‘s better version of their competitor’s iPad. I could rant on and on about this device and it’s features and the cool stuff you can do with it, but I will save that for another article that I will name Microsoft Surface 2. Back to Game Dev Tycoon this game is very similar to your basic tycoon games like RollerCoaster Tycoon . The theme to this one is what we all here at Nerd Bacon love. VIDEO GAMES! It’s a video game about designing video games. This game gets more into the politics and a more “text” based end of gaming design. I mean it’s not going to be anything like RPG Maker or any other game that allows you to create a game with that game, I must say though you get to name your company and you could eventually develop this game about developing games on this game called Game Dev Tycoon. ( Annoyed yet? ) I got a little ahead of myself to be able to tell that little bit of humor there.

Game Dev Tycoon has built in algorithms that determine all the little wonders and science of this game. You get to name your game right? ( Ok, not so important in the science of it ) You unlock more and more features as you progress and continue to make successful games. Of course along the way new platforms are released and even old ones discontinued. If you know gaming history you know which ones not to make games for unless you eventually just want to go bankrupt. It’s easy to spot out what consoles are what. Of course for copyright reasons they couldn’t name the companies and consoles after their respective names, still easy to spot them out.

If you know nothing about gaming history fine, you won’t be out to the side in some special bubble that you automatically aren’t one of the cool kids anymore. ( Probably debatable though ) Here’s a spoiler alert for you achievement hunters out there, If you name your company after an actual gaming company you get one. Along with the size of the games you can eventually create games for certain age groups. You get to select a topic from a randomized list of things like racing, hunting, movies, spy, hospital, and so on. Then you get to select the genre Action, Adventure, RPG. You get the idea. Then you get to pick what platform it’s on. More are available as time goes on in the game, but you start out in the 80’s so your options are limited. You also get to develop engines. As time goes on little events happen. Like a secret game spy guy will come and offer you information about competitors ( getting new topics, usually good ones too ) or letting you pay them to hack another company and screw up their world pretty much.

There’s a very awesome story line to this game. I’ve only beaten it one time around, but I know you can unlock so much and make very awesome games with cool little features like online play and allowing to save games, etc. The trick is to be successful. There are sites around the net to give you little tips on what genre’s work best with what topics and platforms. All this is what determines the scores the review companies give your game and also ( back to the science of it ) determine sales and profit. You have to experiment before you know what games work good where. I mean you wouldn’t want to develop a game with the topic of prison and the genre to be casual. You just won’t get a good score. You would want it to be action, or even simulator. Eventually you can research to have games with multiple genre’s and that’s where you can really play with the game.

This business related title has a lot of behind the scenes story stuff too. For example the developers themselves released a cracked version of their game on the torrent sites, but little did these pirates know that you won’t ever win. The games you make in the game all eventually get bootlegged and you lose money and go bankrupt. Ironic right?

The game starts out in the 80s as mentioned before. It’s just you, your computer, a few knick knacks and a covered Delorian crammed into a garage. As you make more games new options are available to make even better games and potentially make even better games. The platforms released all have cooky ass names also mentioned above. Like the mBox, PlaySystem, and other familar names you’ll sure to get a good laugh at.

The soundtrack and sound effects to the game are very minimal. They aren’t annoying, but nothing spectacular to blow you away with. It’s no John Williams meets Danny Elfman score, but it makes up for it with it’s really friggin’ awesome ways to play. I hear rumors you can eventually even design your own console and a bunch of other cool stuff I haven’t even discovered yet. The replay percent on this game would have to be over 9000% since it keeps grabbing you and making you keep playing and playing. I’ve downloaded and tried out several games on the Windows Store, but I will admit this was the first one I purchased and I still have it on my Surface 2. I haven’t uninstalled it and reinstalled it or anything like that. It’s still sitting there just chilling like what’s up, DT you wanna play me or what bro?

I would insist anyone download this game to give it a try, they have free versions that give you a good feel for the game so you can try it out before you buy it. You won’t regret it, unless of course games like this just aggravate the piss out of you then yeah don’t play it.