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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.

Tropico

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Tropico
85
9.7 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 28 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 14 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >

Game Info

Publisher: Gathering of Developers

Developer: PopTop Software

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy, City-Building, Simulation

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: April 24, 2001

Summary

Picture a city-building simulation, god game combination with a good splash of humor set in a third world, Caribbean island setting.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Hot Games

It may be a bit heavy on the micro-management, but if you’re at all interested in the God game genre, you’ll be hooked on this game for a long time.

Read Full Review >
92

FiringSquad

If you had fun playing SimCity years ago but don't know if Sim gaming is still for you, give Tropico a whirl. Heck, if you just like Latin Jazz/Mambo music, you should pick up Tropico.

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91

TotalGames.net

By offering something that is not only new but extremely challenging PopTop have done the strategy gaming fraternity a real service and hopefully the legacy of Tropico will be that more games developers are prepared to attempt political simulations in the future.

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91

Armchair Empire

If you are a big fan of "The Sims" and are looking for a little vacation from that game, crack out the margarita mix and sun block before heading on over to the exceptionally good Tropico. May your reign be long and your Swiss bank account large!

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90

Gamers' Temple

A hearty "¡Viva Tropico!" for giving gamers such an innovative and fun game to play. While play may get a little repetitive during long game sessions, you'll definitely want to come back for more before too long.

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90

GameZone

It is incredibly well rendered, with an amazing soundtrack and it sports many of the elements of the higher-end civ games, without the baser responses, such as warfare.

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90

Playboy

And by combining an open-ended design with a wonderful (if somewhat politically incorrect) sense of humor, Tropico provides one of the finest and most dangerously addictive gaming experiences of the year.

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89

Game Chronicles

Tropico is one of the most fun and addictive strategy games of the year and perhaps the best strategy game to date.

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88

GamePower

It is eminently replayable. There are so many options -- the island's physical characteristics, victory conditions, El Presidente's personality quirks -- that it never plays the same way twice.

88

IGN

There is a ton of personality and humor in the game to go along with the great political simulation that hasn't really been done to this extent before.

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87

Gamer's Pulse

Definitely one of the more interesting governing and building game out there. It is unique in a lot of ways, and the gameplay is excellent.

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86

GameSpot

The political wrapper that PopTop has built around the core of the game is sophisticated enough to appeal to all types of strategy game players. The game also has enough heart, soul, humor, and humanity to make it unique.

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85

Voodoo Extreme

More than once, I played the game for over 8 hours in a single day. It’s the type of game that you play “just a little longer” until you realize that your wife has left you, you haven’t eaten in weeks, and you smell like an old shoe.

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85

GameSpy

A shining example for how to create a fun and challenging game based on an extremely boring and dull concept. Clearly one to earmark as a future hall of famer.

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85

Gamezilla!

The addition of real politics, planning, and consequences to the decision-making process adds a level of suspense not present in other building games.

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82

Da Gameboyz

A very complex and fun to play strategy game, with enough modular options to keep the gameplay different each time you play it.

80

All Game Guide

While personality alone is not reason enough to buy any game, the humor and level of detail in Tropico certainly makes it a worthwhile investment.

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80

Computer Games Magazine

It's the perfect game to sit down with for a couple of hours, with a margarita in one hand and the mouse in the other, and just tinker with your whacked-out island.

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80

Yahoo! Games

The graphics on Tropico are rich; you can almost smell the sea air while you're a mouse-click from arresting a political adversary.

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80

Maxim Online

You begin by selecting the background for your on-screen tyrant—anything from leftist journalist to drunken gambler to flatulent womanizer.

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80

Electric Playground

Even hardcore sim-nuts won't have any quality issues with Tropico; it's the less-experienced who will find themselves initially bewildered, even with the talky tutorial--there's just a lot of detail here, and Tropico seems to take for granted that players know the city-sim drill.

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80

Eurogamer

If you can overlook the niggles with the island's economy, Tropico is one of the best city building sims of recent years and certainly the most amusing.

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80

PC Gameworld

While it mostly succeeds at what it strives to do, the gameplay may be dampened for some by its few short-comings.

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80

Adrenaline Vault

It's difficult to come up for an overall score for Tropico as it does so many things right, but at the same time, tends to become a bit repetitive after extended periods of play.

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78

ActionTrip

Although the game is fun while it lasts (with plenty of stuff to build and plenty of macro-areas to manage), the pre-defined scenarios do not offer any qualitative innovations. They're just harder, and with different starting configuration.

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77

PC Gamer

Tropico passes as a strategy game - just don't expect it to rock your world. [July 2001, p.58]

75

Game Revolution

A very good game that really pushes the envelope is terms of immersion and difficulty.

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75

Game Over Online

Instead of being funny, Tropico stops somewhere around being congenial, and instead of offering complexity, it offers meaningless options. The result isn't a bad game, but it is disappointing.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.7 (out of 10) based on 14 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Martin C gave it a10:
Excellent game if you like playing god. The music is great, gameplay is solid and even in 2009, 8 years after buying this game, I haven't gotten bored of it. I could not recommend this game more to anyone, and here's hoping the soon to be released Tropico 3 is as good as this one!

Artem G. gave it a10:
One of the best games in history. Brilliant atmosphere, lots of great ideas. Definitely needs a real sequel, better than the weak Pirate Cave.

_~*M*~_ gave it a 10:
Its like a version of the Sims but you don't control the people - the people kind of control you. If you don't make them happy, they will revolt. But it is a great game - Tropico 2 is sure to be better. :-)

Andraš T. gave it a 10:
Great game, I like it very much.

Nicholas L. gave it a 10:
Very good.

[Anonymous] gave it an 8:
Bring on "Tropico 2"... more interaction with the people!

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