The Bottom Line
Pros
- biome brushes for exhibits
- easy to use land modification tools
- 3 modes of play: campaign, challenge, freeform
- zookeeper recommendations readily available for each animal
- streamlined interface
Cons
- average sound effects
- graphical glitches
- only 30 animals available
Description
- Publisher: Microsoft
- Take responsibility for a zoo by building exhibits, hiring staff, and caring for the animals.
- Three modes of gameplay: campaign, challenge, and freeform.
- Walk around the zoo in first person perspective while cleaning up trash and taking care of animals.
- Go on a Photo Safari in the zoo to earn rewards, including grant money and zoo promotion.
- Help the zookeepers groom, heal, bathe, and clean up the animal's cages in Zoo Guest mode.
Guide Review - "Zoo Tycoon 2" Review
The first obvious change in "Zoo Tycoon 2" is the 3D graphics. Overall they look good, but (you knew there was a but coming didn't you?) graphical glitches with the animals are common. Zebras will stick their heads through a scratching post. Sometimes animals walk right through each other. While this is annoying, it doesn't ruin the game.
The focus is not on the management of a zoo, it's on giving the animals a good place to live, researching new objects, making sure your guests are happy, and going on a Photo Safari once in awhile. Zookeeper recommendations are a click a way, and the biome brush makes making the perfect exhibit easier; both reasons for "Zoo Tycoon 2" easy for kids to play.
The voilence has also been toned down. Animals will exist together, even though in the wild one of them would have been breakfast. Zookeeper recommendations are handy so it keeps the guesswork out and makes it easy to give animals the right home.
Not much has changed from the first game. The graphics, easier tools to change the terrain and develop biomes have improved. I liked the first game the way it was, with the additional touch-ups; "Zoo Tycoon 2" is a good choice for kids.
