Wages of sim
Play god, construct a civilization or be a movie mogul in simulation
games
By Justin Hoeger -- Special To The Bee
Simulation games are fun because they let a gamer rule the world,
whether it's a whole planet or just a house full of virtual people.
"Black & White 2" is a literal god sim - the player controls a
disembodied hand that can manipulate everything in its field of
influence. Want a villager to cut down a tree? Pick him up and plop
him down next to one. Need a temple built? Lay down a foundation, then
pour workers, wood and ore onto it until the job is done. Need more
people? Match them up and give them a house. And so on.
But there's more to being a deity than gathering resources and
constructing buildings. As a divine being, the player can cast
assorted miracles and create wonders, such as massive volcanoes.
The single-player game has a series of lands to conquer, whether by
peaceful or violent means. The game play hinges on a good/evil system.
Smash and grab neighboring villages, build torture pits and terrorize
people, and the pendulum swings toward evil. Work to impress other
cultures into converting and be merciful and generous, and things go
the other way.
The player's avatar creature is greatly influenced by such choices as
well. At the beginning of the game, a player chooses an animal - ape,
lion, wolf or cow - that can be trained and developed into a powerful
force of light or darkness. This creature can be used in tandem with
regular troops to conquer neighboring tribes, or allowed to help
villagers prosper through peaceful means.
The game works as real-time strategy mixed with culture-building sim,
and it's a gorgeous game on a system with the muscle to run it.
"Civilization IV" needs less horsepower, but it's no less impressive.
This one's a turn-based affair, and it has as much or more of an
emphasis on the culture aspect as on the military. Instead of playing
god, the goal here is to guide a culture from primitive beginnings to
supremacy.
Players choose one from among several cultures, such as the British,
Russians, Americans, Egyptians and so on, pick a famous leader that
governs its starting proficiencies, then go nuts in a world of
resources and rivals.
The cultures have little to do with the real versions; the purpose is
to give players options in what advantages they start with. Each
faction also has a unique military unit.
The German Empire, for example, starts out with the hunting and mining
technologies, while the Incas have agriculture and mysticism. The game
has dozens of branching technology paths to research, and that
actually makes up a large part of the strategy, because only one can
be researched at a time and each takes several turns to discover.
These technologies are the key to cultural and military progression,
and they can be a bargaining chip - other cultures may want what the
player has discovered, or be willing to trade their own discoveries.
Goods and gold also can be traded.
Diplomacy is a large part of the game. Trade and military alliances
can help a faction, or put it at odds with other nations, and it's
actually possible to win the game without resorting to martial means.
There are six ways to win the game: by conquest, by having the highest
score when the game ends in the 21st century, by controlling the bulk
of the world's land and a large chunk of the population, by reaching
enough cultural milestones, by reaching space first, or by being voted
the winner by the United Nations.
"Civilization IV" isn't visually very flashy, and the pace is quite
slow and deliberate, but a gamer would be hard-pressed to find a game
that offers more ways to play - and win.
"The Movies" takes place in a world that's smaller but hardly less
complex: Hollywood. The graphics are workable and the sounds are
plenty good, but the big draw here is the premise.
The goal is to build a movie studio from the ground up, starting in
the silent era. As a movie mogul, each player starts with a near-empty
lot, gradually hiring stars, directors, extras and crew, building sets
and production buildings and making flicks to fit the tastes of the
times.
Once all that's in place, the stars must be kept happy and off the
sauce, the grounds must be maintained and, oh yeah, don't go broke.
Scripts are produced in five genres: action, romance, horror, sci-fi
and comedy. Early pictures will be pretty lame, just good enough to
keep the studio in the money for the next one. But eventually the
screenwriters and actors will gain experience, the budgets will be
bigger and that little lot will have terrific landscaping and be the
envy of the town. That is, if it all doesn't fall apart first.
Luckily, the game makes the early stages pretty easy, and there's a
handy timeline that gives hints of what genres will be popular soon,
letting players plan their features accordingly. Eventually, fledgling
filmmakers will graduate to an extensive level of control over their
little films with post-production facilities. Players also can upload
their favorite movies to the Internet to share.
Black & White 2
3 stars
PUBLISHER: Electronic Arts
SYSTEM: PC
HOW MUCH: $49.99
AGE RATING: Teen
Civilization IV
3 1/2 stars
PUBLISHER: 2K Games
SYSTEM: PC
HOW MUCH: $49.99
AGE RATING: Everyone 10-plus
The Movies
3 stars
PUBLISHER: Activision
SYSTEM: PC
HOW MUCH: $49.99
AGE RATING: Teen
http://www.sacticket.com/gamers/story/13953959p-14788377c.html
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"I don't care (if I get booed). I don't know any of those people. As long as my kids tell me that they love me, I'm fine. My motto is, when people talk about me, I say, 'Who are they? They're not God.' If God was out there booing me, I'd be upset."
-- Bonzi Wells, Sacramento Kings
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