Video Game Tycoon

The Basics:
Platform: PC
Developer: GameSweet
Price: $39.99
ESRB rating: E10

Summary: Create, play and share your own video games.

Note: Players build their own video games with this game, which can include shooting at tanks, helicopters, cars and at other characters. No blood is shown, but explosions are used when blowing up opponent vehicles. Overall, the game encourages creativity and thoughtful design techniques when building games.

Families who play this game can discuss how making their own games influences what they think of other games they buy. Was it challenging to make a game that was fun to play? Were the games without any violence just as fun as the ones that had violence in them? Did you come up with any stories to go along with the games you made? Did that make the games more fun?

Further Breakdown:

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Best for ages: 10+
Playability: Easy. Fifteen minutes.
Graphics: Low. Circa mid-90s
Reading Level: Light

Ages 3-7: Yellow
Ages 8-12: Green
Ages 13-17: Green
Violence Amount: Yellow
Fear: Green
Illegal/harmful: Green
Language: Green
Nudity: Green
Sex: Green

Review:
Many kids dream of being a video game designer. VIDEO GAME TYCOON lets them do just that-create, develop, and play their very own 3D video games. If they want, players can even share their masterpieces with friends with a built-in CD/DVD burning feature.

Video Game Tycoon isn't a true "tycoon" game. Players don't spend anytime managing a fictitious video game company. Instead, the entire game is based around a relatively easy-to-use developing tool that lets kids create their own 3D games. Players earn certificates and unlock extra features by going through the tutorials and building games with specific goals; however, the main idea is to let kids build their own games.

After naming their game, players decide on what the goal of the game is. Is it to collect ten pieces of candy before time runs out? Or, is it to shoot all of the targets while surviving attacks from enemy tanks? The options are varied, and let kids really experiment.

After the objectives are set, the player builds the environment. By selecting from a number of different alternatives, players choose what the terrain and sky look like as well as the type of map the game is played on. Race tracks, cityscapes and desert fortresses, among other choices adds even more variety to the game.

Finally, the player chooses the options for the main character-the character the player themselves will control, as well as the options for any computer-controlled opponents/objects. Again, a number of options exist. Cars, dinosaurs, tanks, even horse riders are all "characters" that can exist in a player's game. Standard controls make it easy to switch from driving a tank in one game to riding a horse in another.

Although the concept is a good one, the game does have limitations. The tutorials just barely cover the basics, and could use a lot more interaction. The graphics and sound effects are serviceable, but players will quickly realize they are not building games to rival the latest Tomb Raider or Gran Turismo. Finally, although standard controls make it easy to play any of the game types, the responsiveness tends to leave much to be desired, making it a real challenge to control characters without a lot of practice and patience.

Despite these concerns, most younger players will find the idea of being able to build their own video game an exciting one. With a bit of persistence players can build fairly sophisticated racing and shoot-em-up games. The ability to burn games to DVD/CD even adds more appeal, since players can enjoy challenging their friends to their latest creation.