Tropico 3 Review

Posted on April 4, 2010

Back in 2001, PopTop Software put out a great little economic and political management title called Tropico. Tropico was a satirical simulation of operating your own banana republic

Tropico 3 contains three modes of play

While all this sounds like a great deal to manage, Tropico 3 provides a fairly intuitive interface to keep things straight. You can quickly look at your populace

The audio is also excellent, featuring a Latin soundtrack that will instantly make you feel like you

Another nitpick is a result of the new three-dimensional environment. Sometimes it

The 360 version also suffers some unique flaws that just aren’t apparent in the PC version. Instead of taking advantage of the simplified console button layout of a controller, the developers tried to hammer the existing interface onto a controller just not designed for it. The result is a very clumsy menu system with some odd button combos necessary to perform all the actions necessary in the game. I also noticed some slow-down at times on the 360 that I never experienced on the PC version. All other things being equal, the PC version is definitely the superior platform to play the game on – and cheaper to boot.

Ron Burke is the Editor in Chief for Gaming Trend. Currently living in Fort Worth, Texas, Ron is an old-school gamer who enjoys CRPGs, action/adventure, platformers, music games, and has recently gotten into tabletop gaming. Ron is also a fourth degree black belt, with a Master's rank in Matsumura Seito Shōrin-ryū, Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do, Universal Tang Soo Do Alliance, and International Tang Soo Do Federation. He also holds ranks in several other styles in his search to be a well-rounded fighter. Ron has been married to Gaming Trend Editor, Laura Burke, for 21 years. They have three dogs - Pazuzu (Irish Terrier), Atë, and Calliope (both Australian Kelpie/Pit Bull mixes).