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The great sim that could have been, Game Tycoon is instead a dull entry in a genre that is already overflowing with dull entries.

The glut of Tycoon games reminds me a little bit of the Steve McQueen movie “The Blob.” The blob started out small and went unnoticed by everyone, but it was all the while feeding and growing larger until finally it was so mammoth it threatened to take over the entire world. One of my favorite scenes has the blob attacking teens in a movie theater. All the kids come running out of the entrance, screaming for their lives, and then we see the blob oozing out the front door… except the effect is obviously created by pouring some jelly over a photograph of the theater. Good times.

The latest Tycoon game (and this really doesn’t qualify as a series since most of the games are made by different developers and released by different publishers), Game Tycoon is a little like that. It is a great idea but too many corners were cut and it winds up looking cheap and dull as a result. It is definitely the most unique take on the Tycoon formula to date. I never really wanted to be a zoo tycoon or a theme park tycoon or a hospital tycoon… heck it’s been ages since I’ve tried my hand at being Mayor of Sim City. But to make it rich as the head of a game development studio? That’s a scenario that I can sink my teeth into.

It turns out my development studio is more like South Peak Interactive (makers of the abysmal State of Emergency 2) than Square Enix.

But, I learned from the Enron debacle that no corporate leader takes responsibility for his company’s failure. Instead I blame my failure to produce the next Final Fantasy or Battlefield 2 on the world around me – that is, the game of Game Tycoon itself. Perhaps if the interface were more forgiving or the gameplay less repetitive I might have been a success. Maybe if the learning curve weren’t so steep that you have to be Stephen Hawking to get through the first mission in the campaign mode I would have been a little better at keeping my business afloat.

The truth is that, as jazzed as I was about play-acting a game developer, I couldn’t stave off the boredom that is inherent in the game.

All sim games run the risk of becoming repetitive (The Sims, anyone?) after a while, but the good ones allow you to have a little fun while you’re getting there. Five minutes into Game Tycoon I wanted to run across the boardroom table and leap through the window ala Charles Durning in The Hudsucker Proxy.

And it’s really too bad because the game has interesting points. The relationship between publisher and developer smacks of real-world sarcasm, for example. If you haven’t gotten a hit for the publisher, don’t expect any love from them. You’re a dirty dog until you produce. As far as I can see, that’s how it is in real life too. The game presents a huge challenge if you decide to develop your own game engine too. Succeed and you could have the next Halo on your hands and the rewards can be greater than you can imagine. Fail and you’ll be hawking your CDs in the bargain bin at Al’s Toy Barn until St. Swithens’ Day.

Unfortunately the dull repetition and constant rehashing of events and sound effects will prevent all but the most patient sim fans from really enjoying anything that Game Tycoon has to offer.

Review by Michael Triggs.