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You can’t build a ski resort without power. First off, you’ve got to build a generator or power station to keep the resort up and running. Accommodation is also vital so your guests have somewhere to stay. Luckily for them, you have a range of accommodation to choose from. Starting with small wooden cabins, you will eventually have access to large hotels, to accommodate a larger number of guests. The visitors won’t be able to hit the slopes unless you build a ski lift. Starting with a pretty shabby rope tow which may struggle to take your guests up a footpath (ok, it’s not that bad), you will be able to upgrade to decent chair lifts once you develop your resort more.
If you want to be in the money, like in any management sim, shops and attraction are the answer. Ski rentals, ski schools and restaurants are a sure way keep the balance high, and this is a good thing considering you start with a fairly low amount of money, even in easy mode. Visitors will ski anywhere where there isn’t a path, and there is a selection of foot paths to choose from. There are also many decorative items such as lamps, statues, seats and trees. You will get skiers and snow boarders coming to your resort, with ranging abilities. Ski schools are a great way to teach the beginners, and get a bit of cash too. On the top of your slopes, you will need to place markers to inform the visitors how difficult the particular area is. Without these, you will get beginners trying out expert slopes, and not surprisingly – accidents will occur. The last thing you want is guests floating up to heaven and suing your resort (which will happen if you’re not careful...).
Bigfoot is also hiding in the trees in each resort, and he may abduct unsuspecting guests. When you cut down trees to make more space, you may even encounter him for yourself, as well as the occasional ram. A new feature in this sequel is that there is now day and night in your resort. Now and again, the screen will become dark, the buildings will light up and you’ll hear the occasional wolf call out.
Graphics:
The graphics in Ski Resort Tycoon 2 are nothing spectacular, but they’re not bad, and a step up from the original Ski Resort Tycoon. There are resolution adjustments, and you can also adjust the texture and graphics quality. The buildings are fairly realistic, and the ability to rotate 90 degrees around your resort means you can see each item from all four angles. In addition, there are three zooms.
Sound :
Don’t be listening out for anything special. The sound is fairly basic. There is a fitting tune which plays constantly in on the main menu and in the game. Luckily, you can turn it off if it gets too repetitive for you. The sound effects are quite good. Wolves howling at night, people talking and the sound of snow digging when you place a building are all fairly pleasant, and much better than the original where you would hear a the sound of of people chatting fade in and out abruptly from inside a shop.
Gameplay:
There are two main modes of gameplay: Instant Action and Challenges. Instant Action games let you choose a blank mountain from scratch and do pretty much as you wish. The Challenges are basically the same except you have a target you meet, such as making a 3-star resort in a set amount of time. There is also a tutorial to help you get to grips with the main aspects of the game, although gameplay is pretty straightforward, especially if you play a lot of similar management or tycoon games.
The user interface is pretty nicely layed out. There is a small map in the corner so you can see a birds-eye view of your whole resort. There are buttons along the top (eg. Build, Terrain, Menu...etc) for basic commands. It is easy to navigate around your resort. As you would expect, you just scroll up, down, left or right to move around, as well as having the ability to rotate and zoom. The manual’s pretty helpful too, taking you through all the basic gameplay elements.
Conclusion:
Ski Resort Tycoon 2 is a surprisingly fun game. It has a lot of nice features, however it doesn’t really conquer any new ground. If you like other tycoon or management games, and there sure are a lot of them, then you will get in to this one easily and will most likely enjoy playing it. The easy user interface makes it suitable for all ages. Overall, it’s a fairly enjoyable sim that should keep you playing for a fair while without getting too bored.
