M.U.D. TV
- March 8, 2010
- Realmforge Studios
- 17h median play time
Get on Steam"M.U.D. TV" is a tycoon-style business simulation game where you run your own broadcasting network. Produce and air shows, manage finances, and outcompete rival networks in a quest for ratings dominance. Engage in sabotage, corruption, and other shady practices for an extra edge.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game has an interesting concept of running a TV station, which can be fun and engaging for players who enjoy simulation games.
- Some players found the gameplay to be challenging and rewarding, especially when managing multiple shows and advertising contracts.
- The artwork and humor in the game have been appreciated by some, adding a light-hearted tone to the overall experience.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, making it nearly unplayable for many users, especially after a few in-game days.
- The interface is clunky and convoluted, leading to a frustrating user experience when trying to manage broadcasts and navigate menus.
- There is a lack of developer support and updates, leaving many players feeling abandoned and dissatisfied with the game's performance.
- gameplay18 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its engaging mechanics and strategic elements related to scheduling and broadcasting TV content, while others criticize it for being convoluted, repetitive, and lacking clear direction. Despite its potential, many players found the mechanics shallow and the learning curve steep, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. Overall, while some aspects of the gameplay shine, the execution leaves much to be desired, impacting the overall experience.
“The gameplay is phenomenal.”
“The gameplay was the highlight of the game for me.”
“Gameplay centers around either filming or buying TV shows and strategically adding them to the schedule.”
“It took a lot of trial and error to figure out what some of these figures actually meant to gameplay.”
“You’ve seen this all before, but the way they implement it all is through menus with drag and drop mechanics with poor labeling and even poorer direction.”
“The gameplay just feels repetitive and boring.”
- story17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around a character seeking revenge and world domination through television, following a somewhat convoluted plot that includes themes of corporate evil and political undertones. While the campaign offers a structured progression with challenging missions, many players find the narrative lacking in depth and creativity, often describing it as poorly written and filled with stereotypes. Despite its potential for excitement, the story fails to engage most players, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.
“The campaign allows for a slow build to a bigger climax. For instance, you have to earn a million viewers within one week in order to beat another network, which will advance the story.”
“The story also seems to have a hint of politics involved, making corporations out to be super evil entities that don’t really even want your money; they just want to destroy your lives for... reasons.”
“Main story is you are a guy who is plotting revenge and maybe some world domination via brainwashing people through TV.”
“The story is not even forgettable; it’s so bad that it sticks in my mind, and I’m annoyed that I even played the game.”
“The descriptions of the different viewership groups come off as stereotyped rather than funny, the descriptions of different TV shows come off as cynical rather than clever, and the story of a mad scientist trying to take over the world through television sounds like it was written by a third grader.”
“The story also seems to have a hint of politics involved, making corporations out to be super evil entities that don’t really even want your money; they just want to destroy your lives for… reasons?”
- graphics12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as a mix of simple, cartoonish styles and dated visuals, with some users appreciating the bold, comic book-inspired artwork that complements the game's light-hearted tone. While there are occasional graphical bugs, the overall implementation is considered acceptable for the genre, though many feel that the visuals do not enhance the gameplay experience significantly. Despite the criticisms, some players find the graphics adequate for a tycoon game, prioritizing content over aesthetics.
“The campaign has cutscenes at the beginning that use excellent comic book-esque artwork that is simple and nice.”
“The artwork in this game is neat and bold and fits into the light-hearted tone of the game.”
“This game has everything you would want in a tycoon game: humor, a storyline, good graphics, and humor.”
“This game is the definition of a spreadsheet simulator hidden behind silly toon style graphics.”
“The graphics are cheesy and dated, but if you're more into content than glitz, this is actually a fairly decent game at a shovelware price.”
“While the campaign has potential, the artwork and soundtrack are neat and the gameplay is phenomenal, the negatives tremendously hurt this game.”
- monetization10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game revolves around managing a TV network, where players must buy or produce content, secure advertising contracts, and optimize viewership to maximize revenue. While the system presents a challenging and engaging experience, players often find it difficult to meet specific advertising conditions and manage multiple shows simultaneously. Overall, the monetization mechanics add depth to gameplay, though they can be frustrating at times due to the competitive nature of securing ads and managing resources.
“Omg how it's hard to make money on advertisement because the guys who give you it lay down conditions like we will give you money only if 400,000 goths will see our advertisement.”
“The first scenario has you buying advertising for pre-created shows, which is so hard that you'll be lucky to get through it.”
“It's advertising.”
- humor9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in Mud TV is largely criticized for being awkward and forced, with many players finding it unfunny and poorly executed. Descriptions of viewership groups and TV shows are seen as stereotypical and cynical rather than clever, leading to a perception of the game's comedic elements as lacking depth. While some players still find moments of humor, the overall consensus is that the game fails to deliver a consistently funny experience.
“Mud TV tries extremely hard to be funny, and you can tell the developers thought they were hilarious.”
“This game has everything you would want in a tycoon game: humor, a storyline, good graphics, and humor.”
“A very funny game to play, but Kalypso Media/Realmforge Studios could have added more content to it.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its poor stability, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and frequent crashes. While some players still find enjoyment despite these issues, the overall consensus indicates significant frustration with the game's technical shortcomings, making it difficult to recommend.
“This game is an absolute buggy mess, but I immensely enjoyed it.”
“This game, quite frankly, is a buggy and glitchy mess.”
“However, it is very buggy and I have become so frustrated with the constant crashes that I can't honestly recommend it.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its smooth performance, though some players noted the short play sessions. The unique stat system allows for interchangeable roles, adding depth, but balancing these stats can lead to mixed outcomes in performance across different roles.
“Performance was smooth with no issues, although the play session was quite short.”
“Actor-wrangling features a fun stat system where every character is interchangeable in roles ranging from acting to directing to post-production. However, it's interesting to note that stats that enhance performance in some roles can actually be a disadvantage in others.”
“Performance was smooth and without issues, but the play session was very short.”
“Actor-wrangling has a pretty fun stat system; however, absolutely every person is interchangeable in every role from acting to directing to post-production. Unfortunately, stats that improve performance in some roles can actually be a downside in others.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as decent, complementing the neat artwork and phenomenal gameplay, but overall, it is overshadowed by significant negatives in other areas.
“The artwork and soundtrack are neat, and the gameplay is phenomenal.”
“The soundtrack is decent.”
“The music feels repetitive and lacks variety.”
“The audio quality is subpar, making it hard to enjoy the experience.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, primarily relying on a custom mode for a full experience, as the campaign is underwhelming and multiplayer servers are inactive. While it provides an enjoyable initial playthrough, it lacks significant incentives for repeated play.
“The game has limited replayability because there is only a custom mode, where you can grasp the full experience, as the campaign is disappointing in its current state and the multiplayer servers are offline.”
“Overall, a fun game that is worth one go around, but does not seem to have much replay value.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game can become tedious due to excessive micro-management, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, some users report frequent crashes that further hinder gameplay.
“The micro-management can get tedious at times, and I personally have a problem with it crashing frequently.”
“Grinding feels more like a chore than an enjoyable part of the game.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
