The Corporate Machine
- March 25, 2015
- Stardock Entertainment
Get on Steam"The Corporate Machine" is a strategy game that challenges players to build and manage their own corporations. Compete against AI-controlled rivals to expand your business, dominate markets, and increase profits. Balance research, production, and sales to outmaneuver your competitors and become a corporate titan.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Best 'Capitalism' simulator out there, offering a surprisingly complex gameplay experience with an easy interface.
- Great for casual play and nostalgia, providing hours of fun as players manage a tech startup and compete in the market.
- Despite its outdated graphics, the game remains enjoyable and addictive, especially for fans of economic simulation games.
- The game suffers from frequent crashes and bugs, making it frustrating to play on modern systems.
- Lacks sufficient guidance for new players, and the outdated graphics and user interface can be off-putting.
- Limited content with only a few products to sell, leading to a desire for more variety and updates.
- graphics28 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely criticized as outdated and of poor quality, with many reviewers noting that they detract from the overall experience. Despite the visual shortcomings, some players find the gameplay enjoyable and recommend it for those who can overlook the graphics, especially if purchased at a discounted price. Overall, the graphics are considered a significant drawback, with ratings often around 3/10.
“While some games are kind of ageless (minus the graphics), others don't age that well.”
“Yes, of course, the game could use improved graphics - but the gameplay is enjoyable and has a nice level of tension.”
“Not only that, but this is an updated version (as in it runs on a modern computer without the need for extensive setup; don't expect any graphic/sound/quality of life updates) of what wasn't the best version of the game.”
“Recommended, though because the graphics are such crap and you might have some doubts whether the game is a keeper, wait for the sale price.”
“Terrible graphics.”
“Graphics 3/10 not great quality and most of the buttons aren't labeled so you have to work those things out.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay centers around reaching revenue targets to recruit salespeople and expand into new regions, providing an engaging premise with enjoyable elements. However, players note that the mechanics can feel slow and may not function optimally, and the lack of guidance for newcomers detracts from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the core gameplay remains enjoyable and maintains a level of tension.
“The basic gameplay involves reaching revenue targets to attract new salespeople, who are used to dominate new regions.”
“Even without having read the manual, there are gameplay elements that are enjoyable and the basic premise has a great hook.”
“Yes, of course, the game could use improved graphics - but the gameplay is enjoyable and has a nice level of tension.”
“Slow gameplay.”
“I think the mechanics aren't working, to be honest.”
“The game is okay, but it lacks any sort of guide to help new players out, even though it is fairly simple in its gameplay.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates a mixed stability experience; while it launches smoothly on Windows 10 Pro x64 without initial issues, players frequently encounter random freezes, unpatched bugs, and lockups that disrupt gameplay. These stability problems can be frustrating, reminiscent of the game's older versions.
“It even has all the bugs that were never patched; random freezes, building graphics that don't upgrade, multiple lockups!”
“Just like the old days - except the game randomly freezes, you can hear the music, click/build stuff, but nothing gets done and time doesn't lapse.”
“Unfortunately, it freezes up often, which is annoying.”
- music4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is reminiscent of classic titles, but players have reported issues with the overall sound options, including a lack of volume control. While the music itself is enjoyable, technical problems such as random freezes detract from the experience, leading some to opt to turn off the music entirely. Overall, the sound design is considered basic and underwhelming.
“The graphics and sound options in the game are not great; basic graphics and no volume control are a turn-off. You can turn off the game's music and ignore the graphics quality.”
“Just like the old days - except the game randomly freezes. You can hear the music, click/build stuff, but nothing gets done and time doesn't lapse.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization aspect of the game emphasizes the balance between marketing and research, where effective marketing enhances product appeal and sales, while research focuses on improving performance and reducing production costs, ultimately boosting profit margins.
“Marketing and research are roughly equal; the first gives you unstated bonuses in sales as it makes the product more attractive, while the second can improve the performance, features, or even make it cheaper and faster to produce the product, ultimately enhancing your profit margin.”
