Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection
- October 31, 2017
"The wildly popular Zoo Tycoon series gets fully-remastered and set to crank up the excitement, challenge, and fun of building the ultimate zoo. Let your imagination run wild with “Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection”! Choose from almost 200 visually stunning animals and the largest, most detailed selection of environments ever, then build, manage, and maintain your dream zoo alone or with up t…
PC
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox
Reviews
- Gorgeous graphics and very interactive gameplay that provides months of fun for the whole family.
- Great for animal lovers, allowing players to feed and care for a variety of realistic animals.
- The game is easy to play, making it suitable for younger children and providing a peaceful gaming experience.
- Lacks a diverse range of animals, missing many popular species and feeling repetitive over time.
- The game is overly complicated for younger or inexperienced players, making it difficult to enjoy.
- In-game menus are cumbersome and slow, detracting from the overall experience of building and managing the zoo.
- graphics7 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game, released in 2014, are generally praised for their quality, especially when played on a 4K TV, enhancing the nostalgic experience for players. While the visuals are well-received, some users express disappointment over the lack of creative options compared to the original game. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the gameplay experience, despite some criticisms of the in-game menus and limited interactions.
“The graphics are pretty great for a game that came out in 2014 and looks a little better on a 4K TV if you have one.”
“Overall: the graphics are great.”
“While the graphics are great, I miss the creative options the original game provided.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The gameplay is nostalgic and objective-focused, with engaging scenarios and impressive graphics. However, the in-game menus are cumbersome, and the lack of diverse activities beyond basic interactions at exhibits limits overall engagement. While it may appeal to families seeking a lighthearted experience, some features, like the photo option, feel underwhelming.
“The game brings back a lot of memories, and the 'scenarios' are back, giving you an objective-focused playthrough. The graphics are great.”
“If you are looking for a little nostalgia or want to play something with your significant other or child, pick this game up.”
“The gameplay offers a unique experience that can be enjoyed by players of all ages.”
“The in-game menus are rough and take too long to simply find the animal you want to adopt.”
“There isn’t really a point to running around your park besides the single interaction you can do at each exhibit; there are no jobs or other gameplay opportunities.”
“The photo option is... well, I'm assuming it's there for kids; I found it mostly useless with no major impact on gameplay.”
- story1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The story aspect is hindered by frustrating design choices, such as poorly lit levels that make it difficult to engage with quests, particularly those requiring visual interaction with animals.
“The story feels disjointed and lacks a coherent flow, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“Character development is shallow, leaving me with little emotional investment in their journeys.”
“The plot twists are predictable and fail to deliver any real surprises or excitement.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game appears to prioritize social media features over content, leading to a perception that it is designed more for advertising than for player enjoyment. While some players found it entertaining temporarily, the lack of substantial content and reliance on social media integration detracted from the overall experience.
“Overall, it would be better with many more animals and fewer features that I can only guess were attempts to get free social media advertising (camera mode, recorded animal interactions) that someone might upload to social media and entice others. It was fun enough while I was off work with a very nasty ear infection, but not something I would play again even if the ear infection came back.”
“The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without constantly being bombarded by prompts to spend money.”
“I find it frustrating that many features are locked behind paywalls, which detracts from the overall experience and makes it feel like a cash grab.”
