Build a Lot 2 Game Review by Christina Brzustoski
Game Rating = 3/5 Balls
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Build-A-Lot 2: Town of the Year is a game along the lines of Maxis’s SimCity and Sierra’s city-building series, but with a real-estate twist. While in SimCity, the emphasis is on infrastructure, Build-a-Lot is focuses more on individual houses and beautification. You begin in a neighborhood with some empty lots, grayed-out houses and a bit of cash. The player has a choice of building new houses or purchasing the gray houses as they come onto the market. You earn your money from the rent charged on your owned houses. Most of the games (at least the ones this writer was able to play in the 60-minute trial version) are goal-oriented, where, for example, you must build two farmhouses and earn a profit of $50,000 to proceed to the next level.
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But before things seem too simplistic, there’s more to building houses than the click of a button. The player must have the blueprint, materials and some workers (all of which can be purchased from the display menu at an additional cost). Once you purchase the blueprint, buy the materials and hire a few workers, you’re good to go. There’s a choice of houses to build, from cheaper bungalows to more expensive townhouses. To increase the rent received on your houses, there’s an upgrade option (e.g., by installing French doors, or hardwood floors). You can also apply a fresh coat of paint to add points to the houses’ curb appeal. Building parks, shops and other structures also enhance the game play. If a “play park” is constructed next to your townhouse, its curb appeal increases. However, building a workshop (to train your construction workers) has a detrimental effect on nearby houses.
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The tutorial is helpful in explaining the basics of the game. A mayor-guide holds your hand and tells you where to click and what to do, but then there’s an opportunity to do it again on your own. The game’s controls are at the bottom in a windows-type menu, where one can click on the various tabs to check your budget, workers, blueprints owned, etc. The graphics are cute but nothing special. A little hard hat races to any house or lot you click on to begin construction, or make repairs and upgrades. The music is nice and not annoying, which is important for a game like this where one would conceivably spend an hour or more in play.
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Build-a-Lot is a pleasant game that provides a bit of fun, but doesn’t ask much of its “mayor.” In SimCity, a mayor must balance services and costs, charge taxes and keep his populace happy to prevent them from running him out of the city. In Build-a-Lot, the stakes aren’t quite as high. All in all, I enjoyed my hour-long trial and was disappointed that the game cut off as it was upgrading one of the townhouses necessary to complete my goal. I didn’t feel compelled to purchase the game as the trial ran out, but I might decide to revisit Build-a-Lot at a later time, just to finish up that kitchen remodeling.
Game Play 4/5
Graphics 3/5
Sound 3/5
Creativity 2/5
Innovation 3/5
