Mall Tycoon

Last updated
Mall Tycoon
Malltycoon.jpg
Developer(s) Holistic Design
Publisher(s) Take-Two Interactive
Director(s) Andrew Greenberg
Producer(s) Timothy Beggs
Designer(s) Andy Harmon
Programmer(s) Ken Lightner
Edward Glamkowski
Artist(s) John Bridges
Platform(s) Windows
ReleaseFebruary 6, 2002 [1]
Genre(s) Business simulation
Mode(s) Single-player

Mall Tycoon is a business simulation game, released in 2002 for Windows 95/98/ME. It was developed by Holistic Designs and published by Take-Two Interactive. [2] It has two sequels: Mall Tycoon 2 (which also had a "Deluxe" extended edition) and Mall Tycoon 3.

Contents

Gameplay

The game begins with an empty plot of land upon which the player develops their mall. The player can build shops, customize decorations, organize special events such as fashion shows, and manage mall employees. It is important for the player to work out what is profitable and what is not to ensure the survival of the fledgling mall. The mall may become overrun with zombies or aliens which can be eradicated when the player calls upon the Men in Black.[ citation needed ]

Development

The game was developed by Holistic Design, creator of the Merchant Prince series.

Reception

In the United States, Mall Tycoon sold 420,000 copies and earned $7.6 million by August 2006, after its release in January 2002. It was the country's 36th best-selling computer game between January 2000 and August 2006. Combined sales of all Mall Tycoon series entries released between January 2000 and August 2006 had reached 820,000 units in the United States by the latter date. [9]

The game received "generally unfavorable" reviews, according to video game review score aggregator Metacritic. [3] Computer Gaming World criticized the game for its wonky camera and frustrating interface. The magazine opined that even the poorly received Airport Tycoon is a better game than Mall Tycoon. [4]

Sequels

Mall Tycoon 2

Developer(s) Fusion Digital Games; Virtual Playground
Publisher(s) Global Star Software
Designer(s) Holistic Design, Inc.
Engine PC (Windows)
Platform(s) Windows 95/98/ME
Release
  • NA: September 24, 2003
Genre(s) Business simulation game
Mode(s)Singleplayer

Mall Tycoon 2 is a business simulation game, released in 2003. It is the sequel to Mall Tycoon, which allows the gamer to construct, expand and thereafter manage a shopping mall. It describes itself as the "Ultimate Mall Experience".

The Mall is visited by many types of customers, from children to seniors. There are also criminals among the clientele, who should be caught by the mall's security guards, and visits by dogs, which indicates a low level of hygiene and security. Staff can be hired to perform these duties, such as janitors for cleaning floors, but some of the hiring specifications require background checks, which cost money and affect bottom line.

The number of stores and the rating also affect the number of customers the mall gets. For every store, five people can fit into your shopping mall, and the higher the rating, the more people come to your mall. The game provides a wide variety of stores. They include electronics, clothing, food, entertainment, sports and services. Many of the more advanced stores need to be researched before they can be constructed. A player can build a mall atrium and arrange monthly events to promote the mall. Such promotions include car shows, a mall oasis and a circus. An "owner" also can build restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys and arcades to attract customers. As with hiring research, these new additions also must be researched and evaluated.

Floors may be changed easily and can be customised. Wood is the most common flooring medium, but other types include a puzzle floor for the kids' area and tiles for the food court. Adding floors to the mall is expensive, but is a necessary investment when all vacant areas have been occupied and expanded to their limits.

The Deluxe version of Mall Tycoon 2 adds certain scenarios, more customer types and other new features.

Mall Tycoon 3

Developer(s) Cat Daddy Games
Publisher(s) Global Star Software
Engine Cat Daddy 2005 Dev Build 3124
Platform(s) Windows 2000/XP
Release
  • NA: October 26, 2005
Genre(s) Business simulation game
Mode(s) Single-player

Mall Tycoon 3 is a business simulation game, released in 2005. It was developed by Cat Daddy Games and published by Global Star Software. It is the third and final installment in the Mall Tycoon series, after the original Mall Tycoon and Mall Tycoon 2 . The game was released to mixed reviews, getting lower than the previous games.

After selecting to play in sandbox mode, three starting locations are given. You may choose to build your mall in a neighborhood, a big city, or beside the beach. One may also choose to play a campaign game instead, and select from several different challenges.

Interior view of mall in Career Mode Malltycoon3 screencap.jpg
Interior view of mall in Career Mode

Unlike in the previous installments of the series, Mall Tycoon 3 allows players to create customized stores. Over 40 types of stores of various types are available for placement in a pre-made store or a player may design their own, putting in everything from sale signs to the merchandise racks. Also customizable are the employees; their job capabilities and personal appearances are adjustable. In addition to regular in-line stores, there are also a handful of kiosks, such as one that sells cellular phones.

In the first two Mall Tycoon games, stores were created by placing the set store size, and then adding a store to them. In Mall Tycoon 3, the player paints the floor to create a store, allowing for them to be of any shape or size.

Mall Tycoon 3 features a total of 5 buildable mall levels.

Related Research Articles

<i>RollerCoaster Tycoon</i> Video game series

RollerCoaster Tycoon is a series of construction and management simulation games about building and managing an amusement park. Each game in the series challenges players with open-ended amusement park management and development, and allowing players to construct and customize their own unique roller coasters and other thrill rides.

<i>Chris Sawyers Locomotion</i> 2004 video game

Chris Sawyer's Locomotion is a video game designed and programmed by independent game developer Chris Sawyer, and published by Atari Interactive in September 2004. The game is a simulation game in which the player takes on the role of a transportation company manager, building transportation networks and managing the flow of goods and passengers in order to compete against rival companies. Sawyer independently developed the game over nine years from the 1990s as a "spiritual successor to Transport Tycoon", with the game featuring "fundamentally the same" gameplay but with "differences in detail, scale and presentation" to update and refine the features that Sawyer "wanted to get right" in its predecessor.

<i>RollerCoaster Tycoon 3</i> Amusement park construction and management simulation video game

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is a 2004 construction and management simulation video game. It is the third installment in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series, and was developed by Frontier Developments and published by Atari Interactive. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 places players in charge of managing amusement parks; rides can be built or demolished, terrain and scenery can be adjusted, and prices can be controlled to keep visitors or "peeps" happy.

<i>Monopoly Tycoon</i> 2001 video game

Monopoly Tycoon is a construction and management simulation PC game published in 2001 by Infogrames Interactive and developed by Deep Red Games. The player operates a business that owns stores and apartments in a city derived from the Monopoly board game. Instead of using dice, the game relies more on the speed and innovativeness of the players. In the standard mode, the user plays against the AI opponents. In the multiplayer version, players go against other online players in order to gain victory.

<i>Zoo Tycoon</i> (2001 video game) 2001 video game

Zoo Tycoon is a business simulation game developed by Blue Fang Games and released by Microsoft. Although first released for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh in 2001, it was ported to the Nintendo DS in 2005. It was followed by two expansion packs, Dinosaur Digs and Marine Mania, which were released in 2002, as well as a sequel, Zoo Tycoon 2, released in 2004.

<i>Airport Tycoon</i> 2000 video game

Airport Tycoon is a business simulation game released for Windows 95/98 in 2000. It was developed in the United Kingdom by Krisalis Software. In Airport Tycoon, the player must successfully build and manage an airport without going bankrupt. There have been two sequels created for Airport Tycoon: Airport Tycoon 2 and Airport Tycoon 3. There was to be a Nintendo 64 version released as well, but this version was cancelled for unknown reasons.

<i>Railroad Tycoon II</i> 1998 video game

Railroad Tycoon II is a business simulation video game in the Railroad Tycoon series developed by PopTop Software and published by Gathering of Developers. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, PlayStation and Dreamcast. It was later ported and released for Linux.

<i>MechWarrior 4: Vengeance</i> 2000 video game

MechWarrior 4: Vengeance is a vehicle simulation game, developed by FASA Interactive and published by Microsoft. It was released on November 22, 2000. It is the fourth game in MechWarrior series. It takes place in BattleTech universe where the pinnacle of all war machines are huge, heavily armed robots called BattleMechs. The player pilots one of these "'Mechs" and uses variety of available weapons to battle enemy 'Mechs, tanks and other vehicles. An expansion pack, MechWarrior 4: Black Knight, was released in 2001, and a subsequent stand-alone expansion, MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, was released on November 7, 2002. Two smaller expansions, Inner Sphere Mech Pak and Clan Mech Pak, were also released in 2002.

<i>European Air War</i> 1998 video game

European Air War is a combat flight simulator developed and published by MicroProse and published for Microsoft Windows in 1998. It is a sequel to 1942: The Pacific Air War. It simulates the Battle of Britain, and the Allied Air offensives in Western Europe during World War II in 1943–1945.

<i>RollerCoaster Tycoon</i> (video game) 1999 video game

RollerCoaster Tycoon is a 1999 construction and management simulation video game developed by Chris Sawyer and published by Hasbro Interactive. It was released for Windows and was later ported to the Xbox by Frontier Developments in 2003. It is the first game in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series.

<i>Atlantis Underwater Tycoon</i> 2003 video game

Atlantis Underwater Tycoon is an underwater city-building simulation game in which the player acts as a tycoon to simulate the real-time design and management of an underwater civilization. It was developed by American studio Anarchy Enterprises and published by Activision Value, and released on March 21, 2003, for Microsoft Windows.

<i>MechWarrior 3</i> 1999 video game

MechWarrior 3 is a vehicle simulation game, part of the MechWarrior series. It featured a new 3D accelerated graphics engine at the time of its release. The game contains over 20 missions, with access to 18 different mechs. A novelization called Trial Under Fire was written by Loren L. Coleman.

<i>Sid Meiers Railroads!</i> 2006 video game

Sid Meier's Railroads! is a business simulation game developed by Firaxis Games on the Gamebryo game engine that was released in October 2006 and is the sequel to Railroad Tycoon 3. Although Sid Meier created the original Railroad Tycoon, subsequent versions were developed by PopTop Software. Railroads! was the first game in the series since the original to have direct input from Sid Meier himself. After a visit to Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany, Meier was inspired to reinvent his original creation. A version for the Mac OS X was published by Feral Interactive on November 1, 2012, under the latter's Feral Legends label. A mobile version was released in April 2023.

<i>Railroad Tycoon</i> (video game) 1990 video game

Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon is a business simulation designed by Sid Meier. The game is the first in the Railroad Tycoon series. The original idea came from the boardgame 1830: The Game of Railroads and Robber Barons.

<i>Zoo Tycoon</i> Video game series

Zoo Tycoon is a series of business simulation video games. The worlds focus around building and running successful zoo scenarios. The series was initially developed by Blue Fang Games and published by Microsoft Studios who later in 2001–2008 went on to create two stand-alone video games and seven expansion packs for PC and Macintosh platforms. In 2013, Microsoft Studios released a new Zoo Tycoon game, developed by Frontier Developments for Xbox One and Xbox 360. An enhanced version of the Xbox game, Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection, was released for Windows 10 and the Xbox One on October 31, 2017. Frontier Developments, the developer of the final Zoo Tycoon game, released the spiritual successor to the series, Planet Zoo, in 2019.

<i>Donald Trumps Real Estate Tycoon</i> 2002 video game

Donald Trump's Real Estate Tycoon is a business simulation game developed by RedCap and published by Activision Value. It was released for Microsoft Windows on November 7, 2002. It was later published in Europe by Xplosiv on September 3, 2004. On October 20, 2004, Activision Value published a version of the game that was developed by Airborne Entertainment for J2ME and BREW-enabled mobile phones, as well as the N-Gage QD. It was named after the American businessman Donald Trump who also provided his voice for both versions of the game.

Construction and management simulation (CMS), sometimes also called management sim or building sim, is a subgenre of simulation game in which players build, expand or manage fictional communities or projects with limited resources. Strategy video games sometimes incorporate CMS aspects into their game economy, as players must manage resources while expanding their project. Pure CMS games differ from strategy games, however, in that "the player's goal is not to defeat an enemy, but to build something within the context of an ongoing process." Games in this category are sometimes also called "management games".

<i>Rugrats: Totally Angelica</i> 2000 video game

Rugrats: Totally Angelica is an action video game based on the 1991 Nickelodeon animated children's television series Rugrats. It was developed by Art Co., Ltd and published by THQ for the Game Boy Color (GBC) and PlayStation. The GBC version was released in 2000, while the PlayStation version was published in 2001. It is also the last Rugrats game to be released for the PlayStation and Game Boy Color. A direct sequel for the PC was released in 2002, titled Totally Angelica: Boredom Busters!. It was a point and click adventure game, and was developed by KnowWonder and published by Mattel Interactive.

<i>RollerCoaster Tycoon World</i> 2016 video game

RollerCoaster Tycoon World is a theme park construction and management simulation video game developed by Nvizzio Creations and published by Atari for Microsoft Windows. It is the fourth major installment in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series. The game was released on 16 November 2016 to largely negative reviews.

<i>F1 Racing Simulation</i> 1997 video game

F1 Racing Simulation is a racing simulation game, developed for Microsoft Windows by Ubi Soft in 1997. The game is based on the 1996 Formula One World Championship, and is the first of the Racing Simulation games made by Ubisoft, being the predecessor to Racing Simulation 2, which was released in 1998.

References

  1. ↑ "Take-Two Interactive Ships "Mall Tycoon" for PC". WorthPlaying. February 6, 2002. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Mall Tycoon Review - PC Games - CNET Reviews". CNET . Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Mall Tycoon Critic Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 26, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Editors of CGW (July 2004). "Sim Games that Suck". Computer Gaming World . No. 240. p. 108.
  5. ↑ "Mall Tycoon Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  6. ↑ "Mall Tycoon Review on PC". 10 October 2004. Archived from the original on 10 October 2004. Retrieved 9 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ↑ Blevins, Tal (12 February 2002). "Mall Tycoon" . Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "CG Online-- Mall Tycoon Review". 3 August 2004. Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 9 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ↑ Edge Staff (August 25, 2006). "The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century". Edge . Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.