by Ryan Ambrose

Created on: October 13, 2008   Last Updated: October 21, 2008

Review of Big $hot

Have you ever wanted to get in touch with your inner business tycoon? Big $hot by Rusty Axe Games is a fun and challenging game of playing one in the big city. I give it a 4/5 rating.

The object is to be the player with the greatest net worth at the end of the game. You're playing against computer-generated opponents who are out to do the same thing. While you can't bankrupt them directly, you can make deals with them, and they can make deals with you. Just watch out, because they don't have any compunctions about trying to sell you their turkeys or their debts.

The game takes place in a city isometric screen, where you make decisions like investing in your existing properties or buying new ones. You can also put your businesses up for sale, attend auctions, and make deals. Investing in your existing properties increases their value, gives you a base of things to leverage, and bigger profits, while buying properties is necessary to give you the much larger net worth you need to win the game.

Each turn is a month, and at the end you can take some satisfaction in watching your profits grow. Then, you have to take care of your businesses by paying bills or dealing with the occasional repair. If you don't pay your bills, your creditors will put a lien on your business. If you don't make repairs, the quality of your business goes down.

The graphics are simple but attractive, and along with the good music score, are appropriate for setting the 'urban business tycoon' feel. The city isometric is filled with simple cartoon buildings, and there are no animations beyond a few bouncing 'For Sale' signs. Most of the game takes place in pop-up windows, but that didn't make it any less fun for me.

The interface is easy to use, because it's all just point and click. You can scroll easily through your properties and all of your options, and can find out just how much money you have at any time. You always know where you stand against all of your opponents and the local economy, which can be anything from booming to in recession.

The only two things about this game that annoyed me were the fact that it isn't full screen, and the tutorial is a mess. When I initially tried to use it, it kept locking up buttons and clicks, and I had to start the game over in order to get rid of it. My demo was a beta version though, so they may correct this in the future.

Despite the glitches, I found Big $hot to be an amusing game. While not the most feature-filled, it's a fun and simple take on the Monopoly concept. If you enjoy this type of game, it's a good one to check out.

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