Looking for good strategy/management games

millenia · 02-24-2011, 12:15 PM

I am a crazy lover of Theme Hospital and have played it through several times. I replayed it again last year so it's not quite the time to dig it up again. But I'd like to try something similar. Hospital Tycoon I found out to be pretty rubbish and never was that much into the other 'Theme' games.

I also like Settlers games, I especially loved the settlement campaign in Settlers IV, not so much of a fighter

. But I recently crawled through Settlers VI and the expansion so I'm not really in the mood for it either.

What I just now tried was Viva Pinata again but despite the super cute and charming look of it, it's just too messy and aimless. I do enjoy a game without ultimate tasks too - like The Sims games - but Viva Pinata is bursting with all kinds of stuff and I never get the feeling that I am actually in control of the game instead of just watching what happens and trying to do something in between.

Soo.. cutsie and fun games like Theme Hospital, Settlers, The Sims and Viva Pinata. Is there more? I will be checking out the new Medieval Sims when it comes but other than that I have nothing in radar. Doesn't have to be new, I can play Theme Hospital totally without cringing. I'd appreciate any recommendations.

SamandMax · 02-24-2011, 12:27 PM

Have you ever played Sim Golf? It's a great Sid Meier game he worked on with Maxis where you get to design and run a golf course.

millenia · 02-24-2011, 12:31 PM

Interesting. No, never tried that because Golf kinda puts me off. But I checked it out on GameSpot and seems there were quite a few fans that thought exactly the same. Might be worth checking out, thanks.

rayvio · 02-24-2011, 01:02 PM

Dungeon Keeper? the comedy and cute is a little darker of course but it's one of the funniest and most fun games of its kind, in my opinion at least. DK2 is pretty good as well but the original is still the best if you can stand the dated graphics

millenia · 02-25-2011, 12:05 AM

Dungeon Keeper I actually have. I bought it cheap from some bargain bin years ago. I tried it out a bit and it was okay I think, I was pretty kid then though so could dig it up and give it another try now.

Actually this thread is a great example why people should ask other people instead of just googling stuff. I never would have thought to lookup a golf game and I was definitely looking for more cute than twisted humour but both these suggestions seem much better than anything I dug up so far.

Gonchi · 02-25-2011, 05:18 AM

I was really into Theme Park back in the day, I imagine you're already familiar with it though.

Evil Genius maybe? Part of the game consists of building a secret lair, hiring henchmen, setting traps for spies and researching weapons...

Another game that comes to mind is The Movies, which has you running a movie studio from the 20's to modern day.

*stepurhan* · 03-01-2011, 03:43 AM

Definitely somewhat darker in tone. Rebuild is all about trying to create a safe enclave after the zombie apocalypse.

There are no "shoot the zombie" action parts. It's all about how you manage your resources to repel the hordes. Put more people on guarding the wall or send them out to scavenge for food. Expand to get a new building (e.g. a farm to generate food so you don't have to scavenge so much) or keep small so that there is less wall to cover. Send more people out on a mission to increase the chances of them all making it or take high stakes risks. It's cleverly thought out and comes with 5 difficulty levels (I have yet to beat level 4, harder) and at least 3 different ways of winning. New map each time keeps it fresh. Plus it's free.

Red_Lizard2 · 03-04-2011, 02:39 AM

Not quite the cute type theme (though it has it a bit), though you probably already have it, but I love Rollercoaster Tycoon games (especially 3).

M.U.D. TV isn't a bad game, that tries to be kind of funny, it has its bugs though (and suffers from a busy work feeling). In a similar line, but a much better game, is MAD TV (a much older game). Only played some of the first MAD game, so not sure on the second (not fluent enough in german to play the second game).

Maybe the Tropico games as well (well 1 and maybe 3, heard 2 went way off path)?

MoP · 03-04-2011, 06:42 AM

I'd recommend Constructor and its sequel, Mob Rule. So happens they're part of this weekends sale on gog.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gog pr

Constructor takes the empire building and resource management of the best simulations and adds to it a strong dose of character interaction, humour, and strategic competition.

gamemama · 03-10-2011, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by millenia

Soo.. cutsie and fun games like Theme Hospital, Settlers, The Sims and Viva Pinata. Is there more? I will be checking out the new Medieval Sims when it comes but other than that I have nothing in radar. Doesn't have to be new, I can play Theme Hospital totally without cringing. I'd appreciate any recommendations.

Heyho,

do you also like logical games, kind of road building?

millenia · 03-11-2011, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamemama

Heyho,

do you also like logical games, kind of road building?

I'm not really sure what you're after here, just give your suggestions and I'll see if I like it

. I do play a lot of different game genres.

I actually gave some time to Viva Pinata again and it didn't seem so chaotic anymore. Will definitely be playing it a lot just like Settlers.

As for the other suggestions here, I'll be checking them out but I found myself interested in WoW and adventures again so been a bit busy now. No reason to stop suggesting though!

I like turn based strategies too like Civilization or Heroes of Might and Magic so that kind of suggestions work too, though mainly I was looking for more of a management type game like the best one - Theme Hospital - is.

gamemama · 03-15-2011, 03:58 AM

I can suggest this online game. I really like it and I'm into management games as well. So, maybe our taste isn't too different...

Jannik · 03-16-2011, 11:59 AM

If you own a Nintendo console, I can semi-recommend the Animal Crossing series:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Crossing

I've played the DS version, and while light when it comes to gameplay, "Soo.. cutsie and fun games" definitely apply

The characters and dialog are fantastic!

It's more a simulation than a management game, though.

I've read that the newest game, Animal Crossing: City Folk (a Wii game), has a bit more depth to the gameplay.

02-24-2011, 12:15 PM	#1
millenia She Wants Revenge Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Finland Posts: 494	Looking for good strategy/management games I am a crazy lover of Theme Hospital and have played it through several times. I replayed it again last year so it's not quite the time to dig it up again. But I'd like to try something similar. Hospital Tycoon I found out to be pretty rubbish and never was that much into the other 'Theme' games. I also like Settlers games, I especially loved the settlement campaign in Settlers IV, not so much of a fighter . But I recently crawled through Settlers VI and the expansion so I'm not really in the mood for it either. What I just now tried was Viva Pinata again but despite the super cute and charming look of it, it's just too messy and aimless. I do enjoy a game without ultimate tasks too - like The Sims games - but Viva Pinata is bursting with all kinds of stuff and I never get the feeling that I am actually in control of the game instead of just watching what happens and trying to do something in between. Soo.. cutsie and fun games like Theme Hospital, Settlers, The Sims and Viva Pinata. Is there more? I will be checking out the new Medieval Sims when it comes but other than that I have nothing in radar. Doesn't have to be new, I can play Theme Hospital totally without cringing. I'd appreciate any recommendations. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Currently playing: AlternativA, Diablo III Recently finished: Hector - Episode 1, Dear Esther, Gemini Rue, Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper, Blackwell trilogy All-time favourites: Discworld Noir, Gabriel Knight trilogy

02-24-2011, 12:27 PM	#2
SamandMax A Slice of Fried Gold Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 1,024	Have you ever played Sim Golf? It's a great Sid Meier game he worked on with Maxis where you get to design and run a golf course. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ SamandMax's Recommended Songs Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball They Might Be Giants - Dog Walker The Kinks - Money Talks Gorillaz - DoYaThing

02-24-2011, 12:31 PM	#3
millenia She Wants Revenge Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Finland Posts: 494	Interesting. No, never tried that because Golf kinda puts me off. But I checked it out on GameSpot and seems there were quite a few fans that thought exactly the same. Might be worth checking out, thanks. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Currently playing: AlternativA, Diablo III Recently finished: Hector - Episode 1, Dear Esther, Gemini Rue, Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper, Blackwell trilogy All-time favourites: Discworld Noir, Gabriel Knight trilogy Last edited by millenia; 02-24-2011 at 11:58 PM. Reason: spelling error

02-24-2011, 01:02 PM	#4
rayvio Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK (I miss Belgium!) Posts: 509	Dungeon Keeper? the comedy and cute is a little darker of course but it's one of the funniest and most fun games of its kind, in my opinion at least. DK2 is pretty good as well but the original is still the best if you can stand the dated graphics Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Playing: Edna & Harvey: The Breakout non-adv: Oblivion (very heavily modded), Planescape Torment recently finished: Gray Matter, Alter-Ego, Whispered World non-adv: Dragon Age: Origins again and again... Melody Gloucester Pegasus

02-25-2011, 12:05 AM	#5
millenia She Wants Revenge Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Finland Posts: 494	Dungeon Keeper I actually have. I bought it cheap from some bargain bin years ago. I tried it out a bit and it was okay I think, I was pretty kid then though so could dig it up and give it another try now. Actually this thread is a great example why people should ask other people instead of just googling stuff. I never would have thought to lookup a golf game and I was definitely looking for more cute than twisted humour but both these suggestions seem much better than anything I dug up so far. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Currently playing: AlternativA, Diablo III Recently finished: Hector - Episode 1, Dear Esther, Gemini Rue, Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper, Blackwell trilogy All-time favourites: Discworld Noir, Gabriel Knight trilogy

02-25-2011, 05:18 AM	#6
Gonchi Adventure Game Elitist Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Uruguay Posts: 831	I was really into Theme Park back in the day, I imagine you're already familiar with it though. Evil Genius maybe? Part of the game consists of building a secret lair, hiring henchmen, setting traps for spies and researching weapons... Another game that comes to mind is The Movies, which has you running a movie studio from the 20's to modern day. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Currently Playing: Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade Currently Reading: Guards! Guards! "El tiempo me enseñó que la miseria es culpa de los hombres miserables; que la justicia tarda y nunca llega pero es la pesadilla del culpable." - Lo Que El Tiempo Me Enseñó

03-01-2011, 03:43 AM	#7
stepurhan Freeware Co-ordinator Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: South East England. Posts: 7,309	Definitely somewhat darker in tone. Rebuild is all about trying to create a safe enclave after the zombie apocalypse. There are no "shoot the zombie" action parts. It's all about how you manage your resources to repel the hordes. Put more people on guarding the wall or send them out to scavenge for food. Expand to get a new building (e.g. a farm to generate food so you don't have to scavenge so much) or keep small so that there is less wall to cover. Send more people out on a mission to increase the chances of them all making it or take high stakes risks. It's cleverly thought out and comes with 5 difficulty levels (I have yet to beat level 4, harder) and at least 3 different ways of winning. New map each time keeps it fresh. Plus it's free. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ No Nonsense Nonsonnets #43 Cold Topic A thread most controversial, that’s what I want to start Full of impassioned arguments, of posting from the heart And for this stimulation all will be thankful to me On come on everybody it won’t work if you agree

03-04-2011, 02:39 AM	#8
Red_Lizard2 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 26	Not quite the cute type theme (though it has it a bit), though you probably already have it, but I love Rollercoaster Tycoon games (especially 3). M.U.D. TV isn't a bad game, that tries to be kind of funny, it has its bugs though (and suffers from a busy work feeling). In a similar line, but a much better game, is MAD TV (a much older game). Only played some of the first MAD game, so not sure on the second (not fluent enough in german to play the second game). Maybe the Tropico games as well (well 1 and maybe 3, heard 2 went way off path)? Share Share this post on Twitter

03-15-2011, 03:58 AM	#12
gamemama Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 5	I can suggest this online game. I really like it and I'm into management games as well. So, maybe our taste isn't too different... Share Share this post on Twitter

03-16-2011, 11:59 AM	#13
Jannik Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Denmark Posts: 154	If you own a Nintendo console, I can semi-recommend the Animal Crossing series: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Crossing I've played the DS version, and while light when it comes to gameplay, "Soo.. cutsie and fun games" definitely apply The characters and dialog are fantastic! It's more a simulation than a management game, though. I've read that the newest game, Animal Crossing: City Folk (a Wii game), has a bit more depth to the gameplay. Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by Jannik; 03-16-2011 at 12:04 PM.

User Name		Remember Me?
Password