Hot Dog King Review - PC Game Review of Hot Dog King, a Sim Tycoon Game

Hot Dog King Review - PC Game Review of Hot Dog King, a Sim Tycoon Game
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Overview

For tycoon sim lovers there is a strategy simulation game bringing a surprisingly new twist to fast food. Hot Dog King takes gamers into the nutty world of wieners, stale buns, mobsters, and bikini beach babes. Players must start their restaurant from the ground up with the objective of building a massive empire and taking the industry by storm. You have the choice to use business marketing techniques or play dirty utilizing the services of the mob to destroy the local competition. Armed with a staff of sexy half dressed women, your trusty PDA (which looks extremely realistic), and the country at your disposal you have to vie for the ultimate title of Hot Dog King.

Gameplay (4 out of 5)

Tutorial, Single City, and Campaign are the three basic modes of play. The Tutorial explains how the game works and prepares you to venture off on your own in the other two more difficult modes. Once the game starts you get to select which city to begin your empire in. Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York City are your options. Each city has a diverse clientele that requires you to adjust your marketing tactics for success.

Players start their fast food chain from almost nothing. You’re given a small amount of venture capital which depends on the play mode selected in the beginning of the game. Selecting location, employees, supplies, food, and kitchen equipment is all up to you. Every aspect of the restaurant is managed through a somewhat complicated menu navigation system. Four distinct screens pop-up to assist you in managing your inventories, pricing, and purchasing. Players have to click back constantly to check their status. As you progress in the game your shop upgrades allowing you to buy and do more. The latest culinary gadgets increases your restaurant’s menu also.

There are many pointless but amusing aspects of this game including rat whacking and the occasional alien invasion which requires you to do some serious UFO zapping in the process. Gamers also have to make the detrimental decision of whether the female wait staff should wear thongs or bikinis. Your goal is to create a chain of restaurants in all three cities crowning you the king of fast food.

Screenshots

Graphics & Sound (4 out of 5)

The graphics have an animated sim genre style with a voyeuristic appeal added through the use of high angled security cameras. Although, the cameras are there to help you monitor the restaurant they have been placed in rather odd locations giving gamers access to extreme close-ups. Visually the city environments remind you of a tycoon game. The colors throughout the game are lively and stunning. It’s a very accurate. You feel like you’re actually in New York or Seattle starting your own restaurant.

The sound in Hot Dog King is great. When customers eat they make strange crunching and smacking noises which is quite funny. The soundtrack features quality cinematic melodies to compliment your buzzing establishment.

Overall Rating (5 out of 5)

This is a fun game, hands down. Like most tycoon style sim pc games it has endless amounts of replay value. Numerous levels stretching across three major cities, millions of options, consuming storyline, and appealing characters which make for a unique game. Although, it requires 500MB of space and has an advanced menu system some may find difficult to navigate overall it’s entertaining. Women in thongs serving hot dogs, angry mobsters, aliens, and giant rats keep this fast paced gaming experience interesting. Hot Dog King is a fun light-hearted PC strategy game if you enjoy tycoon sims you’ll love this game.

System Requirements:

System Requirements: Windows ME/2000/XP, 1GB Hard Drive Space, Pentium 4- 1GHz, 256 MB System RAM, DirectX compatible sound card, and DirectX 8.0 or higher.