Game Dev Tycoon isn't the first game of it's type, but it's certainly the best. It may look small on the outside, but the file-size and the screenshots do no justice to this game and its addictive appeal, nor its robust game-play.
It does feel at times that the game was used as a vessel for GHG to lampoon the industry, and sometimes it bleeds through as being ridiculous and not funny - like the quips about the Xbox One and Playstation 4 that were included. Obviously the game was developed before the new consoles game out or even before the Xbox One policies were all changed, but it's still kind of annoying to find the fanboyism strong even in a simulation game about the industry. Aside from that, there is more humor to be found in the game than offense.
Over the course of the game, it becomes both hilarious and incredibly annoying to see how much effort you virtually put in to one of your games, only to see the asinine review scores and statements that come out from the reviewers. It's certainly ridiculous when you make a game that for all intents and purposes - based on the engine, gameplay, sound, world design, dialog, and graphical elements - should be perfect, and you see it get a score of like 6. So it is interesting in a way that you can feel, somewhat, how devs feel when they choose the right elements and do everything right, yet their game comes out and gets shat upon. At the same time, you can stumble back asswards into a perfect 10 game and then it will take you 25 more attempts to do it again.
Game Dev Tycoon sees you go from the 80s, hunched over a desk in a garage trying to make an awesome text adventure game, through the years until the potential Xbox Next and PlayStation 5, in an immortal quest (as no one dies ever, only gets fired) to succeed as a developer and game company. Throughout the game, you mimic the growth of the industry and the game does feature rather accurate history for the small doses in which it is delivered, so you can also learn things if you didn't know them already about events like the Sony/Nintendo split that led to Playstation, or the death of the ambitious Dreamcast. You can even make your own console and try to control your fate as an independent.
Considering the game was made by only two people, and the era in which it was made, it's quite solid and impressive. The gameplay is very simplistic yet can keep you invested for a long time trying to make perfect games, or trying to make your console dominate the market, or even just trying to get the achievements.
Having said that, hopefully demand will one day lead to a sequel or fuller version of the game. Many elements are more shallow than you would hope for - considering the full price of the game - such as the console. You do control what technological innovations go into it but ultimately, after that, it seems out of your hands. You can try to release a lot of high rated exclusives on only your console to spur sales but it doesn't seem to have an immediate effect. One thing in particular bothered me: You don't have the choice to implement Grid (Basiclaly Steam) on your console even though you continue to make income from it after researching it.
Many people have criticized the game for predictability and not-so-random events that ultimately dictate what will happen in each playthrough - because it is based on history and not on randomness. Fortunately, GDT is built to intentionally support mods, and there is a community who offers an array of mods that will change up how the game is played and make every playthrough ultimately different and interesting. I have one criticism and really one alone: I don't think GHG actually did a lot of research or has much experience playing games. Simply put, some of the elements in the game - specifically what dictates the success of a given genre/topic combination - are false. If you make an RPG in the game, the story is evidently irrelevant and trying to focus development time and resources on it will ultimately lead to a negative impact on the game and profits. Um, sorry, but that's false.
I look forward to a sequel where you can intricately control more details, while keeping the same casual-esque gameplay that doesn't require devoting your life to the game. Perhaps maybe you can even design your own office in the future, your dudes, or your console / box art.
If you truly like video games, even if you aren't interested in developing them or pretending to do so, Game Dev Tycoon can often be found for $5 on Steam and it will easily become one of the best purchases you make.
Time Spent: 25 hours
Achievements: 19 of 33