Binding: CD-ROM Brand: PC EAN: 0047875353756 ESRB Age Rating: Everyone 10+ Format: CD Label: Activision Inc. Manufacturer: Activision Inc. Model: 35375 Platform: Windows Publisher: Activision Inc. Sales Rank: 8488 Studio: Activision Inc.
Product Description: In Virtual Villagers, you'll help a group of poor villagers who've washed up on shore after surviving a volcanic eruption. You have to guide as they learn how to survive -- they learn by doing, but you might have to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't give up too easily. They need to become farmers, builders, scientists, parents and more in order to thrive on this new island. How will you lead your tribe?
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Interesting and Entertaining
I read the other reviews before puchasing this game. I actually found it to be quite entertaining. As stated by others this game is not full of thrills and high energy, however, it is fun for those of us who aren't interested in violence and guns, etc.
And it isn't as easy as it might appear on the surface. The puzzles can be quite challenging to figure out and there were quite unexpected solutions.
You can pause it if you are going to be away for a while, or you have the choice to select a "time" speed. Turning off the computer will still allow these villagers to go about their business. It is often a suprise when you turn it back on to see what is new.
You can't just start up the game and let it do it's own thing. The Villagers need to be trained in their tasks. It is your choice as to what they learn.
All in all, I have played this for quite a while, and found it to be quite relaxing.
Rating: - I've been playing this game for days!
In this game you will spend most of your playing time assigning jobs to villagers and having them breed. It is a slow game and best for spending a few minutes here and there watching over your growing village. And you can have up to 5 different games going at a time. You need to use the tech points the scientist villagers earn to buy skill upgrades so your village will thrive. (The final farming upgrade is very important to keeping your food supply up.) There are also 'puzzles' that you solve as your village advances and you help them explore. And occasionally an event will pop up and you will have to choose how your villager reacts and the result can either be very good or even deadly.
I found this game to be very fun. I let my game run all day checking it every couple hours.
Rating: - Fun to play, and then you're done.
This game is very fun to play - you get attached to the little people, and the challenges are fun to figure out. Unfortunately, once you solve it, it is really boring to play again. You know exactly what and when to do everything. If you like to play games and replay games, this isn't a good one to invest in.
Rating: - Eh...
This game is cute. And it's got some nifty challenges. And that's about it. It goes on forever, but once you've beaten the challenges, what's the point? The challenges take awhile, but only because the villagers take forever to get anything done. It's a real time game so you get no instant gratification. Just set them to a task and go away. Check back the next day to see how they're doing. It's like an electronic ant farm. Except that they kind of do what you tell them. Sometimes.
Rating: - Great little game
With all due respect I have to tell you that it is best to ignore the negative reviews. It would appear that one reviewer in particular did not actually play the game to understand how it works, so I'll tell you. It is alot more than having your villagers research, farm, & breed. There are puzzles to be solved. For instance, I'll give away one of the easiest puzzles, you have to clear the well so the villagers can drink water & water their crops. To learn how to better farm, to gain better knowledge in construction, gain spirituality, etc... you have to use tech points to be able to purchase more knowledge in each area. The more knowledge you have the more your villagers will eventually be able to do & the more puzzles they can solve. You get tech points by various things your villagers do, be it researching at the table, learning about the plants on the island, or learning how to heal eachother, etc... The more tech points earned the more knowledge you can buy. Yes, this game is real time, but you can double that time. You also don't have to worry about going away for long periods of time only to have your villagers die. There is an option you can check to pause the game indefinitely until you return. If you wish to cheat & play the game in a day you could do so by changing the time on your computer, open your game, & changing it back again after you re-open the game. You can advance as much as you like by doing this, but be aware that skipping ahead more than an hour or 2 can really wreack havoc on your villagers. This is a sims type of game, though, so the majority of people playing this I would think would be the type who enjoy more laid back games that take a while to unfold. It's definitely not for the impatient. Even using the cheat to skip your clock ahead can still take quite a few hours for you to actually finish the game. It's not a bang bang shoot em up kind of game, it's just there for you to relax & enjoy, and think just a little. :) There's alot more to the game than the negative reviews on here would have you believe.