Tropico 3 is an economic-focused RTS created by the relatively obscure company, Kalypso Media. It's the 3rd in the series obviously, though I have not played the other 2.
Basically, you are El Presidente, a man or woman, who has taken control of a miscellaneous island territory in an archipelago Caribbean nation of "Tropico". It can take place in any time bracket ranging from 1950 to 1985, meaning that occasionally you'll see events happening in the world revolving around the Cold War and the Bay of Pigs, etc (but as an outsider nation you don't have a DIRECT role in any of it).
Immediately, you are given several options for nations to begin working with. Once you select one, you can choose an Avatar for yourself (ranging from amusing facsimiles of existing Latin dictators or Revolutionaries, such as Eva Peron or Che Guevara, to absurdities, like a Voodoo Pizzaman). You can also create one, and choose what traits, boons, and drawbacks, you'll have. This will directly impact your gameplay--sometimes in a big way. If you're a Drunkard, the Religious faction will hate you. If you're an impulsive gambler, the budget will lose a large chunk of money a year. If you're the son of a previous dictator, no one will expect a lot out of you and the Nationalists will appreciate you. There are tons and tons of options; the first time you play you'll be spending a good half hour atleast on making a guy (should you choose a custom one).
The character models look very simple, but once you zoom out to the furthest extent, you'll see why: the islands are massive, and highly-detailed. And once you see how many people there are, and how detailed their actions are, you'll be ready to forgive any graphical misgivings.
The goal of the thing is to meet your mission's goals (typically, export X goods, or survive X years, though there are a number of possible goals once you unlock a number of islands), all while keeping yourself in the hotseat. You're elected by popular vote, and occasionally during your campaigns (about every 9 game years or so) you'll have to go through the re-election process. You make a custom speech to pander to the faction who hates you the most, and make promises you feel you can meet. There are a number of factions, and there's no way to please all of them----much like politics anywhere else, you can't please everyone all of the time but you can please some of them some of the time. Your goal should be less in making them all HAPPY, but rather just keep them all content enough not to become revolutionaries and assassinate you.
The US and the USSR both play roles in this as well. Since they're deadlocked in Cold War relations, you have to vie for their esteem separately. Doing things in a Capitalist manner pleases the Americans, and Socialism pleases the Ruskies. They pay you aid stipends per year, depending on their trust in you, and your own financial need. Between them it's easier to strike a balance--easier than between your domestic factions, at any rate.
In many missions, tourism is a staple to your economy. Building attractions like Casinos is a great way to make money, if you're willing to part with a little religious faction respect-loss.
You can proclaim edicts for a number of things, some of them hilarious, like allowing them to make your nation a nuclear testing site, or banning contraception, and some of them useful, such as starting literacy programs for your dumb highschoolers. Different jobs require different levels of education (farmers don't need any, but powerplant workers certainly do!), and you can hire people from overseas if need be (though the Nationalists will bust a nut over it).
You can start an army, to help quell revolutionaries, or to fight off attacks from the US or USSR, if they've decided they despise you.
You can play as either a benevolent president, or a heartless dictator. You can squirrel away riches into your secret swiss bank account, dispel all liberty, and rule with an iron fist. You can also provide tons of liberty and recreation, and make your nation a cool tropical hang-out. If your people hate you you can rig elections, and if they love you you can forgo speeches. It's wide open.
There are drawbacks however. The tutorial mode is very sparse, and you have to REALLY pay attention, because after that, all hand-holding ends flat out. The learning curve is steep. Once you've mastered your particular style of ruling however, and you've figured out all the nuances to the rules of making people content, the game becomes fairly easy. The hardest years are always the first, and then by the end of your first term, you're always pretty much just taking it easy.
Building is a S-L-O-W process. Deciding to do large chunks of city building, just plonking down shit, is not wise. You have crews of laborers building shit, and they take 2-4 game months building them, and will only visit sites that they have the workers to allow for, so expect to build things as you need them, instead of in foresight.
If you're a big fan of military campaigns, and are bored by economic sims, this isn't the game for you. You will never conquer anything other than small revolutionary uprisings.
Unlike Sim City 4 or Pharaoh, the outer appearance of the condition of your buildings, based upon the attractiveness of the surroundings, does not change. You can have gorgeous mansions next to factories. Though people may not want to live in them, they will look no different.
The music is charming, all an eclectic mix of tropical beats, but there are only about 5 songs, which will get old after the first few campaigns. A very amusing radio deejay chimes in occasionally, but he only has so many things to say before it repeats.
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ANYWAY, Tropico 3 is a very amusing game, and set in a very unique setting. I've had a lot of fun with it. I feel it could have been improved in a lot of ways, but it is a satisfying play nonetheless!
