- Platform: IBM PC Compatible
- Release Date: 1994
- Genre: Simulation
- Style: Business Sim
- Similar Games: Theme Park (Macintosh), Transport Tycoon (Macintosh), Theme Park (IBM PC Compatible), Theme Park (Sega Genesis), Theme Park (Sega Saturn), Theme Park (PlayStation), Transport Tycoon [Classic Series] (IBM PC Compatible), Theme Park (Atari Jaguar), Theme Park (3DO)
Game Description
Have you ever wanted to own a pizza parlor, but were afraid to invest your hard-earned money? Now you can see how you might have fared with Pizza Tycoon. Your goal is to build an empire of pizza parlors while dealing with competing restaurants, crooked police officers, or even ruthless gangsters! The object of the game is to control a minimum of five percent of the market share in all ten cities.In order to succeed, you'll need to use demographic reports to determine the best location for your shop, contact banks to negotiate the lowest interest rates, decide which advertising to use (billboards, newspapers or TV commercials), and hire waiters, cooks or managers. Decide on your restaurant's decorations to attract new customers or develop new recipes to get a leg up on your competition. Not doing so well? Contact the underworld and start taking out other restaurants using sabotage!
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Pizza Tycoon could have been an enjoyable game along the lines of Theme Park or SimCity, but it ends up feeling more like manual labor. I suppose this is appropriate for those wanting to get a taste of the pizza industry, but the level of micro-management will turn off most gamers before they even sell their first pizza. What starts off as a promising concept, quickly turns into a nightmare of details that takes the fun out of playing.What's so strange is that the game seems to have a split personality. On one hand, there are 100 wacky characters to choose from, a "sabotage" element, humorous dialogue, and crazy recipes to cook up -- all pointing to a game that shouldn't be taken seriously. On the other hand, the underlying business aspect is so detailed that it borders on the absurd. You'll not only have to set your alarm to get up in the morning, but make sure you're in bed by a certain time or else your energy value will diminish. This will realistically affect the amount of time you can work the following day!
During the course of the game, you'll have to purchase equipment, furnishings and pizza ingredients, decide when to take holidays, choose vendors, hire staff, enter pizza competitions with other restaurants, read the daily newspaper to find stock tips or market trends, and many, many other daily chores. There are also enough graphs, charts and tables to make any budding accountant squeal with delight. At the end of this "game," you'll feel like you've actually put in enough hours to run your own restaurant.
The goal of Pizza Tycoon depends on which game you choose. You can either play Free Mode, which just involves surviving as long as you can while earning points, or Mission Mode, which lets you follow a curriculum vitae or resume. No matter which course of action you choose, you're always trying be the best pizza parlor in the world. To do this, you'll need to carefully choose a location suitable for your shop.
Do you go after the teen market and put the restaurant near a movie theatre? Or do you aim to attract a more affluent group by setting up shop near a hotel? There are a total of six groups of customers to attract: children, teenagers, blue collar workers, white collar workers, business people and pensioners. Things like restaurant decorations and menu selections are important if you want to please as many of these groups as possible.
As it stands, Pizza Tycoon is perfect for the those who want to control every single decision in their simulations. If you love the challenge of building a business from scratch, then this may be the game for you. All others will probably tear their hair out the moment they have to manually place the pepperonies on the pizza. I kid you not!
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
If the game offered a SVGA mode and decreased the amount of details (or at least included an option to customize the game), it would have scored higher. Some players will enjoy making all of the minute decisions, and there is a lot of depth.~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
The game is in VGA despite the claim of SVGA graphics on the back of the box. This is a big disappointment. The overhead map screen is simply too busy and hard to make out. Even the text is difficult to read, making this game hard to enjoy.~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
Some speech would have helped take your mind off the average graphics, but all you'll hear is repetitive music. Sound effects are average.~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
The game can be played an infinite number of times, but how much work can any sane person take in the name of entertainment? {*Pizza Tycoon} will make you appreciate how hard it is to run your own business! I'm not sure if that's a good thing...~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
The game comes with a huge manual that is well designed. Everything is explained in detail.~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Production Credits
Production: Stefan Kurth and Thomas Langhanki; Programming for Amiga: Stefan Kurth; Programming for PC: Ralph Noeske; Amiga Graphics: Thomas Langhanki; PC Graphics: Uwe Benecke, Terry Greer; Sound: Robert Bielenstein; Cities: Matthias Nenneker, Frank Hensche, Horst Kurth; Characters: Sonja Carnau; Newspaper Articles: Andreas Lechelt; Game Testers: Olaf Ernst, HPW, Carsten Bahnsen; Manual: Harald Uenzelmann, Thomas Langhanki, Stefan Kurth, Marc Wardenga, Bernd Bickert; Layout and Typesetting: Marc Wardenga; ENGLISH/U.S. VERSIONS; Manual Design and Layout: Sarah Kerr/Cesar Novoa, Joe Morel; Packaging: Julie Burness, Sarah Warburton/John Emory; Managing Editor: Alkis Alkiviades/John Possidente; Producer: Steve Hand/Marcia Foster
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
