Build-a-Lot 2: Town of the Year Review: Decent But Feels Just Like a Big Update of the Original

App Name:	Build-a-Lot 2: Town of the Year
Platforms:	iPhone, iPod Touch
Publisher(s):	Glu Games
Version Reviewed:	1.0.1
Genre(s):	strategy
Release Date:	July 16, 2010 (updated)

If only it were this easy . . . The Build-a-Lot franchise puts us in the shoes of a real estate mogul, buying and selling houses, renovating, redesigning neighborhoods, and partnering with mayors to craft ideal towns. Realism is out the window here, with paint jobs, house upgrades, and demolitions taking mere seconds. Not only that, but flipping houses is an ideal vocation in the Build-a-Lot world, as buyers are always right around the corner and the market never slumps. While it all makes for a fairly entertaining iPhone game, I imagine more than a few realtors are turning in their graves at the idea that it’s this easy. A cousin of mine is in the business, and his flip house has been on the market for months . . . So maybe Build-a-Lot isn’t that true to reality, but then again, if it were, that’s an app that not many of us would download.

Build-a-Lot 2 consists of eight scenarios. Each presents a sort of fledgling town that boasts a mayor who has got ideas. You’re the guy who is supposed to make it happen by helping shape these ideas. If you’ve played the first Build-a-Lot, then you know what you’re getting. Each level includes a list of goals, and a number of tactics can be used to reach these goals. Typically, they include things like reaching a certain dollar amount in rental income, building structures, achieving an approval rating, or just making lots of money . . . The main thrust of Build-a-Lot 2 is the same as its predecessor. The only real changes are feature-driven: There are new houses, special buildings, new challenges, and slightly-improved visuals.

For anyone not familiar with the core gameplay, there are a handful of elements you’ll be dealing with: money, workers, materials, and blueprints. These are represented by tabs on the lower half of the screen, and this is where you’ll do most of your manipulating. You only interact with the upper portion of the screen (which displays the landscape) when you need to select a property or building. Flipping a house or upgrading properties can sometimes require many steps, as you have to coordinate the materials, money, and workers that it will take to accomplish anything. The tutorials do a good job of making sure you get off on the right foot, and from there you’ll be switching tabs, selecting properties, and jumping through the necessary hoops fairly effortlessly.

This “sequel” to Build-a-Lot is sound in terms of gameplay. However, the additional content has the feel of a big update that could have been downloaded for free. The fact that developer Glu Games is currently charging $4.99 for this title strikes me a bit ridiculous. Even for a strategy game, the visuals are beneath what we’ve come to expect on the iPhone, and they don’t demonstrate a vast improvement on the original . . . One missing gameplay feature is the ability to speed up the passing of time. Depending on your strategy, you sometimes find yourself just sitting around while the rent meter fills and you receive your next payment. Perhaps Glu Games withheld this intentionally, but the rate of play is often quite slow.

There is fair amount of entertainment to be had here. The blueprints and variety allow the player to go very in depth with redesigning and building real estate. But this is not a 400% improvement over the original, as the price would suggest. Anyone looking for a strategy game centered on real estate would be wise to download the original for a mere fraction of the price and spend several hours with that. If you’ve still got the bug to make millions in housing, only then consider splurging for this sequel. It’s just as good as the original and even has more to offer, but you’ll have to be a hardcore fan to not feel jilted by the price.

Our Score:  3/5

Build-a-Lot 2 is $4.99 at the time of this review.

About the Author

Devin Wieland

 

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