Political Machine 2008

by Stardock

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0018XYGB2
• Item Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: June 16, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,987 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #66 in Video Games > PC Games > Simulation > Life

Product Description

Take your place in the race... the face for theWhite House is on!Product InformationThe Political Machine is a PC strategy game in which players run forPresident. Players can choose an existing candidate or can design their own fromscratch then choose a map/scenario to campaign in.  From there playersmust tackle the issues and battle against their ideological opponent for victoryon election day.Each scenario divides out the map into states (or provinces depending on thescenario). Each state is worth a certain number of electoral votes in which theplayer must win a majority of them on election day to win the game.  Aplayer has two major political resources capital and money. What they do withthese two resources depends on the strategy employed.  Each candidate has anumber of traits that provide them with strengths and weaknesses such ascharisma stamina integrity intelligence and position on the issues.As the player travels the country they can raise money build campaign headquarters do policy research make speeches take out advertisements or hirepolitical consultants with various abilities.  Meanwhile your opponentwill be doing the same thing. As the game progresses the map will begin to turneither red or blue depending on who is winning (or purple of it's a tossup). Spend too much time raising money and you won't have built up an effectivegrassroots movement. Spend too much time giving speeches or building politicalcapital with local politicians and you won't have the money to take outadvertisements or conduct policy research that gives you access to betterconsultants and more effective campaign techniques.Product HighlightsYour Own Presidential CandidateDesign a candidate or choose from historical political figures.Modern Day ScenariosSee how your favorite candidates might actually do in the election months beforethey happen.Democrat or RepublicanCampaign on the issues you think people care

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best game of its kind out there--excellent UI, graphics and features, September 4, 2008

By 

Ben D. Schaechter (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Political Machine 2008 (CD-ROM)

I bought this game and fully expected it to be like other political turn-based games: weak, unexciting, unchallenging. Boy, I was wrong.

You get to creae a candidate, their looks, their clothes. Then , you choose which of 20 characteristics they are strong in: charisma, experience, looks,etc. You can play alone or aginst friends. Each candidate participates in a week by week turn-based campaign of 41 weeks.

Each turn, a candidate can do 1 or more of the following in each state:

1. Travel there or have a political operative or VP fly there
2. Build campaign headquarters, consulting centers, or outreach centers
3. Create ongoing TV, radio, or newspaper ads
4 Make speeches for a given issue
5. Hold fund-raising activities

In addition, after acquiring political clout one can hire operatives of all kind: spin doctors, initimidators, money men, webmasters, smear artists,etc. Most can be sent to specific states and moved.

One can also seek the endorsement of few dozen groups ranging from NRA, Unions to minority groups.

I find the game fascinating. The graphics can be adjusted all the way up to 1080. No bugs found yet at all.

Challenging since playing alone..you are matched with an opponent and starts with beginners and after each victory, the opponents get tougher and tougher.

The great part is the map of US can be viewed several ways: by # of elecoralvotes, party affiliation, etc.

In addition, there is a weekly summary screen after each turn showing popular vote, electoral votes (projected), newsflashes. Occasionally, you will also be asked to appear on talk shows!

The conclusion,when the map lights up state by state either reed or blue is awesome. Also, win or lose..you receive an anaysis explaining your loss or victory, exit polls, etc.

I highly recommend this game to anyone interested in politics, elections, or just having fun. This game, while exceptionl, coudl have its heuristics enahnecd even further to be quite complex.

Enjoy! Best $20 I ever spent!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, November 27, 2008

By 

Todd Hagopian "CEO of the Hagopian Institute ... (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Political Machine 2008 (CD-ROM)

This is my first time purchasing a title from this series, and I have to say that I loved it! If you enjoy politics, you will love this game!

Can you get your favorite candidate (even if they did not make the general election) win the presidency? I will not say that it is an overly hard game if you are familiar with politics and you are willing to read the instruction booklet, but it is extremely fun, and the difficulty settings will let you make it as hard or easy as you like.

Enjoy!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Political Machine 2008 - Decent Strategy Title, October 21, 2008

By 

D. Terry "d. terry" (Philadelphia, PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Political Machine 2008 (CD-ROM)

Much like the earlier Political Machine title, the 2008 is a tongue-in-cheek interpretation of political campaigning. Updated for the 2008 race with cartoony mini avatars of Sens. McCain, Obama, Clinton and other major primary candidates, the game is a decent strategy title but lacks the depth needed to keep you playing past your bedtime. Production was rushed to get the title on shelves during the election season, and that is apparent in the many misspellings and grammatical errors. Graphics are good - I personally loved their take on real-life figures like Larry King, Bill O'Reilly and Stephen Colbert - yet, underneath it all, gameplay largely consists of zig-zagging around the map raising your candidate's awareness and manipulating percentages. After just one or two campaigns, I had a technique for winning every time. All in all though, for its price, it is a decent strategy game that offers a good value, and it would be particularly fitting as a gift for the political junkie in your family.