Zoo Tycoon Expansion Pack: Marine Mania

by Microsoft

Product Features

• Includes Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs Expansion Pack

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006IJMT
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: October 17, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,083 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Good news animal lovers! Microsoft's Zoo Tycoon gets another expansion pack, this time it's all wet with Marine Mania. First it was zoo animals, then dinosaurs (the Dinosaur Digs expansion pack, which is also included in this package), and now it's marine life. Marine Mania lets you build a water park like SeaWorld, complete with dancing penguins, bottle-nosed dolphins, or your own version of Shamu the Killer Whale.

The expansion pack fits right into the existing core gameplay of Zoo Tycoon. You manage your park, listen to your customers, plan the layout, listen to your "specialists" (zoo keepers) for the right mix of exhibit size and food for your various critters, and watch everyone enjoy the park. Add an amphitheater to any pen and you've got ample seating for a show. There are 20 marine animals (from jellyfish and sperm whales to orcas and great white sharks) and some animals (dolphins, orcas, etc.) double as terrific entertainers. Once again, you can always mix animals, and of course the only violence comes from mixing carnivores with the gentler fishes. But Marine Mania is as kid friendly as ever, so the best you get is some thrashing during a great-white feeding frenzy, rather than red-tinted waters. Drop a human in the pool and they simply swim out. Darn. Keeping with the kid-friendly theme, the game also features an encyclopedia entry on each critter, which makes the gameplay almost as educational as a trip to a real water park.

The only problems are the game engine and graphics. Microsoft targeted low-end computers, which is fine, but as time goes on each expansion pack looks more and more behind the times. The animation in Marine Mania is simple and quickly becomes boring, and that's something that should never be said about a shark feeding frenzy or trick-performing dolphins. Still, the expansion pack is an absolute must for fans of the original game, particularly those who skipped Dinosaur Digs since Marine Mania generously includes that earlier expansion pack. Parents should strongly consider this series a fun learning tool as well. And naturally, fans of water parks, marine life, and the Zoo Tycoon series can't go wrong here. --Andrew S. Bub

Pros:

• Kid friendly
• Educational
• Hidden animals and wacky "Easter eggs" revealed on Zoo Tycoon Web site
• Includes Dinosaur Digs

Cons:

• Perhaps too kid friendly
• Simple graphics

Product Description

In Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania, you add a whole new level of fun to your zoo by building a water park with sea animals!

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marine Mania Rocks!, October 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Zoo Tycoon Expansion Pack: Marine Mania (CD-ROM)

This new expansion really brings zoo tycoon to a new levels you can add the folowing animals in the game:
Bottlenose Dolphin
Orca
Giant Squid
Manta Ray
West Indian Manatee
Shortfin Mako Shark
Great White Shark
Hammerhead Shark
Elephant Seal
Arctic Jellyfish
Humpback Whale
Green Sea Turtle
Pacific Walrus
Southern Sea Otter
Giant Pacific Octopus
Sperm Whale
Tiger Shark
Narwhal
Beluga
Harbor Porpoise
Green Moray Eel
Bluefin Tuna

Mermaid
Swordfish
Great Baracuda
(this list is correct, was provided by a beta tester)
You also get 8 fences, the ability to have certain animals perform in shows, 1 new staff member and plenty more!

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Double Expansion Pack to have!, December 2, 2002

By 

Eboucher "phntmsheep" (Feeding Hills, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zoo Tycoon Expansion Pack: Marine Mania (CD-ROM)

I was quick to get the first expansion pack (Dinosaur Digs) being a fan of Jurassic Park...how could I resist building my own Dino adventure. After playing with Dinosaurs....how could I see feeding fishes in this 2nd expansion any fun? Well, I'm happy to say it is...and this pack adds a LOT!
I admit, I only got this game because it was on sale....and I am glad I did! First, if you don't have Dino Digs...do not worry, because this pack comes with it included! That's right you get Marine Mania and Dino Digs both at the same time! For those previous owners of Dino Digs, there was a rebate available for buying this reduntantly. (check with Microsoft for current availbility and details).
So, the Dino Digs part....ya, its cool. You get dinosaurs to add in (which are violent and expensive as you can imagine) along with other ancient ice-age friends and some great prehistoric theming elements!
The Marine mania adds a lot to the gameplay. First, you are able to now think on another plane of building as your tank displays can be tall and deep opposed to the just the X & Y layouts of your other creatures. Second, some of these animals like to perform...not only do you custom build their show tank and arena for guests (unlike the other 1 click drop and place bear insta-shows in the game)...but you also customize the show "script" (ie: what tricks they do and what order) A neat little income aspect to control. Thirdly, there is of course a great variety of new animals ranging from dolphins to eels to squid along with a few amphibic animals...and of course the great marine life themed shops, statues, and attractions.
Everything else I've said about Zoo Tycoon in another review stays the same...the game is a bit challenging of a sim. There are tons of factors to control while building and caring for your park. If you enjoy Zoo Tycoon, you will absolutely love what this expansion pack opens your game to become. This adds so much that it'll make the game playable countless times (did I mention the wonderful "freeform" sandbox modes!?) All I have else to say that if Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 and this Expanded Zoo Tycoon were all one game...I would never have to open my CD tray!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best games ever!!, February 4, 2003

By 

CBug (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zoo Tycoon Expansion Pack: Marine Mania (CD-ROM)

This game is great! I am 13 years old and my three brothers, who are 10,7 and 4, love it too. My 4 year old brother needs a little bit of help when he plays it, and my 7 year old brother just needed a little bit of help the first time he played it.
And my 10 year old brother is really good at it(except on his first try, six walruses climbed out of their tank and scared the pants off of all the people), and of course, so am I.
We have just the trial version and it's really good but it will be even better with the real Zoo Tycoon(it needs it to run completly).
The animals are SOOOOOO cute! Especially the orcas and polar bears. You can even name all of them, too. Its like you're running your own zoo! You have to keep all the guests happy by supplying hamburger stands, drink stands and restrooms.
You can even make your own orca show and you can put which tricks you want to be performed in the order that you want them to be in.
It's a little tricky to keep the Allosauruses and the Velociraptors happy, but you'll soon find out that they like half of one kind of terrain and half of another.
Get this game! It's GREAT!

P.S: Whatever you do, DON'T use concrete walls for an Allosaurus! It'll break right through them. :)