Ever wondered what a crossover between Matt Damon’s 2011 classic film We Bought A Zoo and The Sims would look like?
No, neither have I, but we now have an answer to that question nonetheless!
Zoo Tycoon, the popular video game originally released in 2001 is making a long awaited comeback in the form of Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection, and it’s out this month.
The new version of the game promises a choice of over 200 animals, detailed worlds to get stuck into as well as an option which allows up to four players, meaning one of your mates can be the Scarlett Johansson to your Matt Damon as you build zoos together.
The Steam description of the game reads:
• Get up close and personal with nearly 200 visually stunning animals from around the globe
• Create the Zoo of your dreams with the biggest, most detailed environments ever utilizing intuitive yet powerful controls designed for Zoo Tycoon fans of all ages
• It’s your zoo – design and manage your ideal zoo from intuitive road construction to the ability to adjust the enclosures and decorate them. The choice is yours!
• Extended Campaign Mode lets you become the ultimate zoo tycoon by completing 30 exciting scenarios all around the world!
• Specialized Challenge Mode features 20 specialized zoos. Collect all the species and transfer animals from one of your zoos to another! But beware of the crises that can strike at any time!
• Build and share your Zoo with up to four people
The game will be released on September 14, and is a surefire way to fall into a big ol’ nostalgia hole.
Just don’t go too far down the gaming hole, as you might end up this like kid, who took things a bit too far after his mum got fed up with him playing video games all day every day.
Britta Hodge, from Sydney, Australia, insists her son Logan has become addicted to online gaming, and in particular has an obsession with the massively popular battle royale game, Fortnite.
Britta says the teenager plays all night long and only leaves his room to eat or to go to the bathroom. Which – horrific enough – is as close as you can get to the episode of South Park where they all become addicted to World of Warcraft and Cartman doesn’t leave the room.
Britta revealed in an interview with 9 News’ 60 Minutes that Logan has even lashed out at her when she’s tried to take his console away, Metro reports.
She said:
It’s not as simple as taking the cord away and going, ‘Oh well, bad luck, you haven’t got the internet’.
Because the repercussions from that – angry, aggressive – we’ve had to call the police. I have been headbutted, I’ve had concussions.
Britta claims before she bought her son a PS4 two years ago, he was sporty and regularly went out with friends.
And Fortnite is just the latest of his addictions, he’s also been playing Minecraft, Call of Duty, Destiny and Ark.
Better not tell him about Zoo Tycoon, then.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.