I find myself standing in front of my new enterprise. I’m not sure how I got here, but I’m determined to find out. The sun is shining, and I am clad in a starched khaki ensemble. The sign in front of the entrance says “Alaska Animal Sanctuary.”

My operating budget appears to exceed 30,000 Zollars, and climbing fast. However, I seem to be the only zookeeper. I walk over to the elephants who appear to be under my care, and offer several bananas. They are enthused. Then, I visit the Rhinoceroses and give them a bath.

Why am I here?

My days become routine. Feed the animals. Clean up the poop. An endless stream of challenges follow me each day, promising increased animal satisfaction, and increased guest happiness.

I sleep fitfully and recall in a rare dream that I used to manage large cities in a past life. I was the mayor of Sim City. And now I am a Zookeeper.

Suddenly, I am invited to leave Alaska and join a troubled zoo in the United Kingdom. Anything to break the monotony. I pack my bags, and head to Cambridgeshire Animal Park.

Upon my arrival, I learn that Scotty the West African Giraffe is lonely. “Why don’t I adopt a companion for him?” my advisor asks. I select Oliver the baby West African Giraffe. He is delivered in a crate by a magnificent helicopter.

I have found purpose. Oliver breathes new life into my mission to steward my animal companions. He wobbles on his tiny legs, and frolics around Large Savannah 2.

With my budget now at 50,000 Zollars, I am invited to invest in a Zoo Keeper Center. Might I finally be able to hire some staff to help me? And some fellow animal lovers to talk to? I hire Bonnie. Derik. Miguel.

Suddenly there is life in this zoo. We are a seamless team. I begin making much needed improvements to the crucial zoo infrastructure. A balloon and souvenir shop is erected near the Pale-Throated Three Toed Sloth exhibit. Burger Barn, strategically, is opened next to our extremely popular Asiatic Lion exhibit. Our zoo’s operating budget has doubled since I began my reign. I build a Breeding Center.

I discover a new feature of my world: I can, at my will, command myself to leave the confines of my body and view the entirety of my zoo at once. I am told later by my advisor that this is “Tycoon View.”

I purchase a motorized buggy to travel across the vast expanse of my zoo estate. I can reach the Tundra Small 01 from Rainforest Medium 02 in 30 seconds.

In a cruel twist of fate, Oliver is taken from me. Between upgrading the restrooms and starting an advertising campaign for this troubled park, I seem to have neglected poor Olver. The same helicopter that brought him swiftly ushers him away.

I sink into despair.

Review of Zoo Tycoon™, for Xbox One®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft. February 18th, 2014.

Available exclusively at Wal-Mart.

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For this four-hour challenge, I wanted to experiment with the genres of review, critique, and humor. I played this game for 2 hours, while pausing to write notes about the narrative arc of my play. I recorded and stored gameplay using the Xbox Game DVR feature, which allows you to record the previous 30 seconds of gameplay. I filmed the stored video clips with my phone because you need to purchase a subscription from Xbox to allow you to upload the video elsewhere.

My main challenge with this piece was to use humor and a fictional narrative while still conveying factual information about the game. If I had more time to work on this, I would have sharpened the critique of simulation games in general a little bit more.