In the mood to just fully immerse into a classic video game today so I pulled out ol' Tropico 5. Steam says I last played it in September of 2019 but it seems like it's been longer than that. I've owned each of them since the first version and the newest, Tropico 6 came out a while back but the videos of it I watched seemed like another minor upgrade to what I already have so I opted to not spend the AAA game price they charge.
One of the dynamics that have always been a mainstay of the game really hits hard this year, of course. In Tropico, you can play as a benevolent El Presidente caring for your Caribbean island nation like everyone was a member of your family, or you can be a total dick. Come election time, every 45 minutes of gameplay or so, I think, you're presented with the polling data on your popularity and thus likelihood of winning the election. In close contests with your loyal opposition, you can either withhold elections, call for a military coup, bribe election officials or simply imprison (or kill) your opponent. Oh, chortle, how stereotypically Banana Republic. This year though, this shit hits too close to home.
