As we continue our delve ever deeper into the the indie games catalogue, looking for hidden gems, here we have one from March 2012. As a bonus, it’s a simulation game (my favourite genre): “Oil Magnate”
It comes to us from the publisher of “World Wars – European Conflicts”, and “World Wars II – Pacific Conflicts: Multiplayer Edition” (please note that neither of the aforementioned games’ subtitles appear on the dashboard or on Xbox.com). But “Oil Magnate” is no wargame. What it is, is an unabashed (and possibly official?) remake of “Oil Imperium”, the classic Amiga (and Atari ST, and C64, etc.) game from the late ’80s, with enhancements.
It’s a very accessible game, with simulation elements that aren’t so deep that they’re a chore to learn, and interspersed with minigames that spice things up. It costs what 400 Microsoft Points used to cost you ($4.99, or thereabouts), and given the dearth of quality management sims on the Xbox 360 it’s worth that price and then some.
Here’s what the developer (Swissplayers Game Studios) has to say about the game:
“Do you have what it takes to be an Oil Magnate ? Buy and drill wells, extinguish burning oilfields, assist pipeline workers, engage terrorists and manage your contracts. Do whatever necessary to keep the oil flow running.”
Writings of Mass Deduction 