When comparing Spintires vs Tropico 5, the Slant community recommends Spintires for most people. In the question“What are the best Simulation games on Steam?” Spintires is ranked 14th while Tropico 5 is ranked 15th. The most important reason people chose Spintires is:
You do not see games like this much, it is kind of niche product. As going trough rugged terrain with hulking Soviet machines tends to be a pretty niche genre/style of game.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Unique title
You do not see games like this much, it is kind of niche product. As going trough rugged terrain with hulking Soviet machines tends to be a pretty niche genre/style of game.
Pro Has Steam Workshop support
You can get all the mod's etc through Steam Workshop, which creates a community where one can enjoy the added elements brought forth by the available mods.
Pro Allows for choice in play
There is a mission mode (which is great for those that want to learn the ins and outs of the game through progression) and a sandbox mode (which is more like a city builder where it is up to you how to create your civilization). This makes for a good choice of different play depending on what the user wants at the time. There is also a multiplayer mode that works through competition (who can export more cigars, build a bigger plantation, etc.) that can extend the endgame content when the player feels they have experienced all the single player has to offer.
Cons
Con Camera can be unweildy
There is no cockpit camera view in the game, the only camera view is this odd over the shoulder camera that can make it tough to see what one is doing while driving. It does help when trying to hook up to and pull another truck out of the mud, but an additional camera view would be helpful for driving in particular.
Con Poor representation of changing times
The art in the game does not represent different time periods very well. The game starts out in the early 20th century and eventually builds up to the modern era. It does not matter what time period the player is in, little in the design of the games is representative through graphics changes.