The game plays fairly simply. You are the campaign manager, and there are forty-one weeks (each week is a turn) between the beginning of the game and the Election. To raise money, you can build outposts in different states, which also raise your awareness in states they're in, and a fully upgraded outpost even raises your awareness in ajacent states.
Money is spent on ads (which are useful to strengthen your stance on the various issues and raise awarness) outposts, and to move yourself and your various operatives around the country. Also, you can build up political capital (ie influence) and spend it on operatives which help you or hurt the enemy, or on endorsments which can be vital when trying to increase your stance on issues.
To win, you have to get the most electoral votes by the end of the game. If you get the most votes in a state you win all its' votes, and some states are worth more then others. To increase your odds of winning a state, you have to increase your awareness, and if possible lower your opponants'. You have to keep your ratings on the issues high through ads and speeches while lowering the opponants' with attack-ads and speeches. You have to pick your issues carefully as to maximize your appeal with voters of all political stripes. Some states you can win easily because the state already favours your party. Texas for example is very easy for the Republicans to hold, even if both candidates have put equal resources into the state.
The game likes to throw you the occasional curve-ball or oppourtunity. Going on a news show can win you massive points across the board if your candidate is smart enough and you choose the right answers. However, doing badly can devastate the campaign. Also, question marks around the country can reveal special operatives which might increase your ratings in a state or raise the money you can make through fundraising. However, they might instead have lawsuits or time-wasters lurking within. Half way through you pick a vice-president, which can help you win states and move around like the candidate.
At the end of the game, all the menues, charts, and the like disappear and are replaced by the large map of America. It zooms on each state, and shows them one by one change colour. Sometimes you win by only a narrow margine. Sometimes you lose the popular vote but still get the most electoral votes! Its' a game that really challenges people to play it well, and it can be particularily hard to win if the big issues are ones that divide the nation or if big states are lost early.
I like this game, and would give it a four our of five. Its' fun, a great way to pass time and play out political scenarios, but the AI opponants are ungodly tough and they never really explain the nuances of the game well such as liberals/conservatives and winning states that don't already favour your party. A vs. mode that doesn't use the internet would have been nice too. Otherwise, its' excellent.
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