GameSpy writes: "The silly season in politics begins as Barack Obama and John McCain face off for the Presidency of the United States. While news reports cast this as a clash of Good vs. Evil (or Evil vs. Good depending on which way the media bias falls) the dedicated strategy gamers over at Stardock decided that we all needed a break from elephants and donkeys trampling over everything on their way to the White House. Their quick fix is The Political Machine 2008, a light-hearted value-priced "beer & pretzels" simulation of the US Presidential election that offers some fun strategic gameplay along with the profound realization that all politicians are basically bobbleheads.
The premise of The Political Machine 2008 is about as topical as it gets. Players can harness their inner Karl Roves to guide cute McCain or Obama characters or a number of other political heavy hitters including George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton or Abraham Lincoln through a 41-week campaign on their way to Presidential glory. Each candidate is presented in a cute little bobblehead form that does a surprisingly good job of conveying the essential character of the person they're supposed to be representing. Should the included candidates be unsatisfactory (and really, how could they not be?) the game offers a terrific create-a-candidate system that owes a not-small debt to Nintendo's Mii system. In our case, we used it to create simulations of GameSpy editors that came surprisingly close to the real thing (and were thus pretty much unelectable)."
Pros:
-Serious strategic gameplay
-Make-a-candidate tool
-Cute "bobblehead" art style
-Fun scenarios
Cons:
-Unbalanced and unrelated "issues"
-Limited replayability
-Needs more information overlays
WorthPlaying writes: "The mass media has summed up the 2008 presidential race in a variety of fairly negative terms. While words like "acerbic" and "dirty" were certainly batted around, developer Stardock has attempted to add a few more favorable adjectives with its charming entry, The Political Machine 2008. Set during the frenetic 41-week run up to Nov. 4, the game allows you to step into the shoes of an aspiring presidential hopeful, take a firm stance on the issues, and throw your hat into the ring for the most important office in the land."
SBG:
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Beyond the standard mode, you also have the additional modes of playing in an 1860 American election where you may need to do some research to see who actually cares about tariffs and equality movements. Or you could play on a twisted European theatre version of the game or the equally ludicrous and hilarious alien Drengin Empire elections. All have their different skews, but ultimately are the same core set to different themes. Graphics and sound are appropriate for its 20 dollar price tag, but it is a vast improvement over the 2D representations of the first game.
The Political Machine 2008 unfortunately will be forgotten by the end of the year, which is a shame because it is a solid turn-based strategy game that has big potential to educate younger generations into how the political process actually works."
Thunderbolt: "It's an interesting concept given the competition, although The Political Machine 2008 isn't billed as a simulator, and will certainly entertain those tempted by the lower price point. You've a solid game that, whilst incredibly similar to its forerunner, brings the series up to date, especially in such a historic US election. Just don't expect too much deviation as every play-through is anything but a winding road."
