What will you think of next?
Geniu$ certainly scores a lot of points for the sheer originality of its concept, and there's no denying it makes for a fairly compelling experience, at least in the short term, but it's let down by a lack of long-term appeal due to the poor implementation of some of its ideas. The concept here is that you are a would-be inventor/entrepreneur who has aspirations of becoming the next Edison or Daimler. You want to go further than just inventing something though, and the overall goal is to build up a massive business empire and effectively take over the world. You start out with nothing more than a small bicycle shop one of several 19th century cities and in order to progress, you're going to have manage several elements, from conducting research, to looking after your properties and staff and making contact with other real-world geniuses in order to inspire your own actions. The game takes SimCity-style world building and marries it with Transport Tycoon-style business elements, and sets them against the backdrop of a fascinating period in human development. Geniu$ is definitely one for those who like their games a little unusual and different, and in many ways it is a highly enthralling experience. There's certainly a lot of things to do and see, but some of them are implemented in such a way as to not be all that much fun, which hampers things a little. The period is recreated very well, with a high level of authenticity and detail that bumps up the appeal so if you are looking for something to sink your teeth into and which might teach you something, this is solid, if not quite perfect, choice.
