I review this game as someone with a bit of game-dev experience, and as someone who has actually worked in the American political system. I had a good friend who was a mayor, I was on the staff of a Congressman, I held a post in the White House - this genre has a specific appeal to me. Let me break this game down.

Positive:
So much attention to detail, it is amazing, and with great pacing to keep the player from being overwhelmed! Kudos to the game devs on that point.

The cast of characters are often believable (especially in the first half of the game), and appear to have several layers.

The story is strong and gives definite direction, but the freedom in whom to use, what to choose, is generally the player-choosing. The mechanics are clear and allows the player the freedom to use them to manipulate them in a very real kind of political way. Player choice REALLY does seem to matter. Often (or at least initially), the immersion in feeling the Presidential role is one of the best I've ever played.

The imitation twitter is clever.

The game catches the political corruption, like no other game and must always be taken into play - and unlike every other game I've played, it's not some wierd-game-mechanic corruption that simply makes things more expensive, or results less effective, but it impacts everything you do.

The ability to form your own cabinet adds a great mechanic to the game, that does an amazing job at shaping the flow, feel, and opportunities in the game.

Immersion value - great!

UI is polished, makes sense, and allows the player to keep track of the game with great detail (I left the game about half way through, feeling repulsed, and when I came back, the UI was there to remind me, and plug me back into the game).

Negative: I understand this game is meant to portray the political world in a dark grimy satirical way, BUT WTH devs?

With all the freedom the game gives in allowing the player a chance to move the direction of their Presidency, that freedom is rapidly stripped away by one of the darkest game player-characters ever created. I am constantly having to do damage control for things that my character supposedly did, before I, the player, entered the story. It was challenging at first, and I enjoyed the challenge - until the game made me really become disgusted with my own character as I was forced to continue down the degenerate path.

The imitation twitter doesn't quite hit the funny-bone I think it tried to hit, and I often found myself hating all the 'selection' choices.

As the game continues the amazing plot and quasi-realism (on so many amazing levels) it is increasingly swallowed by the game developers obsession with corruption-satire. Before the game ends, the devs have given up all attempts at realism and have given-in to full corruption satire- all brilliantly written plots components now surrender to the absurd. Ending with a potential teaser that indicates a possible chance to redeem the repulsive, but doesn't happen.

My Verdict: Brilliant game with some of the best crafted mechanics I've EVER played in a political game, ruined by an increasingly repulsive player-character. The game eventually loses everything it amazingly built; so it can put more emphasis on the dark-satire - pushed beyond all possible boundaries of sanity and reality. It went from fun and well built to a chore to finish the game as you wade through 'WTH' moment after moment.

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