The Political Machine 1.50

The Political Machine is a strategy game that simulates the 2008 U.S Presidential elections, and puts you in the role of the campaign manager, the person in charge of carrying out the strategies that will lead to a successful election. With a quite satirical perspective on the U.S. political life, the game entertains at the time it analyses in depth the political machinery setup during a campaign of this dimension.

With the aim of letting people know their proposals, both candidates will journey throughout the states using different strategies to attract voters. These operations include fundraising, giving speeches, placing media advertisements, hiring operatives with different abilities, setting up headquarters, etc. Before starting to campaign, it is vital to examine the electoral map, and collect all the necessary information about the state you are visiting because this data is the key that will help you make the most convenient decisions. For example, it is essential to know the number of republicans, democrats, and independent voters of a state to know what aspects to highlight in your speeches or advertisements.

On the other hand, while performing these tasks, you should not overlook other factors as your level of stamina, clout, or political capital. Traits of a candidate's character, such as charisma or intelligence, will be almost as important as his/her position on issues like gay marriage, war on terrorism, gun control, foreign policy, etc.

In difference with the express edition, the full version of the game offers players the chance to select among many predefined candidates, and also to create their own, fully customized candidate, setting from his/her physical appearance, or personality traits, to their position on issues. The express edition is limited to Obama and McCain.

While the game is very easy to play -in fact, all you have to do is choose a state and decide the strategies to apply, the challenge is to make the most convenient decisions, because each one will impact on the final results.