# Whatever happened to the God Game? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 21, 2011, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344 "2011-10-21T09:53:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/1 "2011-10-21T09:53:51Z")
I used to love playing games like Dungeon Keeper, Startopia, Theme Hospital, Evil Genius, Black and White etc, but none of these games seem to like running under windows 7. I was hoping to get something a bit more up to date, but the whole genre seems to have disappeared these days. Any recommendations for a more recent game that follows in these footsteps? ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/2 "2011-10-21T10:04:43Z")
From Dust is a fun God game, bit short but the gamemechanic is very cool, ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/3 "2011-10-21T13:36:38Z")
Black and White doesn’t run in Windows 7? I don’t have the newest Windows; is this a common problem? ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/4 "2011-10-21T13:40:43Z")
Actually, I’ve not tried Black and White. Had problems with DK2, Startopia and Evil Genius though ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/5 "2011-10-21T15:23:43Z")
Black & White bored the fuck out of everyone and we moved on to FPS/RPG hybrids. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/6 "2011-10-21T15:43:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Black & White bored the fuck out of everyone and we moved on to FPS/RPG hybrids. I didn’t care for Black & White, but speak for yourself. I’m still interested in TBS and sims. Your post smells bad. To the OP, I’m looking forward to playing Tropico 4. Metacritic score is currently a respectable 78, with the main complaint, if I read correctly, being that it’s basically a patch of Tropico 3. Seeing how I haven’t played T3, no worries for me. I have good memories of the original. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/7 "2011-10-21T16:15:29Z")
_Tropico_’s not a god game though. It’s a city builder in the vein of the Caesar/Cleopatra/Zeus/Emperor and Anno series. That’s not to say it’s a bad game, because being El Presidente is always fun, just not what the OP is nostalgic for. That being said, what the OP is nostalgic for is the exact reason I’m still trucking right on with WinXP, and will until new games stop running on it at all. At which point I’ll grugdingly jury-rig a dual boot or something if I can be arsed. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/8 "2011-10-21T16:17:55Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > I didn’t care for Black & White, but speak for yourself. I’m still interested in TBS and sims. Your post smells bad. Yeah, I noticed the smell. Sorry about that. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/9 "2011-10-21T18:27:00Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > Dungeon Keeper Try [Dungeons](http://store.steampowered.com/app/57650/) and [its sequel](http://store.steampowered.com/app/200550/). ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/10 "2011-10-21T18:45:36Z")
Check out Good Old Games, [gog.com](http://gog.com) They have at least a few of the titles listed (and many more!), if you feel like shelling out 5 bucks to play them again. Also think I saw a few on Steam? If anyone ever finds out that Warlords III can run in Win7, let me know! ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/11 "2011-10-21T22:03:47Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > _Tropico_’s not a god game though. It’s a city builder in the vein of the Caesar/Cleopatra/Zeus/Emperor and Anno series. That’s not to say it’s a bad game, because being El Presidente is always fun, just not what the OP is nostalgic for. True, but there are similarities between Tropico and Evil Genius/Dungeon Keeper, such as managing little people, economic concerns, and the constant building. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/12 "2011-10-22T01:37:43Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Check out Good Old Games, [gog.com](http://gog.com) > > They have at least a few of the titles listed (and many more!), if you feel like shelling out 5 bucks to play them again. > > Also think I saw a few on Steam? The GOG versions seem to work more reliably, they are set to run on DOS Box I believe it’s called. GOG does have one of the classic God Games; [Populous](http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/populous). ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/13 "2011-10-22T01:57:48Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > The GOG versions seem to work more reliably, they are set to run on DOS Box I believe it’s called. GOG does have one of the classic God Games; [Populous](http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/populous). They’ve also got _Dungeon Keeper 2_, although it’s unstable on Windows 7 if run at full resolution. Runs fine on a lower resolution, though. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/14 "2011-10-22T06:02:53Z")
Tropico 4 ETA: thought I was clever…turns out I’m not. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/15 "2011-10-22T06:40:18Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > True, but there are similarities between Tropico and Evil Genius/Dungeon Keeper, such as managing little people, economic concerns, and the constant building. Also having random people arrested because fuck you I was bored, that’s why. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/13edae/32.png) [@Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interconnected_Series_of_Tubes)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/16 "2011-10-22T16:04:30Z")
Black and White was boring? What? “Oh woe is me! I lost all my sheep! Help me god!” Oh sure lemme just set your house on fire and then throw you into a few mountains. “UUUGGGHHLLbllalargghh” Mission complete. Best game ever. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/17 "2011-10-22T16:08:16Z")
Even training your creature to poop on command, set its own poop on fire and fling it at people whenever they congregate to praise you gets old. ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/18 "2011-10-23T13:51:36Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Try [Dungeons](http://store.steampowered.com/app/57650/) and [its sequel](http://store.steampowered.com/app/200550/). I did have a look at this, and it looked similar to DK2, but saw some slighty dodgy reviews for it. Do you recommend it then? [Gog.com](http://Gog.com) looks good. might have to spend a bit of cash on there ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-the-god-game/600344/19 "2011-10-23T19:43:00Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > I did have a look at this, and it looked similar to DK2, but saw some slighty dodgy reviews for it. Do you recommend it then? Seems to me that the reviews are dodgy because it gets unfavorably compared to DK, which I haven’t played. Dungeons is amusing and both have demos so you can see for yourself before you buy.