There are many types of video games out on the market. But some.. are just plain "odd". At first glance, the McDonald's Videogame may seem like an official game from the McDonald's company themselves.. but hold up.. why is there blood all over the bottom of a food tray.. in the main menu? Your not playing an official game. Your playing a anti-advergame. It's pretty much a "spoof" or "slap" at McDonald's. Even though the game features dark humor throughout, at it's core.. this is an amazingly simple and addictive restaurant sim.

It still shocks me to this day, that I still see the game online. I would think McDonald's would have pulled the plug on this game along time ago. But no, it's still online. Maybe the guys at McDonald's actually like this game. (I doubt it) Read below.

Taken from Wikipedia: "Some choices within the game, such as the opportunity to demolish villages or bribe public officials, paint the corporation in a negative light. These aspects of the game are unflattering to McDonald's, who issued a statement saying that the game "has no association with McDonald's, and is therefore a complete misrepresentation of our people and our values."

Nevertheless.. the game is online. And you will be very thankful it is.

The object of the game is simple: Make money. You breed cows, run crops, manage the restaurant, and create PR campaigns. The game presents the player with four views, the farmland, the slaughterhouse, the restaurant, and the corporate HQ. It's simple to navigate these screens.

Farmland

On the farmland screen, you can choose empty lots to breed cows, or grow crops. Eventually, you run out of land.. and have to bulldoze the nearby rain forest.. you will face a PR nightmare because of it. If you want to take a risk, you can genetically modify your crops.

Slaughterhouse

This is where the game gets interesting.. you can clearly see your full grown cows here. On this screen, you can choose if you want to feed your cows bad ingredients.. if you do, you'll make more profit. But you could also come under fire if your customers get sick. Once and awhile, you will also spot a "mad cow".. clearly from the crazy facial expressions. You can either shoot them, or leave the cow alone.

Restaurant

This is where you will spend most of your time. Hire, fire, and reward employees. You have to hire someone to cook the burgers, and someone to man the register. If your doing things right, you could easily have all 3 registers open.. which by the way, is one of the greatest moments of the game. Tons of customers lining up, and walking away with food trays.. all smiling.

Corporate HQ

Here's where the game gets "real".. you'll see 3 different areas. The very emotional board of directors, who will show emotion depending on how your selling (don't piss them off). The advertisers, who can help bring in more revenue by exploiting children. And of course, the PR/legal department, they will help make your image better during a crisis. For example, let's say a group of hippies protest your destruction of a rain-forest.. the solution? Corrupt a climatologist.

Verdict

As someone who enjoys McDonald's food, I was always curious about how they did business. And while this isn't exactly a "true-to-form" game, your playing a pretty close to realistic video game. After all, McDonald's does often run advertising to attract children.. when children want something, their parents often give it to them.. hence bringing in parents who also eat at the restaurant.

The simple and easy to master screens provide a pick up and play experience. If that isn't enough, the game also has a tutorial. It's the type of game you can waste hours on, run the company into bankruptcy, then come back and play again. Plus you can play the game on mostly any computer capable of running flash. In fact, the game is a simple flash game. You can play online, or download the game to your computer as an application.

I'm addicted.. have been since a few years ago. Even as time passes, I continue to play this game every once and awhile. Some people may be offended by the dark humor, and brief cartoon nudity (only on one screen), but if you look past that.. you'll find a great addictive restaurant sim. Unlike other sims, where you simply manage the restaurant, this game gives you the challenge of growing the food, processing it, then serving it. No time limits, no story. A very easy and time-melting game.

I don't hand out many high-scores for my reviews.. but this game deserves it.

Play it. You may become addicted as well.