World of Zoo is a zoo simulation game created by Blue Fang Games (the creator of Zoo Tycoon) and THQ, with help from the National Geographic Society. It was made for the Nintendo Wii and DS, as well as the PC.
Gameplay
Unlike the Zoo Tycoon series, which is focused around building a zoo and keeping guests and animals happy, World of Zoo is focused around creating animals and caring for them in a first person view.
Animal Creation
Creating an animal is fairly simple. The player is given a base animal to alter, changing the colors, size, personality, and body parts. New parts are unlocked by purchasing new animals with "Star Tokens," a currency achieved by making animals happy in Zookeeper mode. Once the player reaches the highest level achievable for an exhibit, they will unlock far more stylistic customization options for animals.
Caretaking/Zookeeper Mode
The player is given many options on what to give their animals, including foodstuffs, enrichment items, and tools (including a poop vacuum, a medical scanner, and cleaning supplies). As the player levels up as a caretaker for the animals, they will unlock new tools and, initially, new slots for animals on exhibition.
Animals
World of Zoo features 95 animals divided into 11 families and 20 available exhibits. Only the Wii and DS versions have all of the animals, while Canids are only exclusive to the DS version.
Antelopes
| Animal | Wii Version | PC Version | DS Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addax | Yes | No | Yes |
| Blackbuck | Yes | No | No |
| Bongo | Yes | No | No |
| Common Duiker | Yes | No | No |
| Gemsbok | Yes | No | Yes |
| Impala | Yes | No | Yes |
| Kirk's Dik-Dik | Yes | No | No |
| Okapi | No | No | Yes |
| Pronghorn | Yes | No | No |
| Roan Antelope | Yes | No | No |
| Sable Antelope | Yes | No | Yes |
| Springbok | Yes | No | No |
| Thomson's Gazelle | Yes | No | No |
Bears
| Animal | Wii Version | PC Version | DS Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Black Bear | Yes | No | Yes |
| Brown Bear | No | No | Yes |
| Gobi Bear | Yes | No | No |
| Grizzly Bear | Yes | No | Yes |
| Kodiak Bear | Yes | No | No |
| Moon Bear | Yes | No | No |
| Polar Bear | Yes | No | Yes |
| Sloth Bear | Yes | No | Yes |
| Spectacled Bear | Yes | No | Yes |
| Sun Bear | Yes | No | Yes |
| Tibetan Blue Bear | Yes | No | No |
Big Cats
- African Lion
- Caracal
- Cougar
- Leopard
- Jaguar
- Cheetah
- Bengal Tiger
- Clouded Leopard
- Snow leopard
!Crocodiles
- American Alligator
- Nile Crocodile
- American Crocodile
- Saltwater Crocodile
- Yacare Caiman
- Mugger Crocodile
- Dwarf Crocodile
- Black Caiman
- False Gharial
- Siamese Crocodile
- Gharial
- Orinoco Crocodile
!Elephants
- African Savannah Elephant
- African Forest Elephant
- Indian Elephant
- Sumatran Elephant
Giraffes
- Angolan Giraffe
- Reticulated Giraffe
- Masai Giraffe
- South African Giraffe
- Nigerian Giraffe
- Rothchild's Giraffe
Koalas
- Queensland Koala
- New South Wales Koala
- Victorian Koala
Pandas
- Giant Panda
- Qinling Panda
!Penguins
- Emperor Penguin
- Little Blue Penguin
- African Penguin
- Chinstrap Penguin
- Adelie Penguin
- Gentoo Penguin
- Macaroni Penguin
- Humboldt Penguin
- Royal Penguin
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Galapagos Penguin
- Yellow-Eyed Penguin
Small Monkeys
- Capuchin Monkey
- Squirrel Monkey
- Vervet Monkey
- Rhesus Monkey
- Patas Monkey
- Lesser Spot-Nosed Guenon
- Wolf's Mona Monkey
- Noisy Night Monkey
- L'Hoest's Monkey
- North Sumatran Leaf Monkey
- Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey
- Douc Langur
Horses
- Plains Zebra
- Domestic Horse
- Konik
- Brumby
- Chincoteague Pony
- Icelandic Horse
- Cape Mountain Zebra
- Onager
- Grevy's Zebra
- Misaki Horse
- Przewalski's Wild Horse
- African Wild Ass
! Exclusive to Wii & DS
Reception
Critics' reception to World of Zoo was muted for the first two months after launch. Most reviewers have, as of December 15, 2009, declined to review the game or give a score. This includes better-known sites like IGN, GameSpot, Gametrailers, 1UP, and GameSpy. User scores have generally been positive. The Metacritic user score for World of Zoo is 96%.