The Dope Game is a drug selling simulator wherein your goal is to make it to the end of X amount of days without getting arrested or killed. Ultimately, you need to make enough money to pay back the loanshark who lends you two grand to get you started on the righteous path to selling all kinds of substances, anything after that is fair game to spend as you like.
I'm not even sure why I bought this title. The most obvious reason that I can think of, is that it's a throwback to the old web-based drug dealer games that my friends and I used to play during computer class in high school. Somehow, believe it or not, this game is actually less interesting than the web-based version that I used to play; it didn't even have any fancy pictures. This one does, however mediocre they may be. I still haven't figured out why you seem to play as the Unibomber, either.
The gameplay is basic. You travel around different parts of the town, and you buy and sell various illegal substances. Each time you travel, an entire day passes despite the fact that you take the bus there. If you're smart, you buy when the prices go low and sell when they're skyrocketing. The catch is, not all substances show up every day, so you could potentially be stuck with 40 hits of Ecstasy for days; even longer if the price doesn't flip in your favor. Lucky for you, the creepy old hooker hag on the bus usually has some insider wall-street drug information. Sometimes you run in to trouble with the law, or groups of gang members. These events could lead to either your arrest, death, losing a portion of your money, or losing some/all of your drugs.
There are some stores scattered about town; the loan-shark, gun store, hospital, and bar. Each have a rather cliche character running the joint. Sometimes a random guy will approach you on the streets to sell you a new backpack, so that you can hold more drugs. If you're feeling especially violent, once you have enough money you can purchase a weapon and then go on a murderous rampage if you so desire.
With that, there is honestly not much more to say about The Dope Game. Once you've survived for the initial 15 day period, you can go back for 30, 45, etc, as they unlock through progression. It's fairly easy to cheat the game by just buying Ecstasy when it's at an all time low, selling at a high, going and paying back the loan-shark, and just traveling on the bus until the days are done. The gameplay is dull and uninteresting even for what it is, the artwork is painful to the eyes, and the music is drab. Just go seek out old web-based versions of this same concept, and you'll have a better time.
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