Zoo Tycoon 2: Nostalgia is My Favorite Drug

Welcome to a video were I talk about a video game from 2004 because I'm feeling nostalgic. Thanks for taking the time to watch if you do!
Credits for footage:
Zoo Tycoon 1 footage: • Zoo Tycoon (2001) - Sa...
Super Mario Kart: • SNES Longplay [110] Su...
Rollercoaster Tycoon: • RollerCoaster Tycoon 1...
zootycoonfan1: / zootycoonfan1
Stalker2k7: / stalker2k7
PaulsLey Planet Zoo footage: • Video
My Twitter: an...
My Instagram: / animalundermanscore

[@AnimalManA]

It has come to my attention that there a lot of people who actually really like Okapi, and I was like the one one weird kid who didn't care for them. If I offended you with the things I said about Okapi in this video, please accept this picture of a cute baby sloth as a peace offering: i.natgeofe.com/n/28f65c83-cb91-4489-ba1e-b62c76863c43/01_slothlove_leaves.jpg I will never take back what I said about secretary birds though, they are evil.

[@alecmcgrathofcanada9175]

Long live Secretary Birds...

[@zoes5317]

Ngl, it was really funny hearing the thing with Okapi and Secratary Birds because Okapi were my favorite animals as a kid (probs the lower top 10 now) and secratary birds are even higher up on my list.

[@NotKaiseph]

Your offering is accepted

[@NickName-mb6wy]

@@zoes5317 Same lol, I loved Okapi when I was little just because they have such a weird name and look, while imo secretary birds are gorgeous and interesting.

[@JrgPt96]

I feel it's a regional thing? like, I know the Zoo I visited in my childhood had a extensive Okapi habitat, and my favorite zoo I've ever been to (Alpenzoo in Innsbruck) has the Ibex as one of its most important exhibits. I think that if you grew up in a place where they just didn't have these animals for some reason or another, it's easy to not feel very strongly about them. So I don't blame you lol

[@MagicMinecraftMaps]

My fav thing to do in Zoo Tycoon 2 was to close down the zoo. Put a fence in front of the entrance, and then.. build a wild habitat like savanna! Placing savanna animals around the map that I created off of images from google. The wildebeest would act like wild wildebeests and follow the heard around. Lions would hunt in a real prides.. etc.. it was really fun and a different way to play. Watching the animals survive and to go extinct.. You would think the carnivores would out last all the other animals but wildebeests would kill lions. specific animals required bigger prides to hunt them, starvation.. If you ever go back to the game I suggest trying this out.

[@MagicMinecraftMaps]

Also herbivores would actually eat the grass types that you placed, after they ate all the food in one spot they HAD to leave and continue traveling around. Again, another way to play haha

[@AnimalManA]

That is AWESOME

[@Cole-ty9dz]

YOOOOOOO the nostalgia is coming back!!!!

[@third-strike]

I did this all the time too

[@Cole-ty9dz]

@@third-strike Funny thing, I actually had a procedure where I'd fence off an area within the map where the animals would establish a group and I kept putting elephant grass, hay, etc. Once I felt like it was time I removed the fencing and it legit worked.

[@Jartopia]

Zoo tycoon 2 was a big part of my childhood! (alongside spore) I once had a tapir enclosure. I bred a LOT of them. One of them was ghostly looking. I never found out why. Google has no answers so it must of been a glitch. I tried to breed another from it, but whatever caused it's appearance didn't pass on to the offspring.

[@westboy52]

Hey, that's actually super cool! I know I would've loved that to happen to me as a child.

[@unexpected2475]

Oh my god, another ZT2-Spore kid! Both of those games I played to death and back. Good times, good times.

[@098gxm]

Spore and ZT2 was my zen on days where I was coming home from a hectic school day. Or escaping family.

[@confettihorse]

I once had a jaguar that was a metallic! It was so weird, the other jaguars were perfectly normal. I remember at least the tiger having a rare white/albino variant, perhaps it was that? I can't recall if other animals had albino variants or not.

[@RIPDixie1865]

@@unexpected2475 Same here. Except in retrospect, ZT2 is actually a great game. Spore is so bad tho lmao

[@noneofyourbuisness1679]

Not gonna lie, a little scary how finely accurate you captured my own experiences with this game

[@markihappy]

Same

[@ZenizhivGreen]

We are not alone :)

[@olmondboy]

Guys I wanna meet you ❤️ my missing childhood friends

[@GeckIXproductions]

Same

[@00RExProductions]

Honestly I sometimes feel overwhelmed by Planet Zoo's endless posibilities. It happened to me with Planet Coaster, it was just to big a game for me, I just didn't know where to start, so I turned back to Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. I do like Planet Zoo and I do play it often, but that doesn't quit that nostalgic need I have for playing the Vainilla Zoo Tycoon 2. What a great video! Thanks for sharing your nostalgia!

[@majnuker]

If you like dinosaurs, try out JWE 2! It fits the bill for a bit more of a limited experience, but with really neat animals to watch :)

[@sethkael9839]

Exact same feeling here.

[@HeruruMeruru]

Same, Planet Zoo is just too overwhelming. Making exhibits and paths is needlessly complicated.

[@geministrial950]

I got Planet Zoo for black friday bc i heard the AI is pretty good, which it is! But.. Its just not the same. You have to keep track of so many things and unlike ZT2 you cant just grab an animal and toss it into an exhibit to have fun. You have to do a whole process to be able to transport it, then if you have too many feeders your employees will refuse to fill them, theres the whole genetics thing and so much stuff is just.. Too much. I wish ZT2 got revamped with Planet Zoo graphics and AI but with everything else staying the same, that would be a dream come true

[@gracep4288]

@@geministrial950 I agree. I feel like simplicity has been lost in modern video games and we always have to have all this advanced stuff. I miss games like ZT2 where it was simple and I could play for an hour and build a decent sized zoo without having to worry about management.

[@AvocadoWatchThis]

Zoo Tycoon 1 and 2 were a huge part of my childhood. They were the reason why I knew about the okapi, how to pronounce it, their relation to the giraffe, conservation efforts, a bunch of other random trivia, and why, when my family were watching a hippo play with a ball in an underwater viewing area, I spent my time marveling at the real life okapi in the San Diego Zoo. I wasn't a fan of the PS4 Zoo Tycoon, viewing it as an atrocity, but my younger sibling who was never exposed to the real thing loved it... I guess there was a chance it was an okay game. Planet Zoo has captured my heart; however, I spent over a decade without access to either Zoo Tycoon 1 or 2. If I hadn't had that amount of time to dull the ache and fog over the details, I can't say for sure that Planet Zoo would have affected me as much. I still catch myself referring to Planet Zoo as Zoo Tycoon.

[@wild-strike]

Oddly enough I relate with every single thing you said. Yes, even the okapi I thought the ones at San diego with the Duikers were super cool when I was a kid and I still constantly go back to the zoo.

[@CHLOCHLOLP]

@@wild-strike same bro

[@killdozer7792]

To be honest, even now I remember the Zoo Tycoon games so fondly that whenever I visit a zoo, I'll always be on the lookout specifically for animals that were featured in those games, even the crummy Xbox reboot. The goal is basically to see as many animals included in those games as I possibly can (minus the impossible ones, of course). So far I've done extremely well.

[@SliceofSimple]

Okapi have been my favorite animal since I can remember, because of this game. And now I have my three little kids obsessed with them, too. All the love for zebra giraffes ❤

[@alfsleftnut9224]

yeah the ZT3 totally missed the point of zoo tycoon games

[@tylerray1368]

Gosh, the nostalgia. I actually remember being really happy they had Okapis. My local zoo has Okapis, and they were awesome as a little kid. I actually got to pet them when I was 18 and nobody was nearby to yell at me. They felt like bristley horses.

[@AnimalManA]

with every comment i get about okapis i regret making fun of them more and more XD

[@petloverspy]

@@AnimalManA You shall suffer for your sins

[@martijn9568]

​@Animal_Man_ The same should be the case for making fun of Ibex. Ibex are one of the most iconic mountainous animals in Europe. And the developers probably wanted to include at least one animal from Europe in the default game without expansions.

[@s.a.m.morrison7275]

This was so nostalgic, I remember watching those videos where they created their own Prehistoric Park episodes with ZT2, so corny but yet so goood

[@Raptorworld22]

I remember those and the scary (at the time) horror ones I also remember a video that I still quote to this day, it was basically a ZT2 youtube poop, crapton zoo where the only animal is wildebeest, and the educator's joke of "The Iraq war is a lie, how do I know this? because there is no such place as Iraq!"

[@steelwixom5502]

I loved watching those as a kid

[@joeclayton4914]

I loved those!!!

[@Cole-ty9dz]

They're kinda cringe now that we're all older but man did they entertain me years ago. Especially since I didn't have the actual Prehistoric Park on DvD , I had to watch clips of it on here at least a decade ago.

[@thelastmikester]

Damn, two nostalgia hits for me in one day, ZT2 and Prehistoric Park, those two were my lifeblood as a kid lol

[@Conor3D]

Man I played way too much Zoo Tycoon 2 as a kid, really wish it was rereleased on Steam or something so I can officially own it again. Thanks for the nostalgia! :)

[@narrowwing]

Please send a link all I can find are discs

[@simpingdemon]

If you still want it it's on old games download

[@cassiopeiaraycraft9716]

@@simpingdemon THANK YOU!! i've been wanting to play this again for ages

[@timothymarcoux6569]

Play Planet Zoo, from the Planet Coaster creators

[@therpgerer]

@@timothymarcoux6569 planet zoo is great and from all points of view a better game then zt2 but man it just doesn’t have the same wow factor that zt2 did.

[@ProsopAnonymous]

Honestly I watched so many animal documentaries as a child, I was thrilled to see an Okapi in the game, lol

[@minty6891]

Wow, all the hundreds of hours I sank into this game when I was younger and I never knew about the animal mutations when failing the minigame!

[@AnimalManA]

Guess you’re just really good at the minigame!

[@eoau]

Just to let you know, the Whale shark actually has an extra growth stage after you adopt them. You adopt them as Juveniles and they grow to be adults eventually (since you said their size was treated poorly). The same goes for Deinosuchus :) Also this video was amazing I can relate to sooo much of it since ZT2 has been my favourite game for many many years now. I remember on the loading screen it would take 5-10minutes sometimes and kid me would still just be sitting there watching it, waiting for my probably very laggy zoo to load up

[@antonioferrari5884]

My favorite thing to do with Zoo Tycoon 2 is to create ecosystems where I would place a group of herbivores (around 20 of them) and carnivores (4 of them), and watch them live together. The whole area would become this habitat and watch the animals in there.

[@LilEuphie]

Watching this while playing Planet Zoo 😭 Wish we could just get a remaster of ZT2, I loved it so much and PZ just doesn't hit the same with all the construction and bugginess. I also remember searching for ZT2 custom content after watching a Stalker2k7 video and that being the first game that I ever modded! Such good memories!

[@Haszady]

Prehistoric kingdom is gonna be similar to zt2! I have played the alpha and it is just really similar

[@Ecotasia]

Spent way to much time modding Zoo Tycoon 2. Salker2k7 really got me into mods and KZbin.

[@madisonplaysgamez]

I hate the work zone feature its tedious and takes away from what I really want to be doing..

[@jennynoelle6782]

ZT2 is such a nostalgia trip. I totally remember watching old machinimas made using the game... and having my mind blown (I was, like, 15 and didn't have the internet growing up - I didn't know mods existed. As a concept.). Whenever I got bored, I would often make animal-based kingdoms. I would surround the land with waterfalls, fill it with different biomes and oceans, come up with some lore (like there being a single, "magic" tree in the exact center of the zoo, which the 'citizens' would worship), and fill the land with herbivores (and food, enrichment, shelters, etc.). Then I would just let stories unfold - mostly stock tropes, like "a single, young male zebra 'prince' goes on a journey to find true love, and finds it in the pretty, last-of-her-kind quagga living in the 'enchanted' forest". Sometimes I would section off a part of the zoo (usually the upper left of the map), create a fully-decked-out "palace" (series of tiered plateaus), plonk down a male and female lion, and call them the "King and Queen of Animalia".

[@AnimalManA]

that's really cool! thanks for sharing.

[@megakaren2160]

I remember blocking the zoo entrance with a toilet and then letting the dinosaurs loose. In ZT1, I made an enclosure out of decorative fences. Added some paths, vending machines, toilets, and benches. Then I'd drop a few guests in and I'd have a human exhibit.

[@ianharmon3440]

I actually tried that a few times on ZT2 lol. Put a square of humans in the middle and the rest of the zoo was nature preserve, or even better, make paths for the animals to roam around on while the people were inside... I was a funny child.

[@Aethuviel]

There is one animal I want as a mod for ZT2. Humans. Really, like cave people. Naked (or with loincloths, for the prudes out there), dumb, and you have to fulfill their needs like the animals. But I guess that's the guests for you.

[@bookapanda6064]

Zoo Tycoon with Marine Mania and Dinosaur Digs was my childhood 🥰 So many fond memories 😅 (like unleashing a Dino to recreate Jurassic park) 😂

[@moodchanger3470]

yes the best childhood memories ever. feeding people to the trex.

[@radstriker9285]

I, too, tried to fill the ZT2-shaped hole in my heart with Planet Zoo. But its own strength was its demise for me, the sheer amount of freedom is overwhelming, and it really feels more like you're managing a business than a place with animals. One of my favourite things of ZT2 was how hands on you could get with the animals, I loved being able to pet them and feed them, and really just being able to interact with things. Something fun is that english is not my first language, and Zoo Tycoon's name is, well, english, so when I played it as a kid I decided on an arbitrary pronunciation and it took this video to discover that was NOT the correct way to say it lmao Amazing video, except for the secretary birds hate and extinct animals erasure

[@jm0062]

zó ticón

[@annemiiiiie]

me too lmao. Went with a full germanized spelling xD

[@wtr3059]

17:34 By resurrecting the animals with the research station, if you gst 100% in the "resurrection minigame" you get "Super Animals". These are bigger than the regular extinct animals and live longer among other benefits. In the campaigns it is also a very cheap way to produce a zoo as the animals produced in this method cost no money to make and animals tend to be the most expensive in the game. Sure, it requires some extra time but the 8000$ for the research station with the minimal subsequent maintainance cost is nowhere near the cost it would take to get these animals by just "clicking".

[@mastercago3361]

As a south african the safari was one of my favorites as a child, It gave me the opportunity to build zoos with all the animals i would see in local zoos and and in our own national parks, me and my cousins always got excited about the animals that were local to us, as they were the ones we had the most knowledge about. My grandfather was an old hunter and would tell us stories about all these animals that you found less exciting, but we couldnt be more excited seeing them ingame and reliving his stories.

[@lindsayve9268]

My fellow South African can we just marvel at how people pronounced animals like gemsbok and wildebeest 😂

[@mastercago3361]

@@lindsayve9268 when he said "What even is a gemsbok, nobody knows that" (paraphrasing) i was like, uhm, that's the first buck i knew the name of, and the most exciting to see in nature XD

[@ianharmon3440]

@@mastercago3361 Yet another reason why the game (with expansions) is so awesome - there are so many animals that just about anyone can find ones that they connect with or enjoy! (For me personally though I was always saddened by the lack of platypus and echidna... but there were plenty of other favorites to make up for the lack).

[@SucicRaven]

ZT2 (and WolfQuest) was my favourite game as a kid. I remember waking up super early on weekends and during school vacations so I could beat my brother to the only computer and play until my parents woke up. I still have the cds laying around even though some don’t work anymore. Ultimate collection still works fortunately, scratched as it is, but I don’t play anymore. These days I play Planet Zoo instead. ZT2 could hold my attention for hours when I was a kid, but adult me needs more complexity to enjoy creating and managing a zoo. ZT2 will always have a special place tho.

[@cole8834]

8:02 Okapis are my favorite animal at my local zoo. They're beautiful, bigger than you'd think, and not too skittish

[@SliceofSimple]

Literally my favorite animal, too. I'll go anywhere just to sit and watch the okapi for hours

[@tinkrtailr]

God, I remember the Christmas my mom got me Zoo Tycoon 2... it was probably one of the best Christmas gifts I got, I literally screamed in joy.

[@mysterycommenter]

I love Zoo Tycoon 2 and while I'm enjoying Planet Zoo, there's still no comparison to Zoo Tycoon 2. I was so excited when I discovered mods. Of course a ton of them didn't work and a good number of them crash your game instead but they are still awesome when you find ones that do work. ZT2 is so much calmer than PZ and I wish they would actually add in a slow it down mode and let you walk around PZ as well.

[@PedroSantos-en4kj]

This game was a big part of my childhood, I related so much to most of the stuff (except the hate for African adventure animals how dare you!) I probably logged thousands of hours in this game over quite a few years. And for planet zoo, I would advise giving it another chance, I had the exact same response when I first played it but once you start being familiar with it you’ll be in love!

[@alex__andrei]

I have this game since 2015, and I’m still playing it. This game with mods is just something else! This game was my childhood,…it’s very important to me 😇

[@lyssafer509]

I just bought Zoo Tycoon 2 again recently and have been playing it for hours. I was not prepared for how strong the nostalgia would hit when that opening video first started up.

[@maygonzales4130]

Same! I only had my original for half a year before it along with other games were stolen from me. I was utterly devastated, cried my eyes out about the whole thing. Recently I got my hands back on the game and I’m enjoying it like I never left especially after adding some mods here and there!

[@bezka3545]

I still have CD's with the game and all DLC's. Even managed to get them to work sometime ago, but my PC has had a reset since then and I don't remember how to make it work. These games are awesome, especially when Dinosaurs come into play. This game is amazing and I wish they released it on steam or somewhere where it's easy to access.

[@NimbleJim]

This popped up in my recommendations and Im so glad. Zoo Tycoon 2 was a massive part of my childhood. I remember making huge parks and adding well over 1000 mods. I used to film tours with my phone camera and send them to my then girlfriend, now fiancee. I remember playing it on my laptop in staffroom of my stepdads workplace to distract me on the morning that I found out my grandfather had passed away. This game will forever hold a special place in my heart, and though I don't think Ill ever go back to it. (I lost my disk ages ago) I will always think fondly of it.

[@AnimalManA]

Thank you for sharing this

[@meganlouise978]

this showed up in my recommendeds out of nowhere and i'm so glad it did. the intro music to this game IMMEDIATELY took me back to being, like. 11 years old and making a massive savannah exhibit just so i could see how cool the african wild dogs were. i was obsessed with them for months in elementary school because of this game. the music still shreds in these games and i'm not sure why.

[@AnimalManA]

The music is so underrated! It hits me too!

[@gardenandthewild9492]

I'll never forget the original Zoo Tycoon. I never did play the second game, but the first on I'll always remember and hold dear. Born in 93', It was the first game I ever owned as a kid when it came out, and along with it, my very first computer my parents went out and bought. The original Windows 2000... The old 17" Square box PC monitor... That hideous grey cream-esque keyboard and mouse with that horrible scroller that you use to take out and clean every so often it got gunked up with hair and food lol. Not long after, my friends would introduce me to the original Age of Empires, and so began a two decade career of PC gaming. Amazing. Nostalgic, and an incredible journey. Thank you for this video. :)

[@AnimalManA]

Hang you for sharing, and thank you for watching!

[@irissupercoolsy]

I played both Zoo Tycoon 1 and afterwards Zoo Tycoon 2!! Still one of my favourite games to this day! I played so many hours of them.

[@killdozer7792]

Honestly, I spent so many hours in Zoo Tycoon 2 and for the most part, I never actually opened my zoos to the public. I remember five zoos in particular which were basically just all the animals from either the base game or the expansion packs. I even remember drawing little maps so I know how they'd be set up and how they'd look.

[@alyssabullock6421]

When I was little, I wanted Zoo Tycoon 2 SO BAD. My animal loving heart was on the fritz, so Im absolutely delighted that Planet Zoo exists, and that so many people still remember this game. Also, omg, the fan-made KZbin series/movies, aaaaaa, i remember the dinosaur ones! I loved those! ;;

[@Raptorsified]

What broke planet zoo for me was when i realized the animals are just decorations. In zoo tycoon 2 your animals were actually animals with behavior and a food hierarchy. In planet zoo they are just costumes that play idle animations. I'm much more into the animal aspect than the building aspect so it was an easy decision to make. You can't make an ecosystem in planet zoo but you can in ZT2.

[@calkingherper4189]

This game was and still is my absolute favorite. I remember getting on the family computer just itching to continue my next zoo project. This game holds a special place in my heart, and I am so happy to see that so many other people cherish it as I do.

[@murraymanitos]

Fun fact: Ratel is just another name for a honey badger. That “lower risk” designation is INACCURATE, Zoo Tycoon 2!

[@ianharmon3440]

Yeah, several of the conservation statuses are inaccurate - some certainly due to the fact that the game was released 18 years ago, but even when I played it back in like 2007 and the 2010's they still seemed a little off to me.

[@cozmicclockwork1136]

Zoo tycoon will always hold a very dear place in my heart. My cousin's who let me have the game told me about the animal details icon so I picked up on that quickly. Although being a dumb kid I thought it was all I needed and made habitats that were too small, too chock full of every kind of food dish and enrichment item too many animals starting off, often breeding excessively. The design for visitors faired similarly with everything condensed in one spot. Over the years I've drifted back to the game every so often and recently I've really taken to utilizing everything to make some really nice zoos. I have planet zoo but for me there's too many systems, it's not really intuitive for new players and snap functionality that could help with it is limited in my experience so I haven't really played it much. Although it could also be I don't like the lack of a keeper mode to make interacting with my zoos more engaging. I never really found myself on early zoo tycoon KZbin but I'm still glad I found your video and this has gotten pretty rambly but I also find it so interesting how many other people share these really similar experiences around this game. Edit: also restoring fossils into animals using the lab can result in super versions of this same animals, that live longer and are healthier, they can also pass that trait down to their offspring.

[@ZombieTTG]

This was a fantastic video, and really captured everything about how I felt about Zoo Tycoon 2 as a kid. Kudos to you for making my childhood come back to life!

[@AnimalManA]

thanks for watching, mate :)

[@cluelessclyde4536]

Man... this and the sims (2 to be exact.) was such a big part of my childhood and even though now I find myself not really enjoying the TS series anymore, I still find myself going back to ZT2 (even ZT1) because even though I LOVE Planet Zoo, there's just something about Zoo Tycoon 2 that makes me still come back to it, like, my very first memory of it was that my mother had built a nile crocodile exhibit (she wouldn't let me play the game at first because of mothers being mothers) and we thought that the croc would attack us in guest mode so we kinda screamed a bit and she turned around and ran for the gate but then the next day when I got to play I found out that we're pretty much a ghost to everything so I had told my mom that the animals won't attack you. I also remember when I was little I would sometimes pretend to have had a nightmare so my mother would let me play ZT2 and then I'd sometimes play all night XD but yeah, no matter what, this game will always hold a special place in my heart. (Also it was only about 3 or 4 years ago that I had learned how to mod ZT2)

[@Pinnaporaptor]

You mentioning ZT2 Machinimas instantly sent my mind back to a time where my bones weren't made of sand, fantastic video man 👍. It's a shame there isn't much of a way to play it anymore.

[@fireball111121]

Zoo Tycoon 2 was my childhood. I was WAY into the modding scene and even tried to make a few on my own. I was far to young to really understand what exactly it was I was doing, but it taught me a lot and now I have a career in computers! While most people were limited to the 5 (if you include Dino Digs) expansion packs, I had probably 500+ animals to play around with to the point that my computer started to slow down a lot. Planet Zoo is so large that I don't even feel like I need any mods (though I'm well aware of their existence) as I spend so much time creating intricate enclosure and guest services that even after all this time I've still yet to use every animal in the base roster, much less all the DLC.

[@TheTakenChance]

Man the nostalgia. I loved the Marine Mania expansion. I use to build so many shows and I loved the training mini game. Great video.

[@Nintendoof]

This was a fantastic video and speaks to the precise reasons I’m not the one to just want open ended choice driven games. I want to see the guard rails that game designers curate. The fact that Zoo Tycoon 2 was able to inspire even young players without overwhelming them speaks to good and more timeless game design. I was thinking of getting Planet Zoo the other day and think about how I spent an hour making a custom building in Planet Coaster instead of actually you know, playing the game. I’m glad these more granular hi fidelity games exist, but they don’t replace what something Zoo Tycoon 2 accomplished in its time.

[@herpderp3916]

Watching this video as I play Planet Zoo, it's an amazing game but ZT2 definitely hits me in the nostalgia hard. I think I also remember that Mysterious Island series, gonna have to rewatch it.

[@lolchocl]

What a great video! I think you perfectly summed up the feeling of having played this game for hours as a child. Thank you for the nostalgia :3

[@retime5929]

This game does mean a lot to me. I remember being under restrictions just to play it while young. And every chance I got, I got on Zoo Tycoon 2, customized my zoos through sandbox mode to help with my curious and creative side. I always explored the possibilities of setting up a type of feel for the animals and the guests for the zoos. When night fell, I remember how the lights all around the zoo lights up perfectly. I remember looking beyond the zoo limits, just watching as birds fly in the distance, and forests on a hill as the sun sets. The loading screen was just pure bliss. I remember one that had an orangutan looking out at the Zoo entrance in the distance, with the sun over head. I tired to recreate that in the zoo. I tried, searching for that particular screen every load. But never saw it again. The videos were definitely pure quality content as well. Zoo Tycoon 2 will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you for this video bring light on these memories.

[@AnimalManA]

thank you for sharing this it really warms my heart. It's all those little things, ya know?

[@retime5929]

@@AnimalManA Thank you, I would gladly return to those days

[@nublarrex5690]

The modding community is one of the most amazing things about this game

[@Ecotasia]

It was sad to see it decline, but everything has to end at some time I guess. I would love to see a video detailing the rise and fall of the modding community.

[@nublarrex5690]

@@Ecotasia same

[@jonnavdpas]

Making the extinct animals via the minigame would always save me SO much money.

[@mckennadelamora6148]

You know, in a land filled with planet zoo videos (which I do love) you could probably make zoo tycoon 2 videos and people would adore watching them just as much. Like you said, nostalgia is a hell of a drug.

[@cassius5692]

I had a similar experience with Planet Zoo. Zoo Tycoon and Zoo Tycoon 2 were defining parts of my childhood but I've always longed for a modern version that took advantage of new technology to offer the things ZT2 lacked, like exhibits inside true buildings, more advanced graphics, and more customization overall. I was hyped to see Planet Zoo announced. I followed it closely from the start, pre-ordered the deluxe version, purchased every expansion, and yet I've struggled to play it for any extended length of time even though I could play ZT1 & ZT2 for hours on end. Really, I probably put more hours into ZT2 than any other game in my life, but much of that time was spent admiring my zoo and interacting with it. Something I feel like I can't really do in Planet Zoo because it takes SO much time just to get past the building phase if I want the zoo to look nice. I did want more freedom to build the zoo I imagined but I feel like PZ almost overdid that freedom at the expense of the rest of what made ZT1 & ZT2 fun. I remember the thing that really made ZT2 seem so special to me in comparison to ZT1 was the animal interaction. There wasn't a lot of it, just the show mini-games and the press space to wash/feed/etc. but it brought you further into the animal management element and that's the part that my animal obsessed childhood (and adult) self loves the most. Planet Zoo doesn't focus on the animals and honestly I think that's why it doesn't keep my focus. I really wish there was a more balanced version, simpler but modern building mechanics paired with more focus on animal care. There have been a few other zoo games released recently and there are a few more on the way. I have yet to find one that scratches the same itch ZT2 did but I'll be keeping an eye out in hopes that changes sometime soon. Also imo one thing ZT2 did really well was the expansions. I can't say I'm surprised Planet Zoo has gone the route of Planet Coaster, releasing tons of expensive but sparse expansions, but I can say I'm disappointed. I think most devs could learn a thing or two about doing DLC right by looking at ZT2 and the amount of new content that came with each new expansion.

[@ROCKNROLL947]

Zoo tycoon was the first game I played with dedication. I was lucky because find the game in my country was almost impossible, but it gave me a lot of fantastic moments

[@lonelyastronauts440]

It's so good to see someone who has an equal amount of love and nostalgia for the Zoo Tycoon games. While I do absolutely love Planet Zoo, nothing hits me right in the childhood like the Zoo Tycoon games do.

[@liza9101]

Why does this video not have more views? There's humor, tips&trick I learned when I was today years old and a nice voice to listen to!

[@AnimalManA]

aww thank you :)

[@thecat7803]

Oh wow, I did have the first one. I also had a hard time getting into Planet Zoo just because of how complex the systems were.

[@finncedar7388]

“why would you find the fossils when you could just place them down” says the man who only ever played sandbox mode

[@AnimalManA]

This is very fair XD

[@finncedar7388]

@@AnimalManA anyway aside from that, thought this video was great and really captures a lot of what made zoo tycoon special. i enjoy planet zoo for sure, but there’s something about the simplicity of the first 2 games that i really love

[@Franklli]

I hope I wasn't the only one who blocked the entrance and basically made a nature reserve. God, I'm so glad young me begged for the ultimate collection in Walmart(or sam's, I can't remember)

[@mosey_around2231]

I remember the killer penguin being so unnerving. I think you first get it as an egg, so when it hatched, I was just "Wtf is this, why does it have fangs, and why are its eyes glowing?" and the fact that it could kill a T-rex scared me. I would be especially terrified when this bug would happen, when instead of seeing the scientist in the fossil reviving room, the killer penguin would be in its place just staring at you. Man I loved and still love Zoo Tycoon 2

[@Cyber.Oni.Ink.]

Planet Zoo looks awesome in its endless possibilities but it is PLAGUED with game breaking bugs and the management parts of it are a nightmare to work out. I much prefer going to the simpler, yet full of content, Zoo Tycoon 2 Complete Edition

[@moodchanger3470]

old zoo tycoon and roller coaster tycoon were the best. i had the zoo one with the dinosaurs and the marine animals too. i miss it

[@LinariaFreeze]

Zoo Tycoon was a huge part of my childhood, especially the Seaworld expansion. The day I got Zoo Tycoon 2, I was in heaven!

[@sarapocorn]

This video just awakened so many memories. Thank you. I played Zoo Tycoon and Zoo Tycoon 2 for so many hours as a kid and still do now - at 28 with a Master‘s in Biology. Which I probably also got due to these games.

[@eddw7650]

I loved Zoo Tycoon 2 as a kid! To the point where I even 'borrowed' money from my parents without asking so I could buy the Marine Expansion when it came out because I go so overexcited...ah childhood shame haha. A very nostalgic video, I immediately bookmarked the Complete Edition on CEX for the future after watching this, thank you for bringing back so many memories!

[@Casapillar]

I'm glad someone discussed the KZbin Zoo Tycoon 2 scene. It always felt like a well-kept secret on the website and I've never found anyone than remembers it

[@JumpscareRodent]

Planet Zoo needs to add more pieces that are fully made for you already, so that the simpler people can make everything without custom placing every detail

[@Khiruji]

You can. In the steam workshop of Planet Zoo

[@JumpscareRodent]

@@Khiruji Yes but the game base should come with it.. Mods are not for casual fan

[@elecbo4517]

@@JumpscareRodent The steam workshop isn't a mod, it's exclusively base game content that people upload; it can be downloaded and placed at the click of a button and is a built-in feature.

[@JumpscareRodent]

@@elecbo4517 I never said the Steam workshop is a mod lmao. The game should come with more already put together pieces is what I said

[@Fantallana]

@@JumpscareRodent no, you literally said “mods are not for casual fans”. Scroll up dude

[@VoidRavenXD]

I played this game with my dad when i was 3 and we would make a cage with a bunch of animals, but because we had a dlc pack, we put dinosaurs in and they ate everything. Those were fun days. I have the disc to this day.

[@aquadragondavanin6745]

man it really puts into perspective how a system can affect a game, i had zoo tycoon 2....on the ds. and i loved it! i apparently loved it so much i somehow ended up with two copies! but wow does it look more impressive on pc. this was a really good video man! good stuff. B)

[@jonwoodhouse1444]

2:52 "I wasn't the terrorist type in zoo tycoon..." That makes one of us...

[@onefortheages5983]

Anyone else make crazy mazes to force your siblings to find there way through with fences?

[@bunneehra]

This video brought me soooo much joy. I still recall that Christmas Eve when I received ZT2 and left all the boring adults downstairs to sneak up to the computer and install it. Thank your for your video and such a sweet nostalgic moment!

[@Manu2222221]

I still have my complete collection CD case with the instruction manual including every single animal in the game. When I was a kid I somehow believed that by placing the cursor over the loading bar it’d go quicker. To this day I still mindlessly place it over it, and it makes me smile every time.

[@coolkids9000]

thank you for making this video, it bringed me backed memories of begging my mum and my dad for this 30 more mins on the family computer so i can play this a little bit more of zoo tycoon 2, thank you for bring those memories of nostalgic back to me

[@AnimalManA]

thank you so much for watching it!

[@anevilstripper6095]

I HAD NO IDEA Zoo tycoon 2 had expansions!! I played this when I was a kid, too, and just.. Hearing about all this content I missed out on.. Where can I get it?? Why isn't it on steam?? I've tried Planet Zoo as well, but it feels very janky.. The way things are built, the fact I can't be a zookeeper, the lack of terrain tool, it really misses the mark for me

[@alumlovescake]

Ebay amazon my abandon ware just get the ultimate collection it probably cheaper then all of them separately

[@brenteyskens1924]

Planet zoo is just way too complicated for me too, like zoo tycoon 2 was so easy to make an awesome zoo with, but planet zoo has so much features to remember and it can take hours to make a good exhibit, while zoo tycoon was like just make some shape with the fences, paint some biome and paint some trees and rocks then that would be good enough haha

[@d0cf0x4]

Modding this game is what got me interested in computers in the first place. I'm just happy to see people still using my mods even 10 even 20 years later.

[@dinomoviesnstuff]

Discovering Radical Remake really re-ignited the spark for me. Incredible how realistic it got. Gave new life to the game.

[@ImRefract]

Zoo Tycoon 2 was a huge part of my childhood as it was one of few games i could play on my old mac computer. Watching this video made me realize that in all my time playing, I never once found the zookeeper suggestion tab...

[@Edino-tr6ni]

When you started talking about the old zoo tycoon 2 videos people used to make I was reminded of my favorite one of those as a kid, the zooevil series by meerkatmatt2. It was essentially a remake of the tv show primeval but in zt2 with most episodes revolving around a time portal opening and some prehistoric animal coming out and then the main character would capture them and try to send them back through the portal or they would keep them in some secret facility. I was pleasantly surprised to find all the videos of the series still exist and someone even compiled them into a playlist which was nice to see.

[@xldxld]

This is actually still the best Zoo game ever in existence.

[@thelastmikester]

Damn, here comes the nostalgia train, womp. Loved Zoo Tycoon 2, was the first game that I ever played on PC, absolute classic

[@citylights1173]

Every couple of years I'll go on a journey through KZbin to see if anyone has played recently, or just to visit some of those old mini movies. It's great to know that this game meant to much to so many people. Really love the video. I remember finding some sort of blog website way back when through the launcher, outfitted as a kind of script. I believe the main characters were mice? I haven't been able to find it since.

[@Ecotasia]

Yes, Zeek and Zoe the moce that show up on the cover art for some reason.

[@woazl]

when i was little i distinctly remember a video of someone putting a ton of underwater dinosaur things into a big pool of water and i cant find it again. this video was the cause of me to think of that from over probably 7 years ago. i thank you for bringing me back to my childhood.

[@allisonhomiak2336]

Gibbons walk like that in real life, too. Their fingers and wrists are specialized for swinging through trees, so they can't knuckle-walk like great apes can.

[@celtofcanaanesurix2245]

I REMEMBER THE ZOO TYCOON HORROR VIDEOS! it has been forever since I've seen one, probably a decade or more, so it's really cool to see that someone else was watching those

[@michelleignatowski8393]

While I never played Zoo Tycoon 2, I did play the first one because I got a copy of it from those Scholastic books catalogs my grade school had, especially for the younger kids to encourage reading. Yeah, it was an old game, even around the time I had it (like, I'd say 2009/2010-ish, I think), but it was still a lot of fun.

[@jojo-oi7up]

as a kid who loved zoo tycoon 2 and other tycoon/city-builder games, planet zoo is a really refreshing game for me. its the game ive always wanted since zoo tycoon 2 so it still has me reminiscing about the days when i played and loved zoo tycoon 2

[@asukid6904]

idk really what to say right now. no idea why this was recommended to me by the youtube algorithm, considering videos like this aren't what I ever usually watch (these days at least). So when this video popped up, posted months ago now, as the first thing on my recommended page I felt like I HAD to watch it. After all, I remember watching some of these exact videos you mentioned as some of my first youtube videos as well. All of this to say; it's so strange and wonderful that a little cult classic game could mean so much to kids growing up and bring back such nostalgia and fond memories. Thanks for this video, it really made my evening.

[@AnimalManA]

cheers to that, comrade. Thank you for watching :)

[@caruusel]

As a sad and kinda traumatized child and teen zoo tycoon and later zoo tycoon 2 were my escapism. I've spent so many hours in these games, making what I thought were the most incredible zoos out there. I haven't played most of the add ons but I so distinctly remember the killer penguin, because I placed him with other animals and he killed them. I remember how I struggled with some of the challenges in the game and how proud I felt for beating them in the end. I remember the animal abuse zoos you had to reform and how that sparked the love for games where you clean up/rebuild things. I haven't played this game in years since I don't have a functioning PC rn but it will always be extremely special to me.

[@SlavYuriy]

God fucking damn it I started crying when you reminisced about the loading screens. Something weird hit me at that moment.

[@joshuaholke]

This might seem like a small thing, but I absolutely LOVE how you consider Sandbox mode the "only option that really exists." Despite what most online forums for the game seemed to tell me, that was exactly how I treated the game, and really any game that had a sandbox option. I practically couldn't care less about campaigns and challenge modes, I just want to let my creativity run free, no limits - just let me do whatever I want. ZT2 excelled at that, and Planet Zoo truly does bring it all to the next level. I played it for several months, but eventually dropped it more because of my lost interest in gaming in general than for my nostalgia of ZT2. Still, I totally get your position - that game is a major source of nostalgia for me, and I loved watching this video as a trip down memory lane.

[@AnimalManA]

I was somewhat worried people would be upset I didn’t do much challenge mode, but I honestly spent 98% of my time in creative mode. Glad to see I’m not alone!

[@karthepanda7672]

Omggg Zoo Tycoon 2!!!! This video ended up in my recommendations and it couldn't be a better recommendation for me. Thank you for your video. I've played so much Zoo Tycoon when I was a kid. I installed the game again like 3 years ago and the intro man is even good when you start the game. The blue snake and after that the zoo overview gave me chills. Right away I was addicted playing it again. Such a great game :D now I want to play again and make waterfalls, cable rides and put visitors in 'prison' when they're unhappy :')

[@diddleysquin]

Finally someone who understands that Zoo Tycoon 2 is just unexplainably better.

[@yogibo8081]

Man, my buddy and I used to watch Stalker2k7 videos. This is a hella trip back. Thanks for the upload man

[@laterlars]

I'm so glad I wasn't the only one obsessed with stalker2k7 as a kid. That's so niche and special

[@wildthorn2315]

I remember I used to play with a wild horse mod and make whole storylines of horses in this big maze canyon

[@guyman2674]

I'm just here because I wanted to listen to someone ramble about a video game that they're nostalgic for. I find these kinds of videos relaxing in a way.

[@thepsychobear2362]

Secretary birds are cool as fuck, man. They're like karate birds.

[@AnimalManA]

yeah but they HATE ME

[@thepsychobear2362]

@@AnimalManA If they really hated you, I don't think you'd still be here today. Pretty sure they'd send their sleeper agents to kick your head in.

[@nesekaba]

I was so upset by the Zoo Tycoon slander at the beginning, but it was so fun joining you on your nostalgia ride. I never played the second one, but played so so so so much of the first.

[@AnimalManA]

To be fair I never gave the first game a real shot, so I might have to try sometime!

[@addiewatson5372]

Man. Zoo tycoon and Zoo Tycoon 2 were the games that got me into tycoon games. I would spend hours at time making zoos, downloading animals, and just walking around in zoo keeper mode. Makes me wish I still had my copies of the game.

[@Solecita19]

Oh man, that game brings so many childhood memories. I always made it a point to be there for every animal birth in my zoos. Always felt like an accomplishment. Such a shame the game is not as easy to buy anymore.

[@gurvan6100]

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, but man Zoo tycoon, your video brought back so much memories, thanks