this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2024

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Someone should review TurboTax like it was a game for adults. (self.showerthoughts)

submitted 2 months ago by Brkdncr to c/showerthoughts

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[–] surge_1 55 points 2 months ago (5 children)

TurboTax: The Ultimate Tax Filing Simulator

Genre: Financial Management Simulator
Developer: Intuit Inc.
Platform: PC, Mac, Mobile
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone (Mild Financial Peril)

Overview

In the vast landscape of gaming, few titles dare to venture into the treacherous realm of personal finance. Enter TurboTax, the groundbreaking simulator that turns the daunting task of filing taxes into an edge-of-your-seat adventure. With its annual releases rivaling the consistency of sports franchises, TurboTax continues to push the boundaries of what we consider "gameplay."

Gameplay

TurboTax throws players into the deep end of the US tax code, challenging them to navigate a labyrinth of forms, schedules, and deductions. The game's primary mechanic revolves around data entry, but don't let that fool you – each keystroke could mean the difference between a hefty refund or a gut-wrenching audit.

The difficulty curve is steep, with early levels easing players in with simple W-2 forms before ramping up to the boss battles of itemized deductions and capital gains. The "Audit Defense" DLC adds an extra layer of strategy, allowing players to prepare for potential post-game challenges.

Graphics and Sound

While TurboTax won't be winning any awards for its visual fidelity, the UI design is clean and intuitive. The soothing blue color palette seems designed to calm players as they face the stress of potential miscalculations.

The soundtrack is minimal, mostly consisting of the rhythmic clicking of keyboard keys and the occasional sigh of relief (or despair) from the player. The satisfying "cha-ching" sound effect when discovering a new deduction is particularly addictive.

Replayability

TurboTax offers unprecedented replayability, with the game world resetting every calendar year to provide fresh challenges. Players can look forward to new tax laws and updated forms, ensuring that no two playthroughs are ever the same.

Microtransactions

Like many modern games, TurboTax includes a range of microtransactions. Players can opt for the base "Free Edition" or upgrade to premium versions for access to more complex questlines and exclusive features. The "Audit Risk Meter" powerup is a popular purchase among hardcore players.

Conclusion

TurboTax may not be for the faint of heart, but for those seeking a unique challenge in resource management and data analysis, it offers an unparalleled experience. The sense of accomplishment upon successfully filing your taxes is comparable to defeating a final boss in more conventional RPGs.

While it may lack the flashy graphics and intense action sequences of AAA titles, TurboTax compensates with deep strategy and real-world consequences. It's a niche title, to be sure, but one that has carved out its own dedicated fanbase in the gaming world.

Score: 8/10
"A thrilling dive into the world of personal finance that somehow makes number-crunching feel like an epic quest."

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The micro transactions alone should knock this score down to a 2!

While not as flashy, FreeTaxUSA provides a nearly identical experience for the base price for free and additional DLCs are a fraction of the price as Turbotax.

[–] davidgro 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Their review forgot to mention the incredible number of crossovers supported from other financial titles. In most cases you can directly load cloud saves from all kinds of other releases in the genre from a vast number of publishers. Really helps reduce grinding.

As far as I know FreeTaxUSA can only support saves that you manually replay in their game.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Actually FreeTaxUSA supports saves from TurboTax, and other similar titles! It was very seamless.

After all, they want to compete with them.

Players should also be aware that TurboTax's game publishers lobby Congress to ensure that their game genre survives, keeping the government from providing a simpler alternative to their game.

[–] Brkdncr 7 points 2 months ago

Ha ha, the formatting alone is worth the upvote. Best of nominee right here.

[–] Etterra 4 points 2 months ago

Pfft, just another "reviewer" shilling for the industry. Ignore 'em.

[–] sircac 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I heard players astonish at its incredible realism and detail to the lore

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

So the last time I used TurboTax, it was all bubbly, asking questions and providing reassurances that we were "almost done". That's not realistic. Realism is going to the post office to look bewilderingly through the boxes of paper tax forms littered around the mailbox area wondering which ones apply to you, bringing home a handful of weird-smelling newsprint instruction booklets, and sifting through that shoebox of receipts you've been hoarding while you nurse a handle of whiskey and curse the tax reform act of 1986. Professional tax prep software somewhat recreates that vibe. Turbotax is a marshmallow fluff game guide complete with cheat codes.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Critic score: 8.5

User score: 4.5

Common complaints: FreeTaxUSA is way cheaper and less annoying to use.

[–] ExtraMedicated 29 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Kinda related:

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Perma Death, psychology horror.

[–] TehBamski 7 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I feel like one of the tags should be emotional damage.

edit: Souls-like has been added.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago

An absolute waste of time, money, and sanity. Unusable UI, no soundtrack to speak of, doesn't support gyro aiming, and will be a major factor in your upcoming divorce. There's almost no replay value; you get one, single permadeath run until next year's expansion releases, and the consequences for a bad run can land you with criminal charges. There are many game-breaking exploits that can only be utilized by the most expensive of gaming PCs, so poor players will still have to follow all of the rules. Despite being sold as "free-to-play", you are stopped every 10 minutes with an advertisement to buy the Audit Protection DLC. Avoid this game at all costs.