PlayStation 2

Thrillville

Auch wenn in Sachen Grafik und Sound noch lange nicht das volle Potential der PS2 ausgenutzt wurde ist Thrillville ein recht gelungenes Spiel, von dessen Sorte es bis heute noch kein ähnliches Spiel gab. Die Idee, als Parkmanager sich durch seinen Park zu bewegen und aus dieser Perspektive alle anfallenden Aufgaben zu erledigen ist erfrischend neu und bietet einem zahlreiche interessante Interaktionsmöglichkeiten. Auch die Minigames und der Partymodus sind als gelungen zu bezeichnen und Sorgen bei Bedarf für genug an Abwechslung. Abgesehen davon, dass es für die betagte PS2 ohnehin keine nennenswerten Aufbausimulationsspiele gibt, kann Thrillville vor allem kreativen Spielern sehr empfohlen werden.

Thrillville is a nicely made game that offers enjoyable and often complex minigames, a diverse gameplay experience, and a great soundtrack. It might prove a bit too simplistic for some, and as tends to be the case with most minigame collections, not every one of them is a winner. However, the whole of the experience is a good one, and it makes for a nice change of pace from the usual style of theme park-management games.

An amusement park is a complex beast to get a hold of, but Thrillville makes all of the parts easy and fun to take care of. The simulation aspects are translated smoothly over from the PC roots to its console home and simulation fans will find a lot to like here. There are some hiccups, such as the visitor management, but in general the variety holds up. If anything, the gameplay is too gentle and not nearly demanding enough. There are too many elements that add to the feeling, but become entirely optional. Greatness is within Thrillville's grasp, but it doesn't push it all the way through.

Even if your idea of a good time doesn’t include hosing vomit and getting rejected by girls, you’ll still have a wild time at Thrillville, for forty dollars. It may not be the most open ended theme park on the planet, but it’s full of different ways to have fun, and that’s what matters most. Buy the ticket, and take the ride.

Overall, Thrillville is a moderately satisfying experience that might bring you several hours of uninterrupted enjoyment, especially if you're into building simulators. It's not as deep as other simulators, suffering from an admittedly gimped method of control, but on the other hand, the whole things seems more interactive. Being able to walk around among the throngs of people really adds some flavor, and by experiencing your new rides - in a first-person view, by the way - you really feel like it's your park. But it's just too bland and simplified because that mission structure, while original and accessible, seems to erase the necessary "simulation" sensation. And once you understand what it is you have to do, you'll quickly realize it's not demanding in the least, and even creating gravity-defying roller-coasters will soon lose its appeal.

Thrillville is a theme park simulator that tries something new. It doesn't succeed perfectly, and falls into that tragic bridge where it's too complex for newcomers to the genre and far too simple for hardcore simulator fans. Other than the multiplayer versions of the park's mini-games, there is little to keep players continuing after they have finished all of the available parks, and the dated graphics make it difficult to enjoy the rides you've created yourself. If you're in the mood for a light family-friendly game, there are worse choices than Thrillville, and I hold out hope for a sequel that can fix the problems with this promising franchise.

Jim Baker's Christian themed destination Heritage USA has been closed for 20 years and it's more interesting than Thrillville. There's just not enough to juggle in this low impact virtual theme park to keep sim junkies mesmerized. Roller coaster crafting is way too dumbed down to make the process feel like creation. And though you can pretty much tackle your park's problems however you want, a series of quests makes warping to trouble-spots a little too easy. As a sort of consolation prize Thrillville throws in a midway's worth of mini-games to make up for its yawn-inducing core play. Think we could just have the stuffed gorilla?