RollerCoaster Tycoon

The Good
Everything. From the moment I heard about RTC being released, something told me that this would be an incredible game. Taking its cues from Theme Park and Sim City, Roller Coaster Tycoon gives us a chance to design our own theme park, with so much to design with.

The graphics, although Isometric, are fantastic. Haunted houses, Ferris wheels, go kart tracks, and scenery are all produced very well. The animations get choppy on my P233 w/ 64 Meg RAM, but more so when I am zoomed in real close and with a LOT going on in the park.

The sound is fun and amazing. The sounds fade as you center your screen further from the park, and even slow down if a ride breaks down (listen to the Merry-go-round when it happens... the effect is really neat). Flushing Toilets, screams from coaster riders... it's pretty cool.

The game play is good. You can set prices for indiviual rides, the prices for food, souveniers, umbrellas, maps, etc. It seems like a lot to manage, but you have such a fun time playing you don't really notice it. Watching the costers run is also a great side-product of this, but not quite (I'll explain in a bit.)

The Bad
Although I love this game to death, I have a few dislikes.

1) As another reviewer said... There is no way on Earth that Maintenance men are that lazy. The constant task of cleaning up messes that they should be cleaning up in the first play really detracts from the whole game experience.

2) No Sandbox Mode. Railroad Tycoon II was great for the simple fact that you could build your railroad empire without worrying about scenario deadlines or running out of money. This game DESPARATELY needs a sandbox mode.

3) The game also needs a decent Coaster editor. Something so that when you want to build a coaster you can actually work on getting the physics and layout right BEFORE you commit ant real game-time into doing so. Would be nice to have so when it comes time to build that Batman the Ride -type ride, you can get it right the first time.

The Bottom Line
If you love roller coasters, pick this up. It's a great sim for people who really can't get into them. It's a sim at heart, but the theme-park cover is so fun, you won't even realize that this is really a sim game... Great fun!

The Good
There's a lot about RCT to like, but the major points include:

1. As business simulations go, RCT is arguably the best of the bunch. It's well-balanced, deep and complex without being overly complicated, and gives the player a lot of freedom.

2. The roller coaster construction functions are surprisingly cool. I've been able to replicate just about any coaster I've ever personally been on. The building and terraforming controls are very nicely done.

3. The game is a visual and auditory feast; frankly, it just looks awesome. It's colourful, has great little animations, and has great-looking rides.

4. It's a very accessible game and a load of fun for either the obsessive gamer or the casual computer user. RCT is one of the few games I'd be confident anyone would enjoy.

RCT is probably the third-best pure business simulation ever made for the PC; I'd rank Railroad Tycoon and SimCity ahead of it, but not by much.

The Bad
1. As has been complained about by many others, RCT's scenarios are nice but the game really does need an open-ended sandbox mode or some random land areas or something. Furthermore, UNLOCK THE DAMNED SCENARIOS! (You have to win some to unlock others.) I paid my money for this game; why should I have to win a scenario I find uninteresting to play another?

1. The game's manual is atrocious.

2. It could use midway games. I've never seen a theme park that didn't have midway games, so their absence is a strange oversight.
   
   The Bottom Line
   A classic and fun game that anyone will enjoy.

The Good
This sim city-like game is much more layed back than others, but fun at the same time. For lack of better wording, it inspires creativity.

The Bad
I never was partial to sim games. Once you build a big city (or in this case, amusement park,) the fun just seems to go away.

The Bottom Line
It's a sim game, where you build stuff, try to keep the people happy and make money. One of the better ones, I think.