There are very few games that surpass my expectations. Relating to this, most of us have been burned at least once by the beloved misuse of the word, “sequel.” Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 not only has met all my expectations for the amazing game that I thought it would be but it truly surpassed anything that I could have imagined the game turning into.
We can gloss over the long and torrid history of Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 since I’m sure most of you are quite familiar with the series. The first two editions of the game were produced by Chris Sawyer. The first edition of the game was amazing and truly groundbreaking in the genre. The second game in the series left much to be desired though and was felt by many just to be a dressed up expansion pack.
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is now being produced by Frontier Development and the difference in game quality is night and day from the first two versions. When I first popped the game into my computer I actually did a double take when it came on the screen. It looks like a completely different version than the first two games. This is not saying that this is a different game. The general concept and the framework of the original are still in place. Now the game simply looks like what we had always envisioned that it could be.
One of the most amazing aspects of the game is the graphics. The game is support by an ATI engine (hence some of your peeps wearing ATI shirts) and the attention to detail is incredible. You’ll hear yourself saying such things as, “Wow, what beautiful trees.” Yes, trust me, you will. There is also a great amount of detail now in the rides as well as the patrons in the park. Complete control over the 3D camera views lets you view the park from the sky or experience the action at ground level. There are also realistic day and night cycles which include day, night, dawn, dusk, moon, and stars. As the lights go down, your rides begin to light up as well as the paths. The game just keeps looking more and more realistic!
On top of the improved graphics in the game, there a lot of great additions that have made Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 a more complete gaming experience. Let’s start first with my favorite feature, the CoasterCam. This feature allows you to ride any ride in the park from a first person perspective. Either ride the ride like one of your peeps or flip the camera around and watch your peep riding the ride. For those of you game freaks out there like me, you can see your peeps come off the ride holding their stomachs and watch them puke! Talking about peeps (park patrons), they are now customizable in the game. You can also now be even more of a voyeur than in the past versions by the added ability of watching there specific actions as they walk around the park. One of peep’s thoughts I was watching was even, “Is someone watching me?” (wow, eerie) The game also now has added fireworks via the Fireworks Mix Master. You can design your own pyrotechnic masterpiece and then set them to the music of your choice.
The game interface is also pretty impressive. They have made it a lot more plug and play with building paths and placing rides. There are tons of views you can watch your park from and they also can be accessed via four camera control pre-sets. Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 also now finally has the completely needed time fast forwarding feature. No longer do you have to leave your computer on for hours just so you can increase your finances. The game also allows you to input music from your MP3 library into the music for the rides in the game. This is just one of the many added components to the game which allow you to personalize Roller Coaster Tycoon 3.
Obviously, fun factor for the game is very high. There is very high replay value and a good number of scenarios are included in this edition to keep you going for a while. Obviously, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is also in the family entertainment category, hence you won’t need to hide this one from your little cousins. But who of us won’t admit that we have all gotten a little devilish with our peeps at one time or another. Like building a bridge that suddenly ends in the middle of the lake and drowns all the patrons. (oops, did I just admit that) But seriously, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is a very fun game that really can and should appeal to gamers of all ages.
Okay, you’re obviously dense if you didn’t know by now that I really liked this game. All kidding aside, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is an awesome game. It lived up to all my expectations and then some. The graphics are utterly amazing and the replay factor is very high. With the amount of hack and slash games out there, it’s nice to have a great sim based alternative to test your creativity. Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 answers this need wholeheartedly and would be a great addition to your collection.
5 out of 5 Puking Peeps
