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[Tannman]

Have you ever explored your local amusement park and thought "I could have built this better"?
Well unless your Six Flags Corp or Disney you would just have to wonder unless you grab a $19.95 game called Roller Coaster Tycoon 3.
The game published by Atari is the third in a series created by game designer Chris Sawyer. The idea looks rather simple: Build a park and they will come. Easier said then done. It's more then just plopping rides down...much more.
The game allows you to create your park with dozens of pre made coasters as well as the ability to design your own. Other rides are available as well. You can theme your park using 5 themes including space, old west, spooky, ocean and sci fi. Each theme has it's on rides designed for that theme.
You need to lay paths, add shops, restrooms and food booths as well. Designing coasters is also more then just laying down track that connects, you must be sure not to make your rides to fast or intense as the guests will react the same as real folks, they get sick.
Also like any park you need to keep things tidy and the rides working by adding janitors and mechanics. (who by the way can become lazy or cocky and may need disipline. You can read the thoughts of each guest as they wander and ride your creations. Each one is named with their own thoughts and praises (or gripes) The real neat thing is in this game the guests are not the only ones allowed to ride your rides...you can as well.
One can spend days making the perfect theme park and seeing what the masses think of your ideas. The gane includes many aspects of running a park including finances, graphs as well as ride research. The gaame has a day and night cycle so when the sun goes down include a fireworks show that you can put to music. The game is not easy to complete by any means and the playability is unlimited. An excellent choice for engineers and wanna bes. I suggest you grab it.

My Score 8/10

[Lulu_Jane]

This game sounds suspiciously similar to "Theme Park..."

[Bobbin Threadbare]

This game sounds suspiciously similar to Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 *shot*

[CorruptMylar]

I found the game very buggy.

I was yelling at the little people "Go to the damn bathroom you dumb***, you walked right by one!"

Also, the VIPs that came to visit would always go bolting out the door. I couldn't keep then from being hounded by people.

Building walking paths could be a pain too. It could eat up all your money trying to pave it 'just so'.

Best part - riding the rides from a first person perspective.

Liked adding my own music too.

Have they fixed all the bugs lately?

[Dillon]

I don't own Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, but I have played version 2 and enjoyed it, it is much more polished than Sim Theme Park, it seems more realistic, and I like the Roller Coaster music compared to the other.

[ianfreddie07]

I played RCT2 and was a part of my life once... I loved it!

RCT3 is really crappy work, all 3D amazing graphics, no substance. In fact Chris Sawyer should have been the one doing that. It wasn't worth it. Who ever heard of a floorless roller coaster with 5 cars as the max limit? Sheesh. I boo RCT3.

[Burger Meister]

RCT 3 is fairly fun, some great new features added in, but it doesn't keep me attracted as much as RCT 1 and 2 did.

[ianfreddie07]

Someone did suggest RCT 2.5, based on RCT2 and with all the features of RCT3, well they'll have to work with CoasterCam. :bleh:

[wordscankill]

I hope it's not just me that preferred the isometric '2.5D' graphics of RCT1 and 2 for it's ease of use, even though they're not as 'pretty' as this latest version!!

[Jake Grey]

We had all three RCT games at home; number 3 marked the switch from Microprose (I think) to Atari, who created a glossy, Sims-influenced game that somehow lost most of the charm of the first two; I suspect they laid off Chris Sawyer as well.