Reviewed: November 11, 2002
Reviewed by: Richard Cross
Publisher
Atari
Developer
Chris Sawyer
Released: : October 15, 2002
Genre: Simulation
Players: 1
ESRB: Everyone
8
6
7
9
8.5
System Requirements:
Recommended System:
Well, I have to admit that I was one of the millions of people that was addicted to the original Roller Coaster Tycoon, and I was very excited to get to review the new Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 (RCT2). I had so many hours logged into the original game that I couldn’t wait to see what this sequel had in store for me.
Usually we expect to see updated graphics, new features, and an actual improvement on the original game when a sequel is released. Although Infogrames has added some new roller coasters and a few other new features, this game really doesn’t deserve to be called a ‘new game’. It would have been spectacular as an add-on to the original, but as a stand alone sequel it falls short of the goal.
Speaking of features, here is a short list of what is included in Roller Coaster Tycoon 2:
- Includes 25 Six Flags roller coasters from 5 different Six Flags locations, including Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Great Adventure.
- Create your own incredible roller coasters using the all-new Roller Coaster Designer.
- Trade creations and challenge other RollerCoaster Tycoons worldwide on the RollerCoaster Tycoon website.
- Push the limits with new roller coaster types, including Giga Coaster, Spinning Wild Mouse, Inverted Impulse Coaster, and more.
- Customize your park with new and unique themes, including Giant Garden, Wild West, Pirates, and more.
- Five new scenario categories and you can play the scenarios in any order.
- Create your own games to share with friends using the all-new Scenario Editor.
The downside to the new version is that you don’t really have any incentive to finish all of the scenarios. The scenarios did prove to be more difficult than the original game, and this was a welcomed change as the original scenarios proved to be fairly simple. The scenarios give you a great feeling for the game, but the inclusion of a Sandbox Mode would have moved this game one step away from glorified add-on and one step closer to full-fledged sequel. Many of the players of the original had asked for a Sandbox Mode and it would have been a great addition to the series.
For those of you that have played the original, the gameplay of RCT2 is very much the same. For those that haven’t played the original Roller Coaster Tycoon, you are in for quite a treat. Basically, the premise of the game is to create a theme park complete with rides, shops, visitors, and much, much more. You begin the game with a very limited budget and your goal is to have a park rating over 600 or so and to have a certain number of visitors in your park by a certain time.
The number of visitors in a few of the scenarios range from 600 to 1500 and the time frame can be 12 months up to multiple years. It may sound easy, but your income is based on the amount of money you bring in from your guests. Be sure to keep in mind that you also have to hire maintenance people to keep your rides in tip-top shape, handymen to keep your park as clean and presentable to the public as possible, security guards to keep your park safe from vandals, and entertainers to keep the masses interested in new rides and attractions.
The game interface is very easy to understand and maneuver. One of the menus is set at the top left of the screen and this menu allows the user some game options like saving, loading, and pausing the game. The user can also select if they would like to see through the scenery or rides when designing their park. This menu also allows the player to zoom in and out and rotate the park view when adding rides and attractions to their park. The player can also pop up an overview screen of the entire park site including land that is not owned by the park itself.
The second menu is at the top right of the screen and this menu allows the player to change the landscape of the park, add rivers, ponds, and lakes, and place new rides and attractions in the park. This menu also allows you to view the status of your existing rides. The status of all of your rides exists in one list that can be moved around the screen to any location. The status list will show you if your rides are running, how many guests are currently riding, and if your ride has broken down.
There is also a selection on this menu to see the status of all of your guests. One of my favorite features of this screen is the ability to see a summary of what all of your guests are doing. This can include standing in line for a ride, walking in your park, riding a coaster, eating, and much more. This screen alone gives you ideas of what needs to be fixed and what works well.
I will admit that I was a bit disappointed with the graphics of RCT2, as they haven't been improved upon too much from the original game. The character and coaster ride animations are very well done, however it would have been nice to see a bit more color depth and greater object resolution in the design of the entire graphical interface. As with any sequel, most consumers expect to see something new and better than the original, but this title just doesn’t seem to deliver in the graphics area. The text that is used in the game is also difficult to read at times.
It would have been nice to see 3D used in the design of this ‘new’ game. It has been about 3-1/2 years since the original Roller Coaster Tycoon and I was expecting to see 3D graphics all over the place. Instead I had to settle for the 2D model that we’ve all grown accustomed to. This game is all about quantity and not necessarily quality. There have been quite a few additions, but the underlying technology has pretty much stayed the same.
The sound system is done very well, as well as the original anyways. There are sounds of people screaming as they ride your attractions, there are also the sounds of people blowing chunks when they’ve had enough of a ride and their stomachs just can’t handle it any longer. The sound effects are well done although they do get a bit repetitive as the game goes on.
The music is your typical amusement/carnival themes that blend harmlessly into the background. There also seems to be a greater selection of tunes than the original.
Even though RCT2 doesn’t include any multi-player options, it is still very fun and challenging and you do get quite a bit of fun and variety for your thirty dollars.. The addition of a Sandbox Mode would have been a nice feature, but there is always hopes of a Roller CoasterTycoon 3. This new version would have been better marketed as an expansion pack to the original Roller Coaster Tycoon, rather than a sequel. At least it's priced as an expansion.
My last few parting words are these: Go buy this game, especially if you've never played the first! New players won’t be disappointed with the fun that this game generates, and even though it doesn’t have any new earth shattering features than the original, fans of the original will still find plenty to love about this sequel. Who knows, the next version may have multi-player capability, 3D graphics and a Sandbox Mode to really up the ante and take this series where it needs to go.