17.10.2004

(based on demo release and previous 2 games + expansions)First there was Transport Tycoon, then Theme Park (from Bullfrog) and then came Rollercoster Tycoon 1 - which pre-empted many of the other tycoon style games. It was innovative, it was addictive, and most of all it was fun. Next came two expansions - which certainly increased your choices and did improve the game. It looked like nothing could go wrong.But then came RCT 2 and its two poorly developed and thought out expansions - which despite all the hype did very little to improve on the original. In fact many fans (including myself) thought much of it was a backward rather than forward step.Now, after many months of waiting comes RCT 3.With a totally new engine and new approach to the look and feel of the game. Whilst attempting to keep a lot of the favoured play style elements firmly rooted in its core.This time it looks like they sat back and listened to the fans - they have included both night and day, fireworks, and a sandbox mode (free build).The game still follows it's tycoon ideals, taking you through Theme Park management, almost to micromanagement levels. Rides are placed in a similar fashion to the old games, and you still have to think where you want to place each item in relation to park management (A hot dog stall next to the the whirley vomit spinner is just asking for a plethora of pavement pizza). You hire and fire staff, but now you can also train them up, and determine their payscale (Sorry Bob, no pay rise this year).And now, you not only place your money grabbing side stalls, but you also control details down to the extras given with each item. (you want ketchup on that hot dog? You got it, but I reserve the right to charge you 20p more for it).But it is the coasters that everyone wants in this game. (Isn't it?) And you can either plonk down ready made ones - or design your own, (including a nifty auto complete function, if your getting fed up) Then test and run them - If you don't know how to do any of this, a series of step by step tutorials are present to guide you through, until you get the hang of the new controls.But now, thanks to the new 3d engine, you can also ride your rides and see just how that 'Looping Demon' you just created is from the peeps perspective. And not just the coasters you can jump in for a 1st person view of anything from the Teacup Merry Go Round to the Latest Dive Bomber Spin Frenzy. Each with its own customisable theming, and music - including MP3 import - so now you can not only terrify your guests with Dive Bomb Frenzy, you can finish off your latest evil design with Limp Bizkit or Donny Osmand (now that should really get them regurgitating their lunch)And talking of guests, thanks to Frontier's involvement on this development, you no longer have 200 little clones of Johnny B, you have parties of Male & Female in every ages size and colour you can think of, bringing with them their own preferences.Park theming appears to follow full park methods, including triggered events and objects that animate as you coaster reaches a certain point.And if you get fed up with all that, you can spend your time using the inbuilt fireworks creator, trying to synch a display to 'Ride the Lightning' or the 1812 overture.All in all, it looks like Roller Coaster Tycoon has returned to being what it was best at, A fun Game. The only reason I did not give it 5 Stars - Is because (as I said at the start) this is on the demo, rather than full version, so overall limitations etc., were not aproachable. (i.e. just how much I can cram in one space without my PC falling over).Lastly, to take full advantage of the many wonderful 3d textures and camera actions in this new game, is naturally going to demand a lot from your PC, namely, if your box is a couple of years old and straining at the seams, you are going to have to turn off many of the higher features to get it to run smoothly, but such is the price of modern gaming tech everywhere. Personally I found it to run as smoothly as a heavily greased sausage down a soap sud slalom, even on max, but then I have a PC that it should've done, and even the demo appeared to have a selectable config that would backtrak in resoloution and feature in an attempt to accomadate all but the new dinosaurs in the PC world (which is about 18 months these days).

4.1.2009

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is a simulation game that lets you build and control your own theme park from the comfort of your home computer. This is the third game in the series and is without doubt the best, offering a massive range of new rides, overhauled graphics, and new features.You are in complete control of every little detail. From choosing the rides you want to build, to designing and building your own custom coasters, to managing your staff, choosing advertisement campaigns, keeping up with maintenance, and so fourth. At your command is a immense selection of roller coasters (steel, wooden, suspended, and water,) junior rides, thrill rides, water rides, gentle rides, transport rides,a range of shops and facilities (such as first aid and toilets) and various other rides and attractions. Also available is a wide selection of scenery. Not to forget the brilliant "Fireworks MixMaster" where you can create a stunning firework display synchronized to the music (even your own music if you so desire). You've also got research to 'invent' new rides. The list goes on and on, as there is so much that can be done within the game.There are a variety of modes for you to choose from. These are tutorial, career, sandbox (a game with no money worries) or custom scenario. The career mode is perhaps the most playable as you advance through various scenario objectives before unlocking and getting the chance to play the latter and more difficult levels.There's a peep designer (that's rollercoaster tycoon talk for person), a coaster designer and a building designer. The peeps now visit your park in 'family groups' and all have individual tastes when it comes to preferred rides. You can even recreate your own family in the peep editor, which was fun to do.The graphics really are stunning and very streamlined. You can zoom right in to see the details of your park. They have serious been overhauled, and are a vast improvement on the previous two versions. Night mode is simply stunning to say the least, especially at high quality graphics settings. Normally when a game offers both day and night (such as SimCity), I'll stick to day mode, but in this case night mode really looks amazing, with all your rides and paths lit up with neon effects. I hate to keep going on about the graphics but they really are brilliant. Even watching the trees sway in the wind and watching the reflections in the water, is breath taking.The CoasterCam is great, as it lets you ride your roller coasters and other park attractions. There is a certain satisfaction in taking the time to build you own ride, being able to ride it, and then watching the peeps in your park ride it, and see what they think of it.One thing to mention is that you can not build underground like you could in the previous versions of the game, you have to download the update patch which will correct this. While the game interface is well laid out giving you control of everything, it can seem a bit complex if you are not familiar with the RollerCoaster Tycoon world.There are two expansion packs (to date) for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, these are called "Soaked!" and "Wild!" You can buy the game by itself and have a great time playing it, or you can buy these expansion packs (either separately or bundled with the game) and enjoy even more water rides, coasters, and even animal enclosures. There is also an online community when fellow players can exchange new roller coasters they've designed.I should point out that it was cheaper for me (at the time) to buy the standard game and then the two expansion packs, than it was to buy the "Deluxe" edition which included them.There are a few elements such as designing rollercoasters where the learning curve may seem a bit steep. Trying to work out how to do all of those corkscrews, half loops, etc, while still building a fun ride, can seem a bit difficult, but with some time (and with the help of the tutorial) you'll pick it up and it really will be worth it.Overall, the game is very playable and enjoyable. If you liked the previous RollerCoaster Tycoon games, then you'll love this one as it is a vast improvement, and if you didn't like them, you may still like this one for the same reason. A game for all ages that will provide hours of fun.

15.9.2005

If you feel like a change from the death and destruction that is a prominent feature of most modern computer games, or you already love this kind of management game, Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 is for you.For the first time in a game of its type, we have a fully-fledged 3D engine, and Frontier have put it to very good use. The first time you go into Coastercam and ride the 'coasters yourself (or any other ride you build), a stupid great grin spreads across your face as the sheer brilliance of the feature hits home. It certainly makes the hours you have spent painstakingly putting your rollercoaster together worthwhile. There are also plenty of lighting and water effects, birds flying overhead,fully animated peeps (your customers), a camera that pans, tilts and zooms in and out, full terrain deformation, night & day effects and even weather. Brilliant stuff.As with the previous games in the series, RCT3 is a theme park management game. It's core is the scenario-based career mode, in which you are placed in charge of an already up and running park and charged with meeting certain objectives of increasing difficulty. These can involve earning so much money from shop sales, increasing the number of visitors, building certain rides and many more. They are quite varied from park to park. Successful completion of an objective opens up access to new scenarios, rides and the like.The brief tutorials get you going, but time spent with the manual and with game guides and forums for the game is time well spent. RCT3 is, under the shiny and happy surface, a complicated game and all the better for it. As well as the easy satisfaction of placing great rides and making people happy, you also have to turn a profit and keep improving in all areas. Hours can just slip away without even noticing as this delicate balancing act requires a lot of dedication.RCT3 is not too hard on the player though. You are often given plenty of warning of upcoming problems, so if you want to spend most of your time designing great park layouts, with beautiful scenery and thrilling rides, you can. The business side is always there as you need to make money to invest, but it doesn't keep bashing you over the head in the way of older games such as Theme Park. It's not a cynical game, it is keen to place the emphasis on keeping peeps happy rather than fleecing money from them. Apart from the brilliant ATMs you can put in there when they run low on cash...!The Sandbox mode gives you the opportunity to build a park with no financial constraints, you can even attempt to re-create real-life parks. This is good fun, although personally I find the lack of pressure on you to keep the park successful takes some of the edge off.Rollercoaster design is one of the game's coolest features, but it can also be hard work. Hours can be spent putting together the perfect 'coaster. If you are in a hurry, happily there are a lot of pre-designed 'coasters you can plonk into your park with ease.Other great features include the Peep Designer, where you can create your own groups of peeps who will visit your parks. Place photo spots on paths and rollercoasters and they will even take pictures, which are stored as JPEGs on your PC. You can even use the included Photo Story 3 application to produce a form of slideshow of your peeps' visit. You can import your own music to play on rides and items of scenery or even rides themselves that other players have designed.There are a few problems: sometimes you cannot place a path or ride and there is no clear reason until you fiddle with scenery or terrain for some time to get it level and clear enough; some of the pre-built 'coasters do not work properly without tinkering and finally make sure you download the latest patches as they fix some pretty fundamental issues.There is always so much to do and plan ahead for, that RCT3 has loads of playability. The fact that it looks and sounds great too makes it a fantastic package. It does require a reasonably powerful PC to see in all its glory, but it is well, well worth it.

13.3.2005

Transport tycoon and locomotion were out dated, zoo tycoon gave me no real interaction, and I wont get started on the lesser trucks and trains/railroad/airport tycoon.Really, the only tycoon games that gave me real entertainment were the roller coaster tycoon games. And this new addition is by far the best.The graphics are smooth and are something that you can never get bored of. Much more detail has gone into the guests, who all look different and at least have there own name instead of "Guest 100023456". The park feels so much more realistic and is more flexible to play about with. Using the terrain tools are a bit tricky at first since the land isnt just squares anymore.But once you get the hang of it its almost like Sim City's god mode in a park. Infact the only thing you cant do are cliffs, ironically the only thing you could make on the original versions.There are tonnes more rides that all seem to be based on a real ride somewhere in the world (whoever said that most of them were made up should get a kicking!) and making them has never been easier. The biggest advance being the autocomplete function that puts and end to fiddling around with the last bit of track, trying to get it to connect with the station. A new feature is the building builder function which lets you design your own buildings. This can be a little time consuming if you dont have a clear image of what you are making or what purpose it will serve, but it is still quite wonderful to add yet something else that you made to your park.The coaster cam couldve been better. Infact, on the official website the coaster cam is amazing, but in the actual game it lacks any realistic graphics to give you any amazment or thrill. The position of the camera never feels like its in the right place, wherever you put it and the screams of the peeps is just plain scary. But it is still a neat little feature that is there if you want it.The only thing that lets this game down is the actions of the peeps. The crowd move so slowly around the park that it is a little irritating and they seem to stick to a main pathway or open space, not bothering to go down another pathway where all your rollercoasters and amazing attractions were placed. Infact, the main thing that determines if you make a profit is where you place the que line, which is just plain stupid.One review was titled "Good, but lots of bugs" or something along those lines. I have seen only one bug; Sometimes the roller coaster's intensity ratings drop to "low" for no real reason when it clearly has 100 massive drops and some brain churning turns. When this happens, the peeps dont want to know the ride, and so it falls into dissuse and costs alot of money. Its a silly bug that should be fixed in some patch sometime.Having critisised the game a little, I am still going to give it 5 stars because it dosnt actually deserve half the critisism it is getting. The two points I nagged at are things that can be fixed and it is highly likely they will be with the arrival of a new add on I am sure to get. Most fans of the original won't be put down, its just the picky ones that are used to the olden days that will be dissapointed.

25.11.2006

I only half agree with people who think that this game is a poor competitor when compared with previous versions of RollerCoaster Tycoon.I myself have always continued to play and enjoy the original and the only complaint I would have is that once you get used to the game play of 3, it is far too easy for experienced Tycoon players to apply all the same old tricks and shortcuts. In future, maybe the creators of Tycoon should try finding ways to trip up experienced players and make it more challenging for us. Having said that, if you think about it, the original does get a bit tedious after a while too!!!In truth, I don't think you can compare this with earlier versions very well,

3.3.2007

This is one of the best games I have ever played!The greatest thing about it is the very realistic 'coaster cam' feature where you can actually ride your rides! All the noises are exactly like they would be in real life and it moves very fast. I got quite an adrenaline rush.I actually felt a bit nauseous after going on my fast multi-twisting creation.. great!You can do undocumented things like remove part of the track and the carriages will crash to the floor and explode! They're ok cos the people get up, brush themselves down and carry on!Or remove part of the bridge over water and they plop into the water with no means of escape!

4.1.2005

Well it's here and I've played it quite alot. RCT 3 is simply good clean fun and it has alot of what game manufacturers forget about, and that is simply PLAYABILITY.If you have played the earlier versions then it is a massive update - but the gameplay is still remarkably similar so it's very easy to get started. If you haven't played then the tutorials are very well presented and you should be up and running in no time.I agree that there were a few teething problems with the game when it first came out - but it's not a massive blow to have to downoad a patch as I always do this routinely with any software I buy anyway.You can choose to play a structure career through a number of parks - some

29.9.2010

So much better than the previous games. The graphics are amazing and the guests come in groups and different sizes, ages and clothes. You can design your own guests if you want to. There is a 'Coaster Cam' where you can ride the rollercoasters you build (in the view of a guest) and it works with most flat rides too. There are a huge amount of rides, shops and scenery items. They come in themes - Generic (General), Sci-Fi, Adventure, Western and Spooky. You can build your own firework display. There is a day/night cycle which is fun... parents and children come out mostly in the day and teenagers come out mostly at night.There is a career mode where you can play already built parks and you will have three sets of objectives to improve the park - Apprentice (Easy),

6.11.2004

...I've been waiting for this game for a long time and has now finally arrived. From previously owning RCT1 and 2 this game is just 100% best pc game of all time. In addition, a new fireworks mixmaker lets players create pyrotechnic masterpieces and synchronize them to music using pre-set in-game songs or selections from their own music files. And, as with all the other customizable elements like exchanging rides and people, in addition, RCT3 will also include the ability to assign music from the player's own library to rides in the park. RCT3, developed by Frontier Developments, Ltd. of Cambridge, England, is a complete update for the franchise with stunning 3D graphics and the ability to see the park from the eyes of a guest and ride the rides with the new CoasterCam feature.

8.11.2004

I got this game from Amazon on the day of release- they were very quick! The game itself is great, although slower pc's might have a few problems. Even though mine is quite new- I had to build a fairly medium sized park, but I expect future patches will address the teething problems. Other than that- perfect. It's quirky, fun and highly addictive. If you like The Sims, and Zoo Tycoon, this is like a mix of the two.Each of the patrons (Peeps) have their own personality and the micro management is intense! Right down to how much cheese you can put on the burgers on the stalls. There are loads of rides,

5.8.2005

This game is fantastic. The graphics have improved alot and are now fully 3D & you can zoom in really close to the people in ur park. There are hundreds of new rides and attractions to build and nearly every detail in your park can be changed. You can even create your own people for the park!! Building rides is alot easier and much more fun to do. There is now night and day and a wheather system. You can even make firework displays!The gameplay is good except for all the little bugs, like when one of your rides is really popular then suddenly, without warning, and for no reason, the ride becomes deserted and no-one likes it anymore. These bugs can be fixed by a) buying the expansion pack (rct3: Soaked!)

6.11.2004

In my opinion, I think the producers of the roller coaster tycoon series have out-done themsevles this time. I've played the demo of this game and the game play is brill!! The controls are almost exactly the same as in the other roller coaster tycoon games (for those who have played them) but there are loads more new features. You can create stunning fireworks displays with a new fireworks designer and sequences them to the music. You can now ride your rides that you have built in your own park, you can even zoom right down to ground level and walk through your park as if you were a guest at it. For those of you that have not played any roller coaster tycoon games before,

8.8.2005

Chris Sawyer is a great game maker, Transport Tycoon Deluxe! one of the greatest, Roller Coaster Tycoon, + all expansions, showed up the likes of EA, how to make a Theme Park game. Realistic physics, and great graphics and animation, RCT2, same graphics, improved game engine, and massivly addictive!and just as you thought it couldn't get better, IT DOES!RCT3 sees the great Chris Sawyers "Tycoon" games go 3D! same great gameplay, same realistic physics, but in 3D! for years I have been wanting to get the "persons veiw" of what the Rollercoasters I build look like, not just see it from a Isometric view. RCT3, not only allows you to build a great theme park, not only allows you to make brilliant Rides,

28.2.2005

I bought this game while only experiencing rollercoaster tycoon 2 for a vrief periad. I loved these kind of games but dont get me wrong i love other stuff too. #3 had it alll - the rides, the shops, the owesome graphics and yet there was something missing. This was gameplay. i loved the carrer mode while most of the challenges were identical to each other but the biggest problem came when it came to the new sandbox mode. This mode gave u no limits from money to the price of your souvenir underwear and this made it hoorible. You didnt need to eran money becuase it was unlimited which sounds fun but wasnt fun cos yopu could build a single ride an make profit so this mode become boring.

13.7.2006

Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is a completely new Theme Park experince to the previous Tycoons experiences in the series. Its high graphics and 3D cameras make it lovely to look at, the other new stuff like the ability to go on rides, firework displays, the ability to create mountains and lakes, and the building options for the roller coasters are top notch.One thing, this game does not allow you to build tunnels and let you go underground, you need to buy "Soaked!" in order to do so. But this does not take a star off for overall brilliance.This most recent Roller Coaster also offers you two different modes. Campaign and Sandbox mode. Sandbox being the ability to build your hearts desire.

Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 (PC) - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail