“A 2020-compatible return of a still of-its-time 2004 classic…”
The year is 2020. It’s been anything but a smooth ride so far; some might even call it a bit of a rollercoaster… tycoon? If that joke made you laugh, your sympathy is very much appreciated. If it didn’t, well, I guess I’ll get to the point. In 2004 a video game was released which modernised an absolute classic. Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, along with its expansions Soaked! and Wild!, brought a much-needed (and much debated) modern update to a franchise which exploded in its day, all thanks to a simple but well-executed premise…
As it turned out, building roller coasters is super fun, especially when you have full control over every twist, turn, angle, track-type, speed, colour, cart… You name it, provided it could fit within the skybox, you could manipulate it in the game. Naturally these contraptions did not always work, but the premise and experience was almost as exhilarating as riding one of the wonders of physics in real life. Sounds like exactly what 2020 needs, right? And for me, it was. For a few hours, anyway.
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, for those who have never seen or heard of the franchise, is a theme park building and management simulator in which you turn an initially empty plot of land into an exciting, competitive theme park. The game sees you trying to balance cash with draw, battling against rival parks for the lion’s share of the visitors. If you bring the greatest thrills at the most reasonable prices, you could be onto a winner, as long as you remember to add the food, drinks and loos too. With the Soaked! expansion, water-based rides and coasters were introduced into the mix, offering a different type of excitement for your visitors to engage with. Wild!, on the other hand, was a more thematic expansion, really putting the theme into theme park.
Whilst deciding where to place the tea cups and how many toilets should be located nearby by is something, the main draw of the series and of this game itself was always the titular coasters. Free-form construction was met with challenge-based gameplay, seeing players spend hours on end trying to make their dream drops, curves and loops actually work within the physics of the game world and not kill off their clientele. By Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, the option to tank your opponents park ratings by launching visitors into their land so that they technically don’t die in your own park was (sadly?) gone, too. On the flip side, you could ride your coasters or explore your wider park if you wanted to by creating your own visitor, or Peep. In a different world, a VR compatibility update might have made this a real selling point of the new Complete Edition.
The thrill of the rides is facilitated by a range of game modes in Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, aiming to satisfy different types of players. Creatives who simply want the space to thrive could enjoy sandbox modes, with free reign over what goes into the park and unlimited budgets to play with should you want them. Those who prefer structure and challenge, however, could enjoy the draw of the campaign missions, where specific goals needed to be met with strict and stronger budgetary constraints. Whichever way you prefer to play, you can be sure that there is a format on offer to suit you.
There is perhaps just one problem with the Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition, and that is the year we live in. Despite the quiet cheers of fans around the world at the game’s release, I for one was dearly disappointed that nothing had been done to update it from 16 years ago. In fairness to the publishers, the package does not claim to be a remake, remaster or anything of the sort, but in an era filled with high-quality upgrades for classic titles, the lack of an effort in the Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition could not be more standout. The one change of note that I came across was support for ultrawide monitors, which was much appreciated, but aside from that the game looks and feels very much of its time. It is a nostalgic throwback for a while, but for me it became stale after a relatively short period of play…
If you are looking for nostalgia and are not worried about upgrades or modernisations, then the Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition might be perfect for you. If you enjoyed the classic game and your old CDs either don’t work on Windows 10 or don’t have a drive to sit in anymore, this could well be a dream come true for you. If, however, you were a more casual fan or expecting a glossy HD resurrection, it might be worth waiting for a sale or giving this a miss. A 2020-compatible return of a still of-its-time 2004 classic, the Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition will delight some fans but disappoint others. For me, not even the custom fireworks shows could keep me playing this time…
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition is available on PC and Nintendo Switch
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