Nostalgia Sunday: Rollercoaster Tycoon

Rollercoaster Tycoon

One of the first games I ever got and one of the first games, I couldn't get enough of. It just was a game, you could do something new everyday. And to think, it was created mostly by only one man named Chris Sawyer, makes it even better, seeing the complexity and yet the user friendliness of the game. 

The Story:

The "stories" in this game are called scenarios. You can choose a park at the beginning, which has a goal you must reach, in a limited time. Mostly you have to have a certain amount of guests in your park, or lift the value of the park by creating more attractions and keeping it running smoothly. By completing certain scenarios, you unlock new ones. The standart game has 21, so you certainly won't get bored with it. The last park you will unlock is called "Mega Park" and gives you the simple objective to "Have Fun!", by unlocking every attraction and allowing you to build everything you want.

The Game:

Like said above, your goal is to create a successful park. You can do that however you like. You'll get a loan at the start, with which you can buy or build attractions, refreshment stands, items, such as banks, trash cans or flowers, to improve the visual quality of the park, or certain handymen, like entertainers, mechanics, or security guards. Everything has a certain purpose, mostly to keep the guests of the park happy, which means income. Every guest has a liking towards something, like thrilling rollercoaster rides, or a clean park. If you can satisfy all the guests, your park will become successful. But it doesn't end there. Most of the fun comes from building your own rollercoasters. It sometimes can be hard, but seeing the guests ride your own rollercoaster is something special.

The Sequels:

The first game had two expansion packs, which added new scenarios, attractions and items, which assured the longevity of the game. The second game, Rollercoaster Tycoon 2, which was released in 2002, improved mainly on the graphics side to the first game. It wasn't received too well by the fans of the first game, but outsold its predecessor, creating a new hype for the tycoon games. It also got two new expansion packs, with again, new scenarios, attractions and items. The third game in the series, Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, took a whole new turn, by adding 3D graphics and leaving the isometric view behind, which were part of the older games. It finally added a sandbox mode, which gave you the opportunity to give yourself as much money as you want and build, whatever you dreamed of. It also was possible, to import attractions and scenarios from other people, which created huge databases on the internet. Although it improved more on the first game than the second, it got lesser good ratings, because of the many bugs it had. RCT3 also got two expansion packs. The first was named "Soaked!", which added the option to build water parks and in general, water attractions. The second was called "Wild!", in which you could build your park like a zoo, adding safari rides and animals. A new game, called Rollercoaster Tycoon 3D, was announced in August for the 3DS. There's not much information on it right now, but Atari asked the fans on their forums, what they would like in the game.

Such a classic game, and I still have it. I have the original CD for the first game and from time to time, I play one or two of the scenarios. This game still hasn't got old and I wish for more tycoon games in the future. As I have no 3DS, I guess I'll have to wait, till they release a new PC version of the game.