Out of all the game genres, Sim games are the ones that
divide my opinion the most. Some people avoid them with the reasoning of “Why
would I play a game about real life?” Which I agree with, because even when
you’re not doing something you do in your daily life, still you’re worried
about the same kind of things: making sure you have money, keeping things
clean, doing regular upkeep, etc. And yet, anyone who’s played them before will
often admit they’re so addictive they’ve probably lost a full day in one gaming
session. As a matter of fact, the back of today’s game is advertised as
“Addictive! You won’t want to stop!” Let’s put that to the test with Roller
Coaster Tycoon for the PC.
The designer Chris Sawyer took a great angle to the Sim
genre: you take charge of something realistic, but yet very fun. Now, Spore is
a cool concept, but it doesn’t really seem like a Sim game so much as a
creature creator adventure. And the Sims has that problem I said in the start:
it’s much like real life. Not to say that either of these games are bad, but if
you set out to find a “fun Sim game”, Roller Coaster Tycoon does a good job at
being both. Sim City, who came before it, also comes close, and it’s obviously
the inspiration for Roller Coster Tycoon, but what sounds more fun? Worrying
about roads and energy sources, or making roller coasters and watching people
ride them?
So yeah, in Roller Coaster Tycoon you play the role of the
owner of an Amusement Park. Depending on which campaign you picked, you’ll
start with different conditions. You may want to start out with nothing at all,
or you may want to turn something small but already started into a huge,
national success. There are also “goals” in the game, but I don’t know anyone
who actually played the game for them: you could go on and start building a
whole new empire after accomplishing one, but most people I know grow attached
to their parks and just keep building onto it.
As the owner, you get to pick what rides and attractions are
placed in your park, and it is a very good feeling to place a new attraction
and watch the little Sim people go for it right away. One of the main
attractions Roller Coaster Tycoon offers for some rides is the ability to make
custom tracks. So, if you’ve had an idea for a Roller Coaster you’ve been
itching to see come to life, this is the game for you.
Of course, it’s not just as simple as “pick an attraction
and watch people have fun”. Being in charge of everything comes with the
responsibility of… being in charge of everything. You need to pick where to
place the attraction, how much to charge to get on and how long the cue should
be: all important to the success or failure of the ride. Beyond the rides you
also need to make sure there are footpaths leading everywhere, decide what the
entry fee should be, maybe do some advertising, take care of any landscaping that
needs to be done, purchase land if you want to expand, make sure there are
garbage cans for trash and hundreds of other little jobs you can probably think
of. Oh, except for the cleaning, ride maintenance, security and entertainment:
you hire people to do these things for you. However, since you’re also in
charge of hiring, you do still play a role. While doing all this, you’ll have
to watch your money and make sure people are actually enjoying themselves.
Suddenly, this game doesn’t seem so carefree.
I consider Roller Coaster Tycoon a success of a Sim game for
one big reason: I put off writing stuff about this game for several HOURS
because I didn’t want to stop playing the game. Even with games I love like
Mario & Luigi SuperStar Saga, I’m at least able to bring myself to save,
write a bit and continue later. Roller Coaster Tycoon wouldn’t let me do that as
I just had to keep playing and see what happened if I changed a price by a
dollar. Next thing I knew it was midnight aaaannndd… I lost that save file… I’m
playing this game on a newer Windows OS, so if you have the original game disk,
you need to change the compatibility options to run as Windows 98 and disable
the visual themes (this is done on the properties of the execution file).
Alternatively, you can now download a deluxe edition (that includes the two expansions)
on GoG.com, and there is a smart phone port expected to come out this year. Though
the graphics and sounds are nothing to rave about, they still more than get the
job done. The interface works fine which
feeds your addiction even more, though it can open a lot of windows. True, sometimes
you’ll just be waiting for money or to get a new ride, and it might seem more
fun to be doing something instead of managing something. But if you’re into Sim
games at all, you’ll never want to get off this ride. I give Roller Coaster
Tycoon for the PC 9 levels out of 10.
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