Customer Reviews

RollerCoaster Tycoon 2

5 star:		(159)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

After many of the 'Tycoon' style games that have been popular over the last few years, the reigning king was a simple family style game called Roller Coaster Tycoon. After two successful expansion packs, developer Chris Sawyer waited well over a year to launch Rollercoaster Tycoon 2. The sequel is based on a no brainer..."Build it and they will come". Seeing that the first game and its expansions still sell well, Infogrames already has a large base of built in fans looking for more of the same, but will these fans love '2', and will this attract new fans? Time will tell.

Overall, the look and feel of the game remains relatively the same. A 3D isometric overhead view allows players to build a theme park from scratch and carry it through pre-defined scenarios. These scenarios have conditions such as have a park rating of X by year Y or have X guests by year Y or build N coasters of type T with an excitement factor of X.

The game ships with about 25 scenarios that are grouped in categories of difficulty: easy, advanced, expert, and Real Parks. The website RollercoasterTyccon2.com promises to have future downloadable scenarios, and one major enhancement over the original game is the inclusion of a scenario editor. Players can now create their own parks/games and trade among friends. You can control all variables from size of park, weather, rides available for research and more.

The 'Real Parks' are actual Six Flag parks from around the world that are pretty close to real world counterparts. You can choose to just manage them or alter them at will.

Game enhancements:
1) Park sizes can be double that of the original game and it supports a much higher screen resolution rate.
2) Scenery: All the original scenery from the RCT and its expansions are present as well as new ones including: Pirate, Scary, Medieval, Gears, Wild West, Giant Gardens and more. There are also more fences, water themes, roofs and walls and the ability to stack scenery makes it much easier to create buildings.
3) New rides: Well obviously there are more coasters but also other attractions as well on top of all the originals.
4) Coaster and ride options: There seems to be much more customizations available for coasters including new car types, special banks, queue line options, supports, signs & banners, special track types and more.
5) New shops and stalls: Again, all the originals and more including sun glass hut, ATM's, First Aid station, more food choices.
6) More music options. Many more styles of music can accompany your rides.
7) Coaster construction: Tool here has been revamped and now you can make/test/save/see coasters better than ever.

Now not everything is perfect in this game:
1) Graphics: Even though the screen resolution and park size has increased, the view is still the same as is the graphics engine. While there is more 'eye-candy' per-se, the overall look is still cartoony and has some 'jaggy' issues. Not to mention that hills, waters, mountains still look slightly un-natural as it did in the original.
2) Lack of scenarios that ship. There are only 3 easy scenarios, a handful of advanced, and more expert. This may prove complex for players who never had the first. Hopefully new ones will be available from the official website soon.
3) No major innovations in game play. I'd like to see new objectives, or disasters to overcome, or new behaviors of park guests, mechanics, handymen, mascots...still the same.

The largest adjustment fans of the original will have to make is getting use to the new construction and customization tools. While they have been expanded (a large plus), they have also taken on new 'handling' characteristics which is proving somewhat confusing for me. For old players, it's retraining how to this new interface and sub-menus...lacking in the 1st game. While this new interface does seem to be much more rich and deep, I truly found it wasn't as intuitive as the RCT 1. I was looking for information that seemed to be present in the 1st game easily, now I have to dig to sub-menus I'm not familiar with.

These were some of the reasons I chose o give it 4 stars instead of 5. Something's are just better off simple, not overly complex.

This is by far the BEST game Infogrames (and almost all other computer entertainment companies) has ever brought to the stores.
I have played the original game for a year now, and I never dreamed Cris Sawyer could think of this much more. But RCT 2 has it all. There are tons of new roller coasters-they have the LIM powered coaster, the Spiral rollercoaster, etc. You can also build other new rides that aren't roller coasters, like the submarines ride.
And there are tons of new shops, including Star Fruit drink stalls, first-aid stalls, and ATMs.
Guests are smarter, too. They don't get lost and just walk around in circles on large sections of pavement, and they like to watch rides being built, and they say that they're running out of cash.
Tons of new scenery options are available, including queue-line TVs, different bench/trash can styles, and many more sinage options. New themes include pirates, giant garden, and wild west. New music styles are also available, like Rock style 3, Moderne Style and Mechanical Style. You also have the option to build buildings with the scenery - roofs can now be placed atop walls, etc.
Did I mention that the gameplay is also easier, and the different features are much better organized? I suppose not. The best examples are the ride windows, where you have seperate tabs for the music, repairs, etc. Now, you can go to the repairs tab and adjust how often the ride is inspected, and view breakdown specifics, AND locate the nearest mechanic. There are also different entertainer styles--bandits, pirates, etc. are now available for you to clothe your entertainers with.

I'd better stop now if I don't want to be writing the next volume of Encyclopedia Brittanica, but overall, this is the BEST game I've played yet. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Okay let's get started...

This game ROCKS!!

Here's a list of what it has (make sure to read it all too):

More coasters including the awesome Giga Coaster (Think of the Millennium Force).

More Thrill and Gentle rides

More scenery

The ability to stack scenery

A park/scenario maker

A roller coaster designer

Swooping banks on coasters

Changing the lift hill speed

More MUSIC

More land

Steep drops on some coasters (not just vertical)

*PARK RECREATIONS OF SOME SIX FLAGS PARKS*

Double paths to make your park look real

New water colors

Loops on Wooden coasters

New coaster SCREAMS!! and sounds (chain lift sounds and coasters rolling on the track sounds)

New look to menu stuff

Ability to change loan interest

New shops and stalls

New park enterances

That's all I can think of, but for anyone who hasn't played the first Roller Coaster Tycoon game should plan on buying this one instead.

In a nutshell, this game is great. The game looks and plays almost exactly like the original, which involves creating amusment parks and every little detail involved in that process from designing and building the roller coasters, to deciding how much a hot dog should cost.

The major new feature is a scenario editor which allows you to create scenarios from the ground up including the land type and size, the amount of money available to you, and the features available as you play. This is a great addition as it provides the opportunity to create the park of your dreams with no limits, or simply see how well you can re-create your favorite theme park from scratch.

Other new features include a coaster designer, some pre-designed Six Flags parks, and a few new rides/themes/shops. No, there aren't a ton of new rides/themes/shops like many had originally hoped - not yet anyway. The game has been built on a very large platform, but has not been fully utilized in an obvious effort to release many future expansion packs. The original Roller Coaster Tycoon had two expansion packs; no doubt the sequel hopes to provide even more.

Overall, this is still the most addictive game ever created. It provides literally hours upon hours of non-stop enjoyment. A MUST for anyone with a love for theme parks and/or roller coasters.

Roller Coaster Tycoon was a game that you could easily find yourself playing for hours into the wee hours of the night. The expansion packs added more coasters and rides but little else. Now, Version 2 is out and is it worth buying? I would say yes, but in some ways I was a little disappointed.

On the plus side, there are a TON of rides and new scenery and shops. Far far more than were in the original game. There are a lot more ways you can customize your ride as well, from the usual color choices, to lots of music selections and new entrance and exit choices. There are many more scenerios, which are happily organized into levels so you can start at the beginner level and work your way up. The game supports a higher screen resolution and you can now create your own scenarios and design coasters apart from the game itself.

On the down side, as a previous player I found some things hard to find as they've been moved around and re-organized a bit. I suppose it's fine for new players, and I'm sure I'll get used to it, but in most cases, I really didn't even see the point. I would have liked more coaster and ride designs as well. Really disappointed with how many offer just one selection for a pre-designed ride. There should be at least two I think for every ride.

I also got a bit frustrated with some of the scenarios. You would start working on a park and the rating would go south before you really had time to figure out what the park's problems were, and would be virtually impossible to recover from. Oh well, I guess some people will enjoy the challenge. I just found it annoying.

And the look of the game is basically identical. Guests walking around and riding the rides, very cartoony look to everything, same type of staff options, etc. No real changes to what guests do for instance. I didn't really expect much change from what the box showed, but would have been nice to see more.

Overall, I loved all the new rides and options, but it really is just a lot of the same game. If you loved the original, you'll definitely like this game too. But here's hoping a version 3 will show us a bit more innovation.

Essentially this is like another add-on to the previous game in that much of what was in the first RCT is still here plus more. A few of the controls have changed, but Sawyer didn't mess too much with a lot of the graphics. However, the tracks and saved games are not compatible with version one. The improvements read like the wish lists from coaster and gamer sites. Significant is the inclusion of a scenario designer. This makes trading games on-line a reality. Also, a sandbox is included which allows the creation of coasters without having to consider the game aspect. Lastly, an improvement to the track options has been included. Most who have played RCT may have noticed the lack of banking on curved drops. RCT2 allows the banked drops on many of its coasters now.
In terms of expertise, RCT assumes a greater level here in that even the beginner parks ask for what I'd call "tycoon strategy".
This game is sure to keep those whose theme parks are closed for the season happy. Enjoy.

Infogrames decided not to make an expansion pack to Roller Coaster Tycoon, but to make a sequel to the original.
Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 has tutorials inside the game so for those of you who never played Roller Coaster Tycoon doesn't have to worry. The main feature of Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 is that the map got bigger than the original version. The original version was 128*28 but Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 is 256*56. Basically, it got twice bigger. Also, Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 has lots of themes. You can build your own park using jungle, jurassic, space, or ghost theme. There's even more. You can meet the real roller coasters of Six Flags. For examples, 'Deja Vu', 'Medusa', 'Chang', 'V2', 'X', and 'Titan'. The part that I was disappointed was that it didn't have new brand features. Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 is not different from the original version, except that the graphic got a tiny bit better. If you are one of those fans who love Six Flags and roller coasters, I highly recommend this game.

If you don't have RCT or even Loopy landscapes (the 2nd RCT1 expansion pack)....don't even hesitate to buy this game!

There is nothing extremly new about playing this game...it has much of the same controls, menus, scenery, rides, goals, etc. In fact, it makes RCT1 look like the beta version.
The gameplay is still very easy and if you can use Windows, you can find yourself around this game very quickly. The tutorials are still helpful and the selection of gameplay on the menu is nicely laid out and lets you jump into any level of expertise you feel comfortable with. (I will warn you, I have found these scenerios-even the "easy ones" a bit more challenging that the first series!)

The cons-There isnt as much choice in pathways and not many new flat rides which is a bit disapointing. Also, because of the new engine or something, the selection of rides is extended to include almost each type of car as a seperate ride (ie: in the old game, you could switch your boat hire ride to become swans or bumper boats....here, Swans, Bumper Boats, Row Boats are each considered a seperate ride to construct).
There are some great additions to existing themes from the first series (such as new water effects, icecubes, and new skulls) along with some brand new ones such as Pirate (argh matey!), Mechanical, Overgrown Garden, an "Old West" (not to be confused with the previous and still current "mining town") and more! The ability to put a wider array of signage is also much fun!
One of the biggest fun additions to the game is the ability to add walls and roofs (a skill sorta hard to master, but read your instruction manual carefully and practice with that shift/conrol key and you'll be a master builder in no time).
What you will find yourself doing is plenty more themeing and fine detailing your parks opposed to building coasters. Although, if designing coasters is your thing, then you will enjoy the on-board track manager and coaster designer which allows you to build outside of a scenerio. There is also the great sandbox of being able to design your own scenerios and even convert one of your saved games into a scenerio.

Oh ya, this game is also a bit of a PR [machine] for my beloved Six Flags Inc. Do not buy this game just for the advertised sims of 5 real parks....I can tell you from partial experience (and being an employee of one), these are poor representations (mostly because the DC/WB rights were not purchased by RCT with the SF rights...so all those great Looney Tunes and Batman themed attractions dont exist or are altered). The good news...there is enought Six Flags specific and other theming here that you can probably build a better representation of any of the parks yourself!

Don't fret...I'm sure all the missing fun of more pathway choices and more flat rides will be along soon with an expansion pack to squeeze a few more bucks out of us RCT fans. Some may argue that this game itself could've been just another RCT expansion pack...but since the retail price is so low, it doesnt matter...get this "upgrade" and if you miss your RCT1 scenerios that much, you can download the RCT2 adaption of them at the official website (oh ya, RCT always has excellent online support)

You can be disapointed in this game as a sequel, but you can not deny this is a great game!

If you've never played the Rollercoaster Tycoon series, than by all means, quickly buy the sequel because it's probably one of the most enjoyable games ever. It has a simple concept behind it yet the game keeps you hooked for months. If you love designing and creating, this IS the game for you as it's basically a layman's theme park builder. For those that did play the first game, I have a small warning for you: Unless you're hopelessly addicted to the first game and its many expansions, you probably won't get much out of the sequel. It's almost a carbon copy of the first game. Some of the rollercoaster building mechanics have changed, there are new attractions, and you can now play on maps that are realistic portrayals of the popular Six Flags theme park chain. Other than that, everything is the same, even the graphics (which are usually the first thing to get updated in a sequel) don't look any different. My recommendation for anyone that is the patient type and wishes to buy this game is to wait a month or two. There are already two expansions for the sequel. Games like these are quickly packaged into bargain combo packs and I imagine it won't be long before both expansions are available with the original game at a low price.

I really really enjoyed playing the first RCT and all of the expansion packs. I enjoyed building roller coasters and the usual stuff. This new "sequal" pack the same punch as the original with a few additional feature.

Bitter: well on the downside the new game runs on almost exactly the same engine as the first. there are very little graphic improvements. One of the features that i always thought was missing from the original was the ability to ride your coasters. Sad to say, it's missing from this one too. The ability to play the game in a window, build mountains and to mute the sound have been removed from this game as well.

Sweet: You can stack scenery. At first I didn't understand how this would make much of a difference but after playing i completeley understand. It's awesome. Other pluses: Roller coaster editor, scenario creator, new scenery, and Lots of new roller coasters.

Though it's not the perfect package, this game is by far THE BEST game in the roller coastr/theme park genre of gaming. This game is a must-buy for any RCT1 addict! You will not regret it.