Sim Coaster

by Electronic Arts

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000056KDV
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: January 31, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,700 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

SimCoaster may seem to be a brand-new game trying to cash in on the wild popularity of amusement-park simulators, but it is actually the latest version of Bullfrog's successful Sim Theme Park series being served up under a new name. The 3-D graphics have been touched up a bit and heaps of new features have been added, but it retains the basic Theme Park premise of letting players design and manage their own amusement parks. Everything from the packaging to the playful visuals would make one think SimCoaster is a lighthearted software toy, but this time around the game is all business.

Although it is possible to design roller coasters, log flumes, and other amusement-park favorites, the game focuses more on strict park management than creativity. As in similar games, players must hire staff such as gardeners, repairmen, and engineers, but SimCoaster also makes players worry about training these human resources, setting their wages, and even giving them a place to rest. It's not enough to strategically place restrooms throughout the park, but players must remember to build both male and female lavatories. It all adds up to a frustrating level of micromanagement.

If a detailed amusement-business-management sim was exactly what you were looking for, SimCoaster has plenty of other aspects that should help keep your attention. The graphics are good with particularly excellent animation, and it's possible to zoom from an overhead view of the park all the way down to sidewalk level so you can see exactly what the visitors are seeing. You can even ride your coasters in a first-person view. Unfortunately, the sound effects are sorely lacking and the game's music is uninspiring, but the actors who voiced the other park managers you work with and the interactive advisor did an outstanding job. Fans of Sim Theme Park (and the older Theme Park series) will love this update, but those looking to spend more time building rides and simply watching their park work without having to constantly answer to management will be disappointed.--T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Colorful, well-animated graphics
• Can ride your own coasters
• Detailed business simulation
• Excellent in-game help and tutorial

Cons:

• Micromanagement will be a turnoff for Roller Coaster Tycoon fans
• It's difficult to find an ideal camera angle for viewing the park

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What Sim Theme Park should have been!, February 26, 2001

By 

Bryan Sebrell (Salem, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sim Coaster (CD-ROM)

When I got Sim Theme Park, I was very disappointed. It was very challenging to keep your money balance normal, let alone high. When I got Sim Coaster, I expected what Sim Theme Park was like. Man, was I wrong! Sim Coaster is like Sim Theme Park with everything it needed. You can finally charge for rides. Roller coasters and log flumes seem to cost a lot less. Sim Coaster is a more detailed version on Sim Theme Park. Yeah, it has an annoying advisor (female this time), but she isn't as picky as the original adivsor. In Sim Coaster, you can get opinion summaries to improve the ride easily. Gardeners are added in this game to water plants. Though there is only three parks in this game, they are better than the ones in Sim Theme Park. To open up different parts of the park, you must complete objectives given to you. Staff can be trained to do new things such as janitors being able to fight fires, or guards with first aid to cure sick guests. Challenges are given, too, but you don't have to start them right away, they are listed and you may start them anytime you wish. You can also do more than one at a time, and most of them have a preparation time which gives you time to set up before to challenge starts. Overall, this game is awesome, so don't buy Sim Theme Park and buy Sim Coaster!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much better than Theme Park World, February 7, 2001

By 

Jan van Wijk (Zwolle, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sim Coaster (CD-ROM)

The original Theme Park (1994) was, for its time, a fantastic game. It had great graphics, beautiful sound and it was very challenging. Last year the sequel, Theme Park World, came out. I found it a huge dissapointment. The graphics were pretty good and sound as well, but the game wasn't challenging at all. It returned it the day after I bought it (I finished (!) it in 1 day) Now there's SimCoaster (or Theme Park Inc.) It uses the graphicsengine of Theme Park World. Like I said, the graphics were pretty good a year ago, but now they're a little dated. Still it's very amusing to see your park running and there's no other game that lets you ride your own coasters! The thing that's really good about this game is the gameplay. The game starts off a little easy but when you progress through the game it gets very challenging. Just like Rollercoaster Tycoon you'll get cetain 'missions' so you've got a goal to play to. This keeps you playing. If you like these kind of games you should buy it!

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sim Coaster or Sim Theme Park Expansion Pack?, February 7, 2001

By 

Jeff Knobloch (Grand Forks, ND United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sim Coaster (CD-ROM)

I enjoy sim-games. I have all of them. From the original Sim City to the latest, Sim Coaster, I got 'em. I just have to tell you, I was not very impressed by Sim Coaster. If you take Sim Theme Park, add in some different rides and have the whole thing require more micromanagement input from you, then you have this game. The graphics are the same caliber and the rides have been given a facelift, but basically it's a whole lot like Sim Theme Park.

Granted, I'm the type of person who really likes Roller Coaster Tycoon (RCT). I like the detailed abilities RCT gives you like building underground, inside buildings...etc. Sim Coaster doesn't give you these abilities. It's more of a park- management type sim than a park-building sim.

Sim Coaster isn't a bad game, it's colorful and has decent graphics. If you don't have Sim Theme Park, it might be worth a look. If you do have Sim Theme Park, that same look will bring on a strong sense of deja vu.