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RCT3 - finally complete!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 40 / 42
Date: February 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Roller Coaster Tycoon has been one of the most successful of the 'tycoon' games on the market today, and it's easy to see why. RCT is probably, down and away, one of the most fun and addictive of all the tycoon games. This version of RCT3 now has all the expansions included with the main game: "Roller Coaster Tycoon 3," "RCT3: Soaked!", and "RCT3: Wild!".

I've played all three - RCT1, RCT2, and now RCT3. I enjoy all of the franchise. I've always wondered what it would be like to BE Walt Disney - even if it's just in a game. And Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 Platinum does not disappoint.

Although the interface isn't quite as good as is on Roller Coaster Tycoon 2, it's still usable once you get over the rather kiddiefied look. It's the three dimensional look that gives this game a fresh slant to earlier versions. And the new coaster cam adds a bit of a thrill, although I myself only found myself using it infrequently at best.

RCT3 itself adds the coaster cam and three dimensional look and feel. RCT3: Soaked adds water park features, and RCT3: Wild adds a bit of Zoo Tycoon to RCT3. The customers look like "The Sims," and there's now obvious older and younger customers, and you must strike a balance of pleasing both.

I enjoyed my adventures with RCT3 very much. It can be very addictive. Just a little tweak can increase your park's success - or cause your failure. The scenarios are numerous, and the new three challenge in one scenario feature was a nice touch, even though I thought that some of them were a little too easy to reach the top.

The scenarios range from the tutorials (highly useful, even if you've played other Tycoon games), beginners scenarios, advanced scenarios and expert scenarios as well as a couple "Real" parks.

The new Fireworks shows feature is nice, but I found designing your own to be a bit time consuming, not to mention in-game expensive for the small return you get.

The new VIP guest feature is also a nice touch. Please the VIP, and you often get a nice bonus that lets you finish that roller coaster that you were building, or add other new features to your park.

The Coaster Design 'sandbox' feature lets you design and test coasters without using a park or scenario. This is a nice touch, and it was very helpful to be able to see what features of the roller coasters added which excitement level, what nausea level (yes, peeps still barf! :-) and what features add or subtract from those figures.

But I find myself drawn back to RCT2 over and over again. RCT3's building features are not as good as RCT2's were, and there are nowhere near as many fan-created rides, scenarios, or sets (whole parks) as there are for RCT2. Building water park items, such as dinghy slides, is now more difficult, since they must end in a swimming pool complex.

Although I'd recommend this game, even to RCT die-hards, if you already =really= enjoy RCT2, you will probably be disappointed by RCT3. And it's really recommended to newbies, especially since they finally got the game and expansions in one pack. Although Chris Sawyer denies working on RCT4, my guess is that you'll see it eventually. Until then, Happy Tycooning!

Fun, but not perfect

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: January 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I loved Rollercoaster Tycoon, and RCT2. I was skeptical about the change to 3D and thought the "Ride Your Ride" tool was pretty lame. However, this game does not disapoint. There are a TON of new features added, the graphics are very appealing, and the Platinum Edition is very worthwhile. I only have two complaints with this game. First of all, the interface is clunky. Once you get used to it, it's not bad, but it does not flow as smoothly or intuatively as the previous RCT games. Second, the scenarios are too easy. Getting Tycoon on most of the levels is barely challenging and, after doing about half the scenarios, I find that the biggest challenge is having the patience to wait for enough money to build rollercoasters. They added time compression though, so you don't have to wait as long as you did in the older games. The "Ride the Rides" feature turned out to be very fun, it used to be satisfying to create a ride with Excitement of 8 or higher. It is so much more satisfying to see what the guests see on that ride. Overall, a worthwhile game, but not perfect.

Great Deal!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: December 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

How can you go wrong? All expansion packs and the game itself for under $30.00 Great Deal!! It is a must have if you don't yet!

Desperately Flawed, Zero Support From Atari

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 14
Date: June 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've played all of the RCT games way back to RCT1. I absolutely was amazed at Rollercoaster 3 when it first came out. Because my PC was new and had a gamer's video card, along with a good sound card, I had no problems with it whatsoever. It was unbelievably cool. I had a ball with it.

Soaked came along, more rides, more coasters, the pools were a hoot to make. One little problem. When placing a food concession, the game would freeze, for oh, about 45 - 60 seconds. Odd, placing restrooms, ATMs and first aid buildings caused no freeze. It was annoying, but I put up with it. I wrote to Atari. I got a form letter that had nothing to do with what I described. Whatever.

Enter WILD. Even cooler rides, coasters that were still on drawing boards were introduced, plus animals. They added a new "LIVE" feature, you could use your own pictures on signs, at concession stands..well I never got to use it, so I don't know what it was all about. Somehow this game + the addition of "LIVE Content" sunk the proverbial ship. Who cared if your own photographs were spinning around on tiny signs. Ridiculous.

At this point when I tried to place a food stand down for my starving peeps, the game would freeze as usual. I yawned..picked up the paper. Then I realized it was REALLY taking a long time. I got up, had dinner, came back - it hadn't budged. Turns out it was stuck for good. It locked up my computer completely.

There was no other way to get the game to close except cold booting my computer, which I wasn't fond of because the PC was nearly brand new. I tried about 4-5 more times, I turned off the "LIVE" content in the options. I turned off everything on my PC that could possibly clash with it. Still the same thing.

How ironic, I thought that this game is so complicated with all of the wonderful detailing. Every flat rided you could think of and some I'd never seen worked without a hitch. Scenery, an unprecented amount of coasters, tunnels, beautiful waterfalls - it was just a treat. To top it off - you could ride your own coasters without a glitch.

But what brings it to a dead stop? A french fry stand that just sits there and does nothing. I wrote to Atari again, I got another blow-off form letter. I responded that the letter I received had zero to do with my problem which I painstakingly described in detail in my email to them. When I got no response back, I thought I would call, but OH, no more phone lines. It's not fun to listen to people like me, I suppose who ask very hard questions.

So I open up another support ticket, copy everything I wrote in the first one, added NOT to send me a form letter and to please forward it to a level 2 tech support person or anyone who could give me some kind of answer. I figured, it HAD to be one little thing that needed to be changed. I scoured the user groups on Google and Yahoo - seemingly infinite amounts of complaints concerning the game locking up. But nothing quite like mine.

So, what do I receive back from Atari? No reply whatsoever. I go back and look at the status of my second work ticket. It's status was -closed-. They did nothing I guess because there was no form letter that fit, so it is really easy to just close out the support ticket and blow me off completely. Quality customer service it was not. Thanks a lot, Atari.

In all fairness, you may not have any trouble at all. To reiterate, the coasters and rides added by the two expansion packs are mind blowing, but if the game locks up on you, don't be one bit surprised, and don't even bother emailing Atari. You'd be wasting your time. They are more than complacent after they've gotten your money.

What a value !

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: January 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Warning: This game & both expansion packs are VERY addictive ! This product is an excellent value & I highly recommend it to other sim game players out there.

Cheers

Hours of fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: May 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I purchased the initial roller coaster tycoon when it debut and I loved it. I played it off and on for many years and finally reached the Tycoon level (the last game) and thought I must get RCT3. I bought that several years after it was released and was extremely impressed with all the stuff you can do and how you can control pretty much every aspect of your park. It is really fun and really easy to maneuver around. Later my husband bought me the platinum pack with has the two expansions (Soaked and Wild). I did notice there was not a manual in the box like there was for the original RCT3. This book as a lot of tips and is something that is nice to have.

You will like this game for sure!

loved it!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: January 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Thanks for the great software. My friends son was SO looking forward to playing the game!

flashy but clunky

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: June 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

For all the added 3d effects and flashy look, I found this game very frustrating with no "undo" feature. Also, what happened to using the right button to get out of what you are building or what ever? With this game, you have to go back and press the same button again to get out of a mode. The pools are impossible to build, I found that the ramp to the pool complex I was building could never quite reach the ground and the lengths of ramp sections were not adjustable in length to fix the problem. Very frustrating. Also, I am tired of the "grid". Why can't we put things where we want? I also gave up on building water rides. Tycoon 2 was more enjoyable.

Cool

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: January 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

this game is ausum. i started playing it then time flies when u play this game because it is so fun. i add my own music to the game. this is the the original, soakes , and wild. u can play it forever

Best RCT yet... if you have a high end computer.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

By far the best, most realistic Roller coaster tycoon yet.

I love the RCT games and bought RCT3 when it first came out a few years ago. It is much more realistic that previous RCT games and allows you much more flexibility in customizing and has more rides, more coasters, and more landscape options than the previous versions.

This game REQUIRES a very fast computer, a good graphics card, and lots of memory. It was unplayable on my old computer... long load times, long pauses, poor frame rates, etc. and I didn't play it for several months out of frustration (at the time I would have rated this game a 1). I bought a new computer last year and since then the only problem I have had is there is still about a 15-20 second load time when I select rollercoasters. I would rate this a 5.

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