RollerCoaster Tycoon® Deluxe

This game took everyone by surprise when it came out. It has a few small blemishes, mostly related to lining things up vertically in a faux-3D environment. None of these matter, because Roller Coaster Tycoon is pure fun. The game imposes just enough challenge to keep you building and fleshing out your park without feeling like you're struggling against artificial deadlines. It's easy to complete a 3 year goal in the first year, then spend hours continuing to build the park to match your vision of it. Watching long lines form at your exciting custom coaster is more satisfying than any financial reward. The coasters' very real physics make this a true sandbox game even without the park's large assortment of other features. A wealth of scenery and ride options are available to enable almost any theme, including Western, fantasy, sci-fi, Egyptian, and many more. Fully customizable terrain lets you extend the built-in scenery in infinite ways, a la Minecraft. Even the downsides of running a popular park, such as sick guests, vandalism, and ride accidents, are handled in a matter-of-fact way that never breaks the idyllic atmosphere. The game strongly emphasizes coasters. Nothing else interests guests enough to fill your virtual coffers. But you're still free to build a tranquil, low-key park with no coasters in sight. The options are endless. The only downside to reviewing Roller Coaster Tycoon is that it was such a monster hit, most of the world has probably already played it. Like the Sim games, there's something here for almost everyone, with the bonus that Roller Coaster Tycoon is a nearly flawless experience.

I returned to this game after 12 years. And believe me, it was worth it.

Hear me out: Since most of the reviews tell probably most important stuff, i wanted to address something different. I heard of this game since... ever? It was huge back then. When i was a teenager, a copy of RCT came with a magazine i bought. I thought: "Well, give it a try!" And i was happy to try it, since first "Theme Park" (SNES) and then "Zoo Tycoon" (PC... still playing) gave me the chilling experience of building a theme park. Oh-my-god... I couldnt wrap my head around, well, anything! I was HORRIFIED by the userinterface, the controls and it bummed me so hard, i never touched the game again. I never understood, how people i know could even play this! I am not dumb, but somehow it ... well it didnt worked. Yet i fell in love with the look... So 10/15 years later, im sitting here and writing this. What happened? I saw it on GOG multiple times, wanted to give it another shot. (I gave the CDs away.) Then i did this: Watched a "Lets Play" on Youtube, where a experienced user build a small nice park. And i was baffled: "Is it really that easy?" So i bought the game. Now im playing it, enjoying myself. Yes: The controls are not really THAT intuitive - but it gives you a lot of freedom! And i can see, why that scheme was chosen. RCT is worth your money and time - if you are into charming park builder games. But i want to adress, and i cant stress it more, the controls WILL (if you never played that before) be some sort of hurdle. After you get into it (simply check a LetsPlay) you will understand the love for this.

If you haven't gotten RollerCoaster Tycoon (RCT) 2 yet, then stop reading this and get that first. OK, you got it. Let's continue. RCT2 is a more complete version of this game, with more and better scenarios, more and better rides, and just an overall improvement that going back to RCT isn't even a fair comparison. With that said, this is still a game worth getting, and not just for the scenarios to import into OpenRCT. All the base fundamentals of RCT can be found here. From how you build your ride, to layout the park. While the tools are not as refined, it's still better than any other game I've played. I've also really love the scenarios here, as I found it easier to get started. Overall fantastic game, but you really need to get RCT2 first.

This game is just amazing, I've played it for many years and always come back to it and find it very charming and fun.