Hi,

I just bought Theme Hospital and already played a few hours. I almost got stuck in the very first mission because I probably was to slow and so I had a hard time with the - heal 40% of your patients goal (I healed more than 60 patients when I eventually won the mission ;-))

I wonder what you guys think are the best features of the game? What's worst?

So far my biggest surprise (given I haven't played the game back when it was released) are the funny diseases - I somehow expected it to be a simulation with mostly serious content but given you start with balloon heads (with the help of this forum I was able to switch to German so I don't know about the English names) it was all crazy fun from the get go.

The only downside for me, so far, is that it's really kind of dated. Still it works great and I have no issues so far (not even performance issues).

Are there any other similar but newer games out there with the same "Theme" - the only ones I found seems to be time management alikes on Big Fish Games and that's not what I'm looking for.

There was a similar game released called Hospital Tycoon with 3d graphics. It's kinda rare though and I haven't heard nearly the positive reviews of it that Theme Hospital gets.

Outside of the hospital, there are many other similar games. Sim Theme Park, Roller coaster tycoon, Dungeon Keeper, to name a few.

Oh, I should respond to the other part of your question.

The best parts of the game are the humour (obviously), the unique multiplayer mode, and the difficulty progression which I found very well balanced.

The worst part of the game are the bugs, some crash the game, some result in people getting stuck forever, all in all very annoying. The other thing is the lack of any sort of 'sandbox' mode where you can just build your dream hospital. Finally, the initial setup of each level gets a bit repetitive.

Thanks for your reply ... almost forgot that I had posted this :)

Hehe meanwhile I already found Hospital Tycoon on my own (it's pretty cheap on Steam). I read mostly pretty bad reviews but after watching a view videos and given it's pricetag I guesst it really can't be that bad.
BUT IT CAN AND IS. It's almost an achievement how bad/wrong they got this - it's even worse because the developers (Deep Red) also did Beach Life which I liked quite a bit.

Thanks for your other suggestions - I own or, at some point in the past owned, these already. I like all the games with lots of characters/guests/whatever, walking around and you have to pelase them with your designed "gameworld".

That said, I think I'd love to play the original Theme Park again - I really hope it'll be on GOG at some point in the future.

Then I'd recommend Startopia and maybe Tropico 3 and 4 as well :)

Dungeon Keeper would also be worth looking at - another fantastic Bullfrog game! It is more combat-oriented though.

I think people interested in the whole Theme Hospital style game should defently look into Prison Artitech as its developed. It's an amazing little title.

Have tried Dungeon Keeper, but it was so dated I couldn't bear to play it.

There is nothing like Theme Hospital, unfortunately.

XYCat is right.

There is nothing quite like Theme Hospital. It is unique in it's genre. Not to say there aren't other phenomenal games that are worthy of your time, but the experience that is Theme Hospital is one that you must play the original to have.

The testament to this game is just how many game breaking bugs there are in the game and yet how highly regarded it is. And it demands to be enjoyed.

It's great finding out all the little nuances about this game. All to an irritating yet addictive soundtrack and really do the announcements ever get old?

As for my recommendations:

Roller Coaster Tycoon 1, 2, and 3 (ignore the cynics)
Dungeon Keeper 2 (much better than the first but still pretty dated)
Startopia (It's amazing how well this game has aged and has a lot of the humour that makes TH so enjoyable)
Settlers 2 (either the original or the 10th anniversary are great)
Theme Park (not as good as RCT but still enjoyable)

October 2013... quite the necro :)

Anyways since this just went on sale maybe there will be an influx of future visitors snooping around in here with a similar question. The answer to that question for me is Evil Genius.

Same cartoon style and same humor as Theme Hospital. Except instead of building a Hospital you are building a secret underground lair full of minions you have to train and satisfy. Entertainment facilities, sleeping quarters, work areas, and a whole host of devious traps to thwart those James Bondian secret agents that attempt to take you down.

The first 1:21 of this video gives a wonder overview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygViMqmGFYc

The best part of the game for me is definitely the soundtrack, but there's so much else that makes it really addictive. I had to uninstall it!

Try Sierra's Casino Empire. It has mediocre reviews, but the game essence is VERY similar to Theme Hospital. Same "isometric" style and premises. You need to buy casino games, services (buffet, poker rooms, bars and saloons to make customers drink, gift shops, etc) and decorations to keep the customers coming and spending, and hire crew (guards, croupiers, waitresses, etc) just like in TH. Also you have competitors, and you can attack them by sending gangsters to their casino, hacking their video system, etc (and also recieve attacks from them, lol). The difficulty curve is, again like TH, brutal.

Unlike TH, Casino empire has a good sandbox relaxing mode. A shame it isn't on gog... :((((

/necro, didn't see date >,< anyways maybe someone wants to try it.

RollerCoaster Tycoon 1 and 2 definitely get a recommendation from me. I also enjoyed playing Theme Park World at the time, which I enjoyed so much more than Theme Park. It had a lot of humour too, quirky graphics and an ever-annoying adviser. Also made by Bullfrog.