Sim Theme Park

DEVELOPER : Bullfrog
PUBLISHER : EA

 

System Requirements Pentium 200 Mhz, 32 MB RAM

Recommended Pentium 266MHz, 64+ MB RAM, TNT2 Video card

Ratings
Code Issues Graphics 8:  The 3D rides and attractions look great, as do the park decorations.  The grainy nature of the patrons, however, as well as the fact that you only see a bunch of heads when they are in rides, brings down the score.   Audio 7:  Fun little amusement park jingles are the name of the game, and the laughs and screams of the guests are amusing. Interface 8: Easy to master, so you’ll be able to get right to the fun part.	Play Issues Gameplay 8: It is definitely a blast to play, but I can’t help thinking that there could have been a bit more complexity. Replayability  6:  Four unique looking themes to build with plus the ability to publish your park on the net.  The inability to mix and match themes is a shame. Multiplay  7:  You can roam through dozens of parks by going online…a fantastic feature. Learning Curve 8:  A helpful little advice dot leads you through the basics, and once you get those down the rest comes easy.
Other/Notes Documentation: 8.0 – Nice size manual that’s well laid out, plus good instructions on bringing your park to the Internet. Pros:  Captures most of the feel of the original.  Its light-heartedness has a certain appeal. Cons:  Not as much to build and customize as RC Tycoon.  Some may not like the simpler track building. Overall: 9.0

I’ve been checking out some recent reviews of Sim Theme Park, and many of them have complained about the childish nature of the game, i.e. the cute colorful graphics and baby-sitter like advice dot.  I’m not going to spend a lot of time on this issue because I really don’t see anything wrong with it.  I’m the kind of guy that will still wake up early to watch Saturday morning cartoons while stuffing Double-Stuff Oreo’s into my mouth.  Ok, maybe it’s a little sad, but I enjoy “cuteness” once in a while.  If you don’t, or your idea of fun TV is ER and NYPD Blue, you best stay away.

I will however, address the issue of the Sim that begins the title.  This is NOT a Sim game in most respects.  It simply doesn’t have the level of complexity in SimCity 3000, and it doesn’t even approach the amount of features in Roller Coaster Tycoon.  It was definitely meant to draw consumers in (and the fact that the tile screen still displays the original title, Theme Park World, backs me up).  It is simply a sequel to the classic and unforgettable Theme Park (you have played it, haven’t you?).  The newest version isn’t quite as satisfying, but it will definitely bring back some memories.

The newest addition is the ability to build in four different themes, namely Lost Kingdom, Space, Halloween, and Wonder Land.  Instead of presenting a generic amusement park atmosphere, they infuse some personality into the rides, stands, and decorations.  They are extremely distinct visually, but I can’t help feeling a bit of déjà vu when switching between them.  You see, each one has their own collection of rides and attractions, but most of the time just by name and the appearance each theme lends to it.  For instance, each theme has its own version of the roller coaster and bumper cars.  That really isn’t a bad thing, however, because every ride is so darn fun to watch.  There are also some rides and attractions that are unique to each theme.  After all, you’ll only find the Fortune Teller in the Halloween world and the Steak House in the Lost Kingdom.  Also, each theme has special mystery rides that can be unlocked.  It would have been nice, however, to allow players to mix and match themes rather than forcing them to play one at a time.

Players once again have the job of looking after almost every aspect of the park.  You can hire janitors, mechanics, security guards, and entertainers, set their patrol routes, change the quality of prizes and food, increase or (hehe) decrease the chances of winning a prize at one of the carnival games, tweak the intensity of rides, and much more.  Gone is the stock market of the original, but you can still head to the bank to take out loans if you run into some financial trouble.  Researchers are still needed to have access to all the rides, and you can even research ride additions that will keep you fiddling around longer.  For addition, after building a Dino-Kart track, you can spend some money researching ramps so you can add some nifty jumps, or update a ride to higher levels to increase the capacity and intensity.  It’s all innocent fun, and the pop-up interface is easy to use and understand.  The screen never feels cluttered while still displaying all of the vital information.  Furthermore, there is an excellent map and overlay feature that allows you to observe any aspect of the park with the click of a button.

Speaking of innocent, the graphics are bright, colorful, and continue the “only baby-like children are allowed in my park” feel of the original.  When the guests go on some rides, you don’t see them physically get on but rather disappear in a cloud of colors and get plopped on the ride.  Similarly, the delightful sounds of children laughing and puking are top notch.  You can also add to the auditory atmosphere of your park by placing speakers that emit sound effects proper to each theme.  This time, however, the game is in 3D, and you can rotate your view at will.  The most exciting feature, and the one that distinguishes itself from its competitor, is the ability to go into your parks.  You can walk around and get a feel of what the customers are seeing, hop on the rides, or even take a snapshot and send it to a friend in the form of an online postcard!  The park graphics look great, but I was disappointed with the grainy look of the patrons (and if you go on a ride and look at the other guests, you’ll only see a head…weird).  Also, the nature of the graphics can slow down even the fastest of machines (you’ll need a decent video card).  You will, however, have a blast riding your coasters.  Roller Coaster Tycoon experts will most likely scoff at the simple nature of track building in this game.  It is extraordinarily easy to slap down a huge roller coaster or log flume that winds through and around your entire park.  You only have to set down pylons at different positions, and then the game handles connecting the tracks.  Its just as easy to make huge drops by simply raising or lowering the pylons.  Those that got frustrated with RC Tycoon’s strict physics model won’t really have to worry about any of that. 

Another unique feature is the Golden tickets (obviously inspired by Willy Wonka).  You will need to earn these in order to “buy” access to some attractions.  You can do this by obtaining a certain amount of money, getting a certain population in your park, and other ways that you’ll have to play to discover.  Earn three tickets and you get a golden key.  You’ll need them to access the additional themes, the most expensive being Wonder Land at a cost of 5 keys.  Once you build a park you are satisfied with you can even “publish” it and send it to the Sim Theme Park web site where others can browse your creation.  This addition gives you some nice incentive to make a better park.

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Reviewed by Anthony Micari