Theme Park (DS)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.9 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Tom Magrino
• Reviewed on: 04/03/2007
• Released on: 03/20/2007
• Originally published on GameSpot: Theme Park (DS) Review

If you've ever wondered why anyone listens to the crazy talk of that Peter Molyneux guy, it's partly because of his genre-defining 1994 classic Theme Park for the PC, which opened up the world to business strategy-style games. Echoing the original's gameplay, other versions of Theme Park have attracted new crowds over the years by expanding its vomit-slicked walkways to various consoles and platforms, and the Nintendo DS is the latest venue to proffer the game's exorbitantly priced wares. If nothing less than Cedar Point's direct adrenal stimulation will do, then you might want to stick with the latest Roller Coaster Tycoon game. However, if a nostalgic, cotton-candy-fueled romp through Coney Island sounds like good times, you'll find that Theme Park's original formula is still pretty addictive.

Like most other versions, the DS version of Theme Park offers a very similar experience to the PC original, with slight, mostly superficial, variations. After selecting one of four advisers and choosing a difficulty and sim level for your park, you're let loose in England with a fat wad of cash and a barren field of possibilities. A crash-course tutorial (which is optional but highly advisable) gets you up and running, and then time passes to the periphery as you flesh out your park and gouge your hapless customers for every cent they're worth. Your goal is to increase your park value and available cash to a specified amount, at which time you can choose to sell off your park, expand your empire into new markets, and then start from scratch. It's at this point that the formula breaks down. You can't return to your park once you've sold it off, and though each market you enter into is different, your approach to building up your park from one to the next won't really change, nor will your selection of attractions. So aside from unlocking a small number of new attractions and amenities, there's no particularly compelling reason to take your money and run after painstakingly articulating the park you already have.

But building your park up is the meat of the experience, and for its time, Theme Park could bring even the most stalwart of micromanagers to their knees. From how much salt you put on the fries to how much you pay the man in the rhino suit, you have options. On the most comprehensive level, it's your job to not only plan the layout of the park but also hire staff, stock the warehouse, allocate research funds, and negotiate salaries and supply costs, among other things. Your options are nothing if not numerous, and the pressure of keeping it all under wraps is spiked by the fleeting calendar and the ridiculous demands of your insatiable mob. Plus, you'll definitely run the park into the ground if you place rides and shops haphazardly or fall into any number of other pitfalls for that matter. In fact, until you fully understand the ride-to-shop relationship, you'll probably be utterly baffled when you consistently post year-end losses. However, once you've hit on a winning strategy, that's pretty much it. You simply have to continue with that formula, and the game plays itself out. You'll have a bit more leeway once the park is capable of sustaining itself, and you'll still be at the reins when it comes to how you want the park to look and how to maximize profits. But initially, there's only one clear and decisive way to build your park, once you get down to the nitty-gritty of it.

The DS's dual-screen format lends itself quite nicely to Theme Park's interface. You'll get a rudimentary yet comprehensive overhead view of your park on the top screen, as well as your adviser's tips, your current balance, and the date. The bottom screen displays a close-up view of your park, and the camera distance here feels just about perfect. Clicking on a ride or a staff member brings up detailed information on the top screen while still giving you the zoomed-in look at your park on the bottom screen. To make adjustments, you touch a button on the bottom screen to flip the two screens and then hold the stylus down on whichever indicator is appropriate. The interface as a whole is very clean and uncomplicated, making it a breeze to hike the price of an ice cream cone to $50 and then go plant some shrubbery.

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