Unfortunately, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 managed to ship with a number of glaring bugs that can make your park feel a bit lifeless, even when there are hundreds of peeps roaming about. For example, popular rides that are hot one moment mystifyingly go suddenly ice cold the next, and even slashing prices to the bone can't seem to resurrect their appeal. Or sometimes you can have a park full of rides, yet few peeps seem interested in actually riding them even though there are no lines--those rides then become money pits that slowly drain your coffers. And in some cases, certain rides refuse to reset properly, meaning that your peeps will get stuck in line and complain. Shutting down and starting up the ride in question doesn't reset the ride, either.
Each of your peeps has a unique appearance, and they all have different tastes.
These bugs will probably be addressed by Atari and Frontier in the coming months, but the shame is that they mar what is otherwise a beautiful game. The new 3D engine is a marvel to behold, as you can see hundreds of unique peeps explore parks brimming with sights and sounds. Though the peeps have a somewhat blocky look to them, the rest of the game is exceptionally detailed and well-rendered. And the big, new highlight is the ride cam, which lets you ride both the coasters and noncoaster rides from a first-person perspective. Experiencing a virtual coaster from the front seat is an experience that's the next best thing to riding a real coaster--the only things missing are the g-forces and the wind in your face. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that larger parks with large populations of peeps can slow your computer down, but the graphics engine has numerous settings that let you scale down the visuals.
There's also a lot of content to explore, as RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 ships with five different themes, including generic, space, and Wild West. Each theme has its own distinctive rides and amusements and shops, as well as animatronics and decorations. There's also a huge amount of variety, so you can set up water rides with mechanical great white sharks that lurch out of the water to any style of coaster imaginable. There are also 18 distinct scenarios in the game, though the last two are only playable if you unlock them, which is done by beating all the earlier scenarios on the tougher difficulty levels. These scenarios all present unique settings and challenges, but as with the earlier RollerCoaster Tycoon games, the best scenarios are those that give you something to work with. A perfect example would be the run-down Hollywood theme park that comes with an amazing tram ride that's right out of a studio-lot tour. The oft-requested sandbox mode that lets you build a park from scratch with unlimited funds has also finally made an appearance, giving micromanagers and enthusiasts the ability to build the parks of their dreams.
The new 3D graphics engine allows you to ride the rides like never before.
There's plenty to like in RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, which makes the game's teething problems all the more annoying. If not for some of the glaring bugs, Frontier would have delivered a truly excellent sequel to a beloved franchise. However, it looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer while Atari and Frontier iron out all the wrinkles.
