Ultimate Ride Coaster Deluxe (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Trey Walker
• Reviewed on: 04/22/2002
• Updated on: 05/17/2006
• Released on: 03/31/2002
• Originally published on GameSpot: Ultimate Ride Coaster Deluxe (PC) Review

Disney's Ultimate Ride Coaster Deluxe is a roller coaster design game that lets you build and ride your own coasters in one of several 3D virtual environments. It's an updated version of Ultimate Ride, which was released in October of last year, and it includes several improvements such as new track types, coaster parts, and themes. While the game's improvements add some fun new options to the Ultimate Ride experience, Coaster Deluxe is essentially just a slightly better version of the original game.

Like its predecessor, Coaster Deluxe allows you to build your own coaster in a free-form sandbox mode, modify a prebuilt coaster, or try to complete one of a number of puzzlelike scenarios. In the free-form mode, you have access to the complete range of coaster types--wooden, steel, hanging, and the new standing and flying types--and you can build any coaster you choose, providing it obeys the laws of physics. The game contains several different 3D environments in which to build your coaster, as well as a number of decorative objects and props to add some pizzazz to the ride.

In the game's imagineer mode, you must complete a partially built coaster according to a set of specific requirements, such as building a coaster with a certain number of loops, building it so that the ride stays below a maximum level of vertical or horizontal G force, or building it within a specific time limit. The early imagineering scenarios also serve as a partial tutorial for the game and an introduction to the game's various features. Completing the requirements of a scenario will open up additional scenarios--the game has a total of 50--and a coaster that goes above and beyond the requirements may also be awarded with a bronze, silver, or gold medal. If the in-game rewards aren't enough for you, the official Ultimate Ride Web site hosts an ongoing coaster competition that lets players upload their best custom coasters to be rated by other players.

The actual building of the coaster is fairly straightforward. Beginning with one of several different start/stop stations, you extend the coaster by adding various track parts, such as straight sections, curves, loops, corkscrews, or the new half loops, shallow curves, and half corkscrews. As you build your coaster, you can keep track of the coaster's speed and G forces by watching a simple status window. Additional track elements such as accelerators, chain pulls, and brakes can be added to help control the speed of the coaster in specific areas. Since all coasters must obey the laws of physics, you can't let the speed drop below zero at any point in the track or the coaster will not complete its circuit. In order to complete your coaster, you have to bring the track around to the start/stop point and click the "complete coaster" button for the computer to automatically finish the circuit and connect the remaining track parts.

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