SimCoaster

"Please, make it stop!"

Before I begin, I would like to warn you to NEVER play SimCoaster. Even if you're a fan of the series, this almost certainly won't be worth your money. It seems to take all the bad aspects of PC games and mash them all together.

First, the little opening sequence. It goes on for ages, and manages to make you expect that it's ending during many parts. You're also forced to watch it every time you turn on the game. It also provides a little introduction...to the terrible graphics.

Gameplay - 4/10. This is where it starts to seem like a cheap RollerCoasterTycoon copy. It appears that EA Games decided they'd like to beat out RCT with this one, and so, they ATTEMPTED to. Unfortunately, the game's controls are weird, and you're thrown into it without being told what to do. An ugly blue thing that's hard to hear pops up in the corner occasionally to make your gaming experience more frustrating. It's hard to figure out what you're supposed to do, and objects you place can simply overwrite the ugly paths.

Story - 1/10. There's hardly a story to this game! And it happens to be one that's been used over and over, many times before, just that it's rarely been used with theme park games. Anyway, you're basically supposed to build a good park. That's it. Pathetic.

Graphics/Sound: 1/10. First, the sound. I really have to give EA credit...for at least TRYING to make the sounds good. Unfortunately, it's just the opposite. The music sounds like a boring, brain-bending combination of annoying sounds. You'll find yourself wishing to go deaf. If you are deaf, be grateful that you don't have to hear the sound in this game. It's that bad.

Now, the graphics. They are utterly terrible. The SimCoaster screenshot on the back of my Sim Mania 2 (It includes SimCoaster) shows a beautiful, theme-park paradise. Sadly, the graphics are nowhere NEAR that good. They are terrible, a disgrace to PC gaming. They're shaky and resemble a mass of pixels attempting to form ugly-colored shapes.

Play Time/Replayability: 1/10. Why would you WANT to even play this sorry excuse for a game? The play time is roughly average...and the replayability is abysmal. Why would you want to do the same tedious, boring, frustrating things all over again? Beats me.

Final Reccomendation: Do not pay for this game whether you like the series or not. Borrow it from a friend at the most. If you want to try the series, play a good Sim game, not this one. If you don't like the series, here's the perfect way to increase your dislike of it.

Overall score: 2/10. Terrible.

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/05