RollerCoaster Tycoon: Loopy Landscapes

"Playing this game is almost as fun as riding one of the roller coasters you can make."

If you don't know, this is a game where you make a theme park. That's pretty much the only story, besides a one liner about the park before you pick it, so I'll leave that section out.

The gameplay is excellent. There are a lot of different aspects to the game. Money, land, terrain, riders, etc. Each character (the guests) have their own preferences in food, how intense the rides they'll go on, etc. One thing they all have in common is that they're all very stupid. But this is only in opportunities for them to be stupid, and if you have any common sense, you won't give them those opportunities. It's easy to not give them. This, along with the fact that if you complete certain scenarios before the allotted time you still have to wait until that time to win, giving you the chance to screw up and lose, are the reasons why this game doesn't have a 10.

The main goal of the game is to make a successful theme park. Usually you have to get a set number of guests and a certain park rating in a certain time. This is the kind of problem I talked about earlier, in that you still have to wait until that time if you do what you need to do anyway. But it's still fun, because in that time, you can make your park bigger and better! Obviously, this is all with limited funds.

The most fun thing, in my opinion, is making custom rides, usually roller coasters (there are also things like log flumes and things). There are many kinds of roller coasters, the most common being wooden or steel. Each one has its own characteristics. For example, crazy mouse coaster isn't good for loops or things, but it's good for small spaces and it can go up and down quickly, while hyper steel coasters can go very fast, do loops and stuff, but aren't very nimble. It's all on your preference, and the guest's. Most coasters can have a photo place built in, so you can sell pictures.

Of course, there's more too it then just building custom rides. There are also some rides that only come in one shape, like Ferris wheels. Also, the guest's can't warp, and they can't walk forever, so you need to make some paths and some benches and food stands would be nice. And there's also baking (oh joy) that you can do if you're broke, you can take out a limited loan from the bank. You can also plant trees or put up other entertaining things all over the place. There are a lot of things you can do in the game, and when you add it up, you get a very fun game.

The music in this game is OK. Besides the random incomprehensible mutterings of the guests and the chinking of cash registers and other sound effects, the actual music comes from the rides. You can tell them to play music, and the kind. There's rock style (which isn't really anything, it's just a beat), horror style (think about scary movies), gentle style, etc. If you have the right kinds of music, the guests will comment you on it, and your park rating will go up.

The graphics are pretty good. The colors are bright and everything doesn't look the same so. The guests wear random colored shirts, and you can change the colors of rides and things, so you can get it how you like it.

The replay value, I think, is fun. There are a lot of different parks you can do. The biggest problem, though, is that you'll sometimes find yourself in the same situation again, waiting for a new ride or waiting for more money or whatever. It can get a little annoying, but that's just a little, and the game is more then a little fun.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/14/06