RollerCoaster Tycoon (1999)

Developer: Frontier Developments, Chris Sawyer Productions
Publisher: Hasbro Interactive, MicroProse Software, Inc., Atari, Inc.
Platforms: Xbox, PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genres: Simulator, Strategy
Rating: 4.1 of 5, 223 player ratings
Where to get it: Website

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Tinkering with rides and budgets pulls you into a relaxed but fussy loop of constant tweaking and watching your park grow.

methodicalabsorbingfiddlysatisfyingmanagement-heavycreativelow-stakes

About

The premise of the game is to complete a series of preset scenarios by successfully building and maintaining amusement parks through business ownership as a theme park entrepreneur. The key to any park is building a large amount and diverse range of rides for the visitors. Players can choose from dozens of roller coaster types and can also build log flumes, carousels, bumper cars, haunted houses, go karts, ferris wheels, and swinging ships, among other rides. The intensity and type of rides must be balanced, as visitors' preferences vary significantly from person to person. For example, some guests prefer exciting rides and have high nausea tolerance levels, while other guests are just the opposite.

Screenshots

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More by Frontier Developments

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.