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The latter was definitely used to nefarious ends, with much of the fun of RCT3 coming from raining explosives down on the guests. Through the CoasterCam, players could ride their own creations from the perspective of a guest and also build synchronised firework displays throughout the park. The game really got into its stride however in RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 which gave players the freedom to step away from the challenges and just free build their own theme park world. The original RollerCoaster Tycoon laid the foundations for the series and became the best selling PC game of 1999. The RollerCoaster Tycoon series is the spiritual rival to the Theme Park games and definitely the more popular since there are still games being produced under the RollerCoaster banner. It was a serious, weekend-sucking game and spawned the bigger, and better sequels Theme Park World (1999) and Theme Park Inc (2001) – of which Theme Park Inc was definitely the better game but neither quite matched up to the fun of the original. All the while, you’ve got to keep bringing in cash to build bigger and better attractions.
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The aim is to tread the fine line between keeping people happy, making sure the staff don’t go on strike, and taking care of the rides so they don’t explode.
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You start off with a bit of land and some cash and try and build yourself the most profitable theme park you can by adding in different rides and attractions.
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Here we’ve rounded up the 6 best video games featuring theme parks to explore this niche but incredibly fun genre of gameplay Theme ParkĪrguably the OG of the theme park video game genre, Theme Park (1994) was the amusement park take on those immensely popular simulation games that dominated the late 90s and early 2000s. Video game theme parks have a long and proud tradition going back to the early 90s when you could barely make out what exactly you were playing.
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There’s no end to the number of virtual theme parks you can build, explore, and create chaos within right from the comfort of your very own living room. If you’ve been itching to get back on the thrill rides of your favourite park, there are still a fair few options available to you.
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