| ||||||
|
| ||||||
Sim Theme ParkBy: Bill Stiteler Review Date: January 17, 2001
I grew up about an hour or so away from Cedar Point, an amusement park you probably haven't heard of, and that's too bad for you. Because while the Mouse spends billions convincing you to have your grandparents stand for hours in line under the summer Florida sun, the geniuses of Sandusky, Ohio have been building what is rightfully marketed as "the roller coaster republic." You can have your cheesy noon parades and overpriced theme hotels, I'll take the Blue Streak, the Corkscrew, and (moment of silence, please) the Gemini--quite simply the greatest gravity motion ride there will ever be. [Editor's Note: Bill, we'll "Get to the Point" and ride Millennium Force. I think you may change your mind.] Of course, since I went every summer (more, once I joined band), I took it for granted that every place had a Cedar Point. Ha! How I hate myself for thinking that. Most places can barely get it together to have a carnival pull into town. In some communities they even get excited about a Ren Fest. A freakin' Ren Fest. I just shake my head and laugh. Then I remember that I don't live in Ohio anymore, and I cry.
Only two of the four parks are instantly accessible to you--the dino-centric Lost World and a Halloween world. The other two, cribbed from Alice in Wonderland and 50s era sci fi must be unlocked by gathering "golden keys." You get keys by getting golden tickets, which you get by having happy customers. But while that's going on you have to hire a staff and keep them satisfied and make sure your rides don't fall apart while making sure there are enough bathrooms, snack bars, restaurants, novelty games and souvenir shops with quality merchandise at reasonable profits, because that's where the real money is. Of course, if no one comes to your park because your rides are old and keep breaking down, that doesn't help either. Oh yeah, you have to keep an eye on the bottom line, too. Going bankrupt is about the only way to end a game other than moving on.
While that aspect of the game is fun as well as challenging, the designers were smart enough to realize that a park game where all you do is watch other people have fun makes about as much sense as, oh, a game about winning a million dollars where you don't win a million dollars. So in a psychotic display of genius, every ride you build has a feature where you can experience the ride...well, see what it's like anyway. It's fun enough for preconstructed rides which you just plop down and are good to go, but it gets better. With certain log flumes, driving rides, and (yes!) roller coasters, you have to build them as well. You start with a base station and then have to place the tracks. With a 'coaster, you also have to determine the elevation and angle of the track so that you don't, say, have cars go flying off a dead end. Yes, I know, it has "sim" in the title, but you're not allowed to embarrass, torture or kill anyone in this game. Well, except for the aforementioned juggling Lady Bug guy, but he's being well compensated. Anyway, once you've built your dream coaster, take a ride and see what your customers are experiencing.
The game does have a few bugs. I experienced some random crashes, and the screen always goes black while I'm playing the opening movies. Other than that, it's a joy. You can get down in the nitty-gritty and micromanage everything from employee salaries to how much salt one particular fry shop on the midway uses, or you just use the presets and go. Fiddling with everything will probably get you tickets and keys a bit faster, but the real draw of this game for me was just putting it all together. Like most non-combat sims, a lot of the fun in this game comes from setting things up and watching what happens. I've rearranged entire thoroughfares to get people to try out the 'coaster I spent an hour working on, when all they wanted was the bumpercars to work. There's never enough drink shops, and some area is always being missed by the custodians. For all the hot spreadsheet action though, sometimes I just like kicking back, and seeing what's the big deal about the banana-swing. I think I'll try to go home this summer.
|
. |
Cool Mac Gear• iPod 1G-2G • iPod 3G • iPod 4G • iPod Mini • PowerBook-iBook • Keyboard Skins • Garageband
| ||||
Sim Theme Park has been helping me a bit. A goofy little simulator, you must build, maintain and manage every aspect of your own little playland. The game comes with four "themes," and the rides, entertainers, and shops are all redesigned for those themes, but the choice, placement, and in some cases, construction is up to you.
If this game sounds like it's mostly a balancing act, it is. Even after all this time, I haven't turned off the assistant, a little black dot who pops up and tells you which aspects of your park are doing well and which are reaching critical mass. And lots of things can go wrong. In addition to poor design, there are vandals, bullies and litterbugs (beef up security and custodians) to deal with, customer dissatisfaction with rides and food, and the danger of employee strikes. And if I had to dress like a Lady Bug and juggle, I'd strike, too.
There are a lot of little things to pick up while playing Sim Theme Park. For example, you can adjust aspects of a ride to make it more exciting, but not every customer wants an ultra-exciting ride. Nonetheless, I wouldn't call it a hard game. After building three parks to nearly fully-developed levels, I've never even come close to going bankrupt. It's almost more like a funky CAD program, or a Lego set with an endless supply of bricks (for a good example, do not see any Lego set being released today). The point of the game isn't really to make a lot of money, it's to make a great park. Underscoring this are several features to let you share your vision. Send your friends e-mail postcards (hint: "beach" can be the source of many whimsical plays-on-words), or turn on the "camcorder" function to take home movies. Hardcore gamers looking to rack up points may find the game too easy, but your average gamer will probably be more worried about where they can stick another burger stand.