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RollerCoaster Tycoon 3

EMAIL PRINT pc

8.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 39 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 45 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Atari

Developer: Frontier Developments - Chris Sawyer

Genre(s): Strategy, Simulation

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: October 26, 2004

Summary

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 takes the series to new heights with brand new features including 3-D graphics, giving players complete control of views around the park, and a front seat to the action with a new Coaster Cam feature that allows players to ride the roller coasters. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 also features new gameplay elements that fans have been asking for - including diversity of guests, added group behavior and improved guest AI - and many other new features which build upon the fun and addictive nature of the original game. [Atari]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 RollerCoaster Tycoon 2: Time Twister RollerCoaster Tycoon 2: Wacky Worlds RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked! RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Wild! RollerCoaster Tycoon: Loopy Landscapes

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: GameSpot Hands-On GameSpy Preview IGN Hands-On Official Game Site

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Thunderbolt

This game is all about customization. You get everything you need to create a park right out of the box, but you can design your own scenarios, park guests, fireworks shows, and buildings. Incredibly, none of this is particularly challenging to figure out as long as you put five to ten minutes into tinkering, with the only exception being the fireworks creator.

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Inside Gamer Online

Not only is it the best game in the series, it is quite possibly the best game in its genre. Beautiful to look at, enormously entertaining, and never boring, players should prepare to lose hundreds of hours to the best theme park title ever created.

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eToychest

A wonderful game, and an equally tremendous addition to the series. Fans of the series will find more than enough new here to warrant continued devotion, while it has been streamlined so as to be highly accessible to novices as well.

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Gamers' Temple

The only complaint that I have about the music feature is that the only way to hear the music is to zoom in very closely on the ride or to ride it yourself.

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AceGamez

Every bit as addictive, creative and as easy to play as its predecessor but with new looks and additions bringing it bang up to date. And if the Coaster Cam alone doesn't convince you that this is a worthy purchase, then quite frankly nothing ever will!

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Warcry

I think my wife and children have sent out a search party for me. This game had me sitting up for hours creating and feeling like a theme park god. I have been discussing this game at work too.

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Eurogamer

There hasn't been high-level management game with this level of wit, style and vision since the dear departed Mucky Foot's "Startopia." This is as good as its genre gets, and deserves recognition.

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1UP

An awesome addition to a deservedly-lauded series. Now excuse me while I finish my powered-launch, 3000-foot air-powered supercoaster. The peeps are gonna love it!

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Computer Games Magazine

One of the best new features is a thrilling coaster cam whose name is a bit misleading since you can get a first-person view for nearly any ride or attraction. [Feb 2005, p.65]

IC-Games

Without doubt the better of the trilogy, even with its problems (which hopefully will be rectified with patches) and overall should be enjoyed by the majority of the Tycoon fans out there.

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Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

When you turn to the on-ride camera mode, and the car starts down the big slides...well, I genuinely feel a tug of induced artificial vertigo. A construction game that gets you in the guts. That's rare. This is a golden ticket. Get in line. [PC Gamer UK, Dec 2004, p.111]

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Game Informer

You will find yourself delving deeper into the seedy underbelly of amusement than you ever thought possible. [Dec 2004, p.188]

3DAvenue

Whilst it delves into reasonably technical gameplay as far as profit and loss management goes, it still offers very addictive and fun gameplay at the same time, and this should appeal to PC gamers abroad.

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IGN

This is an addictive game with a great playful and positive premise, something you don't usually find in games these days. I just wish the developers had been allowed a little more time to iron out the last few wrinkles.

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PGNx Media

The game's visuals are pretty impressive given the scope.

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GameBiz

As far as theme park sims go, RCT 3 is the bees knees. It's detailed, beautiful, complex, and with a few extras thrown in. Any fan of this genre will love this game.

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Worth Playing

This is what a sequel should be ' they aren't trying to reinvent the genre or completely change how the game is played, they are taking what worked before and adding logical next-steps to it, making it better and fuller.

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Xequted

It's a fun and feature-rich simulation game which will have you hooked for hours on end.

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PC Gamer

Like any good ride, it delights at every twist and turn and leaves you wanting more. [Jan 2005, p.74]

Jolt Online Gaming UK

Don’t be fooled by the bright, cartoony exterior – RCT3 offers a detailed and sometimes complex package.

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Computer Gaming World

Even with the completely new engine, the core RCT formula remains intact and as strong as ever. [Feb 2005, p.88]

GamerArchive

Yes, it's stupendously attractive. Yes it helps draw you into the theme parks that you create. No, the development of this 3D engine seems to have brought its own problems in the shape of quite a few bugs still easy to spot in the final full retail game.

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Adrenaline Vault

A major leap over its predecessors and is a huge success. With attractive full 3D graphics and an ability to fully experience your own rides, the level of play fulfillment has gone up significantly.

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GamePro

The good news is that piecing 'coasters and parks together is easier than ever; between the flexible camera controls and the effortless new terrain-building tools, RCT 3 squeezes tremendous functionality out of its elegant drag-and-drop interface.

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GamerFeed

Incredible and impressive, perhaps closer to the ideal sequel fans wanted.

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Yahoo! Games

The new engine looks great, the interface (once you get to grips with it) works reasonably well, and the economic model is compelling enough to keep you playing.

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Times Online

Those who do not want to embark on complex challenges will still find hours of enjoyment in sandbox mode.

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Computer and Video Games

It's the most polished version of the game so far, and those who've never made a small child puke before will be in store for hours of fun. But the new interface with its streamlined minimalism hides a baffling array of build options, and is not the best for the newbie. [PC Zone]

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Game Chronicles

The game as a whole is average. The graphics are superb, but the lack of a tutorial mode hurts the game, but once you figure things out it can become quite addictive and even a bit challenging.

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GameSpot

If not for some of the glaring bugs, Frontier would have delivered a truly excellent sequel to a beloved franchise.

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PC Format

At heart, this is hands down the best theme park building game to date. [Christmas 2004, p.112]

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PC Gameworld

The cuddly interface and ride creations are aimed at the casual gamer. The fuzzy bear feel of the game would probably make the hardcore gamers do what my little sim customers do on my rides, vomit.

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Game Over Online

There’s also something terribly wrong with the sound in RollerCoaster Tycoon 3.

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RealGamer

One of the very few management games that actually allow players to get up close to the action and you can really feel part of what is going on.

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Play.tm

Like a certain other sequel David Braben was involved in RCT 3 is a good game hidden underneath a fiddly interface and stricken by numerous minor flaws and bugs.

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ActionTrip

What RollerCoaster 3 lacks is some excitement that can't be artificially created with some clever scenarios. The biggest drawback of this game is the fact all scenarios tend to play the same no matter what the goals are, otherwise I'm convinced I would have enjoyed it even more.

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games(TM)

The problems that are here don't detract from the fascinatingly hardcore option to leave the Career mode behind and create your own park in the Sandbox mode without constraints of time and money... And whilst it's immensely hard to get this right, it's massively satisfying when you do. [Christmas 2004, p.120]

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GameSpy

A surprising number of serious bugs damage what is otherwise a highly addictive game.

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Detroit Free Press

And, despite the face of an excited, yelling teenager on the front cover of the box, we weren't screaming over this one.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 45 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Sarah K. gave it a9:
I thought Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 was excellent. The people at Atari definitely did the right thing when they added Coaster Cam and Sandbox Mode, which are my two favorite features in the game. I love Coaster Cam because I sometimes realize that, when I am "riding" a coaster that's going straight down, my stomach will lurch! I also like the Sandbox Mode because, first of all, it combines all the features of the expansion pack. A.k.a. you do not have to select just Soaked or just Wild. You can use all of them. I also like Sandbox mode because you can build unlimitedly, without any restraints. The graphics are amazing, and I love the fact that I can build waterfalls (I also love the fact that I can throw park guests into the water and they'll go down a waterfall!!!) RCT3 is an amazingly crazy game, but I found it to have one con: when building coasters, the pictographic icons confused me. It was difficult to figure out what they meant because they were very indirect and vague.

Andy E gave it a9:
RCT3 is an exceptional game, and if you have a computer up to the task, the sky's not the limit, it's your imagination. While it is demanding in PC Specs to the casual PC gamer, the results if you have a great system is beyond extraordinary. The graphics are great for its time, which is part of why a good computer is needed. Guest AI has been probably quadrupled from RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 and tenfold from the original, so you don't have to deal with moron guests. The CoasterCam is a great feature with one shortcoming however: the transitions in the track are very rough so sometimes a ride can be painful to watch. The Career mode was too easy however, as I beat it within two days. The Sandbox mode will more than make up for it though, as you can build your dream park, or just turn the place into a bowling alley with your guests as the pins and roller coaster trains as the ball. I am never bored with RCT3, and if you have a good video card (For me, 256MB ATI Radeon X1300 Pro), you should be able to play the game through and get beautiful parks out of it.

Katie M. gave it a10:
This is the greatest game i have i have all hp games and i think rollercoaster toyccon 3 is thwe best game EVER! But it depens if you take good care of it and sure it has a couple of bugs but you can make your own familys dress them name them and they come to your park also you can play with peeps i mean littalery play with them make a half roller coaster and then the peeps fly and fall but its mostly ride i mean the grafics are asomme!!

Zack N. gave it an8:
I am a fan of the roller coaster tycoon franchise and i think this is a worthy adition to the bunch, but..... The game has a few problems........ Ill list a few pro's and con's........ PRO's #1 The career mode parks are verry nice and well designed #2 The addition of the fireworks mix master #3 the addition of the "Coaster Cam" (tm) #4 The addition of the day/night transition #5 The stunning 3D graphics of the water, sky, and Fireworks CON's #1 if your system doesn't have a 128 MB ATI RADEON (tm) with hardware T&L You cant see the water #2 The Career missions are repeditive #3 peeps spend more time wandering through your park then riding rids and other atractions #4 Because of the above con it is harder to make money from your rides Over all ill give it a 8/10 for the stunning graphics and new features.

Mike R. gave it a10:
This is a MUST HAVE! You can create rollercoaster, billboards, fireworks, laser shows, and even your own shop! Any tycoon lover should get off of their computer right now, and run to the nearest store that has this game! I only have one bug, and that's that you cannot exit! I've pressed quit game, but it just stays there, and there's no way to close it. This may just be my computer.

Tracey A. gave it a10:
BRILLIANT! Don't be fooled by the cover name`s appeal to children, definitely a classic in the making for all ages! I love it.

Tech gave it a7:
Graphics are great. The peeps AI needs more work on since most of them are stuck in specific areas. If everyone would spread around in the whole area of park would be great like in the other 2 roller coaster games.

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RollerCoaster Tycoon 3

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