Episode 111: Rollercoaster Tycoon 2

Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 was a staple of many people’s PC desktop screens back in the early 2000s.  Nestled in between the big hitters like Warcraft 3 and Diablo 2 you would find this odd game that straddled the line between simulation and video game.  Developed by Infogrames Interactive, it saw Chris Sawyer continue the work he put into the first game, with more rides and tools to tweak your park to whatever specifications you desired.

Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 features over a hundred attractions, a plethora of themes and a roller coaster physics system that is completely ludicrous in terms of detail.  But in the pursuit of building a sandbox sim, did Chris Sawyer forget to add a compelling video game to the mix?  Or is this just ultimately an empty and lifeless recreation of rides going round in circles for all eternity?

On this episode, we discuss:

• Intrinsic Rewards.
  Does Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 do enough to incentivise the player with extrinsic gameplay rewards?  Are the intrinsic rewards of seeing your park grow and come together enough to make the game a worthwhile use of your time?
• UI/UX.
  How good is the UI for managing your park and specifically for building roller coasters?  How well does the game teach the player how best to run their park?
• Visuals.
  How good does the game look?  Is there more to the low pixel graphics that meets the eye, and what’s the difference between a new untouched park and one that has grown to completion?

We answer these questions and many more on the 111lth episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 OST: Allister Brimble

Do you know how to build the mighty roller coasters that we struggled so much with?  Are there actually that many differences between the first three games, or are they all essentially identical?  What other management style games would you like to see us play?  Come let us know what you think on our community discord server

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