RollerCoaster Tycoon 2

Gameplay

RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 tasks players with managing amusement parks in different scenarios with the goal of having them succeed in different ways. The game returns to isometric projection which debuted with the predecessor, allowing for a large degree of compatibility. Various attractions, including transport rides, gentle rides, thrill rides, roller coasters, water rides, and shops or stalls, can be added to the parks as well as landscaping and decorations. The player satisfies the needs of the visitors by building food stalls, drink stands, bathrooms, and souvenir shops as well as facilities and services, such as ATMs (known as "cash machines" in-game) and information kiosks. Players must balance their budget in their expenses and income while doing this.

One notable difference from RollerCoaster Tycoon is a more robust system for building structures, in which one can lay each piece of wall and roof individually. The game provides greater flexibility by allowing pieces of scenery, rides, and other structures to be placed at varying heights above and below ground. The mechanics in the predecessor made custom building construction less efficient, and rides and shops were previously unable to be built at varying elevations; in that game, only rides that had tracks could be built underground, since the first section of any ride had to be placed above ground. Many of the rides from the original RollerCoaster Tycoon have been modified and/or renamed, one example being "Scrambled Eggs" renaming to "Twist". Some old ride designs have been merged with others, such as the "The Wooden Twister Coaster" being included in the "The Wooden Roller Coaster".

User-created scenery items make a debut in this title. The 'bulldozer' allows the player to remove multiple pieces of scenery instead of only one piece at a time. A scenario editor is introduced, which allows players to create their own scenarios, creating the landscape, setting objectives, and selecting available rides and scenery. Players can make and test their own roller coasters to save them for use in other levels with the Roller Coaster Designer, and the game includes a licensed promotion by Six Flags to include their own content and scenarios based on five of their amusement park branches (which are Magic Mountain, Great Adventure, and Over Texas. Walibi Holland and Walibi Belgium were also Six Flags parks during development, and thusly are included here). Many popular rides in Six Flags amusement parks can be used in other scenarios, but are locked from editing. The game also contains a variety of new themes and music for attractions. Players can track and rename guests by clicking on them, and their AI is improved, allowing for the creation of paved areas that would originally confuse park guests in the predecessor game.

All of the scenarios in RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 are available at first launch (which contrasts RollerCoaster Tycoon's unlocking system), and they are divided into five folder tabs: Beginner, Challenging, Expert, Real, and Other parks. The 'Real' tab contains the Six Flags parks preconstructed, while the 'Other' tab contains their empty versions. When creating a scenario, the player can save to any of the tabs.

As with the previous game, players could upload their saved track designs onto the now-defunct 'Ride Exchange.' Track designs from both games can later be imported into RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 where they are no longer locked to the isometric views.

Development

RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 was developed by Chris Sawyer who designed and coded the game entirely alone. His base for the game was claimed to be "99% assembly" in an interview and on his website, that was in development since 1996. The game was then published by Infogrames and first released on October 15, 2002.

Expansions and additional content

Two official expansion packs were released for RollerCoaster Tycoon 2. The first, Wacky Worlds, is a world-themed expansion. All seven continents of the world are featured; each has a unique park entrance, large scenery group, and several attractions themed to it. The second expansion pack, Time Twister, is based on a time theme. It is somewhat similar to Wacky Worlds in that the new scenarios are presented as additions to the existing RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 ones, and that there are several major new themes, each with plenty of new rides, scenery, and a park entrance. Chris Sawyer had no involvement with both expansion packs and were both developed by Frontier Developments.

Reception

Dan Adams of IGN gave Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 an 8/10, praising the game for the addition of the scenario and ride editor, as well as worth in value. Brett Todd of GameSpot gave it a 7/10, praising the game's for the "more depth" audio and its new editors, but criticized the game for not addressing many of the issues of the first game. Greg Bemis of G4 gave the game three stars out of five, praising the game for its improvements in customization but criticized the game for a lack of a sandbox mode. Martin Taylor of Eurogamer praised the game for its inclusion of scenarios based on actual Six Flags parks but criticized the game's outdated graphics, contrasting it to SimCity 4. Taylor also criticized the scenario editor for its outdated tools, preferring that it would have been given away for free for the first game.

A major criticism for RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 at the time of its release was that the game engine and interface were almost identical to the first game, with minor improvements in graphics (e.g. more images for coaster cars, allowing for smoother animations). Nevertheless, the game proved successful and attracted more people to the series, revitalizing the existing fan base. RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 was the most successful game in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series by 2006.