I recently re-purchased this game on Steam. I own a disk version, but it's so cheap right now I figured it was worth purchasing, if only for the OSX version.

RCT3 is the third installment of a well-loved and, from my perspective, extremely important franchise. The first two games were landmarks of video gaming, and almost certainly the best of the "Tycoon" series. They were also programmer (in assembly) by one guy, Chris Sawyer. As if that wasn't insane enough, Sawyer also did all the art assets and music. The first two games are unique in that regard, and also unique in the place they hold in many gamers' hearts.

On a more personal level, RCT2 was the first game I ever played on a personal computer. I have a lot of childhood memories behind that game.

This, however, is supposed to be a review of RCT3, not RCT2. Well, fear not: RCT3 is indeed quite a good game. Part of me wants to try and compare it with the others in the franchise, but I think that's a rather pointless endeavor. There's no way I can be objective about it, for one, and the games came out at very different times. I definitely didn't play RCT3 as much as I played RCT2, but that doesn't make it a worse game. In fact, I think I enjoyed creating water parks in this game more than I enjoyed anything in RCT2, although that might be a result of my love of water parks more than any merit of the gameplay itself.

The game is not without problems. Ending waterslides feels weird, and the camera is a bit clunky at times. Some of the coaster types aren't really fun to build, and editing coasters can be a bit awkward if they go underground. Still, the game is pretty fun.

Overall, this is well worth the sale price. If you're interested in building coasters at all, you'll get a solid eight hours out of this game, at a minimium. If you love the franchise, like I do, you'll probably get much more than that.

I recently re-purchased this game on Steam. I own a disk version, but it's so cheap right now I figured it was worth purchasing, if only for the OSX version. RCT3 is the third installment of a well-loved and, from my perspective, extremely important franchise. The first two games were landmarks of video gaming, and almost certainly the best of the "Tycoon" series. They were also programmer (in assembly) by one guy, Chris Sawyer. As if that wasn't insane enough, Sawyer also did all the art assets and music. The first two games are unique in that regard, and also unique in the place they hold in many gamers' hearts. On a more personal level, RCT2 was the first game I ever played on a personal computer. I have a lot of childhood memories behind that game. This, however, is supposed to be a review of RCT3, not RCT2. Well, fear not: RCT3 is indeed quite a good game. Part of me wants to try and compare it with the others in the franchise, but I think that's a rather pointless endeavor. There's no way I can be objective about it, for one, and the games came out at very different times. I definitely didn't play RCT3 as much as I played RCT2, but that doesn't make it a worse game. In fact, I think I enjoyed creating water parks in this game more than I enjoyed anything in RCT2, although that might be a result of my love of water parks more than any merit of the gameplay itself. The game is not without problems. Ending waterslides feels weird, and the camera is a bit clunky at times. Some of the coaster types aren't really fun to build, and editing coasters can be a bit awkward if they go underground. Still, the game is pretty fun. Overall, this is well worth the sale price. If you're interested in building coasters at all, you'll get a solid eight hours out of this game, at a minimium. If you love the franchise, like I do, you'll probably get much more than that.