Wait...there's a decent Rollercoaster Tycoon for mobile?

Front Page Discussion
#1

Originally published at: http://statelyplay.com/2017/01/11/wait-theres-a-decent-rollercoaster-tycoon-for-mobile/

One of the greatest memories I have of my Good Ol’ DaysTM working at Pocket Tactics occurred in 2014 when Owen went apoplectic regarding Atari’s botched release of RollerCoaster Tycoon 4. Seriously, go read his review. It’s a beautiful thing. Not only did RCT4 fail to bring a fascinating simulation to mobile, it basically became the face of the free-to-play downfall of the App Store. Here was a classic title with promise that was retooled to wring as much cash out of players as possible, fun be damned.

I had given up on seeing a decent RCT game ever make its way to mobile but then this week I spotted something else over at our old digs. A five-star review for something called RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic. What the hell?

RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic takes the original RCT and RCT2 and lumps them together into a Universal app that, apparently, actually works on mobile devices. Everything I’ve been reading about the app makes it sound like it’s 1999 all over again, with nary a free-to-play gimmick in sight.

The game is $6, and there is some IAP to be had but it earns you new content, not currency. There are 3 expansion packs available, Wacky Worlds, Time Twister, and the Toolkit which allows you to build new coasters, rides, and customize your parks.

I’m still cautious about anything that combines RCT and Atari on a touchscreen, but I’m close to hitting the buy button on this one. If any of you have already been building miniature theme parks with this one, let us know in the comments. If you haven’t, maybe now’s the time to start.

https://youtu.be/5d9Fe7XUa1c
#2

I have this and it works pretty well on the iPad. There was initially an error with the iCloud sync that caused it to crash on load, but if you blocked iCloud access to it you could get by that. I believe this has been patched.

The controls work, though they are slightly fiddly so it is a bit easy to mess up. I am not sure if there is an undo, because it really needs one, maybe just for me because I am clumsy. It is very faithful port, and if you have the patience you can recreate your RCT glory days. For me, as with Heroes of Might and Magic III, from the same era, I really wanted this to appear. I now have both, and they are faithful, and work on my iPad but I don’t feel inclined to play them. Nostalgia is weird that way.