This is a review of Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic. But there is no talking about RTC Classic without talking about Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Complete(RTC 3), also for the Switch. First, a history lesson. When the original Rollercoaster Tycoon(RTC 1) was released in 1999, it was a big deal. It was fun and deep, though the big complaint was a lack of sandbox mode. I know, because I had that complaint. Then 3 years later, Rollercoaster Tycoon 2(RTC 2) was released. It was a virtually identical sequel, and the luster began to fade quickly. There was still no sandbox mode, because the developer, Chris Sawyer, had a vision. Then something happened and Atari yanked the series away and gave it to Frontier Creations, who released RTC 3 in 2004, and that game curb stomped RTC 1 + 2 into the ground. It was in full 3D and had a sandbox mode! In fact, the game was so good, Frontier’s Planet Coaster was basically an upgrade of RTC 3. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. So this leaves us with Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic.
Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic
In the interest of brevity, I’ll assume you are somewhat familiar with the games in the series and not get nitty-gritty in the details, or I’ll be here all day. So anyways, Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic is a mashup of the first two games, with all the scenarios built in. You’re given a skeleton of a park, and you have to build it up to a certain amount of guests with a certain parking in a time limit. Money is limited and must be earned. The game play is smooth and refined and is as good today as it was in 1999. The controls have been modified for controllers, though there are no touch-screen controls. For building coasters, I suggest building them in the designer, then saving them(the save design button is in the coaster menu with the stopwatch button). Then you import the coaster into the park you want it in. This is because you cannot pause while building coaster for some reason. Chris Sawyer’s Vision, I guess. So this leaves us with the literal Elephant in the room.
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 Complete
The problem with RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic isn’t the game itself, it is good. Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Complete is just better. Full 3d, pause while constructing coasters, coaster cam, a full sandbox mode and much more. The reviews of RTC 3 on Switch complain about the controls,. I think they’re fine, though they take some getting used to them. In my humble opinion, RTC 3 lets you do better stuff than RTC Classic. The stuff I created in RTC 3 over the years was jaw dropping, like a lightning fast sci-fi themed coaster with FaceMelter as the ride theme(you don’t have customs MP3s on the Switch in either game though). My greatest coaster was a complete medieval castle hosting a gigantic steel coaster called DemonFire. You just cannot get the same level of detail in Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic, and its disappointing.
Conclusion
If this were a review of Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Complete, this would get a Must Play with a ten back-end score. The game is in my top five games of all time. But this is a review of Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic, with RTC 3 as the foil. So it gets a Recommended with an eight back-end score. There is really nothing wrong here. It is good for what it is. Just when buying this, consider what you are getting and decide. I think people who grew up with RTC 1 + 2 would get more of a kick out of this. Younger folks will like Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Complete a lot more.
Overall: Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic is a good mashup of two classic games. Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Complete is just a better game.
Verdict: Recommended
| Release Date | 12/5/24 |
| Cost | $24.99 |
| Publisher | Atari |
| ESRB Rating | E |
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Joseph Choi
Yeah, I basically see no reason to get RTC Classic when you can just play RCT 3. And I doubt that it would be nearly as smooth to play on a controller as with a KB+M.
Zom
Yep. What Choi said.