2001 · Bullfrog Productions · Business simulation · Simulation

Theme Park Inc

SimCoaster is the third and final game in the Theme Park series. It uses the same graphic engine as the previous game Theme Park World. It is a theme park management game where players build their own theme park and attract as much visitors as possible. This time there are also grandparents of the little visitors who need to be entertained.

Released: 9 February 2001
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Business simulation Simulation Strategy
Developers: Bullfrog Productions
Publishers: Electronic Arts
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Country: United Kingdom
Age ratings: ESRB E
Composers: James Hannigan

About

Theme Park Inc. (known as SimCoaster in the United States and Australia and Theme Park Manager in Germany) is a construction and management simulation video game. It is the final entry in Bullfrog Productions' Theme Park trilogy, following Theme Park (1994) and Theme Park World (1999).

Theme Park Inc. was published by Electronic Arts and was the last game to be developed by Bullfrog before the company's merger with EA UK in 2004.

Keywords

amusement park
management
builder

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player starts out as the assistant manager of a theme park, hired by the president of the company to take over his position. To do this, the player must build and manage a theme park with three unique zones: "Land of Invention", "Polar Zone", and "Arabian Nights". Each zone has unique rides, sideshows and scenery items. The player is guided by the president and his directors, each of whom specialize in a specific area of park management, and is aided by a blue spherical creature named the Advisor who gives the player advice.

The player must hire staff to maintain the park, keep guests happy, and research new items for the player to build. Staff members must be kept well-rested and happy, or they may go on strike.

Reception

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Vincent Lopez of IGN said that the game has a visual charm that similar games, such as RollerCoaster Tycoon, lack. Lopez also said that the game was much improved from Theme Park World, in regards to the interface and advisor system. However, Ron Dulin of GameSpot criticized the game's complicated nature, and said that the goals interfere with its enjoyment. Eric Bratcher of NextGen said, "Like cotton candy dipped in chocolate and then sprinkled with peanuts, SimCoaster takes an established good thing and adds needed substance, though the ingredients don't blend perfectly."

The game sold 290,000 units in the U.S. and earned $5.8 million by August 2006, after its release in February 2001. It was the country's 68th best-selling computer game between January 2000 and August 2006. It also received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 100,000 units in the UK.