RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition

Even if RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 hasn’t aged as gracefully as its predecessors, there’s plenty of fun to be had. If you still have the original and can run it fine, you don’t need to buy it again. But if you’re someone who never got to play it, can’t run Planet Coaster, and miss the old school approach to the Tycoon genre, the Complete Edition is a neat relic to a bygone era of gaming. Just be prepared for some outdated features and a shockingly small UI.

Besides the release of the underwhelming RollerCoaster Tycoon Adventures a few years ago, we haven’t heard a lot of news from the classic theme park creator franchise, especially ever since they were purchased by Atari. The announcement of a re-release of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, with all previously released DLC, surprised me for a multitude of reasons. First of all, it was coming out not only for PC (which is the version we’re tackling), but also the Nintendo Switch. Second, it was being ...

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition is a nostalgic trip down amusement park lane that feels every bit its age.

Overall, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is a great game, but not on Nintendo Switch. The controls are too difficult and not well optimized for a console experience. The menus are hard to navigate and park customization is difficult to do using only buttons when it is so clearly meant for the finesse of a mouse and keyboard.

Overall, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition is in no way a bad experience, but it isn't a particularly great one either. Though veteran players may find great joy in returning to this classic, new players will probably have a completely different experience. The game's expansive Career Mode and in-depth mechanics are undermined by its failure to teach players and the overly complicated control scheme. Players should consider getting RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition only if they are veterans to the franchise, enjoy resource management in gaming, or are newcomers that have a desire t...