RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic

Arguably the best RollerCoaster sim series has come to Nintendo Switch in the form of RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic and it's great stuff.

Back in the 90s, games were games. We didn’t need 1080p, 60 FPS, flimity-flamity – we had pixels and by God, we liked it. Games were simpler but they were fun. Take RollerCoaster Tycoon – we kids would gather around the old Personal Computer and have a ball, just laying out our theme park, collecting revenue and loving it. And now, we can relive those glory days once again, with RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic. Even after all these years, its simple, addictive formula still holds up and will have you glued to your PC just like the first time around.

Yes, the core gameplay of building rides, adjusting prices, etc is all Roller Coaster Tycoon is. But I think this is a game you can get dozens of hours of enjoyment from if you enjoy something that rewards experimentation and trying new things. There are a few issues like the pathfinding for staff can be somewhat finicky, the game does chug quite a bit when you zoom out, the controls could definitely use some work, but I think Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic is a great game that I hope leads to something more in the future.

RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic maintains its crown as the lord of all theme park management sims. Despite not supporting touchscreen inputs at all for some bizarre reason, and sudden performance dips when zooming out, the move to Nintendo Switch is a great one. With smartly-designed controls and that timeless RCT gameplay (vertical) loop (right) completely intact, the best way to play this classic in your living room TV might, ironically, be Nintendo’s handheld hybrid.

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RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic is a little bumpy and not particularly well-built for the Switch, but ultimately this classic ride is still a lot of fun.