Graphics and Sound

New Theme, Same Rides

SimCoaster uses Direct 3D and allows a resolution up to 1024x768. In "camcorder" mode (just like SimThemePark) you can ride roller coasters and walk around through the eyes of a visitor. You can take snapshots of your park to turn them into email-able postcards, in case you want to brag about your mad amusement park building skills.

Shark tank ride

Random vent

The overhead build view does not feature a free camera. You can rotate your view clockwise and counter-clockwise, but when you zoom in the camera pans up. It sounds trivial, but this camera panning haunts you by blocking objects you want to click on(more on that later).

Bullfrog cut corners with the people in the park. They're 2D sprites with only a handful of animations. Walking around the park in camcorder mode shows how cheap the graphics are - people are blocky, pixilated and blurry. They even used the same graphics from SimThemePark for characters like the janitor and the kids. That's ghetto. You're making a new game, why not make new graphics while you're at it?

Lose your lunch

He contemplates the hotdog

The 3D rides look much better than the people. They stay with the exaggerated, cartoon-like style Bullfrog is known for. For example the Freefaller ride in the Land of Invention sits people in a cart between two large poles. As the ride starts you see that this is actually an enormous Jacob's Ladder. The cart is tossed around by electricity, complete with screaming riders. It defies the laws of physics, but it looks cool. I like the style of spoofing real-world attractions. They're crazy enough to wish I could ride on some of them.

Get used to the sound of vomit

Sound effects and music in SimCoaster are average. Nothing sticks out to separate SimCoaster from other PC games. Luckily the helper guy (it's a blue ball with a face and a woman's voice) isn't annoying, although it repeats itself a lot. You can hear roller coaster riders screaming during a fall, but that's about it. The only remarkable sound effect is the wonderful sound of a visitor puking after a jarring ride.

A sled ride

A gardener

SimCoaster could benefit from more sound effects. The sound effects don't give you any feedback on how well your park is performing. For example, the only clue you get that a ride is breaking is when it actually breaks down and closes itself. Unless you're constantly checking the upkeep of each attraction from the menus, it's damn near impossible to catch a breakdown before it happens. If they threw in a creaking or cracking noise if you pan close to a ride in disrepair, it could clue you in on its state. Subtle additions like that could push SimCoaster to a great game, but it sorely lacks any additions of the type.