RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Wild!

Genre: Simulation/Strategy
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Frontier Development
Release Date: October 25, 2005

Buy 'ROLLERCOASTER TYCOON 3: Wild!': PC

The RollerCoaster Tycoon series has always been a favorite of mine. Being able to create your own amusement parks from scratch and build it up until everyone in the country wants to visit is a pretty good premise for a game, if you ask me. The third installment in the series added a fully 3D environment and allowed the tycoons to ride their own creations. With the Soaked! expansion, the developers added the ability to create water parks and opened up a whole new spectrum of possibilities, and now with RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Wild!, players can create extreme coasters and interact with animals, sort of like Zoo Tycoon.

Wild! offers up nine new scenarios to play through. Much like the previous game, you have only a handful available at the outset, and a certain level of success within those missions will unlock new ones. These levels are focused on offering up challenges to create a great safari-like experience, or even to recreate a ride similar to that of Jurassic Park, complete with animatronic dinosaurs and everything (thankfully, I experienced none of the "technicalities" from the movie). There is also a jungle theme that lets players employ the use of large insects to wow the patrons.

There are over 20 animals to show off in your safari exhibits; from gorillas to elephants, there are enough of them to make almost any sort of experience for the guests. The animal variety is less impressive here than in the Zoo Tycoon series, and caring for them is not as hands-on. In fact, to care for the animals, you only need to pick from a limited selection of habitats and then choose their food and toys. It doesn't matter what type of foliage you put in their cages, and the animals don't really care if you give them water, which would prove disastrous in any other animal care game, but the main focus here is on the rollercoasters, and the animals are more of an afterthought. (Don't alert PETA.)

You can also play with the animals by tickling them or waking them up for the guests. Park visitors also get a good look at the animals during shows manned by animal tamers. I especially liked the lion exhibit, and apparently, the guests did as well, since my funds swelled after introducing it. You can also change the aspects of the show using the MixMaster feature that lets you change the music and other show variables.

Breeding the animals and trading them with other parks is another interesting aspect of Wild!, but sadly, it is a bit too shallow as well. If you are lucky enough to have your animals breed, then the cash gained from this is another way to fund the park if you are having money troubles.

As with other expansions in the series, there are new rides available in Wild!. Some new thrill rides are in place, and "flat" rides have been introduced. These flat rides are basically just rides that stay on the ground, but they prove invaluable if you want to create a sprawling safari adventure for the guests, or if park visitors want to partake in an elephant ride. There are also some new transportation rides to shuttle the people from one place to the next. No reason to worry where to put these new rides either, or old ones for that matter, as animals do not care to be too close to each other or a rollercoaster. While this might be a bit unrealistic, it does alleviate some of the player's park-planning problems.

While animals escaping might be on the player's mind, it is not really that big of a problem. A bit of chaos is caused when the animals manage to escape, but then a neat mini-game begins, where you fly around in a helicopter trying to shoot the beasts with a tranquilizer gun. It is a nice feature to have, but in all practicality, it is not that enjoyable and is more of a hassle than anything.

One of my favorite features in Wild! is that you can put billboards in your park using custom graphics. My best campaign was to keep the park clean, which involved a large billboard at the entrance of the park featuring a cat with a sniper rifle with the words "Don't Litter!" printed at the bottom. These ad bulletins can entice more visitors to the park and increase your cash flow a bit, which is always useful.

There are also new stores to further fleece the guests, or to help them, as is the case with the core medic station. For the most part, the new shops add life to the park by fitting in with the themes, like a dinosaur-shaped vendor's booth.

If you did not happen to pick up the Soaked! expansion, then you will not have missed out on everything because a few of its features have also been added to this pack, such as water shows. Another welcome feature is the ability to tunnel anywhere you please, whether it be underground, aboveground, or even straight up.

New employees are also available now, such as the animal keeper and the tiger mascot, my favorite from the original RCT. Additionally, you must woo new VIP patrons to help increase your park's reputation.

The graphics are still good, but this expansion offers no graphical upgrades, which the series will need if it wants to keep attracting aspiring park tycoons. The cartoony, light animations are wonderful, and the animals are also well done, which fully fleshes out the look one needs for a wholesome family safari park.

In the RCT series, the audio has always fit well with the goings-on, with screams from the coasters and laughs from the animal shows. I have to say, though, that the game took on a decidedly sinister tone when I thought the sound of a balloon popping was actually the pop of the security guard's pistol when he finally found who had been trashing my benches. Nonetheless, the option to change the music on the majority of the rides is, as always, just one of the many small touches that make this series extraordinary.

Sadly, there is no multiplayer aspect to Wild!, but it is always fun to play the game at the same time as someone else in the house to see who can reach a certain goal faster.

Overall, the RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Wild! expansion is recommended to fans who just can't get enough of the series. The whole new aspect of animals is a welcome addition, but it could definitely do with some more fleshing out. Some changes to the use of tunnels and new rides are also appreciated, but more variety is needed from an expansion in order to consider it absolutely vital.

Score: 7.6/10