Theme Park was released on so many platforms that I don't know which one is considered to be the superior version? Any clue? Also, does anyone know if GOG sells the CD version or floppy version?

I think gameplay wise all the versions were very similar i used to own it on the 3DO which was my favourite version until the i got the PC version which is pretty much the same just better controls.

This is the CD version so it will have all the extras such as better sound and video animations for the rides and the intro sequence.

Im sure i remember playing a console version of this sometime in the 90s which had more rides and stuff, but i doubt its that version

I think I will go dig out my 3DO and make a comparison!

You may be thinking of Sim Theme Park / Theme Park World (PS1): http://www.mobygames.com/game/sim-theme-park/screenshots
..or of course the original which was released on too many platforms to name: http://www.mobygames.com/game/genesis/theme-park/screenshots

If you want to look for differences between formats in sound and graphics, y'tubing the game and hardware is worth a try. I don't think there is any major difference between the formats (provided you play it in high resolution mode on pc). It probably all comes down to whether you preferred playing on joypad or mouse/keyboard. I have the ps1 version and I personally thought it was slightly easier on the two-hand negotiation screens to control via joypad, but I am not having any issues otherwise.

No i was the original theme park

I have tried out every known port and version of Theme Park - my personal Bullfrog favourite. It was one of the most ported games of its time, potentially why it was so successful for Electronic Arse.

So popular and best selling (particularly in Japan where it caused a sensation) the original spawned 2 sequels - Theme Park World (Sim Theme Park) & Theme Park Inc. (Simcoaster) and now a decade after squashing the poor little frog altogether, the E to the Arse are exploiting the casual gaming market with their soulless micro-transaction mobile remake.


Personally the best version for me will always be the original DOS version but it does have annoying elements, bugs and missing features which would be included in later ports on other systems. For instance, restriction on placement of things near the perimeter walls (taken to further annoyance in the Megadrive/Genesis port with Fire Hazard warnings) and although the details window when you select a site to buy lists different terrain such as sand, snow, etc - all the sites in the game world render green grass which was actually rectified in later inferior ports such as the Amiga / Atari versions.


The superior version of the original game in my experience of all the ports for me is the Playstation 1 port (excluding Japanese versions as these were heavily modified so could be seen as a remake).

The PS 1 port has the highest quality sound / music and there is a little discussed or documented feature which allowed you to walk around your park, rendering the paths, rides, shops and features in a very crude (but the first to do so) 3D first person perspective.

This feature went on to become a major part of the sequel - Theme Park World (Sim Theme Park), taking it further by making the previous pre-rendered cut-scenes of the rides obsolete by rendering a 3D fps camera directly on the rides (even custom built rides such as rollercoasters). This engine tech was apparently crafted with help from HP and again was a first for its time.


The ultimate version of Theme Park is the Japanese only remake 'Shin Theme Park' for Playstation 1, note not related to the Sega Saturn version which was just a Japanese modified port of the original.

Shin Tneme Park for PS1 was built from scratch with improved graphics that featured a localised Japanese style and was the first to include lighting effects on all the rides/shops while introducing a day and night time clock. If you can put up with and work out the Japanese menus / controls then it's well worth a try, if you can get hold of it, that is...!

Also, EA Japan (before they disappeared soon after), many years later ported the original DOS version to Nintendo DS, stripping out all the old advisor mechanics replacing him with a modern refresh of several characters while upgrading graphics slightly and adding new ride designs. This could be seen as another superior version or remake but suffers from its own problems / restrictions / control issues on the platform.

That's nice to hear (as long as it's true ;).

Usually when comparing DOS and Amiga versions the Amiga one comes out in front, but unfortunately GOG isn't able to bring Amiga titles due to legal issues.

I think the Sega Genesis version is still the best version out of all of them. The UI was far superior to the PC and the graphics are pretty crisp. It was overall a much better experience than the PC version.

Should anyone be interested, here is a link to the Nintendo DS port of the original Theme Park, selling on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Electronic-Arts-Theme-Park-Nintendo/dp/B000MQ9G0W/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1396291980&sr=8-9&keywords=theme+park

Came out in 2007.

i had the ps1 version. the only difference i recall was that you could navigate your park in a 1st person mode.

For me, the Genesis version has some disadvantages:

- controls: no comparison to the PC version with mouse/keyboard that worked excellent. The Genesis version was too slow to control with the d-pad.
- from a technical point, the Genesis was far away from the PC version: scolling was not really smooth (especially in bigger parks with some sprite glitches), bad music/sound compared to the crisp CD sound
- no stock exchange or merchandise purchase
- no zooming-option and with this, no really good overview over your park

Sadly, there is no Sega Mouse support.

So, all in all, I think the PC version is quite the best version out there, also better than the PSX version (also no mouse support), but I never played the 'Shin Theme Park' version.

Nintendo DS port is quite good but suffers from the same problems you know from other systems like sluggish controls or a poor performance when building bigger parks.

Beside: There was never a patch for the PC version (related to this source) despite of the flaws left in the game... Still, I think, the PC version is really good and can be also a lot of fun if playing with money cheats to choke down the difficulty a bit. Other than that, there is a good starter guide on GameFaqs.

Talk about Sim Theme Park ports got me thinking about how even with a noCD patch, even on far newer computers than what it was prescribed for I would get slowdown. I took a look and saw this was a general complaint of the PC version at least when it came out.

Did any ports of Sim Theme park ever deal with the slowdown problems, even slightly?