I think RCT2 and RCT3 are different enough to both warrant a purchase. RCT1 isn't as much, especially since you can get pretty much all of its scenarios (remade by fans) for RCT2.
While RCT2 may look a lot like RCT1 some of the minute changes that have been made in the game are quite significant, i.e. easily being able to build elevated rides. In RCT1 you have to fall back on raising terrain in order to do that which can get quite annoying. Not to mention RCT2 features a lot more variety in themed rides/items/scenery. RCT2's expansion scenarios make the most of those, and they're all pretty ace.
While I really like RCT3 there are a few things that bug me though:
- Lining up queue/exits to paths on uneven ground can be an exercise in frustration at times. In the previous games everything is based on a more simplistic grid-like construction, so that can't occur in them.
- Guests may be hungry/thirsty and you decide to build food and drink stalls to satisfy their needs, and all of the sudden something like 90% of your visitors will completely ignore your rides, no matter whether they themselves are hungry/thirsty. Watch your income plummet until completely new park visitors show up. *le sigh*
- Since the engine is some eight years old it should run great even on lesser hardware - my Intel HD3000 does a commendable job handling it. Yet even if you have a beefier hardware eventually there is a performance drop the bigger the park becomes. This just doesn't happen in RCT2.
- No keyboard shortcuts for the various menus!! After having gotten used to all the very helpful keyboard shortcuts I used in the first two RCTs, being forced to click through the various menu lists felt a bit dumb. Eventually I got used to minimizing my most-used menu screens (without accidentally closing them again and again), but it could've definitely been better designed.
All in all, RCT 3 is still a great game, but these lacking areas are worth taking into consideration. On the plus side, since it is a complete 3D engine building your coasters or other track-based rides is significantly easier since you're not stuck at a specific angle. That 2D isometric view can screw a bit with my perception in RCT2 at times and paths/ tracks may not line up as one expects. Also, while there are some people who don't care for being able to ride most of their attractions, I love that part of RCT3, especially when my coasters go underground and weave around my other rides. Even the less exciting rides can be fun distractions - I love the big ferris wheel from the Wild! expansion. Another plus would be the abundance of user-created scenarios and items that can be found for RCT3 at places such as RCTgo. There's not as much of that for RCT2.
So yes, I still recommend both of those. But which to play first? It'd be tossup for me. I love RCT2's 2D presentation, and it has aged rather gracefully, like most 2D games of its time. RCT3's engine is starting to show its age, but it's also a rather good-looking game still. I guess I may be the wrong person to answer that question, but at least I hope I was able to give you pointers about what's good and not so good about either one of these games.
Post edited September 22, 2012 by mistermumbles
