Thrillville: Off the Rails

Just thought I would post for those who haven't heard where this doomed game series is headed.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/801/801340p1.html

At least they have given up on trying to make things realistic (since they were bad at it anyway).

"The coasters players build in Thrillville aren't bound to the laws of physics (or potential lawsuits) real-world rides are."

Yikes! So much for re-living the real thing!

Looks like something the kids would dig. I guess I'll add it to the already long list of Wii games I need to score for the holidays.

Here's the official site if anyone cares. :)

It looks a lot better then the first one.

For anyone with an XBOX 360, the demo has been up for about a week on Xbox Live. I'm kinda torn. I usually like realistic simulations, but I have to admit, the jump gaps and other weird things that they have in there are kinda fun to play around with. It is a little annoying to have to deal with the constraints of building in the limited areas and around things you can't destroy. On the other hand, I like a challenge and the permanent scenery gives a nice look to the park that isn't achievable with the building block approach of RCT.

As a side note, the mini games are pretty fun (I love the Bumper Car one) with good music tracks, including some recent licensed pop music and custom stuff.

But we're here to play coasters, not mini games, right? So how do they fair? Well... there's no visible lift chain or brakes on them, but they behave (and sound) like there are. The track pieces are fairly easy to work with, and a quick squeeze on the 360's controller trigger will bank the track for you. Another button brings up all the special pieces in an easy to understand rotating menu. In fact, the menus are a refreshing change to the sometime hard to use ones on RCT3. They are very fast and easy to use.

Something else that is really neat is that if you just stand in one spot for awhile, the game will go into an attract mode sequence showing both real time on-ride and off ride visuals from around your park.

Now for the really bad parts... I don't know what it is with Frontier and their programing of peeps when it comes to riding coasters. AGAIN coasters are the least ridden objects in the park. You practically have to beg people to ride them. Meanwhile, they line up for the mini-games and most of the carnival rides with reckless abandon. Totally contrary to a real park. The only way I was able to get a line at all on one of my coasters was to have the track end in mid air and have the ride crash. The peeps will float down gently with their parachutes (where did those come from?) giving a birds eye view of the park that you can't seem to get any other way.

But my most negative comment on the game is the camera. I don't know how the full version or other platforms will be, but in the 360 demo, I was fighting the camera CONSTANTLY to get it where I wanted to look. Also, sometimes while building things, it would shift behind a solid object forcing me to move it. Oh...and all the people that complained in RCT3 about peeps walking though each other? Gee...thanks. Now instead they bump into you constantly which also nudges the camera when you are just trying to watch something. I want to pull my hair out with these camera problems.

I long for the day when we have a new realistic coaster sim game again, but until then, this is what we get. It's not a totally horrid game, and if it wasn't for the camera problems I would have a lot more fun with it. But it would be nice to have a decent working RCT3 type game someday....soon please.

I've been playing Thrillville: Off The Rails almost every weekend since I bought it back in October (I have it for PlayStation 2). I have one more park to beat, which I believe is called "Holidayville", and also seems to be the most difficult. Anyway, the main thing I don't like about Thrillville: Off The Rails as well as the original Thrillville, is the lack of realism in the coasters, such as no visible lift chain, hills as well as inversions becoming "lifts" if built too high for trains to negotiate on their own (a la Sim Theme Park), twisting lift hills, especially on wooden coasters, and of coarse, the peeps floating down on their parachutes when a coaster flies off the track. I agree with Coasterbuf, I hope another RCT3 type game will soon be released, whether for PC or TV game console.

Apparently the game should also come with this warning label:

"WARNING: THIS GAME IS FOR FUN ONLY"

Lack of realism? One can't really complain about the product in that way when the goal of the company was not to create a product with realism in mind.

I ranted a while ago on what a P.O.S. the first one was when it came out. Now they think they have a draw to get people to buy another one just because you can jump the trains?

Fool me once...

The first Thrillville is a greatest seller. Is that another way of saying "not selling well so we lowered the price and put a pretty gold label on it saying it sold well"? It seems like a lot of games do this.

*** Edited 12/12/2007 6:27:38 PM UTC by gomez***

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Lord Gonchar said:
Looks like something the kids would dig. I guess I'll add it to the already long list of Wii games I need to score for the holidays.

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So I did score a copy for the holidays and here's my take. :)

good game for the wii... Very good mini-games. I think the coaster design is also great... Some people do not like that the game doesnt look 'real' but its a kick butt game in my books. I like how the game is set up, (not like rct3) you have to have a variety of games, if it was the same thing or almost the same, what's the sense of buying it? eh.

I like the starting music too.. T-H-R-I-L-L VILLE thrillville.... hahah.. it's soo good..

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I like the starting music too.. T-H-R-I-L-L VILLE thrillville....

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LOL! Thanks for sticking that one back in my head. Arrrgh!

O:) No problem

You must admit.. it is an addicting start up for the game.