Stern
RollerCoaster Tycoon Pinside Rating
This game received 159 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.196 /10
RollerCoaster Tycoon
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 7.365
Artwork: 7.092
Sounds/Music: 6.527
Other Aspects: 7.384
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 3 of us have rated this game.
Found 84 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 84 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 4.
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8.408/10
44 days ago
Portland, OR
I got this game off Craigslist because the price was really good. I am an EM guy, I must confess. I mention this because everything about this game seems high tech as heck. The one I found is basically brand new, so everything works wonderfully, which has a lot to do with my review, but man...it is so fun. The ramps alone are great, but you have to study it for a while to understand how to actually score big on this game. A quality I really appreciate, coming from a collection where scoring 1k turns on a light instead of a reel. It has so many cool nooks and crannies around the playfield that are a real delight. I have read other reviews about rules and animations and such not being great, but I have no complaints. I love it, my 9 year old LOVES it (and is oddly GOOD at it) and it feels really special to have a well designed and engaging pin in my collection. I will probably always have it as one of my few SS machines.
7.705/10
2 years ago
Grimsby, ON
I always liked playing RCT in the wild for a game or two. I got the chance to pick one up. And it's a fantastic and super fun playing game. Yes, the rules are pretty shallow. Basically a multiball only game. Like 90s Segas. But it shoots fantastic. And every shot when you make it, from any of the 4 flippers feels good. And there are lots of satisfying "thunks" and rail noises.
Just all around pinball fun. Super underated. Because I can't think of a game I would trade it for, in the same price that's as good, or as fun
Just all around pinball fun. Super underated. Because I can't think of a game I would trade it for, in the same price that's as good, or as fun
6.789/10
2 years ago
I know a lot of tournament players crap on this game and rightfully so.
But, if you're playing this game causally I think its a lot of fun. Its a fun layout and shoots smooth. Lots of different flippers and things to aim for and plenty of fun ramps.
Its a fun game.
But, its not really a looker. I don't care for the theme. The art is serviceable in the theming, but I just don't care for it. There are no real toys in it. The troll doll doesn't count. The callouts and animations are nice and do help provide energy to the game.
About the code. I know I watched a whole Papa tutorial about the game and figured out the flaw in the game code, but I can't remember what it was. If I was in a tourny and it was in it, I'd watch that video. But, just playing with my friends or family there is no need.
I like the game and I think the theme is family friendly. Would I have it in my house. No... I rather have almost any other lawlor machine. But, I think it would be nice enough in a non-hardcore players home.
Flawed game, but still a fun game.
But, if you're playing this game causally I think its a lot of fun. Its a fun layout and shoots smooth. Lots of different flippers and things to aim for and plenty of fun ramps.
Its a fun game.
But, its not really a looker. I don't care for the theme. The art is serviceable in the theming, but I just don't care for it. There are no real toys in it. The troll doll doesn't count. The callouts and animations are nice and do help provide energy to the game.
About the code. I know I watched a whole Papa tutorial about the game and figured out the flaw in the game code, but I can't remember what it was. If I was in a tourny and it was in it, I'd watch that video. But, just playing with my friends or family there is no need.
I like the game and I think the theme is family friendly. Would I have it in my house. No... I rather have almost any other lawlor machine. But, I think it would be nice enough in a non-hardcore players home.
Flawed game, but still a fun game.
8.388/10
3 years ago
Played the computer game a LOT in college, so when one of these became for sale locally, I had to pick it up. I think it's a great game for kids with fun, bright colors, and a neat theme. I know some people don't think this is a good machine, but I think it's solid.
6.189/10
3 years ago
I'm not sure how they took a great theme and made it boring, but they did. The layout slows everything down such that at times the ball simply trickles down the playfield. The colorful ramps don't really add any excitement. This is a game I want to enjoy, but find the whole thing boring.
The troll doll in the dunk tank is possibly the most out of place toy in pinball history.
The troll doll in the dunk tank is possibly the most out of place toy in pinball history.
6.924/10
4 years ago
Fun game, too easy on the standard settings so I set ours to extra hard to make it a challenge. It’s our first pin, but can see it being traded in the future.
8.784/10
5 years ago
I'm a big fan of the PC game. I played the heck out of it. For the pin, I was looking for a family game that had a lot of fun factor. Something that would delight non-pinheads to come up and give it a spin. RCT does the trick.
The layout and wireforms are top notch. The game is packed. The play is pretty great.
Wasn't looking for a deep ruleset, and i'm not a competitive pinball player. That may be why I love this game.
The layout and wireforms are top notch. The game is packed. The play is pretty great.
Wasn't looking for a deep ruleset, and i'm not a competitive pinball player. That may be why I love this game.
Wakefield
9.360/10
5 years ago
Rollercoaster Tycoon is a really fun pinball! I might be a little biased, because I was a huge fan of the PC games. However, as a pinball game, it really works well!
There are several ramps that are colored to look like rollercoasters, including one that goes over the flippers. The flow of the game is really good, and there are 4 flippers to make all of the shots.
The game modes can get a little repetitive, but they are fun - at least for a while!
Scoring is one complaint that a lot of people have on this game, but it doesn't really bother me. I don't need games to score hundreds of millions to be a "good game". I believe the default replay value on this game is 10,000,000, so that should tell you something.
The sounds and music definitely fit the theme. The troll yelling at you in fun, and like any other game (at least for me) can be tuned out while playing if it's a little annoying.
Overall, I think this is a great game - I think of it more as a standalone carnival/theme park game and not so much the "Based of the PC game" gimmick.
There are several ramps that are colored to look like rollercoasters, including one that goes over the flippers. The flow of the game is really good, and there are 4 flippers to make all of the shots.
The game modes can get a little repetitive, but they are fun - at least for a while!
Scoring is one complaint that a lot of people have on this game, but it doesn't really bother me. I don't need games to score hundreds of millions to be a "good game". I believe the default replay value on this game is 10,000,000, so that should tell you something.
The sounds and music definitely fit the theme. The troll yelling at you in fun, and like any other game (at least for me) can be tuned out while playing if it's a little annoying.
Overall, I think this is a great game - I think of it more as a standalone carnival/theme park game and not so much the "Based of the PC game" gimmick.
5.922/10
6 years ago
“Hey Buddy! Hit me!” Ahhhh……that adorable little troll doll. LOL! I always looked past this machine on location. I just never took it seriously. Is this a pinball machine or a gumball machine? I was dropping my kids off at a movie theater one day and I went inside to play their Demo Man. To my disappointment RCT was sitting in its place. I put some quarters in and had an awesome time playing it. I liked it so much that I actually bought one for myself. Let’s just say that it didn’t last a long in my collection, but I still have a soft spot for the machine. Let’s cover the good and then we will cover the bad. This machine has a lot of shots! I counted 28 to be exact. If you are a shooter and you like to hit targets, this will keep you busy. I love ramps! If you love ramps, you have three of them in this game, not including a VUK that feeds a very cool wireframe that goes to the top of the glass and then loops behind the flippers. The LED dot matrix display on the playfield also gives a nice touch to the look of the game. If you setup this game with the correct LEDs, the light show can be pretty decent. Especially when you hit “The Scrambled Egg”. That shot makes a pretty cool light show that is satisfying when you hit it. I found the goofy repetitive music slightly charming. The audio cues add carnival fun. The organ, the screams, etc. Let’s get to the bad. The rules and scoring are absolute dog $#@%! Yes, you have plenty of targets, but hitting them has to be your satisfaction, because you aren’t going to see the payoff on the scoreboard. In addition, this is a very low scoring game. Don’t expect to see big multipliers with big bonuses. When you hear the little troll dude say “BIG BONUS!!” you look at the screen in disbelief wondering WTH just happened. There are only six modes and as others have noted, two of them are the same! Huh? Instead of doing another Dunk the Dummy, they should have done a Super Joy Ride that would have incorporated all of the rollercoaster ramp and VUK shots. One major disappoint was when I had all of the multipliers lit up and then I completed Park Tycoon. I was waiting for my BIG BONUS! Well….I think the big bonus is tied to the number people in your amusement park, but after you complete Park Tycoon it resets the number of visitors to zero…so when you get your bonus after completing the wizard mode, it’s just a big THUD! The artwork is…well….pretty much hideous. You remember those little golden books when you were a kid? Yeah….it pretty much looks like that. I have always loved Circus/Carnival themed things and perhaps that is why despite all of its flaws I still enjoyed his game and played it many, many times. I just thought it was FUN! The layout of his game has so much potential. Such a missed opportunity. Strangely I sometimes miss this little oddball machine and would even consider purchasing one sometime down the road. How sick is that? For the average novice that just want a cool machine in their basement for house guests, this isn’t a bad choice, but serious players will find little to love here.
6.547/10
6 years ago
I’m a fan of the rollercoaster tycoon video games so I enjoy the theme on the game quite a bit and it was incorporated quite well. The troll is out of place for sure but it doesn’t bother me. The layout is a bit unique with 3 ramps and an upper flipper shot that leads to a habitrail that goes below the flippers which is cool. The biggest downfall of this game is the rules. There are only 6 modes and 2 of them are the exact same with slightly different scoring. The remaining 4 are nothing special either. I’ve owned the game for a few months now and I can get to the wizard mode almost every game with standard setting. Just not very deep or interesting code..
5.954/10
6 years ago
The terrible ruleset combined with a mediocre theme really kill this one. The playfield layout is nice with tons of vaired shots, unfortunately there is usually no reason to shot for many of them. I had one on loan in my gameroom for free and I still wanted it gone after a couple of weeks because it is such as one trick pony. If this layout had a classic Tron theme over it with the colored wireforms as light cycle shots it would be a HUGE winner. It's a shame that a feature packed playfield like this was given such poor code. The one thing it certainly does have going for it is that it is very family friendly and approachable for novice players.
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