"Making a sequel to a hit game is tricky business. If you simply rehash the original, fans will complain that it's more of the same. But if you change too much, you risk losing what made the original special. The RollerCoaster Tycoon series stands as good evidence of these potential pitfalls. The first game quietly debuted in 1999, only to become a huge success that spawned countless imitators. But the series stumbled with RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, which was deemed by fans to be too much like the first game. That brings us to RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, the newest game in the series. In many ways, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is the sequel we've been waiting for--the one that updates the gameplay and graphics to modern-day standards. Yet while RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 delivers on those promises, its potential is undermined by some glaring bugs." ~Jason Ocampo, Gamespot
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Source: Hyper, December 2004 (#134) || Internet Archive; Bobinator
Frontier Developments has officially announced Planet Zoo 2, bringing back its popular zoo management series with a new generation of animal care, park building, and simulation systems. The sequel aims to expand on the foundation of the original game, which earned a dedicated following through its detailed animal behavior, conservation themes, and extensive customization options.
According to the announcement, players will once again be responsible for designing habitats, managing staff, caring for animals, and balancing the financial side of running a successful zoo. Frontier is also promising new features and improvements that build on lessons learned from years of updates and community feedback on the first game.
The original Planet Zoo became one of the most successful modern management sims, attracting players who enjoyed both the creative sandbox aspects and the challenge of operating a complex wildlife park. With a sequel now confirmed, fans are eager to see how far Frontier can push the simulation and building tools beyond what was already considered one of the genre's strongest entries.
Comment:
Management game sequels always have an unusual challenge: players don't just want more content, they want smarter systems. If Planet Zoo 2 can make the animals, staff, and parks feel even more alive without overwhelming players, it could end up becoming another long-term obsession for simulation fans.
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition physical edition announced for PS5, Switch - Gematsu
Publisher Atari and developer Frontier Developments will release a physical edition of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition for PlayStation 5 and Switch on March 6, 2026 for $29.99, the publisher announced. Pre-orders are available now at the Atari.com and participating retailers.
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition is currently available digitally for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.
Here is an overview of the game, via Atari:
Build the park of a lifetime and rediscover the critically-acclaimed, 3D rollercoaster sim. Feel the thrill of a genre-defining classic, complete with two huge expansion packs. Whatever you want to create, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 gives you the tools and freedom to build the park of your dreams with over 300 coasters and rides, 500 scenery pieces, 60 shops and services, and 20 animals to rear and raise.
Control park finances, shops, services, and staff to succeed in dozens of scenarios to become a true tycoon in career mode, or create your ideal park without money woes in sandbox mode.
Satisfy your guests’ needs and keep your park running smoothly to succeed. Create your own guests with the Peep Designer, and experience your theme park creations through their eyes with the CoasterCam. You can even wow your visitors with custom laser light and firework displays using MixMaster.
This complete edition includes all content from both the Soaked! and Wild! expansion packs. Relish the added challenge of creating and managing exhilarating waterparks and spectacular animal habitats.
I recently watched Aardman's new feature film, Vengeance Most Fowl, which is a follow-up to the plot of 1993's The Wrong Trousers, the second Wallace and Gromit short. But did you know that there was already a sequel in 2003, in the form of a video game by British studio Frontier Developments (mostly known for their theme park simulation games)? It's true! Anyway, I played it.
The plot is slight but makes for a decent W&G premise. The duo are visiting the zoo for the birthday of Archie the infant polar bear, who they have a connection to through the zoo's sponsorship program. But oh no! Feathers McGraw, the penguin criminal mastermind incarcerated at this selfsame zoo, has taken over and has enslaved the animals, including Archie, to further his schemes. As you make your way through the increasingly industrialised zoo enclosures (and secret underground mines), you must free the animals and ultimately foil Feathers.
The game world has a nice cartoonish vibe that fits the tone of the claymation shorts, including the dark and shadowy parts. The characters and animation don't look particularly clay-like but they're on-model; the staff evidently invested a lot of polygon budget in making the major players nice and rounded, and the other animals are delightfully Aardman-esque. Along the way Wallace has plenty of amusing blather, voiced as always [until he retired] by Peter Sallis. Feathers has some fun mechs and machines that fill in as boss encounters, while basic enemy types are an assortment of animalistic robots, animal collaborators, and the occasional zookeeper (which are also revealed to be robots). What happened to the actual zookeepers is not explored.
The game plays out as a puzzle/exploration 3D platformer, with the player taking control of Gromit (ie. the competent one). Wallace follows along almost like Yorda in Ico; you can call him, and occasionally have to guard or guide him out of peril. He's needed to fix various contraptions to enable progress, although it's mostly just repairing panels to open doors. He does come up with weapons for Gromit at key points, silly G-rated things like a turnip launcher and porridge gatling. You also find a torch, fire extinguisher, etc. although oddly two slots on the weapon wheel are never filled and remain blank at the end of the game.
Apart from the weapons, Gromit has a surprising number of moves. A crouch jump, Mario 64-style side flip, a wall rebound thing that I never found a use for, as well as basic combat moves including a breakdancing spin kick. He can cling onto ledges which I always love to see. There's also a roll that gives you a bit more horizontal speed and chain into a long jump, but it's tricky to use effectively. There's not a huge call for this expansive moveset within the level design, though.
The levels vary in structure, which is interesting. The first world in the elephants' jungle enclosure is a set of three mini-hub style stages, like compact Banjo-Kazooie worlds with a lot of verticality. The mine, lava, and factory stages that follow are a bit more linear, although there is still plenty of branching and overlapping. The polar bears' icy zone was my favourite, an open and expansive playground. The game then ends with a very on-rails obstacle course, with lots of "save Archie from the timed hazards" going on. Between levels are boss fights and vehicle sections, some of which play out as rail shooters or an Asteroids-style fight against a submarine.
It's all impressively solid considering this is Frontier's first game of this type. And maybe I'm just projecting because they're British, but I got some Rare vibes from this game at times. From the BK-lite structure and Gromit's coin-nabbing celebration animations to a slightly Star Fox Adventures soundtrack, to minor things like the health bar mimicking Conker's Bad Fur Day's chocolate squares but with crackers, the DK64-style giant keyboard activity, and the boat-mounted turnip cannon having googly eyes for no reason. There's even a Donkey Kong homage with a barrel-throwing gorilla!
Otherwise there's some nice touches in here, like not having a life counter, widescreen support (not a guarantee in 2003), and the collectibles unlocking clips from The Wrong Trousers to view (as well as a short behind-the-scenes documentary). Sure the camera is janky but that's to be expected from games of this vintage. And because it's a 3D platformer from the early 2000s, there is of course a slide section. I think these were mandated by the government in this era. After this game, Frontier got brought back to do the tie-in game for Curse of the Were-Rabbit, but this one interested me more for its unique story and I wasn't disappointed. Like the Wallace & Gromit shorts and films themselves, it was a nice pleasant experience.
