Thrillville: Off the Rails

If managing and operating a theme park has always been your dream, Thrillville for the original Xbox was one way of living out your fantasy. It not only allowed you to design the park anyway you like but you could also come up with your own roller coaster design and add that to the various attractions you can drag and drop into the park. You could even use all the attractions yourself and chat up all your park guests. Thrillville: Off the Rails has come to the Xbox 360 with a few new attractions and while the park remains relatively the same there is still enough here to show you a really good time.

Once again, the game’s single-player game finds you picking a kid or teen avatar (naming him or her and mix and matching hairstyles and clothing options) then starting your new career as theme park manager. You see, your eccentric but brilliant Uncle Mortimer (who bares a striking resemblance to Doc Brown from the Back to the Future movies) needs your help keeping his theme park more kid and teen friendly so who other than a teenager can help him accomplish this goal, right? Your zany uncle even asks you to come up with some new designs for his Whoa Coaster line so not only do you have your hands full designing the theme park’s various areas but you’ll also have to come up with roller coaster designs and keeping your park visitors happy. 

Luckily for us, your duties as a theme park designer and manager is actually a fun one. If you didn’t play the original game, don’t worry because Off the Rails has a quick crash course in all the major aspects of running Thrillville from hiring staff (entertainers, mechanics and groundskeepers) to deciding where to place concession stands and bathroom stalls. Unlike most theme park simulator games, though, almost everything you do leads to a fun mini-game. Hire a groundskeeper, for example, and his “training” requires you to take control of said groundskeeper and play a mini-game where the object is to clean the park by sucking in garbage by way of a powerful vacuum and clean up upchuck using a cleaning spray. Entertainers (who are basically cheerleaders) get the park visitors pumped up by completing a dance routine composed of a timed musical mini-game.

Thrillville is separated in sections much like most real family theme parks but you will mostly always find yourself concentrating on one specific area at a time instead of making changes to the entire park at once. There are various empty spots where you can bring up the park menu screen and add park rides, games and other park necessities such as food and drink stands as well as a souvenir stand. If you let your avatar stand still you’ll hear park visitors wonder where a restroom is or why there’s no place to purchase coffee so you can make adjustments to the areas that lack these things. The only time the game dives into the business phase is when you are asked to track your sales figures, come up with better ways to promote the park and meet and greet with theme park critics. Critics are new to the series, adding a new element that will have you trying to cater to their needs in order to get a better review and sometimes (in the case of critic Moe Potts) you’ll even hand out bribes. The business end of the game seldom gets too technical and it’s never too simplistic for those who like that aspect of a simulator.

There’s even more interaction with the public in this game, oftentimes wrapping you up in side plots that have you trying to figure out why an army of robots invaded the park or what is going on with one particular ride. Like the first game, you can stop and chat with anyone and you can even flirt or learn what people hate about the park to make necessary adjustments. You can also play matchmaker, setting up likeminded visitors together to ensure that they’ll come back as a couple … cha-ching, extra money in the bank, as they say.

Yet the real fun comes in the games and attractions you set up for your park. There are a little over 30 games you can use in your park, many of them an homage to arcade classics from a number of gaming genres. If you like racing there’s everything from carts to RC racers and if you like first-person shooters there are a few good ones here (one or two from the original as well). There are flight combat simulators that range from one that feels like Crimson Skies to arcade flight combat games that play like 1942. There’s even a fun beat ‘em up called Bandito Chinchilla (where you play a chinchilla trying to rescue his kidnapped sister by defeating a number of bad critters). Excitebike fans will certainly like Stunt Rider and there’s even a great game of miniature golf as well as a decent game of billiards.

Building your own roller coaster is back and this time there are the new Whoa Coasters that defy realism to create some truly off-beat rides. The track editor allows you to twist and turn the tracks; setting them up anyway you like to create neat loops or dips that allow you to free fall. Strangely enough, there’s even an option that will allow you to cause a roller coaster accident (incidentally, this doesn’t lead to the inevitable tragedy and law suits). Still, designing your own ride is still done nicely and in the end you can even test out the ride with your favorite park visitor.

Making its return is the Party Play mode that allows you to play any of the mini-games with up to four friends on a single console. This does make for a great party game since many of the games featured in the game have multiplayer written all over them whether it’s the rock-’em-sock-’em-robots game or the Vendor Tender puzzle game. What won’t sit well with gamers is the fact that you can’t take these games online but at least you can share coaster rides with friends and there’s some downloadable content on the way.

Another major gripe just so happens to be the fact that the game can still be a bit repetitive at times. Sure the list of objectives you must complete offer some challenging park-related missions to complete but they start feeling the same the more you play. Secondly, the game’s difficulty levels makes the mini-games extremely easy even for those playing these mini-games for the first time. Character interaction can also be a bit erratic, leading to “friends” often not recognizing you even if you spend a little time kissing them. Gee, I would have thought that cute girl who loves soccer would remember me after we kissed and promised to go on that dream date.

The game’s visuals are also something of a disappointment, although the game’s graphics were meant to look wholesome. I have no trouble with a game looking appropriately true to the intended target audience but even younger gamers would like the game to look Xbox 360 good because isn’t great next-generation visuals what a next-generation console promises? Still, what is seen here isn’t really bad and it still looks better than the Xbox original. We would just like some more attention to detail and sharper graphics that the Xbox 360 could have easily supplied. At least the park looks filled with neat-looking characters.

As far as the soundtrack is concerned, I found myself really enjoying the small number of tunes that pop up throughout the building and exploration of the park. Much of it is the type of music I would have passed since its light pop and 1980s-styled rock. Yet somehow the music is actually catchy and fun and, while it plays repeatedly, it never gets irritating. Certain mini-games also have their own music (such as Stunt Rider that contains a funny little country ditty). There are some decent sound effects in the game that literally drown you with the noise of a busy park and the voice acting is actually pretty good.

A slight step up from the original, Thrillville: Off the Rails for the Xbox 360 is a delightfully enjoyable game that should please fans of the genre or those who like their park manager simulators with a slight dash of zaniness and fun mini-games. While it can get a tad repetitive in places and the graphics don’t take advantage of the 360, the things the game does right will not fail to keep you playing for a long time. This is a fun simulator that really shouldn’t be overlooked by gamers young or old.

Gameplay: 8.2
Running a theme park isn’t this much fun in real life but thankfully its loads of fun in Off the Rails. The business end of things can be a bit daunting for younger gamers but there’s nothing here that will have you scratching your head. Creating your own attractions is handled well enough but you can’t please everyone every time.

Graphics: 7.5
While not pushing the graphics by taking advantage of the Xbox 360’s graphical power, the game still has a nice look with some fun yet cartoon-like character models. The backgrounds look pretty good and different areas of the park have its own theme. The graphics aren’t bad but they could have been better.

Sound: 8.5
Strangely enough, I can’t get enough of the Disney-like pop tunes of the Hannah Montana variety or the Rick Springfield-type rock tunes that make up the repetitive but still enjoyable soundtrack. There are some fun sound effects that make you feel like you’re in a crowded theme park and the voice acting is pretty decent.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
The varying difficulty comes from some of the mini-games that just feel way too easy and a park that’s very demanding but somewhat easy to manage once you get the hang of the game’s interface and park visitors’ needs. The business end can be a bit challenging for younger gamers but it’s nothing that will stump them.

Concept: 8.0
Help create the theme park of your dreams and then go on all the rides and play all the games to your heart’s content. Oh, you can even chat with park visitors and play matchmaker or challenge others in a Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em Robots game. The various mini-games range from first-person shooters to games inspired by the classics.

Multiplayer: 8.0
The lack of an online multiplayer mode hurts the game’s multiplayer a little but - thanks to the fact that you can play any of the mini-games and share created roller coasters with friend via Xbox Live - up to four players can have a real good time using a single console. Plus, games like Bandito Chinchilla and a fun little RC demolition derby game are meant to be shared with others.

Overall: 8.2
Charming and loads of fun, Thrillville: Off the Rails is a truly enjoyable gem that is a slight improvement over the original. I would like to say that it’s a perfect game but it isn’t and that’s fine because with over 30 mini-games and a family-friendly park creation simulator attached to it there is just more positives here than negatives. Give this game a try, Xbox 360 owners, and you will be pleasantly surprised.