Party Like It's 1999 With RollerCoaster Tycoon for iOS

Growing up, I didn't have any video game consoles, but I did have plenty of computer games. Like any millennial, I was a huge Oregon Trail fan, and later on I loved The Sims, but one of my all time favorites was 1999's RollerCoaster Tycoon. As a lifelong theme park fan, and a lover of these types of games, RollerCoaster Tycoon was made for a kid like me. I loved the original RollerCoaster Tycoon so much that over the years I have regularly tried to find a way to get this old game on my (very new) Mac. There must be other RCT fanatics out there, because in December of last year Atari released a version of RCT for iOS. 

The iOS version of RCT is actually a blend of both the original RollerCoaster Tycoon and RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, with the option to buy in-app expansion packs for an additional fee. What would you think a wonderful, necessary, delightful app like this would cost? $15? $10. TRY SIX DOLLARS. Seriously. It's only $6, and you get 95 scenarios to play featuring all different kinds of parks. Each scenario takes a few hours to complete (the game allows you to save games and return to them later), so that's hundreds of hours of gameplay. Plus, because of the open ended nature of the game, you can replay or continue scenarios indefinitely. 

The game is exactly what you remember from 1999, so there are people barfing on your sidewalks after a particularly intense ride, and I'm sure a game that was developed in 2017 would blow these graphics out of the water. BUT! This is all about nostalgia! I love those pixelated little park guests that I can pick up and move around with an all-powerful claw. (I even dropped one in a lake, just for old time's sake.)

RCT for iOS also doesn't eat up your battery life. I've played for over an hour and it's used maybe 15-20% of a full battery. I tend to play games on my iPad only when I have a lot of battery life or I'm near a charger, so this isn't really a concern for me, but I know some people play it fast and loose with their device charges. (I have a solution for that, of course.) While we're talking about accessories, having a tablet stand is essential when playing RollerCoaster Tycoon.

There's really no reason NOT to buy RCT for your iOS device. It won't drain your battery, it'll only cost you $6, and you can spend hours and hours reliving your childhood as a virtual theme park titan.