Taylor Bauer
Taylor BauerPlanet Coaster is one of the games I have played the most on the Xbox Series X. As a huge fan of sandbox-style simulation games and evidently a theme park nerd, this series is tailor-made for my niche interests. I also adored the RollerCoaster Tycoon games back in the day, so you can imagine how much joy I have in saying Planet Coaster 2 is here and bringing the series to new heights. Much like a long day at a theme park, it’s not perfect.
There are plenty of elements that I’m finding to be a bit frustrating. Still, expanding the game’s mechanics in major ways involves risk, and I’m mostly happy with the moves Frontier Developments made here. Let’s dive into this Planet Coaster 2 review for Xbox Series X.
The main features added to Planet Coaster 2 are pools, lazy rivers, and other water park features. With palm trees, inflatables, and even body driers to help make it feel authentic, this is a huge upgrade in navigating your park planning. It’s also fun to get creative in adding the facilities necessary to host a scenic pool area while ensuring the atmosphere feels like you’re traveling to a tropical getaway. There are many ways to make these your own with smaller items and slides, so it’s almost like an entirely new mini-game within the greater Planet Coaster experience.
You’ll best be prepared for the game’s new features by utilizing Career Mode, a tutorial for some of the game’s new features. As I mentioned, I’ve played Planet Coaster for hundreds of hours, so I immediately bypassed the mode, thinking I knew everything I needed to play the sequel. However, new additions like the need to plan out Power and Water operations threw a wrench in my plans. Like my Planet Zoo review impressions, managing things like water pumps and filtration systems is more immersive than fun. Still, Career Mode allowed me to grasp these systems well and is highly recommended as a starting point for newcomers and seasoned park planners alike.
Another new approach to improving customization features in Planet Coaster 2 is an expanded piece-by-piece construction system for building scenery, rides, and shops. There are so many more options here to customize rides, but I ran into frustrations similar to those I had in Planet Zoo. The attention to detail required to make things like storefronts or roller coasters from scratch is highly intricate. This is truly a tool that is neither positive nor negative in its own right. Sadly, I found it very difficult to move things exactly where I wanted them due to the cursor’s lack of precision. I imagine this is a console issue that is less prevalent on PC.
For the type of experience I’m seeking, I enjoy utilizing pre-created things more than building my own from the ground up, which makes the Community Blueprint feature the game’s shining addition. Unlike other players, i’m absolutely trash at making things, nor do I enjoy the painstaking process. That means I can log into the game’s community feature while working on my park and find hundreds of Blueprints that folks have designed. I can bring these into my park without the process of grinding my teeth over whether the Cosmic Cow sign is centered on my resort food stall or whether my water slide may kill someone because I put too sharp a curve into its final descent into the water.
The freedom to create is a tool many enjoy, and I’m just not sure the streamlined controls on consoles make for the best way to create things. Utilizing the work of others, however, is a wonderful experience. If you have competitive friends who can build the best park, you can also play Franchise Mode and team up with three others to build parks around the globe.
You can work on parks together or visit each other’s creations. This is another wonderful way Frontier Developments has invested new features into growing the Planet Coaster community. Plus, it’s a blast to see who is highest on the global leaderboards regarding park prestige and get inspiration for your creations.
Overall, Planet Coaster 2 expands its franchise in major ways, albeit with a few limitations. While I believe that the console controls may be causing some of the headaches, I also think building a sandbox system this intricate just opens a game up to accessibility and functionality issues from time to time. It certainly didn’t sour my experience with the game, and I could certainly see myself pouring countless hours into this game as I did the first Planet Coaster. Let us know in the comments if you plan to check this game out as a superfan of the first entry, or if you’re a newcomer to the theme park sandbox experience!
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75 Planet Coaster 2
49.99
Pros
- Water parks made for a wonderful addition
- Way more freedom to customize your parks
- Blueprints are great...for using other people's creations
Cons
- Blueprints are brutal to navigate unless you want to invest the time and energy
- More detail means more room to make a mess when building your park
