While RollerCoaster Tycoon is loved for its nostalgic park management and ride-building, the more recent Planet Coaster is ushering in a new wave of them park loving fanatics. The two franchises are pretty similar in terms of the management side of things, but the latter has been used to make some absolutely incredible rides by a community who love to share them with the rest of the world.
[jwplayer sKZZk6x3]
Released in 2016, Planet Coaster gives players the tools to create all manner of weird, wild, and exciting rides. Not only that, it lets you ride them in the first-person, so you get to experience them just like your tiny digital park goers do. Sure, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 let you do that back in 2004, but the flexibility available in Planet Coaster is second to none.
To give you an idea of just what I mean, here are 10 of the wildest creations people have come up with.
Black Hole
Created by a YouTube user named, Stefan Hebeisen, Black Hole is part history lesson, part science fiction mindfuck straight into the eye of a… Well, a black hole. It’s not the best coaster I’ve seen, sure, but it’s pretty damn cool, and given we just got our first actual look at a real black hole, it feels timely.
You can check out the ride below.
Revenge of the Sphinx
I dunno how safe all that fire is, but the joy of riding a roller coaster from the safety of your computer chair means the creator can put fire wherever the hell they please. It can’t get you through the screen!
This reminds me of Luxor in Las Vegas but with fewer slot machines. Check it out below.
Aliens The Ride
Despite going for an entire fifteen fucking minutes, every second of it turns out to be just as thrilling as the last. As the name suggests, this ride based on the movie Aliens and is put together incredibly well.
But I think it’s best summed up by its top comment, which is from a user who calls themselves Gary Oldman. It starts with a timestamp from the end of the clip which references the “Thank you for watching” message, following it with, “You’re thanking me for watching? Motherfucker, thank you for letting me watch it”. Poignant.
Check out the ride below.
Death Coaster
This one was put together by YouTuber, Olli43, who I suppose wants to kill as many people as possible. There are no fancy set pieces or anything like that, just some outrageous twists, turns, and loops.
A lot of the video is him actually making the ride, which is kind of a like a window into his madness, but if you’re just keen to ride it, skip to about the 10-minute mark.
Bioshock: Escape From Rapture
Based on the Bioshock series, this bad boy takes a Haunted Mansion approach to its journey, in that it’s more about the set than sending you through some fast loops. It even spins you around a bunch, which seems like it would be a dizzying experience.
For the uninitiated, Bioshock is a first-person shooter game set in an underwater city known as Rapture. Check out the ride version of it below.
The Actual Indiana Jones Ride from Disneyland in Planet Coaster
Of all the rides I went on at Disneyland when I was a kid, the Indiana Jones ride was easily the most memorable. This is a nigh on perfect recreation of that actual ride, right down to the goddamn queue.
I mean, it can never quite capture the feeling of wind flying past your face during the blowdart bit, nor does the big ball at the end feel as dramatic as the real thing, but it’s pretty damn good regardless. If you’ve been on the ride in real life, definitely check this out.
Rogue One
This seems to capture the Star Wars movie almost perfectly, transitioning from space to land in a number of wild twists and turns. I’d ride the shit outta this.
Check it out below.
Back to the Future
This rules so damn hard it hurts. Unlike the actual Back to the Future ride at Universal Studios in LA, this one lets its riders control little go-kart Delorians, which absolutely whips sack.
Of all of these rides on this list, I wish this one was real the most. Imagine racing your mates with all that nonsense going on in the background. Unreal.
See it out below.
The Actual Splash Mountain
This is another Disneyland classic. It’s not as good as the Indiana Jones recreation, but it’s still pretty neat, to me.
The actual splash mountain is full of animatronic critters, which are glaringly absent here. It’s not just a log ride through nondescript rock tunnels like this would have you believe.
There are actually a ton of first-person videos of Disneyland rides on YouTube if that’s something you’re interested in. You can see the actual Splash Mountain below if you’re keen on comparing.
Whiplash
This one isn’t actually called Whiplash, but if you ask me, it bloody well should be. If this were a real rollercoaster, I don’t think anyone would survive it, at least not without a few broken vertebrae.
Apart from slapping the rider around rather viciously, it also includes one of the highest climbs I’ve ever seen. Like a staircase to the heavens.
Look at it below. LOOK.
If you wanna get all up in some coaster action of your own, you can pick up Planet Coaster on Steam for $64.95. Let your creativity run wild.
