Review by Turbo:
The Continents (by ja227)
As soon as I entered this park, I realised it wasn’t what I had expected. I thought I was about to see seven badly separated and executed continent sections. What I saw was much, much better!
As soon as you set foot in the park a multicoloured building, but not one that offends the eye, greets you. The colours are perfect, right down to the smallest quarter tile block. I was particularly impressed by the attention to detail in the architecture, with the Empire State Building being made out of quarter tile blocks, which must have taken hours to place. There is also a space shuttle made out of quarter tile blocks, which looked so uncannily real that it scared me for a moment. Another thing that astounded me was that usually, the higher buildings get, the worse the quality of architecture, as the builders lose patience. Not so here, as demonstrated with the black and white tower situated near the building you first see. In fact, the top of it impressed me more than the bottom! All over the park there are detailed representations of famous landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, and the Empire State Building, which I have already mentioned. Building styles varied, from Roman townhouses, to modern skyscrapers and to simple mud huts. Normally when put together, the combination of them would look awful, but in “The Continents” they each compliment each other. In all, there was one thing that made me give full marks to this park in the architecture section; the amazing way ja227 has used the arches, roofs, and coaster scenery to make realistic structures all look so different.
I know very well how easy it is to design a Giga coaster that reaches a 9.00 or 10.00 in excitement as they are so easy to build; but I have never seen a coaster, Giga or other design, that reaches an impressive 11.13, which Caesars Chariot does. Caesars Chariot is so fluid that I sat, spellbound, in my seat watching it go through its circuit several times. The hills are so steep, yet it clears them with brilliant speed and it is not intense. The way the coaster flies itself down to the ground without looking ugly is beautiful to watch. It’s not just this coaster however, that’s amazing to watch. Both Simba and Monarch are so well sculptured that they’re like architecture. I was not disappointed with the coasters at all.
The only thing I was slightly disappointed by though, was the landscaping. Granted, the rivers flowing through the park were well made, but the land was all very flat, and didn’t bring to life some of the characteristics of some continents. The rivers didn’t flow in a natural way; they are carved into the landscape and follow the paths stiffly. Altogether, this was the worst bit of the park.
“The Continents” is a very original park, and in fact I have never seen one quite like it, in RCT or RCT 2. The sheer amount of work needed to recreate the whole world is daunting, and not easily taken on. The architecture was of a new style, as well as the flowing coasters, almost seeming like they were suspended in thin air. This is a park that is original in all that it does.
I particularly enjoyed how the park was laid out and separated, with not only thick and bold paths, but streams and rivers as well. It told you that not only the artificial creation of man (the paths) separated the continents; natural boundaries occur too, through the lakes and oceans, represented by rivers.
Of course, this park is not all about coasters and buildings, the gentle, thrill, water and transport rides help the park as well. In fact, ja227 classifies them with such importance a text file is included showing the signs that tell you what ride type rides are. Flat rides are concealed in towers, and in buildings, whereas others are on full show, brightening up a coaster on purely decorating an otherwise dull area. And all ride types are included, with a good balance of all the above rides. There are even four or five transport rides to satisfy your needs!
Overall, this park shows careful thought and planning, and most importantly, patience. The buildings are designed with care; the rollercoasters are built, tested, fine-tuned and tested again until the best result is achieved. I have to say, the worst thing to see in a park is something that has been rushed. There is nothing in “The Continents” that hasn’t been well thought over and built with care. In my opinion, this was the best park in August’s VpotM, but then again maybe I was wrong. Make up your own mind, and make sure you look good and well at this amazing creation.
This review written by Turbo, RCT2.com Moderator
Edited by Buckeye Becky, 20 October 2006 - 09:13 PM.
