RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked! E3 2005 Preshow Report

We were able to get a glimpse of the upcoming expansion for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 at Atari's press event, and it looks like owners of the game will soon have a chance to get wet and wild in their parks. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked! is a water park expansion to the popular coaster-building sim, and it promises 50 new rides, more than a dozen new coasters, eight new scenarios, new challenges, and land sharks, among other features.

Some of the new attractions you'll be able to build in the expansion include aquariums, water slides and flumes, and swimming areas, as well as a new roller coaster called a soaker coaster that lets riders jet water on crowds below. The various aquarium exhibits will come as modules that you can then connect to each other via water tunnels that let the fauna intermingle, and they even have little display panels with info on the creatures that park denizens can stop and read. You'll be able to interact with park goers in some new ways, as well. When the swimming pool surface was swirled around with the mouse, it caused a whirlpool that sent innocent swimmers shrieking. There will be plenty of ways to get right down into the park; you can ride the water slides and the new coasters (and you'll be able to control the soaker coaster to get people wet), and you can place water-jet guns in the park that you can use to drench patrons and send them scattering like bowling pins.

You'll also be able to choreograph dolphin and killer whale shows to include in your park, using the in-game mixing tool to decide which actions the animals and trainers will perform and when. You'll even be able to get into the show via the whale-cam, which lets you indulge your inner Shamu as you perform flips and beg shamelessly for fish from your trainer as your whale goes through the set routine. Much like how you set the fireworks shows in previous games, in this game you'll get to set laser-light performances as well as dancing water displays to impress park visitors in new ways.

Another thing that will be added to this game is the ability to create tunnels for rides to go through, which will consist of raising land with sheer sides and then just pathing the coaster directly through it. Waterfalls will make an appearance as well, so you'll be able to connect two bodies of water on different levels with a nice-looking display. And if you leave bodies of water alone for long enough in the game, they'll become populated with sea life, including different types of fish and sharks.

Since Soaked! is full of water, realistic-looking water is the major graphical effect in the expansion, and it looks good from what we saw. From the gently rippling swimming pools that can be racked with waves and whirlpools at the spin of a mouse, to the various water cannons, to the peaceful waterfalls and the mist they create at the base, to the subtle water dots splashing onto your camera as you zoom in to attractions, the water effects look to add a lot to the game. Even the close-ups of characters in the various areas of the park looked good, if understandably simplistic, with our favorite being the new costume added to the park: the land shark, which is quite possibly the best mascot ever.

Soaked! looks like it'll offer fans plenty of new content for the tinkering, and the water effects give you lots to play around with. We'll have more on the game as its June release date approaches on the PC, so stay tuned to this gamespace for all the latest aquatic happenings.