Thrillville: Off the Rails (Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PSP, PlayStation 2, Windows)

common sense media says

Play, build, and flirt inside an amusement park.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this amusement park simulation is more about exploring and playing in an amusement park than it is about building an amusement park. Some of the Mini party games are bloodless shooter-style games, and others involve punching, but again with no blood. As manager of the park you can woo and flirt with the guests, so some of the pick-up lines have sexual undertones.

Educational value: Players can learn a little about the business of an amusement park and how to market it.
Positive messages: Not applicable.
Violence: Some of the minigames involve punching. Others are based on shooter-style gameplay but with no blood.
Sex: Players can flirt with the guests but it is mild.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: This is the second game in the Thrillville series
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on Thrillville: Off the Rails

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about how this amusement park experience compares with the real thing. What is your favorite part of the game? Building coasters and other rides? Riding the rides? Playing the midway games? Talking to the guests? Is this version better than the original?

What's the story?

What's the story?
A sequel to last year's popular Thrillville game, Thrillville: Off the Rails, continues the original's gameplay formula of combining a simple build-your-own amusement park simulation with a collection of party Mini games. You become the manager of an existing park that needs improvement: There are already a few rides, stalls, and games, but you will need to build more. The party game aspect comes from playing the midway games and attractions in the park. One of the ways to add thrills is to build coasters and other attractions, but if designing is not your thing you can select pre-made attractions and plop them into your park.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

This game is meant to be an amusement park that kids can play in -- the micromanagement aspect has been minimized, and the building aspect is limited. The drudgery of maintenance disappears because you do it by playing a game. In all, there are 34 Mini games and 20 death-defying rides. In addition to the simulation mode, the game offers a Coaster Building mode and a Party Play mode where up to 4 people can play the Mini games found in the simulation.

Thrillville: Off the Rails earned an E+10 rating from the ESRB in part because as the park manager, you can woo guests and flirt. Also, some of the Mini games have mild cartoon-type violence. However, several of the Mini games are violence-free and appropriate for younger siblings to enjoy in the Party Play mode.

Game themes & details

Game Details
Available on: Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PSP, PlayStation 2, Windows
Not available online
Genre: Simulation
Developer: LucasArts
Released on: October 15, 2007
Price: 30-50
ESRB Rating: E10+ for Fantasy Violence, Mild Lyrics, and Mild Suggestive Themes

This review was written by Jinny Gudmundsen
 
 

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What parents & educators say

8

Most useful reviews by all members

Puppylover2010
kid, 13 years old
 
This game is on the roof! By that I mean GOOD and AWESOME! I made my own person and she is so cute! My roller coasters are so scary and fun that the people get dizzy and........ you know what it is. Back to the game it's AWESOME!

kyleb
adult
 
I want to play it
I Really want to play it and build my own rollar costers.

MikaylaaMadisonn
teen, 16 years old
 
I love this game! It is a lot of fun, addictive, and there is absolutly nothing wrong with it! I recomend it for all ages!

girldetective1998
kid, 13 years old
 
Did they play the whole game?
Well, I thought it was ok, but after a while, it get's boring. On the downside, the songs on it are out-dated, and after a long time playing it, you run out of things to do. Parental wise, this is a role playing game, and you should make sure that you are watching your child playing it. It's a few steps below The Sims. In this game you can have relationships with people and eventually kiss them. After the kiss, they respond as to how it felt by saying something like "Let's get together!" or, "I'm not sure how I felt about that." Also, in the game there are cheerleaders, whose outfits are a bit skimpy. Then, also, there is one game in particular where you have to clean up vomit and trash as a sanitary worker. Make sure you check up on your child while they are playing this game, and make sure that when they are selecting their avatar that they know which age group they are in. I think that all kids 11 and under should be the "kids" of the theme park, then all tweens 12 through 19 should be the "teens" of the park, and that everyone older than 20 should be an adult. The reason I say this is because, in the game, teens and up can kiss, and that's why they need to stick to their age group. Overall, the game is a fun educational way to teach kids about how to track finances and how to manage things. P.S. The reason I say it's violent is because it's gross sometimes.

dancing girl
kid, 12 years old
 
Not the best game :P.

ShellB
parent of 11 year old
 
Thills
I git this game for my son as soon as it came out. We already enjoyed the first Thrillville. This one was more of the same, but over all not a dissapointment.

Derrek
teen, 17 years old
 
how does everyone play it
i need to play.let me play thrilville off the rails!

 
Best video game ever!
This is an awesome game!

Justino4
teen, 14 years old
 
Girls at Thrillville?
The only reason that this game could be inappropriate is that you can make out, hug, or kiss a girl and the music playing in the background could be maybe a tad inappropriate. It can range to being a T-rated game, so it might be a bad E10+ game.

WebCriticGirl76
teen, 18 years old
 
"Safe, Appropriate, and a Great Time!"
This game is incredible fun and addicting, easy to beat, and all-age material. I disagree with "10 and up", I think it's OK for all ages. You can flirt, but it is mild and simple. You can kiss, but the graphics are so unrealistic that it doesn't even look like they really kiss. Some games involve punching, but none of them are at all violent. The coaster can crash, but that's just a silly fun-fiction part of the game. Very easy to beat and solve! Mild insults, but they aren't from real people, so they aren't considered "negative". It is one of the most fun games I've ever played on my Wii, if you like this; I recommend Spore Hero as well. Nothing sexual, no cussing, no drinking or smoking. The characters are false avatars that all have the same programmed responses to your choice in conversation; and have no personality, so they cannot be counted as "role models". The lyrics to the music I agree are more for tweens and teens, but no cussing or anything violent. Anyone can play!

erik carlson
teen, 15 years old
 
average game
I say average game, fun to play, but really hard to build coasters my bigest concern: mild flirting

critic dude
teen, 14 years old
 
the perfect game for tweens

brak9867
kid, 12 years old
 
i LOVVVVVVVVVE
this is the best game eva!!

Abe1998
teen, 13 years old
 
Love it!
This is an awesome game! I love to build roller coasters. It's a good game if you want to run a theme park some day because you have to manage your park, talk with the guests, research and loan, etc. The only thing parents would find questionable is that the teens can flirt with their opposite gender, and kiss. Nothing too sexual.

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age