Some games are highly-anticipated big budget titles, and others get a bit less press. ScreamRide probably falls into that second category, bringing roller coaster creation and simulated rides to Xbox 360 and Xbox One with mostly positive reception. If you're interested, or perhaps hadn't heard of the title before, here's what reviews around the web have to say:
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Polygon, 8/10: "Each mode is dramatically different in its goals, enough so that at first it's a little disorienting that they're all together in the one package. But I found common threads before long. ScreamRider is where the game adds new mechanics and machinery to your rollercoaster vocabulary. Engineer is where you use those tools to solve problems, and Demolition Expert...Okay, that just seems like the cool toy that someone at Frontier couldn't help but include in the game."
"The absence of the obsessive management elements that have defined the coaster genre for more than a decade may alienate some fans longing for a return to that kind of form. But behind all that is a game that succeeds really well at the game part, using next-gen tech for something other than a flashier presentation. The result is a little uneven, but ScreamRide still ends up as one of the first great surprises of 2015."
IGN, 8.2/10: "Screamride's three jobs allow you to play and pass its thrillride levels in a variety of ways, but I reached the greatest satisfaction when I discovered the perfect way to traverse a track, build a coaster, or demolish a string of buildings in ScreamRider and Demolition Expert modes. Although career mode suffers from uneven difficulty and some situational camera issues, I happily replayed levels to improve my score sheet and climb the leaderboard, or just endlessly tinker with the Sandbox mode."
Destructoid, 7/10: "Screamride is a limited romp, but its core selection of minigames are fun to play. It's enjoyable for what it is, whether you have a creative mind or just want to blow shit up. I can see myself going back from time to time to top my best score -- I just won't be creating things for months on end."
Game Informer, 6.5/10: "I have spent many happy hours tormenting patrons in the Roller Coaster Tycoon series. Though ScreamRide doesn't have the simulation elements of Frontier's most famous theme park experience, it still has nauseating and dangerous contraptions that push riders to the edge of their sanity. Sadly, your interactions with these thrill rides feel thin and constrained, but ScreamRide isn't completely without charm."
"The bulk of the thrills in ScreamRide come early, then taper off as the experience becomes more complicated. After that, the frustrations stack up and make everything feel like a chore - not the ideal mood for a game about amusement park attractions."
Games Radar+, 2.5/5: "ScreamRide sounds like it has all the right ingredients on paper, with impressive destruction physics and a powerful, if at times cumbersome, roller coaster creation suite. But it suffers from an identity crisis, and whenever it tries to focus on anything that isn't roller coaster creation, it falls apart. More joyful presentation could have made a big difference, but Screamride's world is about as exciting as Disneyland's Jungle Cruise ride. And at least Jungle Cruise has bad puns."
