Thrillville: Off the Rails

 Xbox 360
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
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  1. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    83
    Old fashioned to look at, but packed with invention and things to do. [Christmas 2007, p.77]
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  2. Cheat Code Central
    82
    Sure it's a family-oriented game, but it was so fun that its kid-friendly nature did not hinder it in the slightest from being fun for gamers of all ages. And any comparison between this game and the classic Roller Coaster Tycoon are unfair because the games have completely different focuses.
  3. GameZone
    82
    Charming and loads of fun, Thrillville: Off the Rails is a truly enjoyable gem that is a slight improvement over the original.
  5. G4 TV
    80
    One of the few ideal family games on the 360, Thrillville: Off the Rails is an impressive feat. The variety of fun mini-games mixed with an excellent roller coaster creation tool, and a surprisingly fun and light theme-park sim all add up to a good casual gamer romp.
  6. Games Master UK
    80
    A smart and vividly simple holiday, for younger players only. [Christmas 2007, p.79]
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  7. IGN
    79
    The 360 version is definitely our favorite and feels the most refined. It not only runs just about as well as the PC version, but it has the party game element that the PC lacks.
  8. Game Over Online
    78
    The game itself is bright and happy and optimistic, it’s well made, and it includes enough content to be well worth its suggested retail price.
  9. Official Xbox Magazine
    75
    Combining the cutesiness of a Pixar flick with the depth of a theme-park tycoon game, LucasArts' Thrillville series smoothly transitions onto the Xbox 360 with Off the Rails, a souped-up and entertaining follow-up to last year's Xbox release. [Dec 2007, p.76]
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  10. GamePro
    75
    The game's youngster charm ultimately ends up as its greatest strength and weakness. Off the Rails does a great job in appealing to a younger crowd, which is encouraging for those looking for a good holiday gift; however, its cheesy style is lost on anyone over the age of 12.
  11. GameSpot
    75
    Thrillville: Off the Rails makes every part of building and running a theme park great fun.
  12. Jolt Online Gaming UK
    75
    Thrillville: Off the Rails is aimed squarely at mid-teens and under, which is no bad thing. The management side can be toyed around with, but it otherwise practically runs itself while you’re off planting rides, indulging in mini-games and trying to turn teenaged guests into your love slaves.
  13. Gamer 2.0
    72
    For what its worth, Thrillville does a fine job of offering more amusement park managing fun while also adhering to the kid in everyone. It’s still a little too kiddy for its own good, but if you are a fan of the series you will no doubt have a great time.
  14. GameSpy
    70
    If you can put up with some repetition and the simplicity of the management system, you'll enjoy yourself. Most of the mini-games are quite a bit of fun, too, and they make for some good multiplayer sessions.
  15. TeamXbox
    70
    Thrillville remains an easy franchise for casual gamers and youngsters alike to pick up and jump right into.
  16. Game Informer
    70
    Like last year’s Thrillville, Off the Rails, requires some research on the part of the player to discover which things are fun (designing faulty rides) and which are a waste of time (talking to guests). Unfortunately, even the content that survives the cull isn’t enough to make the whole experience more than a diversion.
  17. games(TM)
    70
    The concept is better than the execution, but that doesn’t stop this being a good game that provides more than enough choice to justify its price tag. [Dec 2007, p.108]
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  18. PALGN
    70
    If you’ve played the original, Thrillville: Off the Rails is very similar and only features a few basic improvements. That said, it’s the superior version.
  19. X-ONE Magazine UK
    70
    As a collection of excellent multiplayer mini-games, Thrillville is stunningly good fun. As a cohesive single-player park-management campaign? It's just not quite there. Yet. [Issue 26, p.92]
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  20. VideoGamer
    70
    You shouldn't buy Thrillville Off the Rails for the mini-games - there are much better social video games out there. But as a theme park creator it's not bad, and has literally hundreds of options to tweak and manage.
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  21. Game Revolution
    67
    This is a family game that even the most die-hard antigame activist could not possibly have a problem with, and is a great addition to your video game library if you have young ones about.
  22. GameShark
    67
    Although there is a lot to do in Thrillville, it is really designed for the pre-teen crowd. It's pretty easy to successfully manage a park, the missions aren't challenging, the carnival games and arcade games are simplistic, and the options for building rides and coasters are limited. Roller Coaster Tycoon this is not.
  23. GamesRadar+
    60
    It's perfect for children, for whom things don't have to "be integrated" or "logical". A series of semi-amusing, unconnected activities: sounds a lot like a sandbox, which, once you graduate middle school, loses its charm unless you can bring your gat.
  24. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    60
    A refreshing change, if not very thrilling. [Dec 2007, p.102]
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  25. GameTap
    60
    Off the Rails is a solid collection of minigames and a decent coaster creator, a nice party experience for the family. It's a shame the management system wasn't beefed up a bit more--even the little kids could benefit from creating their own theme parks from scratch.

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2007
52
#52 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2007

User Reviews

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User Score
3.4

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 40 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 40
  3. Negative: 24 out of 40
  1. TheHumbleGamer
    May 6, 2017
    8
    Thrillville: Off The Rails is fantastic sequal that improves upon everything that made the first game fun, The changes from the first game areThrillville: Off The Rails is fantastic sequal that improves upon everything that made the first game fun, The changes from the first game are as follows:
    -There are new WHOA! Coaster pieces and crashing coasters.
    -There are new games such as Coastertron and Robo K.O. along with sequels to existing games such as Sparkle Island 2.
    -You can see your friends and love interests on a special list which lets you warp to them and they come to whatever park you are in.
    -Certain games might give you a prize if you score high enough 4 or 5 stars which you can give to people to become friends or love interests faster.
    -You now have a HQ, where you can edit your character, save your game, view cut scenes, view your trophies, and more.

    Like the first game, you are once again dropped into the manager position at a newly opened theme park and given a tutorial on how the games mission system works. This is the exact same as the first game, with all mission categories following suit and teaching you everything from the interaction with your park guests to building rides to building game stalls and playing them. The only thing missing is an ability to skip the tutorial entirely, which makes starting a new game annoying sometimes, but the tutorial doesn't take long to finish thankfully.

    Once you've completed all parts of the tutorial, you are given 'free reign' over the current theme park and may approach available missions as you please. This is the point where the game really starts.
    There are 5 major parks in the game, each with 3 themed areas. all 3 areas contain 'build spots' where stalls and games can be placed. There will also be 2 spots for building coasters in each area as well.

    The variety of games/stalls/coasters that can be placed/edited/built is quite amazing and can successfully distract you for very long periods of time, especially when playing the mini-games.
    mini games are part of the games and stalls, with most games actually being playable as there own mini-game with high score egging you on to get the best scores possible in each. The playable mini-games range in genre from beat em ups to racing and boxing, each offering its own unique flare.

    My personal bias on this game is rather high considering I played this game a lot when I was younger, but bias aside, I honestly think this game is worth a try for its unique style and addictive gameplay.    … Full Review »
  2. Rox22
    Oct 27, 2013
    7
    A pretty decent game that continues on from the first Thrillville game. The game is colorful, lighthearted and easy to play. In fact one of myA pretty decent game that continues on from the first Thrillville game. The game is colorful, lighthearted and easy to play. In fact one of my main grievances is that this game is far too easy, even when set to the highest difficulty. Clearly this game was intended for a younger audience. But even so, it's still allot of fun and nice game to play if you are looking for some plain old fun.

    Overall:
    Clearly a kids game, but still fun for adults, as long as they don't go in expecting a challenge.    … Full Review »
  3. SeanB.
    Jan 8, 2008
    7
    It's not bad, really. It's got a little bit of everything to satisfy every type of gamer--from the Sims-like interaction with the It's not bad, really. It's got a little bit of everything to satisfy every type of gamer--from the Sims-like interaction with the crowd and the mini-games (which most are knock-offs of other more popular titles). The premise is, you start with a theme park with basic rides and you have to build your reputation as a park manager and friend doing multiple tasks such as park upkeep, running marketing campaigns, and of course making the visitors happy. The best part is definitely the mini-games, although a few really tough to master and come in with the high scores (such as the training of your ride mechanics with the motherboard circuits). Overall though, it's decent and should keep most entertained at least for a little while. Worth a rent.… Full Review »
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