Thrillville - Developer Diaries Week One

Producer Shara Miller already has her hands in some of the biggest franchises you love - Mercenaries and Star Wars Battlefront II should get a million or so gamer's hearts pumping. Now she's handling Thrillville, a video theme park that enables you to build whatever attractions you like - and then ride the crap out of them. Miller chimes in for part one of our six-part series, which should shed a little more light on why this isn't another wannabe simulator.

Shara Miller - Producer

So far, the team at Frontier Developments, led by Senior Producer Jonny Watts, is doing an amazing job of creating a game that ensures your experience isn't just about creating the craziest roller coasters ever - though that certainly is part of it - it's also the only game that places you as a playable character in the park you've created. Being at ground level adds the social element of allowing you to chat and flirt with guests, while also checking out the rides you've constructed first hand. There are even over 20 multiplayer minigames for you to master, many of which are enough to justify a game in and of themselves. With so many awesome games, in addition to easy and fun coaster building and super-cute people watching, it's almost embarrassing how much bang for the buck you'll get.

In all, there are 101 attractions, and you can interact with every single one throughout all of the five parks (Thrillville TimeWarp is my current favorite because of the killer dinosaur set pieces and Wild West wooden coasters). Of course, this includes just about every type of roller coaster you can think of - the aforementioned wooden, steel, standing, "flying," corkscrew, even weird ones like the Spinning Wildmouse, you name it - as well as a ton of classic carnival rides, like Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds and teacups. You can even design and build your very own mini-golf courses and go-kart tracks - and then play them yourself and with friends. There's nothing cooler than tearing it up on a course that you created yourself.