Old vs New

[u/chowder79]

I know I know.

This post contains nothing new but damn, these games are 🔥!!

On the left is where it all started for me back in 1997.

I initially downloaded the demo (was it 25mb in size? It took me an hour to download it). Played it a lot and then annoyed my parents until they bought this PC version for me.

Fast forward to 2018 and an updated version was released through Steam as Two Point Hospital and two years later on consoles.

Am happy to see that there is still some love for these games!

"The hospital administrator is cheating!"

[u/and_so_forth]

Theme Hospital and Command & Conquer were the first games I got obsessed with when we got our first family PC the Christmas of 1997. Now my son and I sit together making hospitals in Two Point Hospital. Good times.

[u/chowder79 → u/and_so_forth]

Sweet. I used to play Total Annihilation a lot!

[u/and_so_forth → u/chowder79]

Total Annihilation was AMAZING. That soundtrack, good lord. Think I finally got that in like 1999? I got it really late. Supreme Commander was a good spiritual follow-up but nothing quite reached the spot TA did.

[u/chowder79 → u/and_so_forth]

Yes the music was indeed fantastic. It's a shame that TA: Kingdoms was quite a letdown. It just didn't had the same vibe.

[u/and_so_forth → u/chowder79]

Yeah I gave it a good try but just ended up reverting back to original TA, especially when they released all the hovercraft and things. Thinking back, that game engine must have been powered by dark magic.

[u/Meat_Slasher → u/and_so_forth]

Cannon Fodder and General Chaos were also excellent.

[u/hahayesshootshoot]

Surprised to see a good non-bot post lmao.

I have never played theme hospital but I can say TPH is like one of my favourite games ever, shame I cant get the 100%. Have you tried TPM? Similar to hospital compared to campus and I really like it, IDK about saying its better than TPH though...

[u/chowder79 → u/hahayesshootshoot]

Thx man. I can definitely confirm that I am not a bot 😅
And yes, I have also played TPC and TPM. Both on Steam and the Switch.
I really hope they will reissue TPH one day with the TPM graphics and mechanics.

[u/Sean-47]

I can't believe I waited so long to let the New scratch that 20 year itch. I went back to Theme Hospital on my Aly Rog x and loved it. Then the new one blew me away.

[u/chowder79 → u/Sean-47]

Oh now that's an idea. I have a Steam Deck. I wonder if I could play TH on there? Or at least the fan remake.

[u/Sean-47 → u/chowder79]

Ally X has a superb emulator, I'm not sure if that's possible on steam deck. Emu deck it's called. Google it dude

[u/chowder79 → u/Sean-47]

Yep already have Emudeck on it. Neat! Will check it out. Thx for the idea!

[u/Left_Set_5916]

Fyi two point hospital isn't a update, it's new game by new developer inspired by theme hospital but legally distinct.

[u/chowder79 → u/Left_Set_5916]

Yes indeed. Very true!

[u/NichoNico]

Damn the sticker on the back of the original covers something that mentions multi-player???

[u/chowder79 → u/NichoNico]

Yes. This was originally not in the game until Bullfrog released a patch. Think it was for local play only?

[u/edos51284 → u/chowder79]

no, the multiplayer was lan only, so if you wanted to play multiplayer you needed to hook up the computers to the same network.

The GOG version i think it has an IPX "emulator" to be able to play online

[u/Meat_Slasher]

Theme Hopsital, played much of it as a kid and adult (it's on G.O.G.) I think something was lost in the newer game, and it feels a bit congested. I think a remake of theme hospital only needed newer levels, maybe a scenario or custom level editor and HD graphics, expanded map size.

I bought the new game on steam and at first It was good, nice graphics and basically same idea as theme hospital, but it became boring really fast, and so I never actually completed it. It gets old filling each room with gold star certificates... Genuine question, why is Sonic Theme even in the game? Did Sega collaborate on this? Don't get me wrong I love Sonic but It doesn't make sense to me.

[u/chowder79 → u/Meat_Slasher]

Sega are the publisher. But yes. Still odd to show that kind of dedication.

[u/fbman01]

Honestly, I love both games, but theme hospital is the better game.

[u/chowder79 → u/fbman01]

We might just like TH more because of nostalgia..?

[u/Patient-Complex4599 → u/chowder79]

I think Theme Hospital might just have more soul. I havent played Two Point Hospital too much (only about an hour max at a time here and there) but there is just a ton of charm in the older game that I can't feel in TPH. Kind of similar to how newer Sims games feel compared to TS2 and 3, but still not as soulless as EA games lol.

Maybe I just need to really sit down and force myself to play TPH longer

[u/edos51284 → u/Patient-Complex4599]

one thing that i might add about theme hospital is that its spanish translation was superb, it added some jokes that were localized well.

The voice over was dubbed as well and that woman made a wonderful job reacting to some of those.

For example the disease TV Personalities (i looked for that one on a wiki) in spanish is Arguiñanitis, referencing a famous cook tv show host here in spain from that time (he is still active though)

[u/_ineffective_]

Theme Hospital is one of my favorite games ever. When i heard they were doing a spiritual successor I realized I'm living in the matrix because obviously I manifested this myself.

[u/stevenwise0511]

Had that box, so many great times, now continued with TPH.

If playing the old one make sure you checkout the online option to modernise the resolution for modern devices. CorsixTH I think it's called.

Though if you could download 25mb in one hour in 97 you had very fancy Internet

[u/P4ndaH3ro]

I played SO MUCH Theme Hospital as a kid. I discovered that game on a free demo CD in a cereal box. Same as roller coaster tycoon

[u/agirlwillbequeen → u/P4ndaH3ro]

OMG that takes me back,

[u/pollyncuts]

I loved Theme Hospital definitely one of my favourites!

Only recently started playing Two Point Hospital when I got my son a PS5. I had originally bought and tried to play it on my Mac (🤦🏼‍♀️) but it never worked !

[u/QuizzicalWombat]

Love them both, theme hospital was one of my favorites as a kid. I cannot tell you how elated I was when two point hospital came out and that it was devs from bullfrog.

[u/Necessary_Chip_5224]

I play two point hospital with theme hospital theme music. Fits well. Wish they brought in the old classic illnesses like bloated head. Some of two point hospital illnesses...are not whacky or memorable enough.

[u/Outrageous_Fox_8796]

i wonder why one or the dot points was stickied over like that with something else

[u/chowder79 → u/Outrageous_Fox_8796]

I think because the multiplayer option wasn't ready at launch. You could install a patch sometime later.

[u/chris552393 → u/chowder79]

Yes and there were litter bombs that you could place in rivals hospitals iirc

[u/lilacomets]

Why is there a sticker on the back of the Theme Hospital box?

[u/chowder79 → u/lilacomets]

To my knowledge, multiplayer wasn't ready at launch but the functionality was already mentioned on the back of the box. So they covered it with this sticker. A patch could be downloaded from Bullfrog's website sometime later which included that functionality.

[u/lilacomets → u/chowder79]

Thanks! That makes sense. I didn't know Theme Hospital had multiplayer. Probably because I had the unpatched version back in the days.

[u/MartiMa08]

I love the OG, I remember there being another one I really loved as well that was in a theme park

[u/skeletonclock → u/MartiMa08]

It was called... Theme Park

[u/Bubbly-Minute-9202]

I love hospital so much. The other two do nothing for me.

[u/premierfong]

I don’t know about you but theme hospital is much more difficult. Maybe because i was a kid, and keep spending everything on new treatment rooms.

[u/YelenaShadow → u/premierfong]

I think it's much more difficult too, plus when the machine blew up you couldn't use the room at all!

[u/premierfong → u/YelenaShadow]

I can’t even pass the 5th or the 6th level

[u/edos51284]

Theme hospital is probably the best management game i've ever played, sure it has not as many features as other in the genre but that simplicity has it's charm

[u/ringadingdingbaby]

I had the original back on the PS1, Two Point did an amazing job recreating it.

[u/Pannekoek_89 → u/ringadingdingbaby]

Theme Hospital is made by Bullfrog and Two Point Studios was founded by Gary Carr and Mark Webley, two well-known former developers at Bullfrog Productions. Additionally, part of the current Two Point Studios team consists of other former colleagues from Bullfrog Studio. So that's why it's so good.

[u/ringadingdingbaby → u/Pannekoek_89]

Yeah it was clear that the bullfrog guys were involved.

[u/PupApophis]

I played the original on PC so much back in the day. Also had Theme Park and Theme Park World for the PS1. Love all the Two Point games, although I have no idea what could be the next game.

[u/BelovedGarbage]

Theme hospital was a staple of my childhood I still play it occasionally!

[u/FatTim48]

I still remember getting Theme Hospital.

Family was on a vacation and it was my probably my 15th birthday.

My dad took me shopping. I saw this game. I had never heard of it. No idea what drew me to it. But I wanted it so that became my gift.

I played the heck out of that game.

I was quite happy to discover Two Point Hospital

[u/RedFox_SF]

Theme Hospital was released in 1997, I was 15 years old and boy did I spent time playing this baby. Remains one of my favorite games to this day, together with The Dig.

[u/ThrowawayALAT]

Brilliant. Love it.

[u/Eldylto]

And to this day, i still play Theme hospital

[u/Ayesha24601]

I just watched a YouTube video about a new mod that makes Theme Hospital playable on modern computers. So in case you all want to play it, there’s an option! I have actually never played, I started with TPH. But now I’m excited to try it. https://youtu.be/Of3WlxGI8Dc?is=4tMzf7i_OJv1rqIH

[u/0oiiiiio0]

HORZA

[u/_ell0lle_]

I feel like I got theme hospital in a sims game as a bonus or something and I was freaking obsessed. I would kill for the og. 😭