H2H9 / Head-2-History: Defining Parks and Matchups (H2H5 Update, 2021!)

EDIT: H2H5 update on page 2. This is a continuation of my topic from H2H8 and it looks like we should have heaps of new members yet again (and many of last time's new members are now fully established veterans!). So take a little scroll back through my extremely subjective and uninformed review of past h2hs!

 

Since a lot of folks are relatively new this year (if you joined within the last five years, you've only seen one h2h!), and many don't have the time/experience to troll through the treasure trove of NE's history, I thought I'd launch a cool topic to explore past head-2-heads. The basic idea is that we bring new light to some of the best of h2h history through quick write-ups of the most important matches.

 

I'll kick us off with a few reviews to get the topic rolling, and then others can follow suit by just copying my formatting exactly and writing your own. Ideally everyone's writeups should include the same info I put in, screenshots, etc. Lets get some good conversation going too, while we wait for the captains and the draft! I'd love to hear peoples memories and anecdotes from the times, thoughts on how the structure and vibe of New Element has changed since those seasons, etc. I only joined in 2007 so I don't have the most perspective on the website back then, although I have spent a lot of time diving back in time since I first showed up.

 

I'm going to go back a bit more into the past to uncover some gems newer people may not know about, but feel free to write about any matches you like! Obviously this list will be biased towards parks and styles I like...

 

H2H1

 

Streets of New York by Fatha' and Andy Hodgson

Team Victory (Iris) vs. ???

 

Not much is known about the first season of H2H; much of New Element pre-2002ish was lost in a server crash. The following two tables are all that Liampie has been able to compile of the teams and rounds, even after reaching out to older players:

 

 

 

Much of the first season, in my opinion, is a bit boring. There's some decent LL, but nothing that strikes me as so novel, with the exception of this park. Fatha and Andy put together what must have been one of the first 'adventure rides', a staple of old NE parks as we follow two test-track like racing cars through the streets of New York. There's some cool interaction with each other and a near miss with a train, and to top off the excitement, the whole park error traps if you leave it open for too long. (And the park isn't bad looking, too!)

 

 

H2H2

 

Spirits Bay by Toon and Posix vs. the Myttica Resort by Corkscrewed

The Icons (Iris) vs. the Pufferfish (Posix)

 

By H2H2, New Element is already knee deep in rct2 vs. LL controversy. Most of H2H2 is still in LL, only a year (I believe) after the first season. This matchup is one of the first real controversial clashes between the two games, with the novelty of the massive hotel in Myttica taking the lead, with 45 votes to 26.

 

Myttica is a classic Corkscrewed park- massive structures, dense atmosphere, and overuse of pirate textures. Its definitely aged, but worth checking out for the history of the matchup alone.

 

 

However, I chose this matchup because I really like Spirits Bay, a relaxed Native American themed park by Posix (back when he was still building!). The park has a cool atmosphere, some great totem pole sculptures, and focuses on a theme not seen very often. Its not the most revolutionary park, but definitely worth a quick gander, and maybe worth taking some notes on if you're attempting a similar north-american temperate rainforest vibe.

 

 

H2H2

 

BLOOD ISLAND Adventure by Coaster Ed

The Icons (Iris) vs. the Mean Greens (Fatha')

 

This review isn't about the matchup, coz its boring (I voted the other park, Kauri Cliffs, 40% some years ago so I must have not liked it much. Can't be bothered going back through it now). Coaster Ed is sort of the original MVP of early head-2-heads, cranking out amazing and still mesmerizing parks, in a time when much of the LL work was quite conservative and flat. This park is one of the best adventure rides ever created, full of amazing details and atmosphere. This park is one of the must-downloads of anyone trying to get into LL, and one that you truly can't get into from the overview alone.

 

 

H2H2

 

Sicily by Fatha' and Natelox vs. forfeit

Mean Greens (Fatha') vs. Sea Serpents (NessyROS)

 

Its maybe not a surprise to anyone that Natelox is my favorite LL player of all time. His eye for aeshetics and subtle compositional cues are astounding, as well as the way he builds atmosphere so gracefully. This dream pairing with another all-time-great, Fatha', is simple and elegant. It doesn't break new ground the way that Coaster Ed does, but its a small showcase of some classic, aesthetic LL. The long queue for the flyer is probably the best part of the park.

 

 

H2H2

 

Erwindale Forest by Coaster Ed and Mantis

The Icons (Iris) vs. the Blue Meanies (Chauncey Gardner? Who the hell is that)

 

Another fantastic LL park from Ed, vs an extremely mediocre rct2 effort. Somehow, Ed manages this ridiculous line between minimalism and over-the-top trackitecture and hectic detailing that I don't understand. This park is a sort of magical forest that has an amazing effect of feeling like there is some hidden story to the world, but without any exposition- its only readable from the wonderful details and composition throughout the park.

 

 

H2H2: More matchups

 

H2H2 was a significantly better contest than the first seasons, as far as I can tell. There's more matchups that I'd love to writeup, but I also want to move on to later seasons. Anyone else is free to have a crack if they want, or maybe I'll return to them later. One interesting thing I found was that even in matchups where I thought one park was so clearly better, there were still a decent number of votes to the losing team (check out the erwindale forest one). Here's a few I recommend:

 

Atomkraftwerk vs. Miami 2040

Battlefield RCT

City of Lights vs. Anuradhapura

Khalma Cove

 

I'm gonna go ahead and post this while I work on H2H3/4 so stay tuned, and please write your own reviews too!

Erwindale Forest is love.

H2H3

 

Voodoo Loas by X250 vs. Calatravas by Corkscrewed and sloB

Flying Germans (Posix) vs. Hurricanes (Kumba)

 

RCT2 players will be happy that we finally have a full matchup they can view. Technically this matchup was a bonus round after H2H had already finished, but theres some great work here anyway, if maybe a bit dated in the rct2 scene. X250, a former giant of the golden age of rct2, put together an awesome ruins-y central american park. Its pretty wild and chaotic, which is sort of staple of this type of rct2 style. Corkscrewed, another giant from long-time but now retired team the Hurricanes, put forward a sort of extreme Mysterious Island park, which is clean and refined and starting to become more detail oriented. It's very blue though...

 

 

In my opinion, I love RCT2 parks from this era but they're definitely still 'rough' and sometimes feel a bit hollow. However, you can definitely follow the progression of the game as it grows and comes into its own, which we'll see much more in H2H4. I think understanding and appreciating this era of parkmaking has lessons to teach us though, especially about setting atmosphere and especially how great players like Corkscrewed can compose areas with path layouts and landscaping.

 

 

Gotheburg by sloB vs. the Faraway Tree by Splash-0 and x-sector

Hurricanes (Kumba) vs Flying Germans (Posix)

 

Another matchup from the same two teams back when the finals were in three rounds. One of the legendary parks of sloB minimalism, Gotheburg is a beautiful medieval park dominated by two massive dueling B&M loopers. Its one of the seminal parks of this era of rct2, and is often held on a pedestal as an example of aesthetic, simple parkmaking done well. It does seem that recently there has been a small revival in this style of rct2 building, so its definitely worth checking out this piece of rct history.

 

 

Although not nearly as good or influential as gotheburg, the faraway tree is not a bad park, and certainly deserves a higher community score than its currently sitting on. Its not the highlight of this matchup though.

 

Hurricanes (Kumba) vs. MoLLesters ()

 

Aviara Cove is one of my favorite parks of H2H3. It went up against a pretty fine, if slightly forgettable LL park by Natelox and Roomie (luckily, Roomie later released a "redux" version of the park, which is worth checking out). Don't get me wrong, I gobble up anything by Natelox, but we've already seen a lot of this sort of LL work.

 

There's a lot to like here; the park feels epic, lush and is full of awesome details. The architecture is pretty great for this era, and the atmosphere throughout is superb. It sort of feels like the grandfather of modern H2H parks like Myst or Corsair Veridian. 

 

 

Eternal Springs City by Ride6 vs. Artesian Well Waterworks by Titan and JKay

Flying Germans (Posix) vs. Seal Clubbers ()

 

This high-fantasy match was one of the closer ones of the competition, with Eternal Springs just beating out Artesian Well Waterworks. In retrospect, I think Artesian Well may have aged a bit better- it remains an exciting and vibrant mess, as is JKay's style. If you like this at all, go check out Rocky Mountain Mystique, one of my top parks of all time. Eternal Springs has a softer, more natural feel- but I don't think it holds up so well today. Regardless, these were some staple parks of this season of H2H, and we're here to look at the history!

 

 

 

Cajamarca 1532 by Coaster Ed and TracidEdge vs. Ghost Cell Crisis by Blitz and Janus

IIIcons (Iris?) vs Vehemences ()

 

This was another close round, with the ambitious Ghost Cell Crisis just taking the lead over Cajamarca. Cajamarca isn't my favorite Coaster Ed park, but its a solid adventure ride style entry with some giant structures. It certainly has some nice elements, and worth a view if you have LL.

 

 

Ghost Cell Crisis is another one of the more famous parks of H2H3, a sprawling coaster which travels through space and across floating, lush islands. Its very cool and I have never been able to figure out how it seems to shapeshift every time you change angles. Must have been a nightmare to build.

 

 

That's all from me for now, its time to take a break. H2H3 is one of the more underrated seasons I think, but I hope I've shown you some good stuff to take from it. Next up, H2H4- one of the best seasons ever.

 

H2H3: More Matchups

 

Kihme Research Facility

Sierra Glen

Outpost Prehistorica

Venetia Harbour

Memes: Smelland vs. The Boardwalk, Parkmakerz, Life is a Rollercoaster in the same week as Bedroom 101

 

Ghost Cell is worth checking out for anyone.  Easily one of the best executed parks of the era combined with a great concept.  Still holds up now, probably better than any other park from this season, as a result.

 

Gotheburg is obviously another all time classic and really helped defined RCT2 style going forwards for a number of years.  Slob is probably one of the most talented players ever so anything he's touched is worth studying.

ghost cell was and is so goddamn overrated,  same goes for myttica. 

I always loved Voodoo Loas.

Great to see an initiative like this, it was needed IMO. Too many H2H parks to go through and so little time. Looking forward to the next installment!

Thanks for doing this Cocoa! Really interesting stuff, and a nice basis for us newbies!

H2H3... where iris totally cheated and rigged everything...

 

I had a great draft at the start and then made some crazy trades. My team ended up with... Coaster Ed, Corkscrewed, Blitz and DarkJanus (Ghost Cell would have been ours), Loopy and freaking Phatage! A team so awesome that iris decided to re-do the whole draft!

 

I got Cork again, plus SloB in a trade sending Ed to another team. We kicked ass and made it to the finals. Gotheberg was the first of only two H2H parks to lose by a single vote and too a park that would be like a 55% today and was build on top of the Fright Nights landscape... Still, the finals was best 2 of 3 back then. We had another shot in game 2 where it was me and Jacko Shanty, he was like the Alex of NE coming into that season, just with a fantasy style. He sucked and I was basically left with needing to finish a weird themed park in a few days. Guess what, it ended in a 49-49 vote tie! So... bonus post voting round... it lost by 1 vote. Only twice in H2H (I think?) and it was in a 2 of 3 final with the same team losing twice. Seem fishy to you?

 

Whatever, was still an awesome season and it was fun working with Cork and Six Frags.

I feel like Iris was a huge defining personality of NE that ill just never know. Hilarious that he made you draft again, your team would have been fucked good

Great read, Shane. Thanks for doing this!


Gothëburg can sit on my face.

Bump... looking forward to the next two

Good initiative and well presented! While already registered back then I rarely read the forums or kept track of the competitions, so I've missed many of these parks. Kumba's anecdote was great to read! Breathes life into this sort of NE archaeology. Whatever happened to iris anyway? 

Anyone else is free to do this too! I may be able to do h2h4 soon but my ridiculous free time is coming to an end as uni begins

H2H4

 

Head-to-Head 4 may be one of the best seasons of all time. There are so many amazing and timeless parks to come out of this season, so I'm gonna end up missing out on some great ones. Some of the extra mentions I chuck in at the end would blow highlighted parks from other seasons out of the water! Its sort of funny, because they seem to have hated it back then. There were a lot of unfinished parks and disqualifications for sure, but the quality of the finished parks is exceptional for the most part. In the end, the classic 'Canes beat out the Ferocious Tigers captained by Evil WME, in a disappointing disqualification from the Tigers at the end of a three-round final.

 

Kukuana by RCTFAN and Turtle vs. disqualified

Tycoon Bandits (JKay)

 

Kukuana is another one of those parks with a sort of mythical vibe that (in my opinion) overshadows its true quality. There is a lot to love though- some really detailed and aesthetic landscaping, and some dark and atmospheric architecture. There's also a bunch of weird squarey buildings and empty space. But you can really start to see the detailing trend that rct2 would come to in full swing here- at the time, this was very well received. Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh- there is a lot of awesome composure and atmosphere here.

 

 

Kitabasaki Dragonland (Coaster Ed) vs. Mamba Kilima by Chapelz and X250

Ferocious Tigers (Evil WME) vs. Strangelove (Ride6)

 

This may be the only matchup where I'm actually writing about the losing park, and can't be bothered writing about the winner- I'll chuck it in the honorable mentions (it is good though). Kitabasaki Dragonland, perhaps Liampie's favorite LL park, gives us our last taste of the GOAT Coaster Ed. Although there was some controversy when it came out over whether it was truly "finished" (it is), this park has stood the test of time as a park that pushed the limits of art and composure in LL. There's some questionable spaghetti bowl coasters, but somehow it all comes together into this beautiful fusion of chaos and tightly designed Japanese tranquility. I would say its one of the masterpieces of the game. Also, if you google "kitabasaki" to check whether this actually was Japanese, all you get is a link to this park.

 

 

Alice in Wonderland by Emergo and JKay vs. Disney's Shadowlands by Xcoaster and Steve

Tycoon Bandits (JKay) vs. Hurricanes (Kumba)

 

We're finally here- the best matchup of all time. First of all, the loser- Alice in Wonderland. This incredible, vibrant park by the season MVP Emergo and the colorful JKay has a lot to love. Massive, detailed castles, tons of references to the books/Disney movie, and so many awesome details hidden around the park. I still think one of the best ideas in RCT2 of all time is the 'entrance' to wonderland. They have an exit to a ride drop into a big abyss through bookshelves, so peeps fall as they leave the ride just as Alice did when she crawled through the tree. This park is just fun all over, Emergo and JKay at their best.

 

 

But Disney's Shadowlands may be, in my opinion, the best H2H park of all time- and its not even fully finished (I'm looking at you, castle-y area near the entrance). This park still feels mostly relevant from an RCT2 detailing perspective, highlighting its impressiveness at the time. The park is a classic idea brilliantly executed, especially the gaudy, 80s aesthetic future area with the brilliantly named Cyberspace Mountain. Every area shines and is full of great themeing and vibes. I come back to look at this park all the time, and I find more to love. If you download even one new park from all my suggestions, make it this one.

 

 

Slime Meridian by bokti' and Fatha

Strangelove (Ride6)

 

Damn this park is also amazing. This LL beauty is one of the most vibrant, crazy, and ridiculous parks ever. Its a weird scifi/western mashup with crazy trackitecture, beautiful gigantic landscaping, and a huge mustachio'ed man in a hat which it took me a few times to even see. There's an amazing steamboat thing and towering mechanical structures. The park is just alive and full of so many details from every point of view. One of my favorite LL parks of all time for sure.

 

 

Internet City by Leighx and X250 vs. Kayte Ridge by Cedarpoint6 and Geewhzz

Strangelove (Ride6) vs. Ferocious Tigers (Evil WME)

 

Kayte Ridge just took a narrow lead in this matchup, so I'll start with Internet City. Internet City is fantasized internet park, way before Wreck-it-Ralph 2 or the Emoji Movie ever did it. It hasn't fared so well in people's minds, but I always quite liked this park- there's some pretty awesome ideas, and you can even see how NE2 looked on the massive tower. There's some awesome circuitry, and the amazon section is actually a pretty beautiful structure. Also, there's porn.

 

 

Kayte Ridge is remembered now as one of the seminal parks in RCT2 realism. I think its dated a lot, and today I would have voted for Internet City in a flash. But that doesn't diminish the importance of this park from all-time-great realism builders CP6 and Geewhzz (who's gonna draft CP6 this year?). Check this park out to follow the beginning of the style that would lead to Watkin's Woods Amusement Park, the original great realism spotlight. 

 

 

Kilika by Loopy and Twisted vs. Snakes on a Mothafuckin' Plane by RMM and Themeparkmaster

Italian Stallions (Panic) vs. Strangelove (Ride6)

 

This writeup is definitely about Kilika, but Snakes on a Mothafuckin' Plane is a meme in its own right (and whats there, while sparse, is actually pretty good). Kilika, on the other hand, is an astonishingly dense tropical LL village by legends of the game Loopy and Twisted. The overload of wooden rooves works to create a warm, mysterious jungle vibe, complemented by some great tracked rides and waterside paths. I adore the colors and atmosphere in this park, even if its a bit hard to read in places.

 

 

Tierra Aventura by Steve and J K

Hurricanes (Kumba)

 

Veteran Steve makes his second appearance on my H2H4 list with this wonderful, relaxed park. Although its layed out slightly strangely (Steve blames J K), this park is a classic of mid-era rct2 charm, in a similar vein to Steve's Sea World Brisbane (it's pronounced Bris-bin also). A decent criticism of this park is that none of the themes actually seem to portray what they claim to be, like his charming Floridian Egypt area. They still look great though, and there's some beautiful nooks and crannies to find in this park. Steve has always excelled in composing areas and views, and there's a lot to love here.

 

 

Hallowhusk Cove by Corkscrewed and JKay

Tycoon Bandits (JKay)

 

This park had flown under my radar but its pretty fantastic. Another classic, dark Corkscrewed park with too much story put into it. I don't have so much to say but there's some pretty great coasters here that interact with the environment very well, and I'm sure its full of details. Anyone into this should check out Cork's ridiculous Pro Tour 2 entry, which should have won (rigged). Jokes, Busch Gardens Australia is a great park in its own right. But Cork's entry, as well as being beautiful, had this ridiculous hide-and-seek treasure hunt around the map which eventually led you to a secret url (I won't tell you where it is, but I've completed the whole game before). Unfortunately, the link is dead and I have no idea what it was! I'm getting distracted...

 

 

Mont Saint Michel by Emergo and Six Frags

Tycoon Bandits (JKay)

 

The last park I'll review from H2H4 is the amazing Mont Saint Michel, possibly my favorite work from Six Frags. This semi-recreation of the beautiful town in France was an old favorite of mine- I used to look at it all the time to figure out just how they got the atmosphere and detailing of the city so perfect. It has aged a bit, but its still fantastic- the church is beautiful and the park still feels magical. Recreating this island/peninsula (depending on the time of day!) was really an amazing idea from the two Bandits, and I'm not surprised to see Emergo there, who is known for her geography based parks both here and in the old Road Rally competition. Emergo sadly faded away from the community after an accident put her hand out of commission, and as the rct2 style changed without her, she seems to have left for good. If you're looking for any old school rct2 player to troll through releases from, Emergo is as good as they come.

 

 

I love H2H4- there are so many amazing parks, many of which are chilled and focus on aesthetics over density. I think there's some important lessons from the memorable parks of this period, particularly about how one solid theme and idea is enough to carry a whole park. It doesn't need six coasters weaving in and out of each other and five separate themed areas to make a good H2H park. And if you are going to use themed areas, they have to be planned and separated with a lot of care and precision. Interestingly, Iris' Demigods are the only team without a park on this list. Maybe he should have gone with IVcons... was this near the end of his rct-life? I'd love to hear from oldies.

 

One last lesson- H2H4 seemed like a bit of a bummer at the time, with people complaining it was the "worst H2H ever".  Its easy to get caught up in the game and the strategy, trying to maximize points to win the whole thing. I get it- its really fun to play seriously. But also, who remembers any of this shit at the end of the day? (other than Kumba...) I couldn't tell you the runners up or winners or anything from most of the H2H seasons, but I could tell you my favorite parks, and the ones that had a huge impact on the community- and so many of them are from this "shit" season. At the end of the day, this competition is there to bring out the best in the community and really highlight what we're capable of. Lets not let any shit drama or disappointments or upsets distract us from the awesomeness of what this community makes together. 

 

I'm not sure I'll end up doing H2H5+ reviews, we'll have to see how much time I have. The real contest begins soon anyway!

 

H2H4: More Matchups

Mamba Kilima

Great stuff Cocoa. Note that Internet City appears differently in OpenRCT because OpenRCT automatically removes the ghost objects, which were features in Internet City...

So many cool parks I haven't seen before. Awesome write-up Cocoa!

Mont Saint Michel <3

Thanks for the memories. There was some noteworthy stuff in H2H1. Hope one day we'll find the time and old enough members to properly insert it into the site.

Great stuff. RCT really feels like an artform after reading this.