Game - Trainz Railroad Simulator 2006 (PC)
 DJHufford  rates it:    Community rates it:
   629 of 1265 readers found this review helpful.

Massive. That is the one word I would use to describe this title. However, trying to label this game with one word is absurd due to its massiveness. In order to frame this for you, try to think of the Sid Meier Civilization series or the Everquest series. It’s really that big. When I first popped the box open, I had not the slightest clue what to expect. I quickly learned however when I discovered it was a five CD game.

Installation was quite time consuming. It took me just over two hours to get it installed and setup. Once it was ready to go, I quickly found the wait was worth it. Now I haven’t had much experience with a train simulator, so I kinda expected an interface along the lines of, Click left to go and click right to stop, or something of that nature. No, apparently Train engineers are truly engineers after all, as the control scheme encompassed most of my keyboard. It does have dumbed-down controls for people who just want to play around with it, but that’s just not my style. If it says simulator, then I want it to simulate.

Actually playing the game is quite self-explanatory. You drive a train. Actually, you can drive lots and lots of trains. There is almost no limit in the trains you can command due to such features as repainting them, and downloading them off the internet. But why stop there? You can only do so much at the controls. That is why this game expands much like a “tycoon” game. You can control all of the lines, scenery, schedules, and about anything else you can imagine pertaining to the topic. You can get as immersed as you want to. You can play this game to the point of nuanced insanity, or you can just simply drive around and look at the birds.

Now you might have seen me mention the internet earlier. The internet plays a bigger role in this game then I could have imagined. The game documentation mentioned certain community sites to visit, and those were just the tip of the iceberg. A quick net search yielded multiple fan and community sites. You never have to worry about having problems with this game, because there are thousands of people in forums you can ask at a moment’s notice. There are some truly hardcore train junkies out there that would like nothing more then to share their expertise with a newbie. And then there are the downloads. You can download anything from trains, to rolling stock, to individual pieces of scenery, to entire landscapes. Hell, you can even download entire routes and schedules. The user created items are very hit or miss. Some items are brilliant, some are trash. Also, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I failed to mention the fact that you can actually send your trains along lines to other people over the internet. This gives it a real MMORPG feeling.

This game is more of an application then a game. At times it actually felt a little like work as I was stressing over deadlines and trying to get my trains on the right tracks and the right times. Some of these yard exercises can be extremely challenging. The interface you are working with really seems like more of an application. You get a ton of tools to work with such as content creators, item search engines, and the paint-shed. But don’t worry. When you’re in your cab, and your surrounded by a familiar gaming H.U.D., it’s all game baby!

I found this game to be extremely enjoyable. In fact, it was a lot more enjoyable then I ever thought it would be. I’m now hooked. Because this is a game that in essence never ends, I see myself tinkering with this long into the future. I really can’t find anything wrong with. It’s got great graphics, great support, and great gameplay. Anyone should be able to enjoy this. It is so huge in scope, that anyone should be able to find at least one aspect that appeals to them. I highly recommend.

Added:  Thursday, March 16, 2006

Related Link:  Official Website
Language: eng[ Did you find this review helpful?  Yes  No ]
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