- Dec 23, 2003
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I admit, I played Railroads! before I played RRT3 (never played RRT or RRT2), and, other than Rollercoaster Tycoon, which is much different, this was the first "tycoon" game I ever played. When I first played Railroads!, I thought, wow, this is a pretty fun game.
Much later, when I was bored once on a trip, I fired up RRT3 on a friend's laptop, and despite it being a much older game, I found it thoroughly engrossing, and, due to the variety in the scenarios in terms of limitations and special options, extremely replayable. The economic model wasn't too complicated, but it also wasn't childish. I found myself playing it very often.
Recently, I loaded Railroads! again, hoping to find some of that RRT3 magic, but instead found I couldn't keep a game going for more than 5 minutes. Compared to RRT3, Railroads! isn't even a game, it's like a model train set: it is just so much shallower than RRT3: no option to issue bonds or stocks (how am I supposed to raise money?), can't build disconnected track, no multiple companies, not even an option to choose where I first lay my track. Even the track laying and route planning seems to have been totally erased: before, I would find myself trying to find good routes to place tracks in order to avoid excessive bridges and tunnels (due to cost), but also avoid excessive hill-climbing (due to slowing down trains), nope, none of that in Railroads! In fact the only thing that has improved between RRT3 and Railroads! were the graphics.
So, you think we'll ever get a proper RRT sequel? Because Railroads! certainly wasn't it.
Much later, when I was bored once on a trip, I fired up RRT3 on a friend's laptop, and despite it being a much older game, I found it thoroughly engrossing, and, due to the variety in the scenarios in terms of limitations and special options, extremely replayable. The economic model wasn't too complicated, but it also wasn't childish. I found myself playing it very often.
Recently, I loaded Railroads! again, hoping to find some of that RRT3 magic, but instead found I couldn't keep a game going for more than 5 minutes. Compared to RRT3, Railroads! isn't even a game, it's like a model train set: it is just so much shallower than RRT3: no option to issue bonds or stocks (how am I supposed to raise money?), can't build disconnected track, no multiple companies, not even an option to choose where I first lay my track. Even the track laying and route planning seems to have been totally erased: before, I would find myself trying to find good routes to place tracks in order to avoid excessive bridges and tunnels (due to cost), but also avoid excessive hill-climbing (due to slowing down trains), nope, none of that in Railroads! In fact the only thing that has improved between RRT3 and Railroads! were the graphics.
So, you think we'll ever get a proper RRT sequel? Because Railroads! certainly wasn't it.
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