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A very fun game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 60 / 62
Date: September 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I really like this game. Instead of individual trains, you get to build and run a railroad network, like you would in the board game Rail Baron. The graphics even look like a board game and you can play a game in a couple of hours so it is easy to try out different strategies. Just like the real world, you start out cooperating with the other railroads to build up the network and share the traffic but you end up in a real dog fight for total domination. This is the first game I have played that makes this kind of transition well. In most games, the bigger your empire gets, the more tedious the management becomes but this game automates much of the management freeing you up to concentrate on the other players. One thing to remember, the winner is the person with the most prestige points, not the person with the most money. You get prestige points by building a transcontinental railroad or connecting the gulf of Mexico to Canada or dominating a region. As you play, you collect influence card which are things like politicians or newspapers. You use these cards to attack the other players by causing a scandal or sabotaging a section of their railroad. Of course, you use the same card to protect yourself from the same kind of attacks so you have to be careful how you use them.

Excellent Railroad Strategy (not Trains) for a version 1

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 37 / 37
Date: January 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This excellent game fills a niche that has long been missing in computer railroad games. The game positions the player as the President of the Railroad who must make policy, strategy, and management decisions for an expanding railroad system. It is at the opposite end of the spectrum from MS Train Simulator. The decisions that must be made for the owner's railroad are many and keep the player busy if they want a "good" railroad.

Other reviews have stated the graphics are crude, but the President of a railroad company isn't interested in fancy looking reports. The MAP of the system and other graphics for game control are more than sufficient. Traffic control is at a higher level and hence much more realistic than Railroad Tycoon (II) is. A company president would never worry about the routing of an individual train. Better graphics would add nothing to the game.

Other reviewers have indicated that the "board" is the same every time. This is not true. The cities are always in the same place, but the cargo and passenger connection requirements are different. For example in one game Washington DC. might need 500 passenger cars to NY. The next game there might not be any passengers from DC to NY at all.

My main criticism of the game is that the default "normal" game is too easy. This is why some reviewers have CLAIMED to master the game in a short time. In my opinion, to make a challenging "normal" game there should be at least five (5) other players, the players starting position should be set to "random", and the "attacks" should be set to "rare" instead of "never". One can never claim to have mastered this game until they get a gold, not just first place, in each of the scenario options. There are other minor problems with the game but do not distract from the total effect.

If you get this game be certain to get the on-line upgrade that fixes some bugs and most importantly adds a "Hall of Fame" so that one can rank themselves one game to the next.

In short an excellent game for simulating railroad management that still has room for improvement (Can't wait for version II). Highly recommended for railroad people. Straight gamers might need to learn something about railroads to fully appreciate it. This review is written with about 40 games played in one month of ownership.

Not what I expected...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 27 / 37
Date: January 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I was very disappointed with this game... I'm a huge fan of Railroad Tycoon, but if you buy this game thinking you'll get anything like it, think again.

First, the graphics, although they are crisp, are very simplistic and merely adequate. I personally find them ugly and boring. The sounds and animations are very basic too.

A huge drawback is that there is only one map to play on. For me, it got boring very quickly to always see the same thing.

What I hadn't understood when buying this game is that it's a railroad simulation, not a train simulation. You never get into the detail of passengers and goods transportation in this game... you cannot choose which types of wagons the trains will pull -- all trains look the same and it's just assumed they pull the appropriate wagons depending on where they go to. Basically, I found there was very little to do in the game, and it's all very repetitive and boring.

If the game sold for $19.95, it might be worth it for railroad fans (although I wouldn't even buy it at this price.)

Build an Empire

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: November 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you are looking for a game with great 3D graphics, and something where you can micromanage your Rail Road down to the last detail then this isn't the game for you.

But if you want a game which allows you to build a massive Rail Road Empire and use every trick you can pull out of your hat to bury your competition without having to become bogged down in the daily workings of the trains unless you want to, then this is definately the game for you. It allows you to run a massive RR empire and compete to be the most prestigious and well known of them all. At the same time using all the dirty tricks from stealing stock to causing labor stikes to slow down your opponent. But be careful, they can do the same to you!

Well worth the 39.99

Not Raiload Tycoon...but a good game never the less...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 15 / 18
Date: November 05, 2001
Author: Amazon User

In my opinion, Railroad Tycoon is by far the best railroading game out there. However, this game deals with more system building. Building a large network and beating up on others to have the best railroad system. There is more "battles" in this game compared to Railroad Tycoon. In Tycoon, you can leverage your stock to buy out a competing railroad. In Rails, you have a slew of options to wear out an opponent. You can not buy them out like in Tycoon, but you sure can disrupt their plans to eventually bankrupt them.

Good partner to Railroad Tycoon. You might want to wait till the price comes down. (...)

The graphics are not nearly as nice as Tycoon.

Well designed strategy game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: November 21, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I was a little apprehensive at first with this game, with a varying range of comments all over the place. However, the right choice was made when I acquired this game. It's great to 'attack' your opponents with influence attacks, in addition to building my own little choo-choo...

If RAA has any drawbacks, they lie within the game's exciting, but overwhelming attention to detail. This, I don't mind. I love detail, especially on this scale. Additionally, the multiplayer element adds a new degree to the game. Well worth my time and attention.

Kinda fun.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: October 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I love trains and love strategy games. This fit the niche quite well. The only problem is that 3 games later (~4 hours per game), I've pretty much mastered it and there's not much more of interest. It is really a game of racing to lay tracks (either yourself or through acquisition). There are some cool political and other influential things you can do to make things interesting against your opponents along the way. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I certainly wasn't captivated very long. Graphics are okay, nothing to write home about.

Lame Train

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 10 / 19
Date: October 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is ugly. The top down view is terrible it looks like the game was released before the artist were done. I found myself playing in the furthest out zoom and all you really do is look at lines that represent tracks being built. You do manage the railroad but this in itself is not much fun. I have played Railroad Tycoon Gold edition for numerous hours and enjoyed it immencly. I played this game off and on for about a week and have no interest in playing it again.

Save your $$ and get Railroad Tycoon

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 19
Date: February 22, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is fun, a bit confusing at first but it's eassy after you get the hang of it. The AI's are a good challenge, but the teadious task of upgrading trains every some odd yours is a real pain. If you own 50 tracks for say, you have to go through EVERY one of those tracks to updeate the type of train it uses. FOR ANNOYING and not worth the time. I got bored of the game after 2 sessions!!!

Defintly get this game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 9
Date: January 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

i liked the game because instead of the same old "goblins and orcs", it's the FBI and Newspapers.I think it is well worth the money.

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