Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7654 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Take 2
• Released on: 2006-10-26
• ESRB Rating: Adults Only
• Platform: Windows XP

Amazon.co.uk Review:
In a nutshell:
Railroad Tycoon returns in all but name as Sid Meier reinvents the series and business sims in general with completely real-time gameplay and surprisingly impressive graphics.

The lowdown:
This may be the latest in a long line of Railroad Tycoon games but it actually plays very differently from the slow paced turn-based games of old. Everything occurs in real-time as you race to compete one of the preset objectives from around the world and from the 19th century onwards. Starting with a single train depot in the middle of nowhere you have to build up your rail network until you control not just transport but all the industries connected to it. This becomes particularly important when you’re playing online against real players as you all compete to service the biggest cities and be first to take advantage of new technology. The premise may sound dull but the game itself will make a trainspotter of anyone.

Most exciting moment:
As complex as the game may sound what makes it popular with ordinary gamers is that it’s actually extremely easy to play. Despite the influence you have on cities and factories you only ever actually lay down tracks and stations and the computer handles the rest automatically. It also helps that the graphics are really good for what initially sounds like a dull strategy game.

Since you ask:
Sid Meier, the man behind Civilization, pretty much invented the business simulator with the original Railroad Tycoon in 1990. Developer Frixais, which Sid help to found, is now owned by publisher Take-Two who also own the rights to the Railroad Tycoon name. Oddly the company decided not to reuse it for this revamp.

The bottom line:
Sid Meier returns to the age of steam with the biggest train set ever made.-HARRISON DENT

Manufacturer's Description
Sid Meier's Railroads! marks the return of the watershed title in simulation/strategy gaming that launched the popular tycoon genre, and inspired a new generation of games. Sid Meier's Railroads! comes home to its original creator, the legendary Sid Meier, who, together with his team at Firaxis Games, will take this game to a whole new level of fun.

The greatest railroad building game of all time is back in a vibrant 3D world delivering exciting multiplayer options, in-game customization tools, streamlined interface and unmatched gameplay, that's easy to learn yet challenging to master. Combining the best of real-world and model railroads, Sid Meier's Railroads! puts you in charge of building the greatest rail empire in the nation - managing trains, cargo and your bottom line - while engaging in all-out corporate warfare against rival tycoons, slick entrepreneurs, and robber barons.

Real-time action lay track, route the trains, and the world comes to life. Cities and industries grow up around you as you service them, hauling raw materials to market and carrying manufactured goods away; Cargos are loaded onto train cars and passengers shuffle between cities.

Easy to get started laying track is as easy as clicking and dragging. Bridges, tunnels, railroad stations and switches sprout up automatically where they're needed.

Challenging to master with a new market system that tracks supply and demand and complex random events that can cause a boom or bust at any time, players must stay on their toes at all times or risk obsolescence, financial collapse, or hostile takeover.

It's all about the trains! over 30 trains to use, from the primitive 0-4-0 Planet to the Super powerful 4-6-6-4 Challenger, from the classic diesels to ultra-modern bullet trains.

LocoBuilder design your own steam engine from the ground up, and deploy it across your rail empire! Customize your train liveries, from colour schemes to custom logos.

We've got the goods over 20 different goods to harvest, produce, and sell, and 30 unique industries, from lumber mills to war factories, each with detailed, unique animations.

Scenario and map editor support enables user-created maps and scenarios. Want to create a race to complete a transcontinental railroad in 30 years using only steam engines? No problem.

Something for everyone build your dream train layout in train table mode, or challenge historical giants like Cornelius Vanderbilt, J.P. Morgan, and others in single-player scenarios.

Multiplayer Ruthless real-time LAN and Internet play. Buy out your rivals or cash in favours to sabotage their shipments! Whether you prefer heads-up competition or the camaraderie of cooperative team play, you'll find a fantastic multiplayer experience here.

Real-time action lay track, route the trains, and the world comes to life;Easy to get started laying track is as easy as clicking and dragging;It's all about the trains! over 30 trains to use, from the primitive 0-4-0 Planet to the Super powerful 4-6-6-4 Challenger;LocoBuilder design your own steam engine from the ground up;We've got the goods over 20 different goods to harvest, produce, and sell;Something for everyone build your dream train layout in train table mode;Multiplayer Ruthless real-time LAN and Internet play.

Customer Reviews

Disregard the Killjoys
Well, I was nearly put off by these reviews. I'm glad i wasn't.
I've played all the Railroad Tycoon series, frankly i'm not a diehard gamer, i like to play for fun, not to beat competition. Quite frankly the depth of previous versions I never used.
If you ever wanted the perfect train set, beautifully done - this is it.
not the sort of train set involved in the minutiae of schedules, this is more iconic.
There are enough trains here to fill the gameplay, The graphics are gorgeous, and there just wouldn't be time to fit in any further depth to the game, even so, it often happens that you've just caught up with replacing your fleet with the newest engine and a new locomotive is released.
All in all the game is finely judged, all the elements fairly blended.
And there are two patches available to fix and upgrade the game - plus an extra scenario.

Not for 'tycoonists'
This is NOT Railroad Tycoon 4. The rating (age 3+), and the avoidance by the publishers or creators of putting 'Tycoon' in the title should warn fans of the RRT franchise off this game. If you're expecting a game with the depth of previous versions of Railroad Tycoon, you're going to be very disappointed.

This is "Railroad Tycoon Lite". No sophisticated stock market, (no opportunities to buy long or short), simple 'supply chain' for freight (no need to take iron AND coal somewhere to make steel).

But by stripping away all the complexity of previous Railroad Tycoons, what's left is a fun game to play. Great for kids, not much here for strategy game lovers.

oh dear dear dear! A warning for Railway Tycoon fans
If, like me, you are a huge fan of the Railway Tycoon series, and of other great Sid Meier games such as Civilisation, please be warned. This is not a serious strategy game.
I imagine that people who don't enjoy strategy but do enjoy playing trains (or pretty graphics) may well enjoy this game. I wouldn't know - I like games that make me think!
A secondary warning: the game has a lot of bugs and when I was looking at the forums for solutions/work-arounds it became apparent that the game won't run on many computers even though they meet the minimum requirements stated on the box.