There are two things I've been a fan of since I was a very young child: trains and computer simulation games. It is only in the past few weeks that I've considered how strange it is that those two things have never combined; although rail simulators have been around since the mid 1980s, I have never played one. All that changed last month when I got my hands on a copy of Train Simulator 2013 on Steam and gave it a run.
The game covers four different routes, London to Brighton, the Isle of Wight, Sherman Hill and the Northeast Corridor with a fifth (Munich to Augsburg) included in the deluxe edition. You can also buy additional routes as expansions, including those from the previous editions of the game. The line I was most interested in was London to Brighton, a line I have traveled many times as a teenager living near the English capital. I think there is something to be said for the extra interest that comes in playing a route you know personally. The US and German lines held much less interest for me, but I do think I'd be very interested in playing on other routes I know well.
Playing the game for the first time is rather baffling as there is no tutorial to guide you through the menus. I figured it out easily enough and selected a 15 minute route that was classed as "easy." This route included the most basic tutorial I have ever come across. The trains controls included dozens of buttons but only the absolute basics were covered: the lever that controls acceleration and braking, the button that opens the passenger doors, and how to couple up to carriages – which seemed to basically consist of driving into them. The only other thing mentioned was how to read the signals and contact the signalman to request to pass one at danger. I can only guess that there is an assumption that players buying this game are already familiar with this game style, but it is slightly baffling for a newbie. Once I finished the tutorial route I opened up another 15 minute "easy" route. After playing for a few minutes I was informed that I would need to manually change something, but no instructions on how to do this were given and nothing I pressed seemed to work, so I gave up.
For parents, actually finding time to play can be a challenge. Many of the set tasks in the game are an hour or longer, which means I struggle to fit them into my short bursts of gaming time. I did find the approximate time guides beside each task very useful, though, as it meant I could find a task to play during my son's naps without having to wonder if I’d have time to complete it. My favorite part of the game was the free play option where I could simply drive the trains along in the way I wanted to. I set myself a short route to a tiny station I remembered visiting as a teenager and found it immensely fun to visit it again virtually. The detail of the game was stunning and although I couldn't appreciate the technical aspects as I'm not a railway/train tech geek, the physics felt realistic and the virtual world made the game deeply immersive as you performed maneuvers.
I have enjoyed playing Train Simulator 2013 but I have to admit that I can't see myself rushing out to buy more of the same. There are too many stretches where I found myself simply sitting at my computer not doing anything except keeping an eye on the speed for several minutes. Whilst I fully appreciate the reality of that process, I want to actually do more with my limited gaming time rather than just sitting around. I’d often find myself fiddling with my phone as I kept one eye on the game. I'm sure the more advanced levels offer more action but the lack of clear tutorials means I'm somewhat stuck and I don't have the time to try and guess where to go next. One thing the game has given me which I didn't expect is a better understanding of the real rail network. I recently traveled to London by train several times and I found myself able to truly understand the signals at the stations for the first time, and to better understand why the train would sometimes appear to slow down in the middle of nowhere. I really appreciated that educational side of the game and I look forward to letting my little boy have a go at driving a train in the future as well.
A copy of Train Simulator 2012 was provided free for this review.
