Railworks 3: Train Simulator 2012

« A great way to try your hand at driving a train. Unfortunately, load times are long and DLCs all cost extra, but optional simplified controls and a great look with many details and weather effects make this a good game. If you like trains, but can't or won't go for a miniature train, this simulation is for you. »

« RailWorks 3: Train Simulator 2012 has a lot to offer those that have a diehard passion for trains of all types. It definitely adds some new features to the series that they will appreciate. »

« Too similar to RailWorks 2 to be a sequel, and with little fresh content, but the series is chugging along in the right direction. »

« This game was made for a target audience in mind, and it does well for the target audience. If you think you'd be into simulation games, particularly train simulators, you won't be able to find a better one than this. »

« Okay, so it was vaguely interesting for me, but, train nuts out there, by all means add a point or two to the score. It's a niche sim, but it does exactly what it says on the tin, does it fairly well, and has only a few bugs, none of which are truly gamebreaking due to the nature of the game and its community. »

« Train Simulator 2012 is good at what it does but unfortunately that will appeal to a very narrow audience. Diehard train enthusiasts will love the incredible details and depth of gameplay but it will be lost on everyone else. Hardcore hobbyists need only apply. »

« To be blunt, TS2012 is a hard game to score. It's a fearsomely niche title (and I play Paradox strategy games for heaven's sake) with a fanbase who'll be judging it by a completely different set of criteria. To them, the interest may be in how accurately the Horseshoe Curve is represented or the potential for inclusion of their favourite engine. My job is to critique it as a game. »

« Train Simulator 2012 has its audience that will appreciate everything the game has to offer. Train enthusiasts will be able to look past the graphics and solely focus on the fact that this game offers an unrivaled simulation. However, every other player that either casually likes trains or is unenthused by locomotives will find Train Simulator 2012 to be an interesting concept that is easy to get into, but is often too complicated and dry to offer up more than a few hours of meaningful gameplay. »

« I am a Conductor for a Class 1 Railroad. I saw this and played a demo because I was interested to see how "real" this was. The inside of the cabs are modeled accurately, with the controls and interiors spot on. Aside from that, this game doesn't really do a good job of simulating trains or railroading at all. You see, in the Professional world of Railroading we have a name for people who loves trains and dont work for the Railroad: Railbuff's (or Railfans). Yes, REAL railroaders look down on these folks. Because Railfans only see the perceived "mystique" and "glory" of trains. In reality working on the railroad can be grueling and quite dangerous. This "simulator" plays on Railfans love and ignorance of trains. They get to work the throttle and brakes and make the train go back and forth and blow the horn- just like playing with a train set. However the physics of railroading does not translate at all in this game: slack, bunching, "train feel", grade, dynamic braking, ect. Railroading is more than going back and forth on a joyride. The way the train feels as it is operating is a big indicator about what is happening to it at any moment and this fact is something a simulator game like this can never capture. That and it is very inaccurate in terms of how yard/ track switches operate, signals, handbrakes, ect ect. I guess working for a real railroad ruins the "experience" (if you can call it that), but I have flown a plane before and even computer flight simulators convey more realism than this train simulator does. Don't buy it!! And if you are a Railbuff who thinks this will get you anywhere near the real thing- it wont, never, ever, ever!!! If you love trains so much then get a job with the railroad. Just remember to keep your Railfanning a secret because the Railroads dont like Buffs- they end up staring at the trains passing instead of paying attention to the shove they are supposed to be protecting and end up derailing something or hurting someone!! Bottom line is: This game is just that- a game. It is not realistic nor representative of how trains actually operate!!! »

« To be blunt: this is NOT a train simulation. It is a train driving game. The physics are extremely unrealistic, as anyone who actually knows about trains can attest (and from the looks of the reviews here, most people do not know about trains). The graphics are amazing. I'll give it that. But that's all I will give it. If you are running an SD40-2 coupled to 100 coal hoppers, you can make it up a mountain at 40 MPH in notch 1, something that would never happen in real life. Everything is DLC. Compare this to other train simulators, where there a huge amounts of free content available. And you are letting steam on to your computer. »

« To me, the most important feature of a simulator is that it simulates the controls and the physics as close as possible to the real thing. When driving a recent GE's locomotive, I expect to see working Integrated Function Displays. If the menus are not modeled, I expect at least the main screen to be completely working exactly as the real thing. It should show the brake pipe pressure, the main reservoir pressure, the equalizing reservoir pressure, the brake cylinder pressure of the locomotive, the speed, the estimated speed in one minute, the reverser position, the power and brake lever positions, etc. The estimated speed in one minute is especially useful. Since you are in a simulator and can't feel G forces, it's hard to feel what is the current acceleration of the train. Right now, only the speed needle is modeled. The controls that show up at the bottom of the screen could be improved. The power lever should show a notch number instead of a percentage. The brake lever should have tick marks to the side to show where are mininum reduction and full service. The automatic brake, the independent brake and the dynamic brake all use the same lever and you need to press one of three buttons beside the lever to choose which brake you want the lever to control. You can obviously see why this is a bad control scheme. I don't like the horn. It's hard to do the short and long blow patterns properly. The horn keeps on going too long after you release the horn button. As it is right now, it feels more like a toy than a simulator and the game loses its appeal to me. Aside from those issues, the game is fine. »

« Hello, I just want to say a little about the game and why i didn't rate it 10. The only reason is because its hard when your first beginning. Later on the game gets fun! For the 3 bucks i bought it for i would rate it worth it any day. But the only other thing i don't like is all the Dlc. If you bought them all 50% of they still cost 1000$. But i can't say anything else bad because altogether its the best simulation game i've ever played.!! Thanks for read my review i hope its helpful and not bias. John »

« Great game for anyone who has a interest in railways, with a variety of DLC and lots of free content out there. However the DLC does get a bit pricey. »

« Must download from internet to play and re-download the same scenario when you fail and it takes forever even when you have road runner. The game is not on your computer. I am a rail buff but I am returning it to Wal Mart. »

« I can tell from reading the rest of the reviews here that I'll get a lot of flak for saying this, but here goes... I'm going to be blunt here: this is my least favorite game of all time. Why? It's a blatant money making scheme that almost insults the intelligence of the simulation gamer. The game itself is a pretty OK simulation game that can keep your attention for an hour at a time, and maybe for as long as you own it about 10 - 15 hours total. Then you realize that the base game, overpriced already as it is, is incomplete. There seems like there should be so much more there... and there is! You just need to pay about $200 in area expansion DLC. Now here's where things get worse: there are now about $1800 worth of Railworks Train Simulator 2012 DLC. Only those $200 I mentioned earlier are justifiable, because all of the DLC besides those (and a mildly exciting Zombies vs. Trains DLC) are seriously them just reskinning trains (to an experienced modeler this can take less than 10 minutes). That's about $1600 in reskins that have had so little effort put into them. I don't know one gamer, NOT ONE, who can look me in the eyes and tell me that $1600 is a justifiable amount of money to spend on ANY game, much less a decent train sim, especially when most of that money is pouring into something that just about any modder could do in an hour or two. If you think the base game will be fun, wait until it's like 75% off and go for it, but DO NOT let it become a money sink-hole, and DO NOT buy into their scheme. You and I both know you're smarter than that. »

« Does what I want it to do, now the question is what I want it to do! After I go commando and shoot down a army, win a game of shogun 2, I want a peaceful relaxing vista. This fits the bill. Best relaxing game I have played, not for the shooter fan though... »