Sid Meier's Railroads! review

  • Catchy overall game design
  • Refreshing lack of micromanagement
  • Lively world
  • Simplistic economics
  • A bit repetitive
  • City graphics could be clearer

Way back in 1990, Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon was a revelation. Nobody had done an economic sim based on the railroad expansion across the United States in the 19th century, so the whole idea of the game seemed fresh - and also boring as hell, until you played it and were hooked.

Sixteen years later, the concept isn't so new thanks to a couple of sequels and some imitators that have borrowed the concept, but Sid Meier's Railroads! still manages to bring back the magic of that golden oldie from yesteryear.

Developer Firaxis Games does this primarily by refusing to fix what isn't broken. Simple, atmospheric graphics are reminiscent of toy train sets, and the music is all homespun renditions of classic tunes, like "The Star-Spangled Banner" on banjo. And instead of clogging up the straightforward original design - lay track, buy cars needed to transport specific goods and people, make money - with lots of economics and micromanaged fine details like train maintenance, the new game keeps it simple, stupid.

Thus, games are straightforward races of expansion. After choosing one of the dozen or so scenarios set in the US and Europe from the dawn of the railroading age in the 1830s right into the age of the bullet train in the mid-20th century, you're plopped down in a random town. From there you must take your starting stake and lay down tracks connecting your town to both neighboring cities and resource-producing facilities like farms, steel mills, and coals.

It's snap to make a buck by following the rules of supply and demand. All you have to do is check out what the neighboring cities want and/or are processing and then lay down track to get these goods to them. So, for example, if NYC wants ore, you can make a pretty penny by laying track down to connect the city with mines in upstate New York. There are a few vaguely fiddly issues with stocks and buying out competitors, but generally it's all very simple.

You have some stiff competition, though. Sid Meier's Railroads! features hardassed AI railroad barons like Jay Gould and Cornelius Vanderbilt, so you have to stay on your toes. All of the maps are compressed, too, even in wide-open regions like the Western USA, so often they begin their empires in the next town over and you have to race them from the moment that the game begins.

They also provide tough opposition when it comes to buying up industries and patents during in-game auctions. To really max out your profits, you need to buy resource-producing or resource-processing factories, but your rivals know this and will often drive up the price when they come up for auction. It's the same deal with patents. Technological innovations that cut costs show up on a regular basis as the years fly by, and you can bet that your rivals won't let you have them for bargain prices.

Add in online multiplayer support for up to four wannabe tycoons, and you've got the best railroading sim since the original Railroad Tycoon. Some gamers may find Sid Meier's Railroads! a little on the simplistic side, but it makes for a nice, light snack.

More Info

Release date: Oct 17 2006 - PC (US)
Available Platforms: PC
Genre: Strategy
Published by: 2K Games
Developed by: Firaxis
ESRB Rating:

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