It feels like there’s a simulator for every job under the sun these days. You can be a pilot, a farmer, a trucker, a surgeon, a PC builder; you name it, there’s almost certainly a simulator out there, allowing you to experience the highs and lows of working within that particular profession, all from the comfort of your own home.
Of course, some simulators are more realistic than others, with some focusing on accessibility over authenticity, while others are borderline parody (I’m looking at you, Surgeon Simulator). Train Sim World 2 makes no such concessions, and does everything within the realms of possibility to bring the “thrills” of piloting three unique trains to current generation gaming hardware.
The tutorials here do a relatively good job at throwing you into the driver’s seat and getting you moving, but that’s as much support as Dovetail Games is willing to offer. Aside from quick tutorials which teach you how to power up your train, release the brakes and engage the throttle, you’re pretty much left to your own devices. Pre-existing knowledge of how trains work is not required, but a real passion and a willingness to learn very much is.
So, London Underground is the first and most accessible line which you’re given the reins to. It’s easy to get to grips with, and the short distances between stations means the routes are manageable. You’ll gradually get more and more proficient at bringing the train to a halt in the perfect spot in each station, and learn little shortcuts – such as closing the doors before the departure time, and running a couple of miles per hour over the speed limit – to keep your service running ahead of schedule.
The game is broken down into bite-sized scenarios, each with multiple objectives and tasks to perform on a typically tight schedule. It almost feels like work, and after a couple of hours you’ll be confidently controlling the train with the two right-hand shoulder buttons on your controller, and wondering whether you should be getting paid for your time behind the driver’s controls. Unfortunately, the only form of reimbursement is one of three medals – bronze, silver or gold – at the end of each scenario based on your performance.
After a couple of hours on the London Underground I’d only completed four of thirty-six scenarios, so there is plenty of content in here, if you’re willing to invest the time and energy into seeing it all. At this point I felt like I’d pretty much mastered the tube, and found myself mindless scrolling through Twitter while coasting between stations. Time for a promotion.
Germany’s inter-city line is Train Sim World 2’s middle ground, so to speak. The controls are very similar to the tube’s in terms of the buttons you’ll need to be pushing on the controller, but the layout and interface couldn’t be more different. The additional challenge comes thanks to its additional complexities, such connecting the train’s pantograph to the overhead power cables, and of course, its high-speed nature. Germany’s high-speed route between Köln and Aachen sees you travelling at over triple the speeds of London’s beloved tube, offering you the chance to hurtle along in excess of 120mph. Mastering stopping distances here is the ultimate challenge, and it’s particularly satisfying when you get this spot on – but don’t expect to do so right away.
Pennsylvania’s iconic Sand Patch Grade is more technical still, both in the cab and out. Not only will you find yourself mastering huge cargo trains, with more controls than ever, but you’ll also be left in charge of switching lines and refuelling the train.
The track switching element opens up a new level of attention required from the player, almost presenting itself as a layer of puzzle above the core gameplay. You’ll be tasked with ensuring your train is on the right line so you can hook up to your cars before being sent on your merry way. Thankfully, you can open up the map and plan your route – including using the track-side switches where necessary – all from the comfort of your train’s cab. However, the tutorials never teach you this, and instead would rather have you manually exiting the cab and running to and fro like a headless chicken.
In all honesty, there are more controls here than you’ll ever remember; and it’s this train in particular which will give you a new level of appreciation for the level of detail Dovetail has managed to squeeze into the game. You can even open up the fuse box and mess around with all of the switches. Of course, you probably shouldn’t, but you can and that speaks volumes for the levels of intricacy in the trains. The models are life-like, and meticulously designed inside and out.
Unfortunately, the scenery isn’t quite as impressive, however that’s more due to the limitations of its current-generation hardware. Make no mistake, the dusty trails of Sand Patch Grade and the beautiful German countryside all look great with plenty of variety and seemingly very little asset re-use at each location when you’re playing from the first-person, in-cab viewpoint. It’s when you switch to the train’s external camera that the frame rate starts to struggle, particularly as you pan around to take in the sights, and dropping significantly when there’s more than one moving train on-screen. Look too far beyond the track and you’ll also see sub-PS3 era textures on buildings and structures in the distance; but let’s be real, that’s not what we’re here for.
As a simulator, it’s very unforgiving. If you accidentally run a red light – even by so much as a millimetre – you’ve failed the scenario and you must start over. Unless of course, you’ve remembered to save. There’s no checkpoints to speak of, but you are free to save at any time within a scenario. An autosave feature and “reload” button in the pause menu would’ve been appreciated, but it’s not a deal breaker for those within the game’s unashamedly niche audience.
Ultimately, I believe that a good video game simulator should provide a realistic and authentic experience, but not at the expense of accessibility. Euro Truck Simulator 2 has got this spot on, as have Codemasters’ Formula 1 games every year for the past decade; however Train Sim World 2 slightly misses the mark. It’s pure sim and no game, with little for anyone except the most hardcore of trainspotters and enthusiasts. If you’re the sort of person who can see yourself sat in a train’s cab for hours, perhaps while listening to a podcast, taking in the scenery and mastering the controls, then Train Sim World 2 is about as close as you can get without training for the real thing. For anyone else, there’s just not enough game beneath the surface to win you over.
-Martyn