Trainz Driver – ignite your passion for locomotives in this realistic train driving simulator game!
by Paul Wilks
Jan 21, 2013 12:32 PM –
Install
Trainz Driver is a train driving simulation. Now, I’m not massively into trains like some people are, but reckoned I could glean some enjoyment out of immersing myself in the world of a the train driver- arriving on time, speeding up, ignoring respecting signals. 
Trainz Driver boasts some gorgeous graphics and realistic gameplay and I found that it does some things very well, but not so with others. Read on for more…
Price: ~$3.11
Tested on: Nexus 4
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Good graphics!
- Realistic gameplay!
Cons
- Frustrating controls.
- Really, really slow.
Features:
Trainz Driver is a good game to look at if you’re really intro trains. If you’re a spotter, into trains generally or are even a driver yourself and want to see how accurate the game is, it’s worth a look. I wanted to try it as I know these games are popular with certain nerd circles and wanted to see what the hype was all about. I hoped there would be something mildly satisfying about getting trains to stations on time, etc. I felt the game ticks some of the boxes, but other elements let it down.
Firstly, the graphics are really great. While there could be more environmental details, the visuals are mostly smooth. The game lets you lets you take a view of both outside the train and inside the cab so, if you really want to play train driver, you get to watch from your train driver seat! You can sweep around the view using your fingers and there are lots of details to spot which all add to the immersiveness of the game.
There are lots of elements to the game and there is a considerable tutorial to complete before you can do anything purposeful. Things like starting, stopping, speeding up, slowing down, reversing, using a turntable, connecting to other carriages, etc. I guess pretty much mostly things a real train driver has to do. You can opt for basic controls in game, or even full-on realistic controls.
Watch on Mobile
The game is a little let down, however, by the controls. When you want to sound the horn you have to tap an arrow to bring up a different menu. However, getting this menu up is tricky and not particularly responsive. Then, returning to the normal slider view is incredibly difficult as the arrow seems to have disappeared. Gameplay doesn’t stop when you’re doing this, your train just keeps powering on, so it can be a bit frustrating if you need to adjust speed. Overall I just felt it could be far more intuitive.
I guess the other thing about the game is its slowness. Getting from A to B seems to take forever. I appreciate it is a simulation but much of gameplay is about finding a decent speed followed by waiting and waiting until you get to the next station/signal/whatever. Like I say, this is a simulator but I think because of this it’s for serious train nerds only, rather than something anyone could slip into.
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Trainz Driver – Gameplay sample (1)
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Trainz Driver – Gameplay sample (2)
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Trainz Driver – Gameplay sample (4)
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Trainz Driver – Gameplay sample (5)
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Trainz Driver – Cab view (1)
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Trainz Driver – Cab view (2)
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Trainz Driver – Pass by other trains
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Trainz Driver – Turntable
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Trainz Driver – Pan around your train for awesome gameplay views
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Trainz Driver – Sliders help control your speed
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Trainz Driver – Tutorial and instructions explain how to control the train
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Trainz Driver – Graphics let you sweep round the train from different views
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Trainz Driver – Two modes of control, basic and realistic
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Trainz Driver – Tutorial level complete
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Trainz Driver – Map view
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Trainz Driver – Loading
Fun Factor:
If you absolutely love trains- you’ll love this game. If they’re not your thing or even if you are just mildly interested, this is going to perhaps be too dull to play for very long. For the train aficionado, however, this is like Christmas and Birthday rolled into one. There are loads of different trains to drive and realistic environments to drive through. There is even the realistic controls mode which will probably flip you out if you want the real thing!
Addictive:
Again, if you like trains in general, you’ll really enjoy playing this, for me however, the graphics and realism were let down by the controls and overall slowness of the experience.
Graphics:
The graphics are very good, 3D and offer plenty of detail. I did notice an odd glitch here and there and although this was persistent, it didn’t happen all the time so was bearable. The way you can sweep around the environment as you either inside or outside the train is, admittedly pretty cool.
Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:
The sound is purely realistic train sounds. Not much else though.
Tags:
3D,
3D Games,
Android App,
Android Apps,
Android Game,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
Anorak,
Simulation,
Train,
Trainz Driver
Categorised in: Casual
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