Railroad Tycoon 3

"One of the best tycoon strategy games to have ever been released."

Introduction
The Railroad Tycoon series, while consisting of three great games, has never gained the popularity of some of its fellow Tycoon game family members, such as the RollerCoaster Tycoon series. This game really should've stopped that sad trend dead in its tracks as it is the best Railroad Tycoon game released to date and one of the best Tycoon games ever. It's almost as if it is a brand new game that has no relation whatsoever to the previous games. PopTop Software, the developers of RT3, really went all out and outdid themselves for this one. They completely reconstructed the game, giving us a gaming masterpiece. Gone are the 2-D/3-D maps and trains from the previous games - this work of art is in full, beautifully-detailed 3-D.

Gameplay: 10/10
PopTop easily could've given us the same exact same gameplay from RTII and shipped it out but they didn't; they actually worked hard to make this game seem like a true sequel. The best part of the game is that they've made it even easier for beginners to jump into it, making it appeal to a wider audience. Hardcore gamers, don't fret - just because the game is simpler to get into doesn't mean that you won't receive any
true challenges. You are allowed to set each game you play to whatever difficulty level you find appropriate for yourself. So you sado-masochists can try your hand in the extra hard mode, which will having literally TEARING THE HAIR FROM YOUR HEAD!

The Campaign and Scenario modes return, allowing you to play anywhere from the Midwest to France. As you progress through the Campaign mode, you will take on different roles as various railroad managers from throughout history such as Otto Von Bismarck. In order to win each game, you will achieve many different goals that are based off real-life events. In addition to the main gameplay modes, the editor and online modes return, allowing you to make your own custom maps and then go online to play against others in them. There is also a brand new sandbox mode, which is basically a combination between the editor mode and the scenario mode - you play to achieve a specific goal or goals but all of the limits and restrictions, such as money and time, from the regular scenario mode are gone.

Something I found very incredible about the game is how much control you are given over your railroad. Railroad Tycoon II was very customizable, but this is just insane. You can set up industries to make you and your railroad even wealthier. You can build hotels, restaurants, even a post office. And unlike RTII, you are allowed to place these buildings ANYWAY you feel like on the map, rather than having them automatically built right next to a train station. There is so much more that I can go into about the game, but I'd like to keep this review simple, short, and to-the-point, so I recommend buying the game so that you can discover those things for yourself.

Graphics and Sounds: 9/10
If you've been a Railroad Tycoon fan and have played the first few games, you will be absolutely ASTONISHED when you see the new graphics. There is an all-new graphics engine that renders everything in the game in FULL 3-D. EVERYTHING is incredibly detailed, from the trains to the hills to the hotels, even the little rivers. The game perfectly imitates real-life: mountains are covered with realistic looking snow, trees and rivers line the hills, the shorelines have waves, farms are spread out over plains, the list goes on and on. What makes the graphics even more unbelievable is how big a leap they are from RTII's graphics. It is pretty much like comparing a black and white TV to a crystal clear HDTV.

As with the last game, the soundtrack consists of country-style folk and blues and railroaders' music. While, to be honest, this isn't really my choice of music, I can't deny the fact that the music is incredibly appropriate considering what type of game this. Other than that, there's not much more to say about these parts of the game.

Replayability: 9/10
The fact that this game is so customizable and has so many different scenarios to play in pretty much seals the deal. You WILL be back to play this game even after you finish the campaign mode to try your hand in the various scenarios that are available. You might even try replaying the campaign mode on a higher difficulty - it's all up to you. Even when (or if) you complete the campaign on all difficulties, and beat all of the scenarios, you can always hop online, create your own maps, or try playing the scenarios in sandbox mode. There's so many different things to do that I can't even recommend a specific goal to try and reach. When you couple in all of the elements of the game, you will see that this is one terribly fun game. It, just as with all other Tycoon games is infectiously addictive and will kill hours of your time. You'll start playing at 8:00 am and when you finally decide to leave, it'll be midnight.

Overall: 10/10. Recommendation: Definite buy.
If you are a strategy game fan and you do not yet have this game, you should slap yourself right upside the head. If you are a railroad enthusiast and you do not yet have this game, there's obviously something wrong with you in the head. If you like games period, you should have this game. Even if you're not a fan of strategy games or railroads, this game will definitely turn you into one. Railroad Tycoon 3 is the definite strategy game, a must-have, and deserves to be in every gamer's library.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/18/06