"‘Break your back laying some steel, and with work you can be railroad tycoon.’"

Lionel Trains: On Track I imagine is a game you probably hadn't heard much about before as it is one of those silent releases that can easily and unfortunately end up being overlooked. At first glance if you happened to pick up the box before at a store may find some striking similarities between this and Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon. Having some good experiences over the years with the series between the PC original and the sequel on Dreamcast I took the gamble and picked this one up at the store. Having been able to literally find nothing out about this game at the time I grabbed it other than a few basics and screenshots from the designer's homepage it was a bit of a gamble to say the least. The question I hope to answer in this review for you basically is if it was worth the gamble or not?

Old School Aesthetics

Whether a game is a budget title, or because it's about the old days or railroading doesn't mean it has to also look or sound that way, but the problem is that this game does. Personally to me I'm fine enough with the visuals and audio but I think more could have been done. With the kind of people out there who live and die by ear and eye candy that can't look for a game's quality beyond those levels will not enjoy this release and cry that it looks like a Gameboy Advance title. Sadly though, they would be right in that assessment. On the visual end of things in Lionel Trains: On track things are pretty stark, fairly bland, and very lightly animated. The visuals of the game mostly comprise a green landscape with low detail, basic visuals for the trains and towns, and then iconic like representations of the train and the cars in tow that kind of wiggle on the track to give a sense of motion. Within the menus for the trains, towns, and upgrades are some decently drawn representations of whatever you queued up, but for the most part that is basically it aside from the basic and well done menu boxes and icons you use the navigate around. The audio of the game basically has the same general feeling that the visuals do, something there to pass the time and move the game along, but nothing too involving to drive the game along with. The music selection of the game is limited to the title piano score and then five tunes of which you can choose which to play at any time during gameplay out of the menu. None of them are all that remarkable but they're not grating to listen to either, but I find the only one that almost feels like it has a train theme to it is the one enabled from the get go. Music aside the game has a small selection of sound effects all quite suitable for the environment of the game, and better yet have a good recording quality sample to them. Often you will hear the sounds of your trains whistles blowing as they leave the station, the sounds of bells from the trains, and other little effects the suit the moment. These effects over the music are the more notable bits of quality from this side of the package, but like them (or the music) or not the game does have separate slider bars for the volume so you can turn them off, lower, or higher than default.

Time to Lay Some Steel and Make Some Deals:

Needless to say the tone of the review has been a mediocre one so far about this game, but please do not let that dissuade you as the gameplay factor is truly what makes and not breaks this game. Lionel Trains: On Track in my opinion after putting some considerable hours on it is somewhat of a Railroad Tycoon ‘lite' basically. Gameplay in this game is all about laying some track, building stations and the towns around them, and successfully creating a network of trains for people and goods transportation at a profit. The game itself is divvied up into three basic modes which are Campaign Mode, Free Play Mode, and Sandbox Mode. In Campaign Mode the game swings between being both a trainer and towards the end of the six maps a campaign mode with strict time limits and objectives to complete before time expires. Each mode will earlier on show you how to lay track and upgrade trains and stations, manage resources, and to chain development of goods between towns into a final product. The next mode Free Play Mode, is basically that for the most part, a free play scenario to do as you please. The one objective you technically need to meet in this game is to generate $20M in profit within 20years or fail. Technically though it's pseudo-fail as you can just ignore it and move along playing for hours on end building up a vast network of cities and trains with massive amounts of track between each destination. And finally the Sandbox Mode to keep it simple and sweet is like Free Play but has no terms to it, no cost to any items, and everything is unlocked so you can just experiment and learn how things work with no naggings.

While on the surface the game can sound like a simple train simulation, don't let it think you'll get off that easy as the game has a fair bit of challenge to it and will require some skill to pass. The game itself within the modes comes with three levels of difficulty, plus also you have the ability to have on or off random events which can be beneficial or harmful to you, randomly of course. That said it will take planning, and lots of it to make a successful rail line for sure due to budgeting constraints, demands for certain things from towns, keeping up with upgrades and technological research and more. As you start out you'll learn that each town will have it's own unique item it can ship to other locations, but also has it's own unique sets of requested items. The trick is that some items can't just be had immediately, and those special resources come into play. I contacted the developers about this one and I think a simple summary of what I was told will best explain some of the depth involved in delivery of goods in the game. Various items come in different tier classes. There are first tier items in two classes of which are items worth direct profit (luxury, people, mail, fruits, and vegetables) and then items that are used to make other items such as milk being one of a few. Then you have the second tier items such as cheese and meat which as far as the tier goes as they came from milk and cows, but there are also second tier items that go into a third which are worth more money. A third tier item worth of note is furniture, and to get that there are two things that need to be done. You find a town that has logs and have a train go there, then have it go next in line to a town that can process it into lumber, and then have the train leave station and go straight to tier three which can turn it into furniture which you immediately take to a place demanding furniture so you make profit. The higher up the tier scale an item takes to get the more money it will be worth to you which makes it worth making a proper train schedule.

Aside from proper management of trains, delivery, and resources there is more depth to be had in the game thanks to a system of evolution in place. While it would fine and nice to just go along delivering things, I'm sure you would like to see things done faster and more efficient, and the game has that covered too. There is a research panel in the game in which you can learn how to make more advanced trains, upgrades to efficiency of trains, and buildings that will give bonuses and other efficiency bonuses as well. There are 15 structures (1 already there by default) you can learn and add to your towns for bonuses, and then also 15 trains in the game you can upgrade your way through of which each has a better level of stats for appeal, speed, hauling power, and acceleration. All these things will come into play as you expand your world on the map you chose between 12 pre-set locations on each map. Intuitive use of the stylus allows you to easily navigate all areas of the map with a simple motion, or a simple tap to hit any menu to add something new, create a modification, research new technology and more. While it is possible to use some of the features with the D-Pad and Buttons it's much more cumbersome and unnecessary but it is nice to have the choice though as well. Also of note is that beyond the print manual the game does have a built in knowledge base that serves good use as a way to get tips on various things that can and will happen in the game.

All Aboard!:

Lionel Trains: On Track is a title I'd call a very classic example of deceptively fun as playing, not seeing, is believing. On the surface the game looks like an average Gameboy Advance type affair with the audio and primarily visual direction of the title. If you are shallow enough though to let that dissuade you you'll be missing out on a fairly strong simulation game, of which I believe we need more of on the Nintendo DS. Fans of Railroad Tycoon should feel pretty much right at home on this title with the fun micromanagement of towns, cargo, resources, and technological upgrades. This game comes from me as a recommendation with a proviso of sorts. If you're a fan of railroading or simulation this is a must buy especially at its budget pricing, but if neither of those are big interests to you, or you're the type who can't handle a par audio-visual presentation you may want to rent or pass on it.

Scoring:
Visuals: 5.5
Some 2D background and menu entries are well enough detailed, the lack of animation on trains and basic overall look of the graphics makes the game feel out of date.

Sound: 6.0
The small selection of music is pretty good, but is mostly average and non-memorable. The sound effects though are quite good and sampled nicely which help things along.

Control: 8.5
Strong control values help the game with ease of navigation of the maps and menus using the stylus on the panel, and some buttons can be used as well too which helps out too.

Gameplay: 8.5
Excellent selection of campaign, trainer, and free play modes allow the gamer to experience developing a railroad, technologies and more trying to be the next rail mogul.

Replay Value: 8.0
If you're a fan of railroad and simulation there are enough maps, modes, and difficulty settings to keep you busy replaying this one quiet a bit, but it is a single player affair.

Verdict:
Lionel Trains: On Track was a gamble of a purchase as I stated when I started my review, but to answer the question I originally posed, I believe that gamble did pay off. As a fan of Railroad Tycoon I felt right at home with this title as it is a quite engaging simulation into the world of railroading. With the various campaigns, free play mode, and sandbox mode to learn the ropes this game with all its improvements you can develop is something that can keep you busy for a good while. It may not be an aesthetic masterpiece, but it more than makes up for it where it counts with quality lasting gameplay values.

Total Score: 7.5

+ Multiple gameplay modes.
+ Many trains and tech to unlock.
+ Intuitive easy to use touch panel control.
- GBA style visuals and lesser animations.
- Mediocre audio package.
- Only one save slot.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/20/06