Train Sim World 3 Review (Xbox One)

STAFF REVIEW of Train Sim World 3 (Xbox One)

Monday, October 3, 2022.
by Adam Dileva

I used to think trains were fairly simple machines. I mean, you’re stuck to a set track, so it’s not like you need to steer or anything right, just set the speed you want and you’re off. Yeah, well after a good dozen hours or so with Train Sim World 3 I can now appreciate how much more goes into being a train engineer. Even starting a train up is quite a process, knowing what buttons to press, levers to pull and what order they need to be completed in. Want to stop your train? That’s also quite a process, one that I learned the hard way numerous times.

I’ll admit, I as someone completely new to the Train Sim World series, and pretty much Train Sim games in general, I had a lot to learn as I overcame my preconceived notions about operating a train. If you want to get a taste of what it’s like to operate a 4000 to 20000 ton piece of machinery, most likely something most of us will never get to do in real life, Train Sim World 3 has you covered across a slew of different engine types and locales. It certainly lives up to the ‘Sim’ in its title, that’s for sure.

While there’s no traditional campaign per se, you will get a brief introduction into the train engineer life and the newly included Training Centre, acting as a tutorial for the basics. Once you learn how to board, start your train, get going, changing tracks and stopping, you’re basically set free to play how you wish. Do you want to play by trying to keep to a set schedule for passengers. or play through some specific premade scenarios, of which there’s plenty to keep you busy for many hours if you’re a completionist.

Before long I was choosing which train I wanted to go with and its corresponding route area. The scenario based ‘campaign’ is basically bite-sized missions that you can play in any order or repeatedly if you like, as you’ll gain experience for every one you complete. These scenarios can vary in quick one to two minute single stops, all the way to quite lengthy trips that span the whole map that require over an hour long commitment to complete. There’s no shortage of scenarios to play through for each of the train types, so there’s no need to worry about having a lack of content, especially since you can create and share your own routes for the community as well.

Full disclosure, we were given the Deluxe version of Train Sim World 3, so we had a few more trains and Routes to play with when compared to the base game (that’s also currently on Xbox Game Pass as of the time of this writing). I’ll admit, being someone that’s never really researched or know the differences of one train to the next, I now clearly see the distinctions between the different types, classes and styles, from the earliest Steam era all the way to modern bullet trains. Needless to say, conducting a steam train is vastly different from a modern day electric train and even more so from a BNSF freight train.

With having a bit over a dozen trains to try and explore, I had more than enough to start learning how each controlled, and they can differ quite drastically control wise when switching back and forth. For example, I had no idea that there were different types of brakes on a train, so learning how to control those for each type of engine is very different from one another. Because of this constant change of controls, I would suggest becoming quite proficient at one engine type before bouncing around to a few others, as I wish I could say that I never crashed my train, but due to thinking I was controlling a different type of engine and braking system, sadly it’s happened more than once.

While I’ve never stood foot inside any of these train cars, I can only assume its authenticity is top notch for each train type, and doing some research online, it seems developers Dovetail Games have certainly done their homework, not just on the trains themselves, but the real world counterparts and track layouts for each Route and area. They’ve certainly earned the ‘Sim’ in their title with the authenticity.

If you’re not a train buff you probably won’t know the difference between a Class 66 EWS, BR442 Talent 2 DB, BR403 DB, Class 395SEB, BNSF ES44C4 or a LMS Stanier 8F, just to name a few, but if you perk up at any of those train types and recognize them, you’re the exact audience Train Sim World 3 is catered towards. If you’re a train buff, then you’ll also recognize many of the included Routes and areas such as the Schnellfahrstrecke Kassel – Würzburg that has plenty of tunnels at high speed, my favorite, the Great Western Express, or the new and very challenging Cajon Pass with a BNSF engine which I would suggest trying after you’re comfortable in proper train handling and how to deal with some steep inclines safely.

Each train feels and performs drastically different than the next, especially the interesting Steam trains, whisking you back in time. Not only do you have to keep track of numerous valves, meters, levers, gauges and handles, but knowing how to ease into the acceleration is almost an art form in these old time engines. Give it too much throttle and you’re wheels will simply spin, but you’ll need to factor in any inclines, how much weight you’re pulling behind you and more.

For those that want to do even more in Train Sim World 3, you’re able to not only customize your scenarios however you see fit, but also create and download liveries from the community as well. For those that played the previous entry, Train Sim World 2, you’ll be happy to know your content carries over. There’s even an ‘Off the Rails’ mode where you can play any train type on any Route, but keep in mind that not all areas and Routes were designed for specific trains that can go much faster than is supposed to on these tracks.

The tutorials are plenty, able to teach you the basics of each train, how to operate them and even all of the other controls like the outside camera and map. You can easily switch to an outside camera at any time, freely placing it where you like, and can even do the train coupling in this view instead of being forced to get out of the train and do it manually, should you wish of course. You’ll also need to learn how to change the tracks based on what line you’re meant to be on or stop at. This can be done manually again should you wish, but you can also toggle them on the interactive map well ahead of time, adding another layer of planning on longer trips or passing through multi-laned hubs.

Should you want to explore on foot, there’s plenty of collectables and hidden items to find, again, adding hours of extra gameplay should you want to find everything. My main complaint is that there should be some form of a checklist to operate the engines. I found that switching between different types quite often, I forgot which buttons, levers and the order to even get the train moving was a challenge at times. Because of this I opted to stick with the same trains for a handful of scenarios at a time until it became second nature before moving onto the next area and train.

Weather has been vastly improved, adding extremes like thunder, lightning strikes, torrential rain, high speed wind, smoke, fog and more. Because of these weather patterns, they can affect how you control your train, so take that into consideration when the weather take a turn for the worse. With plenty of Train, Routes and Scenarios to play, there’s no shortage of content, especially factoring in community made options within the Creators Club as well. That said, there’s a store to purchase a whole slew of content with real money. If the DLC and add-ons like new trains and Route would be reasonably priced I wouldn’t mind so much, especially since the game is currently including with Xbox Game Pass, but some of the prices for a single train engine are absolutely ridiculous, more so if you’ve purchased the Deluxe version or some of the DLC already. If you want the complete experience, you’re going to have to open your wallet, and wide.

As expected, the attention to detail, even the smallest buttons and switches, inside the cabins are next level. There’s so much detail and a plethora of buttons, knobs and levers to interact with on the train, which is why the tutorials are so critically important. The trains themselves, even outside, are done to great detail, even reflecting the world it passes by at high speed. Lighting has been improved and the outside weather looks quite good when the rain is beading on your locomotive going almost 300 km/h. That said, the rest of the world, especially the environment meters away from the tracks and the lifeless passengers really stand out like a sore thumb. Passengers are duplicated quite often, animate quite stiff, and simply don’t look all that great. Are you playing to look at the lifeless eyes of the passengers on the platforms and on your train, no, but it doesn’t help when you do.

The trains themselves sound wonderful and each quite unique. Hearing the steam engine from a train over 100 years old sounds drastically different than the electric hum of a modern day bullet. The voiced over sections during tutorials is done quite well, I just wish there was more of it throughout the rest of the journey going from scenario to scenario. Hearing the train 'clicky-clack' along the track is always delightful, as is blowing the horn as I come into the station. Squealing brakes and other minor sounds simply pull the whole experience together in a natural way.

There’s some debate that fans and players of Train Sim World 2 won’t necessarily see a massive leap going to this latest entry, but for someone like me that’s new to the series, this is logically the best place to jump in. The menus are clearly designed for a mouse and keyboard in mind, as trying to hit specific small switches with a controller can be tricky at times to perform, especially quickly. How the Scenarios and menus flow into one another could also use some work, as it wasn’t until a few hours in that I then found more options and tasks to complete.

I’ll admit, I learned a substantial amount about the world of trains and locomotives thanks to Train Sim World 3, and while non-fans might not see the enjoyment of running a train for over an hour getting from point A to B, I oddly become quite addicted to the relaxing enjoyment it brought. Veterans are sure to be excited about all of the authentic content, though due to its niche audience, casual or new fans might find it difficult to understand at first.

**Train Sim World 3 (Deluxe Edition) was provided by the publisher and reviewed on an Xbox Series X**

Overall: 7.5 / 10
Gameplay: 8.0 / 10
Visuals: 7.0 / 10
Sound: 7.5 / 10

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STAFF REVIEW of Train Sim World 3 (Xbox One)

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