Trainz Simulator 12
- June 8, 2011
- N3V Games
- 855h median play time
Get on Steam"Trainz Simulator 12 offers a dream railroad experience, now with multiplayer. Control powerful locomotives, design and build your own railroads, and share your creations with other players. With new routes like Southern China and ECML Kings Cross-Newcastle, explore stunning landscapes and operate realistic trains."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game is nostalgic and features a hometown, making it relatable for many players.
- The models and graphics are praised for their quality, enhancing the overall experience.
- The game offers a fun and creative sandbox environment for train enthusiasts to build and drive their own routes.
- The game suffers from frequent crashes and performance issues, especially on lower-end PCs.
- There are significant problems with lag and unoptimized gameplay, making it frustrating to play.
- The content management system is cumbersome, with many users reporting difficulties in downloading and managing additional content.
- graphics75 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many users noting that while they may not meet modern standards, they are still enjoyable and functional for gameplay. Some players appreciate the visual improvements over time, while others criticize the outdated graphics and performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems. Overall, the graphics are considered passable for a game of its age, but they may not satisfy those seeking high-quality visuals.
“The beautiful graphics and immersive gameplay is a must for anyone interested in railway simulators.”
“A fun and awesome game; great graphics would recommend to anyone.”
“One of the best Trainz games, and I think it still looks very good graphically - almost as good as DTG's Train Simulator games now.”
“Old game that runs with horrible frame rate and has ugly graphics!”
“The graphics engine needs a complete overhaul to bring it up to date.”
“This game is nothing like the trailer... this is probably close to the worst graphics engine I've ever seen... it almost looks like they went to downtown London and took pictures of the walls and photoshopped them into the game.”
- optimization39 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes, unstable frame rates, and significant performance issues that render it nearly unplayable at times. Many players note that the game struggles to run smoothly even on capable hardware, suggesting that the developers have not adequately optimized the engine for modern systems. Overall, the poor optimization detracts from the experience, overshadowing the game's potential as a sandbox for train enthusiasts.
“If you are looking to build mega routes and get the best performance, Trainz 12 is the way to go.”
“To me, it looks like the devs tried to push the engine way further than it could take, with few - if any - optimizations.”
“While the community may continue to contribute content to the game, allowing content to continue to evolve, the engine is dated and not looking like it will ever have its performance-based frustrations addressed.”
“The issue is things like performance, glitches, and the content manager constantly crashing, which make the game almost unplayable.”
“This game is the most poorly optimized game I have played in a long time.”
“I ran the game on two PCs, and there wasn't any real difference in performance, which leads me to believe the issue wasn't really with the hardware, it was with the game itself.”
- stability26 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 4 % neutral mentions
- 85 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and performance issues that render it nearly unplayable. Many players experience significant glitches, long loading times, and visual problems, even on high-end systems. Overall, the game is seen as a buggy mess, leading to a lack of recommendation from most reviewers.
“Runs great and has lots of free content to download on the DS.”
“Great game, runs great.”
“At least we have to give it some credit; it has no glitches.”
“The issue is things like performance, glitches, and the content manager constantly crashing make the game almost unplayable.”
“Extremely buggy, and horrible framerate.”
“Paid £7 for this game and it constantly freezes and closes down automatically!”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some users enjoying it while others note significant issues such as lag and a lack of speed feel across various maps. Despite these drawbacks, many find the overall experience engaging, particularly praising the building overlay feature known as the "surveryor." Comparisons to other train simulators highlight that while gameplay can be enjoyable, it may not be as polished as other titles in the genre.
“Fun gameplay.”
“Gameplay has both easy and complex elements, similar to train simulators.”
“It has some issues I would agree (not a real speed 'feel', gameplay gets laggy on most maps no matter your hardware), but it more than makes up for those issues and more with the surveyor alone.”
“Have not gotten a lot of gameplay because I spent most of the time getting a serial number.”
“It has some issues I would agree (not a real speed 'feel', gameplay gets laggy on most maps no matter your hardware, ability to eat way too many hours), but it more than makes up for those issues and more with the surveyor alone.”
“Even Dovetail's TS2015 is better in gameplay, but it in turn has the total unplayability bugs that exist in every train sim ever since 2006.”
- story7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional narrative, functioning more as a simulator with no defined story or objectives. Players can engage in missions or explore freely, but the experience is primarily focused on gameplay mechanics rather than storytelling.
“As well as completing missions, you can play in sandbox/freedom mode and do whatever you like.”
“Such as reading the instructions in the career mode and properly driving if on a mission.”
“No story.”
“Calling this game a simulator would be like calling Just Cause 3 a story-driven game: it's not wrong, but it's not right either.”
“No objectives, missions, points, exploration, nothing...”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be extremely time-consuming, often requiring significant dedication akin to having a second life. While there is a wealth of content available for download, the process can be tedious.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Downloading from websites is a bit tedious, but Auran has thousands of content available to download.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users indicate that while the game is generally playable, it lacks significant elements that enhance replayability, suggesting that players may not find compelling reasons to return after their initial experience.
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its lighthearted and whimsical nature, often featuring playful elements like a "funny train" that adds a charming and amusing touch to the overall experience.
“The humor in this game is absolutely hilarious!”
“I couldn't stop laughing at the witty dialogue and funny scenarios.”
“The quirky characters and their antics had me in stitches!”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect has raised concerns among users, particularly regarding misleading advertising, as some stations promote services that they do not actually provide, leading to confusion and dissatisfaction.
