Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating - Better than Model Railroading
Review: When I first saw the promos for this "game" I became hooked. When it arrived, I installed it immediately (I had some trouble with my video driver) and started the introduction. I was immediately caught up with sitting in the cockpit of a diesel locomotive. I have only begun to go through the tutorials, but this game promises to provide hours and hours of great entertainment. The realism is uncanny as you wind through the countryside, pulling into towns, servicing your train. Great job!
Rating: 
Summary: It was worth the wait!
Review: I picked up Microsoft Train Simulator this week not knowing if it would work on my computer or not. Guess what, it works!!!! Not that I've seen all of the other train games out there but this one is awesome. I installed it last night and within minutes I was "driving" two BNSF GP-38's down the Northeast Corridor at 87 miles and hour. The possibilities for this game seem endless with 600 miles of track and updates and skins becoming available every day. There are more that 25 views, which is pretty cool. You can look at your train from just about any angle and you can customize your view by just using the arrow keys - you can even stick your head out the cab window. Although I've only played the game for about an hour I have to give it 2 thumbs just for superior graphics and sound alone. I can't imagine any another simulation that could be more realisitc that this one. Another positive is that Microsoft made it user friendly. I had no problems installing the game, customizing the settings, and getting my engines on the move. I highly recommend this game especially for those who like trains. I would also recommend that you make sure that your computer meets the system requirments before you buy. I have an HP Pavillion 6830 with 700mhz Intel Processor,64 mb memory, 20 gb Hard Drive and it looks, runs and sounds great. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: MS Train Sim - "Where's my engineers cap?"
Review: Since discovering that MS was coming out with a train sim, I have been awaiting this program with anticipation. I got my copy a few days after it was first released and thought my findings might be of help to those who are interested.First of all, this program takes a LOT of room on you hard drive! 1.8 GB for a full install. Of course, you can get around this huge footprint by only installing the routes (track scenarios) that you are interested in exploring. If you load 2 routes and the program (like I did), you end up using about 1 GB of space. Im not a train junkie, so I found good tutorials on operating all the different engines available (steam, diesel & electric) and very handy. Basically, once you know how get these huge monsters going, you can take off and explore or work on completing various preset scenarios. The graphics are quite nice and detailed, as long as you have a lower-mid level system as a MIMIMUM. I have such a system in a 300 MZ P2, Voodoo3 card and 128 MB RAM. Even so, I get frame rates in the 15-30 frames range on a upper-medium setting. This setting gets you fairly dense, detailed environments to explore. After using this program over several days, I have explored countless miles of tracks and scenery. It all is very good to watch and experience. The train sounds and even the whistle are perfect (the whistle even has a doppler effect!). You can really get nice views from practically anywhere and working on the scenarios is entertaining. But I still haven't quite figured out my reaction to this product. I'm basically a sim-enthusiast and enjoy the freedom of doing whatver I want in this genre of programs. I enjoy the learning involved in operating these type of programs and as a graphics guy, I like superb graphics. In these respects, I'm very pleased with this program. There is just something about zipping down the track that well...gets a little mundane (to me) eventually. I mean, this a GREAT program. It looks, runs and sounds truly FANTASTIC, but a more hardcore train enthusiast than me would really appreciate and get the most value out of this product. If I were you, I'd still buy this program. Be aware that depending on your train-mindset, it's replay value might decrease with time.
Rating:
Summary: A Game that will start another chapter for Microsoft
Review: Train Simulator is a great game.The graphics are breathtaking and very detailed and the game has a lot of activities to get you started and a editor for you to create you're own activities This game has plenty of settings so you can change the realism or gameplay of you're Train Driving Experience.I don't regret ever buying this game here at Amazon and it you're a Flight or Driver Simulator fan you won't be dissapointed with this game.
Rating:
Summary: A few kinks
Review: As someone who lives right along the Northeast Corridor Amtrak line, this game is realistic. The graphics, the sounds and the animations are all true to life. But, as a new simulation, there are still a few bugs to work out. The words within the display itself are sometimes distorted and one or two of the pre-programmed activities froze up easily. However, the free tech support offered by Microsoft to fix these problems was very good. They even did a call back a few days later to see how I was enjoying the simulation. I recommend this for any train fancier. It is in the fine tradition of Microsoft simulations!
Rating:
Summary: Greatest simulator out
Review: I just recieved this in the mail, and I have to say. I wasn't expecting too much from it. But, boy was I wrong. It has everything. Travel all different routes throughout the world with different trains. You can also run a route picking up passengers on the way. Its a lot of fun. **Warning** if you have an old or unupdated video card, there will be a lot of pauses while playing. So, try to get your video card to optimal performance.
Rating:
Summary: Another fine Microsoft Simulator!
Review: First off, to those of you looking for a game, look elsewhere. This is a SIMULATOR, not a game. It says so right on the box. And as far as train simulators go, this is pretty much the only sim in town. And while it's true that there's nothing very 'exciting' to do here, some of us actually like that! Starting up your train and 'feeling' the power of your engines pulling the massive weight and slowly build speed as you travel down a 100-mile long track is a zen-like experience more than anything. A very fun and realistic escape from the pressures of everyday life. There are plenty of realism and graphic options to choose from. My computer is a two and a half year old PII 450 with 256 mb ram and a lowly 16 mb NVidia TNT 1 video card and I get 30+ frames per second at 640x480. The scenery is great, and the variety of 6 different tracks combined with weather effects will keep me coming back for more for a long time to come. Here's hoping for add-on packs with more tracks and trains! Oh, and it comes with a track editor so you can build your own tracks. I haven't tried the editor yet, but I can't wait! About the only complaint I have is its lack of a paper manual. There's a lot to learn here, and having the manual on the disk is inexcusable as far as I'm concerned. Get with it, Microsoft! We want paper manuals! However, it does come with a very nice keyboard reference and symbol reference fold-out chart, and a quick-start guide. Overall, I highly recommend this one to anyone who can be happy just sitting quietly and experiencing the subtle thrill of driving a train.
Rating:
Summary: Cool Simulation Experience
Review: Microsoft Train Simulator is very cool. Keep in mind that it is a simulation experience. I like to drive from the view of looking straight out from the engineers seat; exploring different tracks, honking the horn and stopping at the stations. Some aspects could be better, but all software is designed that way; so that new versions can be sold which boast improvement on the prior version. For example, in the engineers room, you can look straight (the best!), left oblique, or right. I would prefer full visual control in the engineers compartment (like the way Lara can look around in Tomb Raider). Outside the train, it is possible to spin the external camera view around. I can understand some people finding the game to be boring. It is not intrinsically boring, or interesting. It is a train driving simulation, and that concept probably either interests you or it does not. Personally I enjoy sitting in the engineers compartment of an electric or diesel engine, looking mostly straight through the front window, and doing a whole run on a line, making all the stops, while in the explore (unscheduled) mode. And then backing up and exploring other tracks which I didn't turn off on, (you can switch the track switches you approach while driving, by pressing G). To do a full line run may take awhile; an hour or more depending on various factors. You can pick the locomotive, and as well what the locomotive is hooked up to (*there may be some limits to the combinations--I am not yet sure). You can choose what line you drive on, and from where to where. You can choose to drive with certain objectives to be completed, (such as: hooking up and moving trains; operating a passenger train on schedule; etc) or you can just use the explore option, and drive the tracks of a line at your own pace and whims, changing tracks, backing up, stopping at stations, passing them, whatever. There are few opportunities for a non-train-professional to drive a train. In a simulated way, this is one such opportunity. And by the way, if you are thinking or idea searching, I have found that driving a train in this software is sort of a white activity which facilitates thought. A fun non-urgent activity, which makes me feel as if I am there, driving in the privacy of the mountains, or busier areas too.
Rating:
Summary: Deeper and more challenging than you might think
Review: Train Simulator is NOT just about starting and stopping a train. OK, it can be if you want it to be. It can be an interactive screen saver, if you really want. But just as a real engineer doesn't get to relax for a single second while on the job, neither does the player of MSTS who really delves into the goods. Operating the trains included in MSTS can range from fairly straightforward (the modern electric locomotives) to downright difficult (the incredibly complicated steam locomotives, especially if you choose to handle the firing duties as well!). While some people have complained that there isn't anything "interesting" to do, the meat of the game shows when you have to combine the task of operating the locomotive with goal-oriented activities. Safely navigating a 50-car freight train---and its cargo---over the showcase route of the sim, the Marias Pass line through the Rocky Mountains in Montana, not only will be a feast for your eyes, but has got to be one of the most challenging tasks of any simulation, ever. On the whole, the included activites are well-varied and quite time-consuming; I promise this game does NOT bore easily. Beyond this, Train Simulator's greatest strength is probably its open architecture. Once you've exhausted the game's initial offerings, you can create your own routes, activities, and even trains (granted, you'd need 3D modeling software for this last task), and there's already a sizable Internet community for sharing these add-ons. While the included utilities aren't supported by Microsoft, with a little aid from the online help system I was able to create some quite enjoyable activities on my own. MSTS is quite graphics-intensive, but on my P-II 333, 128 MB RAM with a Voodoo3 16MB graphics card, I can get frame rates between 10 and 20 with the detail settings averaging half-on. Not bad. Certainly, if you enjoy trains, this is a must-have. But if you're on the fence, questioning the re-playability of a "sightseeing" game, I urge you to try it out and see that the game's depth takes it well beyond mere eye-candy.
Rating:
Summary: Stephen G.
Review: Is this game for everyone? NO. If your not interested in Trains then I would avoid this title. BUT, if you do like Trains then I would run, not walk, to the store and pickup MS Train Simulator (or buy from Amazon, since your already here). The 3d rendering is exceptional, with very few artifacts; the engines are modeled perfectly; the operations are fun and challenging; and the signaling system is second to none. I admit I like the diesel freight opeartions over the other activities, but there is something for all train lovers. This title has been a long time coming and was well worth the wait.
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