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ZitatAlles anzeigenChris Sawyer's Locomotion Review
Written By: Chris Pickering
EU Version Reviewed
Now this is one those inherently difficult reviews to write. The vast majority who find themselves here reading this, will have searched specifically for a Locomotion review in a search engine, or found us from one of the various locations on the internet you can find us from. But, considering the niche appeal that a Chris Sawyer game will have, especially one that seems happy to cast trains as its main star, I’m guessing that most of you here will already have read up all you can about this game. That leaves me in quite a sticky situation really. Unlike the real hardcore fans, I haven’t been able to read and digest every ounce of information about Locomotion over the past months. Therefore, the chances are that quite a few will have a few issues with this review, for something I’ve missed or got every so slightly wrong. But, reviews are all about opinion, and this is my own.
Being heavily advertised as being from the creator of Rollercoaster Tycoon (I’m quite surprised that a mention or two of Transport Tycoon isn’t in there though), you can already be pretty sure of what to expect. What you’ll have is a set goal to achieve, through varies means of your own choosing, and a set time period to fit it all in. The idea here is to create, build, and operate a vast transportation network, delivering passengers to their wanted destinations, and various other cargos. To achieve this you have quite a hefty number of vehicles in your armoury, ranging from buses and trucks, all the way to ships and aircraft, and most others in between.
Ranging from time periods from throughout the 20th century, you’ll have access to period specific vehicle types, buildings, industries, and even background music. As time passes, and quicker and more reliable transportation methods become available, you need to introduce them slowly, but effectively in order to make use of your resources as best you can.
The traditional Chris Sawyer graphical interface makes a welcome return, although I’m saddened to see that not much in the way of evolution has occurred. Like I mentioned before, this can be basically seen as the unofficial successor to Transport Tycoon, and doesn’t look too dissimilar from that game that appeared a decade ago. The menu structure hasn’t changed too great a deal. Though, due to the fact that it always was, and still is quite an easily utilised interface, you can see the reasoning behind no great wide sweeping changes. However, being so old, it is dated, and has been surpassed by many of the more recent strategy titles out there.
It’s unfortunate to see that the graphics in game hasn’t appeared to change too much either. Viewed from a isometric viewpoint, the game appears drab and just astonishingly unattractive. Again however, how often has it been shown that a game such as this just wouldn’t work in a totally 3D format? However, we’ve also seen 2D isometric viewpoints such as this appear vastly more visually appealing than this, and it certainly gives off an air of the graphics being very much an afterthought.
The basic structure of game as I’ve said to achieve set goals during each “scenario” that the game thrown at you. Provide a fantastic service to the various companies and people who rely on your services, and your profits and performance rating will improve dramatically. Fail to achieve and you’ll find yourself the head of a sinking ship. Part way through the game, rival companies appear to attempt to steal some of your hard earned customers however, and its here that the game really gets going. As fun as the early Sim City-a-like beginnings are, its when your up against an opponent or two, undercutting prices, and attempting to offer a better quality of service that’s where the fun really lies. You can even play multiplayer games (sadly set at a mere 2 players) to heighten the excitement value.
Locomotion is a game that despite being so heavily detailed, somehow manages to be ultimately, immediately accessible, and has a great amount of fun hidden away to discovered and extracted at whim. But, it still misses out on greatness. Far be it from me to be a “graphics whore”, but the out-dated graphical style portrayed, to admittedly great affect isn’t going to boost the chances at retail for what can already be considered quite a niche genre. The vast majority of games severely need to impress the eye, as much as the brain nowadays to grip the majority of gamers in this age of graphical wonder portrayed by the current generation of consoles, and powerful PC base units. Despite this one problem I have with Locomotion, there’s no denying the incredible addictive quality that Chris Sawyer has brought us. Like any game it has its problems in game, but that addictive quality still remains. I can’t honestly say anyone other that Transport Tycoon/Rollercoaster Tycoon fans will gain the majority from playing Locomotion, but for those who do sample the delights, and take to the game, you’ll enjoy it.
Punktewertung gemäss http://www.gamesarchive.com
7/10 Pts. – Other magazines/websites “average” score. This score stands for a game that has been well created, and is generally a recommendable title.
