Test of Train Sim World 2 for PC: A train ride that's fun - but also nice?

On August 20th, the British development studio Dovetail Games released the successor to Train Sim World with Train Sim World 2. We tried our hand at being a train driver and in our test we will tell you whether we are just as “punctual” as the train.

Train Sim World 2 falls into the genre of simulators. There were and are some of them: Farming Simulator, Flight Simulator or even games like Fishing Barents Sea immerse fans in a digital world that is sometimes roughly, sometimes in detail, modeled on the real world. In Train Sim World we slip into the role of a train driver who has to move iron giants over rails. In the sequel to Train Sim World, there is again a route through Germany that takes the ICE 3 from Cologne to Aachen and back. Then off to the driver's cab - and off!

Departure: This is how Train Sim World 2 plays

The first step: create a character, including a uniform. That's entertaining, but at the same time unnecessary, because you don't see his character anyway. Then follows a tutorial that takes you through the first steps in the world of trains. It works wonderfully and that's why it's easy to get started. Annoying: The doors from the driver's cab cannot be opened. So how you get in and out of the “cockpit” is more like magic.

Once seated, passengers can get on and the train can start rolling - from Cologne to Aachen and back again. Landmarks of the city are often seen and they are even comparatively pretty, in any case atmospheric. The Cologne main station is also recognizable. By the way, it's not about speed: rules, speed limits and signals also apply in train traffic. Hardly surprising: It's a simulator. This is exactly where the playful challenges come about. If you run over a red signal, you can start the respective mission from the beginning. A highlight on the high-speed route is to push the ICE to its limits. A feeling of speed comes across well.

Train Sim World 2 is a simulator, no doubt about it. You do what "real train drivers" usually do, with all the advantages and disadvantages that technical support brings with it on train journeys. The game principle has received some shallow revisions. The situation is different with the bugs and glitches: Dovetail Games should have shown more commitment there. Here and there switches don't work or the dimensions of the hitboxes are not balanced.

Technology: beautiful but not flawless

Technically, the small British development studio Dovetail Games has managed to create a very nice game, which brings us closer to the individual movements with great attention to detail. The ICE and the other trains look very authentic and depart as if they were "real" - you become part of the huge railway machinery. The tones are a bit weak on the chest, but still contribute intensively to this simulation. There isn't much to complain about graphically, because many details have been improved compared to the predecessor.

On the PC we get a constant frame rate that shows only a short and occasionally a small jolt. Sometimes the graphics take time to build up. Sometimes more would have been possible because the technical requirements of our PC are not very demanding. All in all, we quickly got used to these small spots and travel very quietly and dignified through the landscape, which is anything but boring, as there is a lot to see alongside the route. At the same time, this does not apply to all routes: Some journeys are therefore as exciting as a train ride through the wasteland.

Overall, however, the terrain graphics that have been adapted rather moderately and the partially incomprehensible screwed exposure are noticeable. The real world isn't as bright as it is in Train Sim World 2. As a result, some parts of the game seem extremely artificial. Damage, because in principle the following applies: If you approach the game without claims to high-resolution graphics, you will be satisfied with the graphics overall.

With Train Sim World 2 we are offered 3 areas or track areas that can also be used with different locomotives and railcars. Whether between Cologne and Aachen with the ICE or a regional train or through the London subway or tons of goods through the mountains. Everyone is for himself, but driving ICE is the most fun here. Such a return trip to Cologne takes about 30 minutes and can be driven up and down in the timetable from morning to evening. If you like, you can then do the small tasks and hang up timetables, freshen up first-aid boxes and do other little things at the stations.

When things get boring, the locomotive can be painted in the paint editor. That's nice, but it plays a minor role here. There are other DLCs in the store, but they're all about the same price as the game itself. There's also a mini-editor of sorts, an evolution of the "quick game" from the predecessor, which can be used to expand motivation.

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Summary

With Train Sim World 2, Dovetail Games will once again satisfy the hearts of virtual railroaders, because traveling by train has never been so beautiful and easy. The landscapes are a feast for the eyes and allow for variety with the change of day and additional weather conditions.

Even if only a few routes are offered here and the rest can be had in the shop for expensive money, the virtual world of railways is brought closer to you in a wonderful way. It could be a little more, but only could. Anyone who has always wanted to ride the ICE can do it here in the simplest possible way, without any delay or using the Bahncard. Certainly there are still some flaws, but Deutsche Bahn has some too.

A further development is noticeable, if sometimes only in detail. The fact that Dovetail Games is throwing new offshoots from its series on the market benefits gamers - not least because at least the basic games are attractively priced. A lot fits together in Train Sim World 2: The graphics with compromises, the sound, the gaming experience, the simulation aspect. DTG has also worked on the controls and the overview. In the end, it is one of those typical titles for real fans of the genre: You have to be capable of suffering in a certain way and lower your demands on the framework. Those who focus on playing themselves will benefit from Train Sim World 2 - all the more because, due to the lack of alternatives, there is hardly any choice in the genre anyway. It remains incomprehensible - with all the love for the genre - why the mass of bugs and glitches were not fixed before the release. Now DTG is literally being forced to act and has to rework. 

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