The warm VHS fuzzyness of earlier LGR supported by clint's voice and the melodramatic synth of the A-trains soundtrack combine to make a wonderful audio-visual experience.
Its funny you say that. I keep coming back to this video to relax because of the qualities you mention. Its very soothing. Not only the old stye of graphics, the memories of such games but also the 90's style of box graphics that always remind me of cartoons and childhood of that era.
I ported A-Train from the NEC PC-9801 (Japan's version of the IBM PC) to DOS for Maxis, when I was like... 20-ish. It was my first real programming gig, and by far the most complex thing I'd worked on to date. Some of those bugs were mine... sorry. One of your other videos on Sim City popped up in my feed, and I saw you had a copy of A-Train on your shelf. Kinda flipped out. I got a copy on mine as well! Then I found this video... amazing. Glad you enjoyed it. As you note, not many did.
You'd be surprised to learn people played this game around 1997 in Kyiv, Ukraine, and I learned about it back then. Sad that it didn't get a good playable upgrade like OG SimCity did.
I was always curious about the Maxis port back in '92 when I was obsessed with SimCity and Maxis could do no wrong. Now I've finally tried an A-Train game (All Aboard Tourism) and I'm hooked. Thanks for what you did to localize this game.
Many thanks, glad you found something you enjoyed with my video(s)! And I've since gotten rid of the intros entirely, because honestly they started to be a problem for me as well :)
The first upload of this looked entirely like a "game review on drugs", due to an encoding error. So as a reference to that, I included it in the intro. Yeah, I had no idea what I was doing back then, ha.
LGR, you inspired me to make a GOG account so I can play these beautiful games that you review, you are fantastic, and I hope you become the most famous RUclipsr ever.
Seing this makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I had the Amiga version and loved it to death. This game was no joke, it made no false promises and took no prisoners. As a hardcore fan of economics and planning simulations I always had a blast Taking the A-Train.
An AMAZING game. In the early 90s, when at college, I saw this in a local independant game store. It was great. I wanted it. Had to save for months to afford it. Finally got it. Lack of the Internet meant I read the manual over and over and eventually mastered it. Was amazing. The trick for starting was to build in a circle at start with 2 to 4 stations. Wait for that to build up then brunch out. I loved the little block materials. It was only game other than Frontier Elite that I had for my 386sx. The manual really was good at explaining everything. Loved the game. One thing it REALLY needed was a traffic light system. Because it didn't have that, you had to get the timing of the stops right.
That's really interesting how a loop is the optimal strategy. It's also the optimal strategy in Mini Metro, a comparatively simple puzzle game about creating train lines between stations.
LOVED this game!! Would stay up till 2 or 3am building, then be so tired in school. I’d leave the Amiga on all day with the game running then check how much the city had developed when I got home. I was amazed when accidentally discovered how much I could sell a theme park for once I’d built a big city around it. I got seriously rich when that element clicked for me. Amazing game.
Thought LGR was going to blast this game after his commentary on the manual, but he got it right… He “got“ the game. This was an awesome game for its time which explains why Maxis used it as their platform for the later version of SimCity. It was that good.
I used to play this. The worst thing about this game was that it gave so many options for trains and only about 2 of them made any actual sense to use. It actually was possible to get rid of buildings in the way, but you had to buy them first, which often required waiting for them to go on the market.
It looks like a cool game but it seems like one of those games where it takes 2 hours to finish the tutorial and after that i still won't know what the hell i am supposed to do.
same deal with the 3DS version... which... came out for 'international' markets on the eShop. I learned how to play the hard way, and I'm not proud of it.
I love seeing your older videos, and it makes me happy that you haven't changed your formula. You haven't made things more flashy, make silly sketches, or become over the top. I respect that. Keep it real, Clint!
I played this game when it was brand new. Being a train nut, I loved it. Learned so much about business, rail scheduling, and civil planning. I miss playing it so much sometimes. A Train and SimCity 2000 were my games. :)
As I recall, this came out as an AGA version for the Amiga as well. I remember it running beautifully on my A4000 system at 800x600 resolution as it took advantage of the AGA graphics and the simulation was assisted with the faster processor. This was huge, since very few Amiga games used the features beyond the original chipset.
The inference is sort of that this game is a mash up of existing titles. In fact the original A-Train predates Sid Meir; and even Robber Barons by more than 5 years (1984 release in Japan). This is in fact A-Train 3 - but just called A-Train in the West as it's the first to be released over here. :)
That's not a good reason not to. It's probably the most rewarding city-builder of its era. Also gives a great understanding of the economics of Tokyo during the 1990s and why expansion was so tied to rail expansion. Pretty neat!
I "game overed" A-Train multiple times before I finally understood how it worked. Start small...this can't be stressed enough. If you try to rush this game you WILL lose. Guaranteed.
@@Kajifox yea I heard the world was focused on building highways and stuff for cats while Japan was spending so much money on fast rail. People thought it was crazy because trains were seen as old technology. Cars were the future. But now they're rail system is envied by the world.
@rockerzac99 I've only ever run it on System 7.6.1 myself. I know there are some problems with 9.x and other older games like this, you'll just have to try it and see.
LGR, you are definitely one of my top old school video game reviewers...you had me sit through an obscure and difficult simulation game, and i loved every minute of it :D
IMO A-Train kicked butt on the original Sim city. It had way more options. Was much more detailed than Sim 1 and was much more rewarding when you succeeded in turning a cow pasture into a thriving city. Also unlike the Sim games building railroads are at the heart of this game. That along with all the other things you had to do to make a successful city created a "build it, cross your fingers, and hope that they come" feeling to it. Especially at the higher difficulty levels where getting people to even want to move to your city in the first place took some skill. And a lot of patience. Managing the rail lines along with everything else you have to watch keeps the experience in A-Train from feeling static. Unlike the early the Sim games that often felt to me like they were just sort of "sitting there." Sure things happened in the Sim games. But A-Train was always moving. Time was passing. Trains were running. Supplies were being moved around the map. People were coming and going. All using your rail system. Long story short way back when I tried Sim 1 I played it for a few hours and got bored quickly. But once I understood A-Train I played it for months. I never understood why it didn't do better. I suppose it is that "steep learning curve" thing. This is not a game for casuals....
I had this on the PS1 and loved it. My favorite thing was to lay tracks to an area, buy all the property, start all kinds of businesses and watch to property values skyrocket. I'd then sell the businesses for a healthy profit. Next, I'd take up all the tracks stopping service to the area, and laugh maniacally as the property values would plummet.
I absolutely loved this game back in the day. I played it to death. I always used to end up playing the first scenario though for some reason, but I would end up filling the map so that almost every single square had a building on it. I used to get a really magical feeling watching the seasons change and seeing Santa fly across the sky on Christmas Eve, but now as an adult I dont think I could ever get that feeling again and makes me quite sad actually. I miss those days.
What was wrong with this game???? This is actually pretty well thought out. It's a shame it didn't sell. What is wrong with the games industry when you have to go back 20 years to find some imagination? And worse, have to go all the way to Japan to find it?
Considering how powerful Japan was in the video game market during the late 80s and entirety of the 90s, it shouldn't be any surprise to go to Japan to find the creativity.
I loved A-Train back in the 90s. I still know all those in-game songs (just like with Transport Tycoon). Especially the sad "Christmas Time" song, haha
I keep watching this review because the music is sublime. Just amazing chiptunes. Reminds me of Pilotwings or SimCity on the SNES, just relaxing, beautiful music.
One of my favourite games on the Amiga, and probably the game that made me interested in strategy / simulation games. The visuals, the music and the gameplay is just delightful. I could watch this game all day long 💖
I saw this in my recommended videos, and dropped everything. This is one of those games that I wanted a sequel too. I was the one that bought it!! I was 12 and loved it! .... I also liked economics in high school and college. I loved to see the little city grow and the piles of white pallets!
Like you I always wanted this seeing it in the catalogs and an interview with Will Wright where he talks about this game pretty much derailing production on SimCity 2 because it looked and played so great they basically had to start over on the SimCity sequel. I never did pick this one up though.
Been watching the shit out of your vids while working man. Good stuff. I didn't have a PC until 1999. I remember seeing a lot of these boxes in the stores. Fun time here watching what the games were all about.
I remember this game, played it as a 12 year old without the manual. It was absolutely fantastic to see the city grow organically based on your decisions
You don't know how many of us played this game without a manual and sorted everything out. Cmon, it was the 90s, we sorted out flight simulator games without manuals! :D My favourite part of A-Train is that it is one of the few economic strategic games where it plays not much for competition, but for collaboration: if you get rich, the rest gets richer, and the reward is seeing how a town grows because you are putting a supply line in it. It is so different to the sum zero strategy games that I am SO tired of.
Ah so many memories, I got this as a kid in 1992, I was 12 and got the game while staying grandma's house for Christmas, only thing I could do was read the manual over several days until we finally made it home and I could actually play it!
I loved A-Train. Mainly for the isometric view and the fact it ran on Hercules Monochrome. Something about it's art and graphics style looks very "zen".
It's a great design-choice of the game that the stored resources are visible as physical things. It really appeals to the collector and gatherer in us, more satisfying than a mere number. A lot of the joy of playing games like Dune 2 were the satisfaction of scavenging a thick load of spice and seeing your harvester return fully loaded to the base. It's downright odd that not every game implements a tangible hoarding factor.
It's like a blend of SimCity (the urban focus) and Transport Tycoon (the resource logistics and infrastructure chains). Very interesting. I like it when you review truly obscure management games. :-)
Hey, LGR, did you know there's a 3DS entry in the series now? "A-Train 3D"; it's on the eShop. Check it out. I'm really diggin' it and I'm not even out of the (VERY comprehensive and helpful, and yet not particularly hand-holdy and happy to let you do your own thing) tutorials yet. =3
That takes me back. I remember seeing A-Train back in the day... but had forgotten it existed until I saw you mention it in another video. I'd love to play a modern reboot of the series if they did it right. Keep the charm and the fun parts of the gameplay, fix the annoying stuff. It could be amazing.
An excellent video... despite the complexity and (for me, at least) initial "groan-factor" of the game's concept, it was very clearly explained, concise and enjoyable. While I don't have A-Train... I have a sudden compulsion to hunt out my old copies of Sim City 2000 and Transport Tycoon.
I used to visit the independent game store near college and dream of owning the game but couldn't afford it. Then eventually got it and ran it on the 386sx. I LOVED it. I read the manual over and over to understand it and finally mastered it. It was great, moving those resource blocks about. They never appeared to learn or incorporate a traffic light system though, even in later versions & a recent version that I got. I grew tired of the newer version because of this.I still have it boxed.
Great game...the challenge of being able to support the community that revolves around the train is a great touch to the game, this game should be a requirement to anyone running to be a mayor.
I bought A Train III would have been about 1994 when I got my first PC. I didn't like it and got so upset thinking I have wasted my parents money. I begged them to let me take it back and swap or get a refund, which I did. Not long after I got Transport Tycoon, which was (for me) a massively better and playable game. The nostalgia is strong here right now.
I never really realized that this game was complex. I was 13 when I got the game and couldnt use the manual cos english is not my mother tongue. Still played it alot with my friend and loved it! We also found out that if you save the game right at the start and then load that save, you get to play the city running at the background. You also didnt mention that there is a win condition when you get a certain amount of money. Cant remember the sum tho.
+J Ruonti It's 50 million. Scenario 6 was the only one I could do as it was nowhere near as strategic as any of the other scenarios since almost all the work had been done for you. In fact all I had to do to win that was replace one small station with a large one and from then on money was being made. You pretty much had victory in the bag after that as long as you didn't do anything too silly. I would love to play this game again and see if I can do the others though. :)
im a cook... add butter and egg on a cold pan before heating, slowly heat the pan on med to med-high, constantly stir and mix the butter and egg as they blend together. don't overcook it, you will know when the egg starts to separate in pieces. when it is fluffy, moist, soft, and mushy yet can hold a form or shape. take off heat then immediately add salt and pepper and chives if u want. u now have professional scrambled eggs. :) if you put butter on high heat pan, it will burn and have diff tast
Sort of got linked to this video because i watched a lp on the latest a-train... aaah the god ol days of 2010 when i just had work , and later my study time ahead (beside work, yes i was a masochist back then) Its an old review but somehow still .... awesome :)
Just so you know, this game was also on the Playstation with improved sound and graphics, and I think a couple of additions like high-cost bullet trains. The only problem was it took like an entire memory card to save a game, so I'd recommend emulating it (if you can find it). Also, the latest version of this game is a Japan-only release with amazing graphics and a huge price tag.
I LOVED A-Train! I totally forgot about this game. Now I have to find it again. I probably haven't played it since I was in high school.. maybe around '94.
We've come a long, dark way. Back then, if you released a game without a money counter or bulldozer tool, but released an expansion to fix it, you were given a pat on the back and told to do better next time. Now, we have Paradox and EU4.
I remember playing this on the PS1 years ago. I actually liked it a lot. Can't remember how far I got with it though. What is the music you are playing in the background starting at 3:00 in? Sounds incredible.
What is a learning curve? Effort on the x-axis and amount learned on the y-axis? Then a steep curve would mean much learned for little effort. Or, you could swap the axes. But then, is effort the dependent variable and amount learned the independent variable?
Nick Georgopoulos more like: experience/learnt on the X axis and success on the Y axis. A steep learning curve would then be y=x^2 so you need learn way much to gain a bit success.
This game seems pretty cool. As a regular train user, this seems very interesting to me. I'm guessing that this doesn't have any problems like the line flooding or not enough staff(hint hint London Midland)?
I wish there were more games that focused on public and mass transit to build a city. No building placement unless it part of the network, no zoning but where you place various depos will influence those indirectly and you get to place bus lines down and things. . Similar to how Cities in Motion was but also like how A-Train is. Also no road placement either, you work with what the game generates. You see the motorway get longer...then you see roads get rearranged over time, that motorway, now has an elevated section and is bulldozing through an old district, changing everything around it. The new on off ramps affect the buildings and road layouts too....all because you are placing rails and train related buildings as well as the public transport options.
This game was AWESOME on Amiga back in the day! This was the first game I got when we got our Amiga 4000 (though we had previous Amiga's and tons of games).
You also have to have resources at a station area for the area to develop. If you have no resources at a station, the area will never develop. From studying the manual I learnt to start my tracks off in a circle. Made managing it easier and then eventually the area would develop and you could break off into other areas.
any idea where one can get a dosbox verison of this or A IV networks?? been looking to stream them but cant seem to find it anywhere. thought gog'd hook me up but no, they dont have.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
The warm VHS fuzzyness of earlier LGR supported by clint's voice and the melodramatic synth of the A-trains soundtrack combine to make a wonderful audio-visual experience.
I would not mind him bringing back that retro sounding theme song
Its funny you say that. I keep coming back to this video to relax because of the qualities you mention. Its very soothing. Not only the old stye of graphics, the memories of such games but also the 90's style of box graphics that always remind me of cartoons and childhood of that era.
Indeed. I like this era of LGR.
It still holds up in December 2024
I ported A-Train from the NEC PC-9801 (Japan's version of the IBM PC) to DOS for Maxis, when I was like... 20-ish.
It was my first real programming gig, and by far the most complex thing I'd worked on to date. Some of those bugs were mine... sorry.
One of your other videos on Sim City popped up in my feed, and I saw you had a copy of A-Train on your shelf. Kinda flipped out. I got a copy on mine as well! Then I found this video... amazing.
Glad you enjoyed it. As you note, not many did.
Sad that even today this series didn't grow a much bigger audience...
@@Deimos_Fresh still going strong though! more than you can say for sim city (unfortunately). and much more popular overseas.
@@Flameb0, and it's great. I still greatly enjoy A-Train 3D and Switch version is very good as well.
You'd be surprised to learn people played this game around 1997 in Kyiv, Ukraine, and I learned about it back then. Sad that it didn't get a good playable upgrade like OG SimCity did.
I was always curious about the Maxis port back in '92 when I was obsessed with SimCity and Maxis could do no wrong. Now I've finally tried an A-Train game (All Aboard Tourism) and I'm hooked. Thanks for what you did to localize this game.
The A-Train box art is just gorgeous. Great design. That's a box you'd want on display.
Many thanks, glad you found something you enjoyed with my video(s)! And I've since gotten rid of the intros entirely, because honestly they started to be a problem for me as well :)
Yes. And I was referring to it influencing SimCity 2000, from 1993.
The first upload of this looked entirely like a "game review on drugs", due to an encoding error. So as a reference to that, I included it in the intro. Yeah, I had no idea what I was doing back then, ha.
LGR, you inspired me to make a GOG account so I can play these beautiful games that you review, you are fantastic, and I hope you become the most famous RUclipsr ever.
He may not be the greastest RUclipsr, but since RUclipsrs tend to go braindead past a certain amount of subscribers, this is probably for the best.
@@thecaged4215 truly one of the few that remains high quality, consistent and with a growing fanbase. No dramas. Been watching for 12 years!
Seing this makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I had the Amiga version and loved it to death. This game was no joke, it made no false promises and took no prisoners. As a hardcore fan of economics and planning simulations I always had a blast Taking the A-Train.
I have fond memories of playing this many years ago.
An AMAZING game. In the early 90s, when at college, I saw this in a local independant game store. It was great. I wanted it. Had to save for months to afford it. Finally got it. Lack of the Internet meant I read the manual over and over and eventually mastered it.
Was amazing. The trick for starting was to build in a circle at start with 2 to 4 stations. Wait for that to build up then brunch out. I loved the little block materials. It was only game other than Frontier Elite that I had for my 386sx. The manual really was good at explaining everything.
Loved the game. One thing it REALLY needed was a traffic light system. Because it didn't have that, you had to get the timing of the stops right.
That's really interesting how a loop is the optimal strategy. It's also the optimal strategy in Mini Metro, a comparatively simple puzzle game about creating train lines between stations.
Getting the timings right was the awesome part imo. Especially if you do it smart to mixed up the loops with other loops.
LOVED this game!! Would stay up till 2 or 3am building, then be so tired in school. I’d leave the Amiga on all day with the game running then check how much the city had developed when I got home.
I was amazed when accidentally discovered how much I could sell a theme park for once I’d built a big city around it. I got seriously rich when that element clicked for me. Amazing game.
This is a dumb game and a total time waster.
Thought LGR was going to blast this game after his commentary on the manual, but he got it right… He “got“ the game. This was an awesome game for its time which explains why Maxis used it as their platform for the later version of SimCity. It was that good.
wow this game is beautiful. The variation in field tiles is really cool. and the side view images of the trains are so cool.
I used to play this. The worst thing about this game was that it gave so many options for trains and only about 2 of them made any actual sense to use.
It actually was possible to get rid of buildings in the way, but you had to buy them first, which often required waiting for them to go on the market.
It looks like a cool game but it seems like one of those games where it takes 2 hours to finish the tutorial and after that i still won't know what the hell i am supposed to do.
Mate, _if only_ there was a tutorial.
same deal with the 3DS version... which... came out for 'international' markets on the eShop.
I learned how to play the hard way, and I'm not proud of it.
Serpico's Beard Pretty much every single Sims 4 DLC.
The game comes from the pre-idiotproof era, so it takes some time to learn how to play it and what does what, indeed. Fortunately, there is manual.
This was capitalism for me.🙂
@FrozenFlame420 Yes, it works just fine in DOSBox 0.73 and 0.74
I love seeing your older videos, and it makes me happy that you haven't changed your formula. You haven't made things more flashy, make silly sketches, or become over the top. I respect that. Keep it real, Clint!
In Japan, they were quite successful. But they've never caught on in the USA, which is where I'm from and what I was referring to.
I played this game when it was brand new. Being a train nut, I loved it. Learned so much about business, rail scheduling, and civil planning. I miss playing it so much sometimes. A Train and SimCity 2000 were my games. :)
Your reviews blow my mind. They are so impressive! They're so in-depth, organized, and well done! You rock!
As I recall, this came out as an AGA version for the Amiga as well. I remember it running beautifully on my A4000 system at 800x600 resolution as it took advantage of the AGA graphics and the simulation was assisted with the faster processor. This was huge, since very few Amiga games used the features beyond the original chipset.
The inference is sort of that this game is a mash up of existing titles. In fact the original A-Train predates Sid Meir; and even Robber Barons by more than 5 years (1984 release in Japan).
This is in fact A-Train 3 - but just called A-Train in the West as it's the first to be released over here. :)
Why not give A-Train a look? Three words:
STEEP LEARNING CURVE.
Cliff!
That's not a good reason not to. It's probably the most rewarding city-builder of its era. Also gives a great understanding of the economics of Tokyo during the 1990s and why expansion was so tied to rail expansion. Pretty neat!
Get good then!
I "game overed" A-Train multiple times before I finally understood how it worked. Start small...this can't be stressed enough. If you try to rush this game you WILL lose. Guaranteed.
@@Kajifox yea I heard the world was focused on building highways and stuff for cats while Japan was spending so much money on fast rail. People thought it was crazy because trains were seen as old technology. Cars were the future.
But now they're rail system is envied by the world.
@rockerzac99 I've only ever run it on System 7.6.1 myself. I know there are some problems with 9.x and other older games like this, you'll just have to try it and see.
LGR, you are definitely one of my top old school video game reviewers...you had me sit through an obscure and difficult simulation game, and i loved every minute of it :D
"Caught on" is the key phrase there. Again, it's just never been more than a small niche product here.
I remember buying rail road tycoon over this... i made the right choice.
I love the Adlib music!
mootbooxle me too, I don't know what this song is from, but it is phenomenal.
Yes I have a question.
What drugs do you need to emulate that egg?
...where can I find some?
I use launchbox, google it.
I like drugs :D
IMO A-Train kicked butt on the original Sim city. It had way more options. Was much more detailed than Sim 1 and was much more rewarding when you succeeded in turning a cow pasture into a thriving city. Also unlike the Sim games building railroads are at the heart of this game. That along with all the other things you had to do to make a successful city created a "build it, cross your fingers, and hope that they come" feeling to it. Especially at the higher difficulty levels where getting people to even want to move to your city in the first place took some skill. And a lot of patience.
Managing the rail lines along with everything else you have to watch keeps the experience in A-Train from feeling static. Unlike the early the Sim games that often felt to me like they were just sort of "sitting there." Sure things happened in the Sim games. But A-Train was always moving. Time was passing. Trains were running. Supplies were being moved around the map. People were coming and going. All using your rail system.
Long story short way back when I tried Sim 1 I played it for a few hours and got bored quickly. But once I understood A-Train I played it for months. I never understood why it didn't do better. I suppose it is that "steep learning curve" thing. This is not a game for casuals....
I think this game is really for a niche market of people that loves perfection comes together.
Wow. That scene before the intro. What even ... Ha ha. Love these old LGR videos.
Loved this game! Was one of the games I spent most hours playing on the old Amiga together with Settlers, Civ, Elite Frontier and Patrician.
These are names that awake memories. I play some of them even to this day.
Here comes the A-Train baby, back into the seven!
*Woosh*
I had this on the PS1 and loved it. My favorite thing was to lay tracks to an area, buy all the property, start all kinds of businesses and watch to property values skyrocket. I'd then sell the businesses for a healthy profit. Next, I'd take up all the tracks stopping service to the area, and laugh maniacally as the property values would plummet.
I absolutely loved this game back in the day. I played it to death. I always used to end up playing the first scenario though for some reason, but I would end up filling the map so that almost every single square had a building on it. I used to get a really magical feeling watching the seasons change and seeing Santa fly across the sky on Christmas Eve, but now as an adult I dont think I could ever get that feeling again and makes me quite sad actually. I miss those days.
What was wrong with this game????
This is actually pretty well thought out. It's a shame it didn't sell.
What is wrong with the games industry when you have to go back 20 years to find some imagination? And worse, have to go all the way to Japan to find it?
Considering how powerful Japan was in the video game market during the late 80s and entirety of the 90s, it shouldn't be any surprise to go to Japan to find the creativity.
@@k-leb4671 yea Japan is awesome in terms of imagination. Anime anyone?
I didn't even mention it because it's such a different experience with new things to do that it feels like another game. Plus the controls are wank.
I loved A-Train back in the 90s. I still know all those in-game songs (just like with Transport Tycoon). Especially the sad "Christmas Time" song, haha
Aliens Ate My Railway
That's the soundtrack in A-Train.
Certainly more than a chance - I've been wanting to play that one a bit more and it's sitting the shelf right behind me, so...
Watch out at Christmas, Santa Claus would fly across the screen.
I keep watching this review because the music is sublime. Just amazing chiptunes. Reminds me of Pilotwings or SimCity on the SNES, just relaxing, beautiful music.
I'm always reluctant to build over the pristine rural pastures.
One of my favourite games on the Amiga, and probably the game that made me interested in strategy / simulation games. The visuals, the music and the gameplay is just delightful. I could watch this game all day long 💖
I saw this in my recommended videos, and dropped everything. This is one of those games that I wanted a sequel too. I was the one that bought it!! I was 12 and loved it! .... I also liked economics in high school and college. I loved to see the little city grow and the piles of white pallets!
Like you I always wanted this seeing it in the catalogs and an interview with Will Wright where he talks about this game pretty much derailing production on SimCity 2 because it looked and played so great they basically had to start over on the SimCity sequel. I never did pick this one up though.
Been watching the shit out of your vids while working man. Good stuff. I didn't have a PC until 1999. I remember seeing a lot of these boxes in the stores. Fun time here watching what the games were all about.
I remember this game, played it as a 12 year old without the manual. It was absolutely fantastic to see the city grow organically based on your decisions
@0210princehassan There is no serial number, at all. Besides, I wouldn't even if it did...
Is there really a “DANK” menu at the bottom of the screen?
1992 haha... We had computers at school one of which had this game. I had a great time building stuff.
Spent many hours palying this awesome game. Loved the consequenses if you were careless - Game over
I begin to love this intro. It's so well done!
Artdink released a remake on steam. It has a full explained tutorial now. Unfortunately stock market trading is removed.
You don't know how many of us played this game without a manual and sorted everything out. Cmon, it was the 90s, we sorted out flight simulator games without manuals! :D
My favourite part of A-Train is that it is one of the few economic strategic games where it plays not much for competition, but for collaboration: if you get rich, the rest gets richer, and the reward is seeing how a town grows because you are putting a supply line in it. It is so different to the sum zero strategy games that I am SO tired of.
Ah so many memories, I got this as a kid in 1992, I was 12 and got the game while staying grandma's house for Christmas, only thing I could do was read the manual over several days until we finally made it home and I could actually play it!
I loved A-Train. Mainly for the isometric view and the fact it ran on Hercules Monochrome. Something about it's art and graphics style looks very "zen".
It's a great design-choice of the game that the stored resources are visible as physical things. It really appeals to the collector and gatherer in us, more satisfying than a mere number. A lot of the joy of playing games like Dune 2 were the satisfaction of scavenging a thick load of spice and seeing your harvester return fully loaded to the base. It's downright odd that not every game implements a tangible hoarding factor.
It's like a blend of SimCity (the urban focus) and Transport Tycoon (the resource logistics and infrastructure chains). Very interesting. I like it when you review truly obscure management games. :-)
I was 11 when i first got this on Amiga = really was a genius game, taught me math way ahead of my time. Brilliant video.
This is where I got my first touch to investing back in the 80s. It has carried surprisingly well to real world over the decades.
Hey, LGR, did you know there's a 3DS entry in the series now? "A-Train 3D"; it's on the eShop.
Check it out. I'm really diggin' it and I'm not even out of the (VERY comprehensive and helpful, and yet not particularly hand-holdy and happy to let you do your own thing) tutorials yet. =3
+YukaTakeuchiFan thanks for the tip, random internet stranger :)
Time to break out the old 3DS again.
This was a very fun game back in the days. It was challenging in a good way.
That takes me back. I remember seeing A-Train back in the day... but had forgotten it existed until I saw you mention it in another video. I'd love to play a modern reboot of the series if they did it right. Keep the charm and the fun parts of the gameplay, fix the annoying stuff. It could be amazing.
Amazing that DOS games still beat most modern games in simulation depth.
Not exactly true
An excellent video... despite the complexity and (for me, at least) initial "groan-factor" of the game's concept, it was very clearly explained, concise and enjoyable.
While I don't have A-Train... I have a sudden compulsion to hunt out my old copies of Sim City 2000 and Transport Tycoon.
I used to visit the independent game store near college and dream of owning the game but couldn't afford it. Then eventually got it and ran it on the 386sx. I LOVED it. I read the manual over and over to understand it and finally mastered it. It was great, moving those resource blocks about. They never appeared to learn or incorporate a traffic light system though, even in later versions & a recent version that I got. I grew tired of the newer version because of this.I still have it boxed.
Great game...the challenge of being able to support the community that revolves around the train is a great touch to the game, this game should be a requirement to anyone running to be a mayor.
I bought A Train III would have been about 1994 when I got my first PC. I didn't like it and got so upset thinking I have wasted my parents money. I begged them to let me take it back and swap or get a refund, which I did. Not long after I got Transport Tycoon, which was (for me) a massively better and playable game. The nostalgia is strong here right now.
I love these old intros and I miss them so much :*)
Outstanding review. I always wanted to play this back in the day
The idea and gameplay behind this sound a lot like Transport Tycoon.
Music that plays throughout the video... Is it A-Train's original soundtrack? It sounds pretty amazing.
I never really realized that this game was complex. I was 13 when I got the game and couldnt use the manual cos english is not my mother tongue. Still played it alot with my friend and loved it!
We also found out that if you save the game right at the start and then load that save, you get to play the city running at the background.
You also didnt mention that there is a win condition when you get a certain amount of money. Cant remember the sum tho.
+J Ruonti It's 50 million. Scenario 6 was the only one I could do as it was nowhere near as strategic as any of the other scenarios since almost all the work had been done for you. In fact all I had to do to win that was replace one small station with a large one and from then on money was being made. You pretty much had victory in the bag after that as long as you didn't do anything too silly. I would love to play this game again and see if I can do the others though. :)
Damn, you review a LOT of games that I thought were - and still find amazing... great minds think alike ... ;>
Have you reviewed Railroad Tycoon yet? I've always loved that game and I'd enjoy seeing an LGR review of it :D
im a cook... add butter and egg on a cold pan before heating, slowly heat the pan on med to med-high, constantly stir and mix the butter and egg as they blend together. don't overcook it, you will know when the egg starts to separate in pieces. when it is fluffy, moist, soft, and mushy yet can hold a form or shape. take off heat then immediately add salt and pepper and chives if u want. u now have professional scrambled eggs. :) if you put butter on high heat pan, it will burn and have diff tast
One.. your videos are AMAZING
two, this game.. complicating at first.. once you get it. it's quite addicting
Sort of got linked to this video because i watched a lp on the latest a-train... aaah the god ol days of 2010 when i just had work , and later my study time ahead (beside work, yes i was a masochist back then)
Its an old review but somehow still .... awesome :)
Just so you know, this game was also on the Playstation with improved sound and graphics, and I think a couple of additions like high-cost bullet trains. The only problem was it took like an entire memory card to save a game, so I'd recommend emulating it (if you can find it).
Also, the latest version of this game is a Japan-only release with amazing graphics and a huge price tag.
I LOVED A-Train! I totally forgot about this game. Now I have to find it again. I probably haven't played it since I was in high school.. maybe around '94.
@Phreakindee Do you plan on doing a review for OpenTTD? I was wondering if those games play the same.
We've come a long, dark way.
Back then, if you released a game without a money counter or bulldozer tool, but released an expansion to fix it, you were given a pat on the back and told to do better next time.
Now, we have Paradox and EU4.
A-Train was awesome, cheers thanks for giving it some attention
That intro intro was really awesome
Not gonna lie, I miss these retro game reviews.
I remember playing this on the PS1 years ago. I actually liked it a lot. Can't remember how far I got with it though.
What is the music you are playing in the background starting at 3:00 in? Sounds incredible.
This looks great. I’m pleasantly surprised.
What is a learning curve? Effort on the x-axis and amount learned on the y-axis? Then a steep curve would mean much learned for little effort. Or, you could swap the axes. But then, is effort the dependent variable and amount learned the independent variable?
Nick Georgopoulos more like: experience/learnt on the X axis and success on the Y axis. A steep learning curve would then be y=x^2 so you need learn way much to gain a bit success.
It's a great game. I have this on the Commodore Amiga. Great review too!
I loved the music!!! that smooth Night Jazz
This game seems pretty cool. As a regular train user, this seems very interesting to me. I'm guessing that this doesn't have any problems like the line flooding or not enough staff(hint hint London Midland)?
I wish there were more games that focused on public and mass transit to build a city. No building placement unless it part of the network, no zoning but where you place various depos will influence those indirectly and you get to place bus lines down and things. . Similar to how Cities in Motion was but also like how A-Train is. Also no road placement either, you work with what the game generates. You see the motorway get longer...then you see roads get rearranged over time, that motorway, now has an elevated section and is bulldozing through an old district, changing everything around it. The new on off ramps affect the buildings and road layouts too....all because you are placing rails and train related buildings as well as the public transport options.
Never heard of this one. Looks like a really neat concept.
I love it when santa flys over every year always made me smile as a kid1
I used to play this game religiously on my old Amiga 500. I loved it!
I think you should play Transport Tycoon (Deluxe) and make a review of it.
It's a Dos classic!
Nice reviews keep up the good work.
i Played Transport Tycoon, Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon and recently Transport Fever, so this is similar to those games ?
This game was AWESOME on Amiga back in the day! This was the first game I got when we got our Amiga 4000 (though we had previous Amiga's and tons of games).
Is there any chance that you can identify the artist or work used for the box art on A-Train?
I bought it for my Amiga, love it!
You also have to have resources at a station area for the area to develop. If you have no resources at a station, the area will never develop. From studying the manual I learnt to start my tracks off in a circle. Made managing it easier and then eventually the area would develop and you could break off into other areas.
any idea where one can get a dosbox verison of this or A IV networks??
been looking to stream them but cant seem to find it anywhere.
thought gog'd hook me up but no, they dont have.
Where did you get the music in the background? Can't seem to find the soundtrack.