5 Reasons Why Train Sim World is Your Next Big Challenge

This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: Xbox Wire.

As a gamer, I pride myself on being able to master games from all kinds of genres. I’ve been strategizing since the original Command & Conquer, had my share of action adventures, worked out puzzlers and explored many MMOs and first-person RPGs to name just a few. New titles bring new challenges, but each genre is largely built on the same basic premise. Where could I go for a truly fresh and exciting challenge?

When I joined Dovetail Games and discovered Train Sim World, the first-person, true-to-life train simulator, I realized this is the fresh challenge I’ve been searching for. Adjusting brake pressure and engine power to pull thousands of tonnes of freight up a gradient, braking to execute a perfect stop at a station from 125 mph, or keeping to the clock in a busy commuter service.

Here are five reasons why the newly released Train Sim World on Xbox One is your next big challenge. If you’ve ever wondered if you could make the trains run on time, why not jump in and see if you can?

1: You Can’t Do This in Real Life

Most of us will never get inside a train cab, and probably have very little idea what they look like. Some of them have more in common with airplane cockpits than truck dashboards. By recreating these controls and the functionality underpinning them we’ve given everyone the chance to sample this amazing experience.

2: Challenge Yourself

Safety systems. Wheelslip. Brake pressure. Headlights. Automatic speed control. Signals. Switches. The list of things to remember can seem endless. Mastering these systems is a difficult but rewarding task as there is no room for error when you’re sending hundreds of tons of metal (and a full load of commuters) flying through cities at a breakneck pace.

3: It’s Your Train Sim World Experience

There are many ways to enjoy Train Sim World. After getting a handle on the basics with tutorials for every train, the scenarios provide you with a variety of authentic challenges, like using a freight locomotive to rescue a stranded passenger service.

You can also create your own fun in service mode, a living 24-hour timetable of AI services that you can experience any way you like. Want to kick the driver out of that train and take over? Go ahead! Dying to explore the tracks on foot and search for collectibles or the best screenshots? No problem! Can’t wait to sit as a passenger and watch the world fly by outside the window? The choice is yours.

4: Feel the Detail

You’re traveling through a living world recreated in incredible detail based on tens of thousands of photos, video clips, sound recordings, and impressions gathered by our route research team. Hell Gate Bridge, Paddington Station, and the iconic Leipzig underground S-Bahn stations are vividly rendered along full-scale routes. Be sure to keep your finger on the screenshot button!

5: Variety is the Spice of Life

Train Sim World brings together three very different routes to give you a truly international experience: the Great Western Express route from Paddington Station to Reading, Rapid Transit which runs along the Leipzig S2 S-Bahn and Northeast Corridor: New York which includes freight and passenger services along the famed Northeast Corridor.

The locomotives themselves are even more varied with unique controls and onboard systems. Starting up a train for the first time is always a fresh adventure with new challenges to master.

Owners of the Xbox One exclusive Train Sim World Founders Edition are eligible for a discounted in-game upgrade to Train Sim World standard edition or the digital deluxe edition which includes the CSX GP40-2 loco to use on the NEC New York route. Note that Train Sim World Founders Edition is no longer available on the Microsoft Store; this upgrade is only available to those who purchased the Founders Edition previously.