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Railway Empire 2 (2023)

Gaming Minds Studios

Nintendo Switch · PC (Microsoft Windows) · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Xbox One · Xbox Series X|S

2.67 from 9 ratings

26 members have it in their collection · 7 backlogged · 5 wish listed

In Railway Empire 2, grow your company into the largest railway company of the continent and outsmart your competitors as you connect cities and companies with an ever-expanding network of rail lines, bridges, and tunnels. Railway Empire 2 features bigger, more detailed and lively maps than ever before. The whole of the US and continental Europe are covered in two … Read more
In Railway Empire 2, grow your company into the largest railway company of the continent and outsmart your competitors as you connect cities and companies with an ever-expanding network of rail lines, bridges, and tunnels. Railway Empire 2 features bigger, more detailed and lively maps than ever before. The whole of the US and continental Europe are covered in two huge, sprawling maps, whilst more detailed maps put the focus on specific regions of each continent. Improved track construction helps you focus on the important decisions as you drive the economy and help the growth of the cities. Signals are placed automatically, bridges can hold up to 4 tracks and the expandable train stations can now have up to 8 tracks. Read less
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Details

Developers
Gaming Minds Studios
Publishers
Kalypso Media
Genres
Simulator, Strategy
Themes
Business, Historical, Non-fiction
Series
Railway Empire
Steam
View on Steam

Release dates

  • May 25, 2023 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Nintendo Switch, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
  • May 25, 2023 (Full Release) (North_America) Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

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Rating distribution

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3
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2 stars
4
1 star
1
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Community All Reviews Statuses

V1CGaming

Review V1CGaming 2/5 · Sep 2, 2024 Abandoned

If you are after a game that requires you micromanage a train empire then this might be for you. If you want a game that lets you run a train empire without having to hold the hand of each of your engineers… maybe give it a miss.

0 Comment
Araborum

Status Araborum Jun 2, 2023

Having waited for what have felt like an eternity, i was looking forward to making good use of my Xbox Gamepass to spend untold hours on Railway Empire 2. This was supposed to be a sequel for the ages, the revival of the 2018 classic. However, the resulting product is a flop and i don't think any DLCs will save …

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Having waited for what have felt like an eternity, i was looking forward to making good use of my Xbox Gamepass to spend untold hours on Railway Empire 2. This was supposed to be a sequel for the ages, the revival of the 2018 classic. However, the resulting product is a flop and i don't think any DLCs will save it.

I am by no means an RE snob. I have only around 70 hours with it on Steam. I do a session, drop it for a while and get back to it again (when life responsibilities allow it and nothing else draws my attention). Its like seeing an old friend - not much has changed but it is still a good time. The variety is there, some of the DLCs are yet to be explored though quality of some is debateable, and the whole process is challenging in a healthy way. If you played the original RE, you will know what i am talking about. You think it will be a quick session but it quickly turns into an all-nighter. Sadly the new one lost that original charm. Sure, it is a great piece of eye candy, but that, in a addition to some quality of life improvements is where the pleasure largely stops. Too dramatic you say? Well, no, not really. I will give Kalypso a gold star for the overhaul of the rail building system. It is so much more intuitive and user friendly, which was my bugbear in the previous version. Smooth sailing in most cases. But only in most. The removal of the signals (which are now set up automatically along the railroad when you pick the movement direction of the branch) means that you are at the mercy of the algorithm. And it is far from great. Give me an option for 'advanced rail setup' so i can solve the problem of the signal being miles away, making the trains stop miles away when the train track is busy.

Gone are the days of having to upgrade the station. Once you touch the rail building tool, previously unseen track appear at the station allowing you to expand right there and then! I think that is a pro, by and large. On the other hand, warehouses as you know it are gone. Now they are addons to regular rail stations. And their logic to me is illogical. I want to use two train stations in a chain to supply the end of the line town. Whatever calculations are being done, they result in trains to the second city running half empty. So sure, the warehouses work, unless you fancy a complex set up. You have no control over maximum number of goods, which in the previous game meant that trains will haul goods until they hit the ceiling. This time the machine god says 'no'. The list of goods themselves are significantly trimmed down. RE 2 world largely subsides on meat, beer, and cheese, while occasionally buying a chair or something to cover their backs with. Gone are the times of gunsmithing or chemical making. Your wood is worthless! Haul it back! Overall there are things to like about RE2. I like to be able to prioritise goods, fiddle less with rail tracks, and have a slower paced game to achieve a more 'realistic' progress in technological development. I enjoy the improved visuals and the many quality of life tweaks introduced, even if it is not to everyone's taste. Heck, i really enjoyed the 'analysis' view to get a quick grip on the flow of goods which made it a breeze to focus on what matters and ignore the rest. But all in all the game was dumbed down. The intricacies and complexities of getting goods from the other end of the map are gone. So is the variety of goods and control over some of the fundamental elements of the game, signals be damned. Train stations are hollow with two 'upgrade' slots, warehouses and maintenance stations are gone. There is more, but i don't think i will have the patience to dive back in to unpick what is left (if anything).

If this is your first try at RE series, then dive in. With no prior knowledge of 'how it was', you will have fun and the reduced friction of the gameplay will serve you well. if you played the original RE, i think you will end up having a rage induced aneurism that will stop you from refunding your purchase in time. There is no DLC that will be capable of expanding the gameplay enough to make it the asking price and sadly, i think this will be a disappointment for many.

I really wanted to like it, but after getting a kick from the complexities of the previous game, i just can't get hooked on this. I hope you will enjoy it more.

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