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A very fun game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 60 / 62
Date: September 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I really like this game. Instead of individual trains, you get to build and run a railroad network, like you would in the board game Rail Baron. The graphics even look like a board game and you can play a game in a couple of hours so it is easy to try out different strategies. Just like the real world, you start out cooperating with the other railroads to build up the network and share the traffic but you end up in a real dog fight for total domination. This is the first game I have played that makes this kind of transition well. In most games, the bigger your empire gets, the more tedious the management becomes but this game automates much of the management freeing you up to concentrate on the other players. One thing to remember, the winner is the person with the most prestige points, not the person with the most money. You get prestige points by building a transcontinental railroad or connecting the gulf of Mexico to Canada or dominating a region. As you play, you collect influence card which are things like politicians or newspapers. You use these cards to attack the other players by causing a scandal or sabotaging a section of their railroad. Of course, you use the same card to protect yourself from the same kind of attacks so you have to be careful how you use them.

Excellent Railroad Strategy (not Trains) for a version 1

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 37 / 37
Date: January 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This excellent game fills a niche that has long been missing in computer railroad games. The game positions the player as the President of the Railroad who must make policy, strategy, and management decisions for an expanding railroad system. It is at the opposite end of the spectrum from MS Train Simulator. The decisions that must be made for the owner's railroad are many and keep the player busy if they want a "good" railroad.

Other reviews have stated the graphics are crude, but the President of a railroad company isn't interested in fancy looking reports. The MAP of the system and other graphics for game control are more than sufficient. Traffic control is at a higher level and hence much more realistic than Railroad Tycoon (II) is. A company president would never worry about the routing of an individual train. Better graphics would add nothing to the game.

Other reviewers have indicated that the "board" is the same every time. This is not true. The cities are always in the same place, but the cargo and passenger connection requirements are different. For example in one game Washington DC. might need 500 passenger cars to NY. The next game there might not be any passengers from DC to NY at all.

My main criticism of the game is that the default "normal" game is too easy. This is why some reviewers have CLAIMED to master the game in a short time. In my opinion, to make a challenging "normal" game there should be at least five (5) other players, the players starting position should be set to "random", and the "attacks" should be set to "rare" instead of "never". One can never claim to have mastered this game until they get a gold, not just first place, in each of the scenario options. There are other minor problems with the game but do not distract from the total effect.

If you get this game be certain to get the on-line upgrade that fixes some bugs and most importantly adds a "Hall of Fame" so that one can rank themselves one game to the next.

In short an excellent game for simulating railroad management that still has room for improvement (Can't wait for version II). Highly recommended for railroad people. Straight gamers might need to learn something about railroads to fully appreciate it. This review is written with about 40 games played in one month of ownership.

Well designed strategy game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: November 21, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I was a little apprehensive at first with this game, with a varying range of comments all over the place. However, the right choice was made when I acquired this game. It's great to 'attack' your opponents with influence attacks, in addition to building my own little choo-choo...

If RAA has any drawbacks, they lie within the game's exciting, but overwhelming attention to detail. This, I don't mind. I love detail, especially on this scale. Additionally, the multiplayer element adds a new degree to the game. Well worth my time and attention.

Defintly get this game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 9
Date: January 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

i liked the game because instead of the same old "goblins and orcs", it's the FBI and Newspapers.I think it is well worth the money.

Great multi-player too

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The game is a load of good railroading strategy & fun, but it gets even better with other players. It is one of the few real strategy games I have seen that is NOT a wargame, but has some cool way to interact with the other players.

RAA works well over the local networkand across the internet. I enjoyed playing with my friends, and with random folks up on Gamespy. I could never dedicate myself to a six-hour game online like some people can, but RAA lets me a play a full game in about ninety minutes.

Rails Across America

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 8
Date: October 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

It's a really cool game...you get to destroy other railroad companies..but be careful that you don't go bankrupt; that's really bad and all. I recommend this game because you can go back in history.

Not Raiload Tycoon...but a good game never the less...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 15 / 18
Date: November 05, 2001
Author: Amazon User

In my opinion, Railroad Tycoon is by far the best railroading game out there. However, this game deals with more system building. Building a large network and beating up on others to have the best railroad system. There is more "battles" in this game compared to Railroad Tycoon. In Tycoon, you can leverage your stock to buy out a competing railroad. In Rails, you have a slew of options to wear out an opponent. You can not buy them out like in Tycoon, but you sure can disrupt their plans to eventually bankrupt them.

Good partner to Railroad Tycoon. You might want to wait till the price comes down. (...)

The graphics are not nearly as nice as Tycoon.

Build an Empire

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: November 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you are looking for a game with great 3D graphics, and something where you can micromanage your Rail Road down to the last detail then this isn't the game for you.

But if you want a game which allows you to build a massive Rail Road Empire and use every trick you can pull out of your hat to bury your competition without having to become bogged down in the daily workings of the trains unless you want to, then this is definately the game for you. It allows you to run a massive RR empire and compete to be the most prestigious and well known of them all. At the same time using all the dirty tricks from stealing stock to causing labor stikes to slow down your opponent. But be careful, they can do the same to you!

Well worth the 39.99

A simulation strategy which exceeds expectations

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Rails Across America has more options than most other simutation games. There is a geat deal of subtle characteristics of the 'personalities' of the various railroad tycoons, the traffic changes of freight between resource and destination, and the fluctuation of passenger traffic that imitates the historical rail traffic. These subleties show me that the simulation is highly sophisticated.
I was able to complete all of the scenarios without modifying the default settings at all. The scenarios were challenging but not impossible.
I have much experience with strategy simulation genre games and I was hooked on this game for hours at a time. I would definitely reccomend Rails Across America to my family and friends.

Enjoyable Alternative To Other Railroad Games

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 29, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Rails Across America is a Railroad mogul-style simulation game that plays like a cross between a table-top game and computer game. It is not for the graphics-hungry or "lets make it look really pretty" crowd (for that, you should try Railraod Tycoon or any of the other wonderful products in the genre; they just don't play as well or as fun as this title), but for those whose primary aim is a seriously good, solid strategy game. If you can get your head around the notion that a solid strategy game need not have cutting edge graphics (especially for a simulation/strategy game), then Rails Across America is well worth the investment.

This game's best features are its detailed accounting of rail lines and traffic, its ability to keep track of cargo & finances, the choices allowed to the player for engines and management, and its "wheel and deal" design so that you pave your own way to success or failure.

A few "random" elements (the cards system, for one) keeps the game competitive.

The object of the game, of course, is to strike it rich while leading your railroad company to success. There are various objectives to reach -- but which ones to reach and how to reach them is up to you. Difficulty levels will keep you on your toes.

Why the Four Stars? 1) If the company had invested a little more time in the graphics, I think it would have been an even better game all around, *visually*. 2) There are elements of the game that can be rather fast paced, and keeping up with everything takes a good deal of management of the screens. If you're looking for a micromanagement game, then 5 stars for this!

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