Railway Empire 2 Review (Malibu VHS™)
I'm a big fan of both steam locos and spaghetti westerns so when they announced a Railway Empire sequel I was overjoyed. I bought it 10% off on presale and woke up early to install the game this morning. I sometimes forget to manage my expectations as a video game consumer because I found myself uncomfortably disappointed, like finding the seal is broken on your favorite snack you just bought and you're not sure if you should just eat it or throw it away.
There are some interesting additions and changes but it certainly isn't enough to justify the price, or even another game.
The new soundtrack is very forgettable; the old soundtrack echoed the works of Ennio Morricone
The overall visual color pallet is cold, uninviting, and thrown together; the old color pallet was full of warm earthy tones and lacquered wood finishes.
I found many aspects of the game that seemed hurried (such as the UI, character and world assets, and cinematics) and others that seemed overly fixated (such as level detail). While playing, I zoomed in very close at one point and discovered a surprising amount of detail in the foliage which tragically seems like much misplaced effort for detail that is unseen in many other parts of the game.
I caught myself wanting to close the game and open up the original several times in my short play session before I resolved I should get my refund.
My verdict: Not enough compelling improvements from the original installment. Graphics, UI, and soundtrack are lackluster compared to the original installment. Both new and returning enjoyers of this franchise should stick with Railway Empire 1.