*disclaimer: I am a casual railfan and not too well versed in the technicalities of trains in general, yet i still love them for the people/freight movers they are today (Hell, that's why i play this game in the first place). So if in this review you see me get a particular technical term wrong and want to go berserk on that mechanical keyboard of yours ... Go eat some grass. Now, onto the review! Some time back i asked in this forum whether i should buy the LIRR or Peninsula Corridor Route during the next sale (which is right now). I ended up buying the Peninsula Corridor (plus the 2 goodies), and have been playing for a few hours now. I have completed all of the tutorials and had my hand at some of the scenarios so i think that's pretty good for a "review" . I intend to share my experiences and hope to learn from my mistakes/any new informations this forum can offer me back. First off, screw me these trains are hard for me to use the breaks. I've been so accustomed to the responsiveness and ease of the braking systems in SKA, SEH and LGV that the mere seperateness of the throttle and break systems catch me off guard. In the thread where i asked whether i should buy the LIRR or Caltrain Routes, a user pointed out that the braking system is very challenging for a newbie. If this noob is going to explain what he learnt from the braking systems of the diesel trains in very layman's terms: It is different. I would need to apply the breaks, quickly release it, and pray to all the gods that the break valve (the top one, i'm sorry i only observe the valve but don't know the term) reaches 0 and let's me keep a comfortable coasting speed. Else, my train would come to a complete halt at random, making me look like a fool. This route has taught me to learn to achieve the correct timing lest i undershoot or overshoot the station. It is because of these trains, i now feel lucky if the locomotive/cab coach is even hovering over the beacon we all use to stop our trains at a point. But luckily, TSW2 doesn't care if i overshoot all but 1 carriage past the station. (Say, does overshooting a station affect boarding speeds?) In the past, i will admit that i had a disdain for American Commuter Trains for being unwieldy and archaic for a such a rich nation (i'm on thin ice here i know). But after the playing the tutorials and looking up real vidoes and resources of the commuter trains which run in North America, one word rings true: Unique. Where else in the world would you find huge, loud and heavy trains leaving the Central Stations of major cities. Where else in the world would the cab car would be so devoid of aerodynamics and attractiveness (The 2 go hand in hand imho). Where else would you need to spam the hell out of the bells and horns every 2 seconds of a journey. Most of these are exaggarations and insinuations of course, but i now see why people are attracted to these trains, and i'm kinda drawn to them now too! And for once, i do appreciate the apparent lack of overhead catenaries. Gives a bit of breathing room, if you will. (I know about the ongoing CalMod Project. The Flirts look nice actually) End Note: If i have the personal will and time, as well as blessings of this forum, i would like to continue this "review" series on this forum and share my experiences for every route i play. Any suggestions on how i could sustain these reviews are welcome!
Although I decided to recommend LIRR, I agree with your decision, Pen.Cor is better if you bought the two DLCs (stand alone I still think LIRR would have been better). I am very happy to know you are getting used to the brakes, I agree with this review, Pen.Cor. is really unique (in TSW at least), and I think it will remain for some time (maybe the MBTA services on NEC will get close), please continue doing reviews, not only it would be a very good place to redirect new players that ask: "is this better? How is this? How is that" and I think for us more experience guys it can be a little difficult to put ourselves in the shoes of complete newbies, anyway the more points of view of a subject you have the better you can understand it.
I'm thinking of making one next week for SEHS and LGV since the common question would be along te lines off "Which should i buy" "What's the difference" and all. I say next week as i already have writer's block right now so i will not have much to say. I'll have a go at LIRR after getting Rush Hour (whenever that is) so don't worry!
