My Top 7 Trains in games

My wallet is suffering from continuous game buying, so I thought I would try something a little different, so lists it is! Today I am looking back at some of my favourite train appearances in games and sharing them with you lucky folks. Let me know in the comments below if there are any fondly remembered trains from your gaming past.

7. Professor Layton and Pandora's Box
The Molentary Express

The mysterious Molentary Express takes the Professor and annoying faux-cockney sidekick on a journey through the game, as the duo set out to discover the mysteries of the Elysian Box. The train sections act as intermediate respites between the furious puzzle solving and tea making, and introduce several important characters, whose relevance becomes more apparent as the story goes on.

6. Tiny Toons
Wild West Train stage

Requiring a mastery of the running mechanic early on, the train stage is a reminder of a frustrating but enjoyable game. This part of the Wild West stage required almost precognitively well timed jumps you dodged nets, popcap firing cowboy coyotes and even pegged it over a few mountains when the train hit tunnels.

5. Final Fight
Subway Stage

An absolute classic, many sticky 20 pence pieces were lost on this game on beachside arcades as a child, steering Haggar and co. through the mean streets of Metro City. After a brief wander through the subway, you hop on a subway train, travelling in style as you repeatedly punch the other passengers.

4. Half Life
Black Mesa Tram

The intro to both Half Life games features a short train ride, allowing you to familiarise yourself with the basic movement and start to get a sense of your situation. In the first, you, as protaganist Gordon Freeman, are entering the bowls of the Black Mesa facility- turning up for work on what may well be the worst day of your life. This sedate start sets the scene well and allows you to quickly understand your character's place, and heightens the effect of the later action.

3. Spirit Tracks
Spirit Train

Horses, Boats and now Trains, the modes of transport in Zelda games seem to vary more than the storylines. Alongside the ghost of Princess Zelda, (whatever, Nintendo...) you pilot your train along the spirit tracks to save the land from an ancient demon. Kudos to the game though, this is the only train on my list where you can use the train whistle - mostly for scaring off animals on the tracks but also a lot of fun for trying to play along to the jaunty wourld map music on long journeys.

2. Uncharted 2
Train section

Winding it's way through the jungles and up a mountain, and through all the train related gameplay possiblities it can muster, the train section of Uncharted 2 throws a plethora of obstacles in your path, including guards, passing signs to knock you off, and even a helicopter firing at you, making this a highly memorable and well designed part of the game. The final moments then switch from action to a nailbiting climb up the fragile carriages, and form a classic part of a fantastic game.

1. Final Fantasy VI/VIII
DoomTrain

Top of my list, a double whammy from this otherwordly train. The first appearance in Final Fantasy 6 has it ferrying the souls of the dead to the afterlife, and upon escaping the dreaded locomotive your characters have to fight it, whilst running away along the train tracks! It then shows up as a fairly useful Guardian Force in Final Fantasy VIII, and after a level crossing comes down, it ploughs across the battlefield allowing you to inflict status ailments as well as damage on the hapless foe you unleash it on.


Thanks for reading! Andrew