Railfan: Taiwan High Speed Rail

Overview

Railfan: Taiwan High Speed Rail (also known as Railfan: Taiwan Kōtetsu) is a train driving simulation game developed by Ongakukan (along with Actainment) and published by Sony for the PlayStation 3 in Asia on July 12, 2007, with a Japanese release later by Ongakukan on November 1, 2007.

The 29th and final installment of the Train Simulator series, Taiwan High Speed Rail focuses on the titular high-speed rail line, completed months before the game's release. Like the previous game in the series, all FMV footage is shot in full HD. Players control a THSR 700T high-speed train as they travel the line through Taiwan, between Taipei Main Station in Taipei and Zuoying in Kaohsiung; Nangang was not completed during the time of filming.

Unlike previous games in the series, players can run the line in either direction with different services (the southward Express service, which has limited stops, and the northward Local service, which stops in all stations). While the game's standard "Tour" mode allows access to each service, the more challenging "Game" modes rely on specific parts of the route.

Game Modes

Along with the standard driving "Tour Mode" (which now allows players to let the game drive itself), the game includes three game modes with different objectives:

• Time Attack (Taipei -> Zuoying) - Players have a limited amount of time to reach the destination, receiving time penalties for hitting the ATC.

• Trial Driving (Taichung -> Taipei) - Players earn points throughout the route by passing through checkpoints on time, arriving at their destination on time, stopping in the correct position, and not using the emergency brake.

• Eco Driving (Zuoying -> Taipei) - Players have a limed amount of electricity they can use for accelerating throughout the entire route. Similar to the Densha de Go! series, players gain energy reserves by arriving at the station on time and stopping in the correct position.

Notes

Voiceovers in the game are done in either Mandarin, Taiwanese, or English (for the crew) and English (for the train drivers). English was used for the drivers because initially most of the train drivers along the high speed line were from Europe.