Publisher: Days of Wonder
Price: $9.99/£6.99
Description: Train Board Game
Fullscreen Support |
Mouse Support |
File Size |
Launch Date |
Required Specifications |
Yes |
All |
292 MB——- |
5th April 2012 |
Mac OS X 10.7 (“Lion”) or higher |
Rating
Pros: Decent board game, smooth multiplayer.
Cons: In-App purchases seem like a cheap shot at already paying customers, cluttered interface and some repetitive sounds.
Review
Ticket to Ride originated as a popular board game in Europe and the US. But the growing technological age means that real touchy-feely board games are becoming more and more cumbersome to keep around the house, especially when you have the ability to play against people from all around the world on your computer or phone. To go with this growing trend, Ticket to Ride has made the transition from paper to digital. The result is a highly polished and entertaining game that is only let down by lack of content (more bought through in-app purchases) and some interface problems.
The objective of the game is to claim railroad routes and collect coloured tickets in order to build the tracks to complete each route. Each track you manage to complete before the game’s end will give you points and you lose points for any failed routes.
Ticket to Ride starts out with a tutorial video and a hands on tutorial game. The tutorial could be easier to understand but once you get the hang of it Ticket to Ride is fun to play. In fact, it’s challenging enough for many adults but family-friendly and interesting enough for younger players or for adults playing with their children.
Sounds are very well done but instructional dialogue and menu characters get really repetitive after a few plays. However, there is a setting to disable or turn down the voices of the conductor whose voice I found too intrusive for comfort. It may just be me and my old age though and children are probably less likely to be annoyed by the on-screen characters and their hearty dialogue.
Multiplayer in Ticket to Ride means that your opponents aren’t limited by the people in your immediate vicinity, unlike with a real board game. Mutliplayer is very fluid, and worked well when we tested it. You also have the option to play with up to 4 other people sitting next to you via hottest, which is where each player rotates their turn. However, you’ll need to watch your back so other players don’t catch a glimpse of your cards.
Graphic wise, it’s certainly well presented with but a few issues. The aspect ratio doesn’t seem tailored to the Mac’s screen, leaving grey bars at the top and bottom of the space when set to fullscreen mode. Menus can seem overly cluttered in an attempt to create a buzzing train station environment, which sacrifices some functionality.
Ticket to Ride’s fun is in the gameplay. It’s an easy game to play when you understand the rules (it took me a few tries) but it’s got enough depth to warrant replays. That said, the in-app purchases are a low blow. The $10 price tag only warrants you one map to enjoy (the original USA map), with extra content costing an extra $4 each. They aren’t ridiculously expensive considering the potential gameplay but the cost will add up if you decide to purchase even a few extra board designs.
Ticket to Ride is meant to be a family board game and it’s ideal for most board game enthusiasts. Don’t buy this with unrealistic expectations but it’s a great time filler and a nice little game if you want to play this classic on your Mac.
