Review : (XBLA) Ticket To Ride on Xbox 360

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(XBLA) Ticket To Ride

Your verdict [2 votes] : 4.3 Add to my collection Discuss

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Ticket to Ride

A game that’s right on track with XBLA

By William Bobola (LuxDraconis)
Posted on July the 1st 2008 at 04:07:00 PM

Ok, first things first, which came first? The chicken or the egg? In this case it should be “Which came first--the board game or the video game?” I love board games, but video board games are even better! No pieces to lose, the computer can keep track of the score(keeps me from cheating), and on top of that you can still have the family gather around… as long as the batteries are charged in the controllers….Doh!

Developed by Next Level Games and published by Vancouver’s Playful Entertainment, Ticket to Ride challenges players to plan cross-country rail routes across North America. The object of Ticket to Ride is to complete train tracks of matching color to the matching color cards in between the destinations that you picked. Sounds easy right? You have to pick your destination cards at the beginning of the game. After that you can play the cards you have or draw from the face up or down deck.

Gameplay

For those of you that have played Catan or Carcassonne, this game will seem familiar. The controls seem awkward at first, and yes it took me a couple of games before it started to feel right. I really wish it had an option to change the button configuration. The “A” button is your help on/off during the game(?). The “X” button claims your route, while your “Y” button draws new cards from the deck, and the “B” button draws new destination cards. Hording cards is not the name of the game. You have to be smart, but quick, on how and where you play them. The other players may be collecting railroads that you need to get to your destination. The other problem that I have is…one map to play…really? Now it does say in the options screen that a Europe and a 1910 DLC will be coming, no word on when (sooner would prove to be better)

In the plus side, the game supports multi-player with up to four people offline and five people on Xbox Live. If you have the Xbox Live Vision Cam at home, you better dust it off because the game fully supports it!

Graphics

The graphics for Ticket to Ride are “Ok” for XBLA game, they’re not bad, they seem lower quality in some parts for an effect. The game screen looks nice and crisp, yet the avatars look blurry?…. Why? If they could fix this with a patch, it would give the game a more complete look. Still the graphics aren’t the best, but it does look good.

Sound

The sound for the game has what you would expect from a game about trains….Train sounds!! Whistles, bells, clanking, steam. Nice and easy , soft background music, that’s good for a XBLA game if you’re looking for hours of play on end…The sound is what you would expect, for a strategy game, it’s not that loud or overbearing to distract you in game.

Value

No, it’s not Catan… But, it doesn’t have to be. This is a buy for all board game, Catan, Carcassonne fans, and for someone looking to play a new video strategy game that is as fun as the board game. It’s also a great family game that kids and adults will enjoy.

Your verdict [2 votes] : 4.3 Add to my collection Discuss

Pros

*Another fun board game on XBLA
*Great family game
*DLC coming
*An achievement for criss-crossing Canada

Cons

*1 Map....For now.
*The controls could have been done better
*Missing more animation

Final Verdict

6.6

Breakdown :

Presentation :

7.0

Graphics :

6.0

Sound :

6.0

Gameplay :

7.5

Replay Value :

6.5

Our review : 6.6
Your verdict [2 votes] : 4.3
System :
Publisher :
Developer :
Category :
ESRB : E - [GameFocus' ESRB Guide]
Consult the complete file

Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.

PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)

GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.

AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?

GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.

REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.

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