A-Train

A-Train is a train simulation game created by the Japanese developer Artdink. Initially called "Take the A-Train," the first game was released in Japan in 1986, followed by a sequel in 1988. With the third chapter, Maxis decided to purchase the rights of the Japanese game, translate it, port it to Amiga and Macintosh, and finally publish it in 1992/1993. This version was simply called "A-Train," and it was the first game published by Maxis that was not developed internally.

In A-Train, you are the head of a railroad company, and you have to create a transport system that will make the city grow. You will have to take care of resources and passengers. As long as the city expands, new businesses will start, and you will have to manage new resources.

The stock market, the changing seasons, and the revolutionary isometric graphics filled with animations all contributed to creating an interesting and rich game. It's worth noting that Amiga models with at least 1.5Mb ram could play the game in hi-res graphics mode.

Despite the huge success in Japan and the very positive reviews, A-Train did not sell well in the U.S. However, it was an inspiration for Maxis during the creation of Sim City 2000.