A 2nd Class Return to train games…and a bit more.

Unrelated to this video, but Techmoan or anyone else who has a MovaGlobe-- my globe has developed a north polar bubble (not polar vortex) and does not spin anymore. I have had it for several years now, but last several months has sputtered to a stop and will not spin. I have tried the paperclip thing they mention, etc. but will be sending for repair. Techmoan or MovaGlobe others, is your world still turning?

~~hmm, is there a reason why this hasn't shown up for non-patrons yet, but the 8-track karaoke video already did?~~ nvm, i just read the text with that patreon post. enjoy the holidays matt!

Having driven the Aygo's larger sibling (Yaris Cross) as a rental for a week in Spain I can't say I blame you. While Toyotas have never been cars with a particularily solid feel (IMHO), the current generation is thinner and tinnier than ever. The Yaris Cross is about €28.000 new and for that money it's just not up to scratch. When closing the doors they feel like they're gonna fall off, lots of very hard and cheap feeling plastic in the interior, no ceiling mounted light (so the rear seat is like a dark cavern), an engine that sounds like it's on its last breath (which coupled with the odd sensation of the CVT transmission doesn't make for a very nice experience). I am not in the market for any new car including one in that Yaris Cross' size but if I were I'd say that something like a Skoda Kamiq or Hyundai Bayon or Citroën C3 Aircross makes much more sense. The Skoda is of course no Rolls-Royce either but at least it feels well put together and reasonably solid.

You seem to like small cars, Mat! Me too! I own a classic Mini. 😊 Have you considered a Kei car? Really depends on whether any companies in the UK import used cars from Japan. 🤷‍♂️

I have a friend who is a train driver in Oz driving 3.5km trains loaded with ore. It was his idea of hell playing these games.

What these two videos told me is I like Mat videos regardless of the content.

Are you aware there's a really good train simulator game called Trainz (https://trainzportal.com, or check it out on Steam)? It's in English (and other languages) and includes at least one track layout in Britain, and you can set it to several different degrees of difficulty, between "model train mode" where you just control whether you want to go faster or slower, and full control mode where you have to control every part of a real train, down to operating the 3 different brake systems, or the valves of a steam locomotive. There's a lot of paid content that you can download such as track layouts, locomotives etc. or you can make your own if you're really into that. And the same publisher (N3V games, with which I have no relation) also sells other simulator games, about European truck and about farms and stuff.

Interesting! I bought the original from Amazon Japan as you may remember. I'll certainly miss out on the updated one but I really like the graphics on the Switch version. I don't have a Switch, but it's almost worth considering getting one just to play this. I do agree with you about the English translation though - that would almost certainly clinch it for me. Thanks for the great review, Mat.

The name Aygo (I Go) should imply that it's not meant for carrying a lot of passengers. But those rear doors really should have been "suicide" doors. Or just make it a two-door, but then it wouldn't be a "crossover", whatever that means anymore.

Finally seen these. I've never owned a car, never driven, never even had a lesson (I'm dangerous enough with shopping trolleys), but there was enough there to pique the interest of someone like me!

I enjoyed both videos! I own the original Toyota Aygo, and use it still. Interesting to see where it evolved to, I haven't researched the new model. Agree about the rear seat -- *I'm* not gonna use it, I'm in the driver's seat! So who cares 😄 I love my small car, especially for being pretty narrow. All newer cars (probably including the Aygo X) have grown bigger and fatter, and are much too wide for my taste. It makes them cumbersome to park and get in and out of. I'd like my next car to smaller (and narrower) not bigger and wider. That means there are pretty much no cars for me on the market at the moment.

Not sure if you are aware but there is a full English translation for the PC version of Densha de Go Final. This is abandonware and freely downloadable, then just grab the English patch (from the Discord not the Google drive), apply it and away you go. Of course it's not as graphically pleasing as the Switch version but it definitely scratches the itch and is easy to understand even for a total newcomer to the game like me. The price is most definitely right too!

Love the videos! Look forward to finding out what you get to replace the Aygo X 😃 Might be worth another go with the controls to figure out if there is a hidden rear windscreen washer. I have an older Aygo (not X) and the rear washer fluid comes from a red bump on the brake light. Your car has an identical bump visible at 10:35 on the left of the light, which makes me think there might be one?

I really enjoyed the Aygo video.

It's nice to have a change-up with content from time, especially if it's in continuity with a previous video. But naturally I'm here primarily for the noodle reviews. I especially appreciate the ones where you do a deep historical dive into the origins of the noodles, going so far as to locate relevant trade-journal articles on a specific noodle as it was just going on the market. I also like the ones where you provide a service in reviewing new noodle developments coming out of Kickstarter, or the videos referencing the online noodle museum. Of course, nothing can compare to your noodle repair attempts when you take a non-functioning noodle and manage to get it in working order with the application of a bit of sellotape and new sponge. You're all too humble when you talk about how you are "just a bloke noodling around" but we all know the truth!

So, I'm thinking the Techmoan analogue to "Twitch" would be "Shrug"?

I would have felt the same about the train simulator. Far too many ways to fail on the Densha De Go! Plug & Play 2. I don't play many games so can frustrated easily and then I certainly won't try again. I very much enjoyed your car review and would be interested to hear about whatever your new car is and your views on that. I changed my car this year and in a similar vein I found that the things that disappointed me most, no-one else even mentioned and the bits they stressed (such as touch-screen for air-con) you get used to very quickly and become a non-issue.

Haven't checked out the game yet, but the car was interesting. Is that also why you sold the Aygo again after 8 months? I like your car videos, because they are entertaining and really down to earth. And I am alone and also prefer small cars. But so little content is really about them...

I'll have to wait til tomorrow to watch these, as I have guests round tonight, but just a quickie to ask if the community tab has vanished for everyone on BOTH the app and web-based version now? I can't find it on either. Of course, this is the sort of thing I'd usually ask there, ironically.

I would prefer the most realistic accurate one, but I also know: driving a long-distance high-speed train is actually quite boring as almost everything is automatic... A local commuter-train is much more fun.

• New eyeglasses? 🤓 • Two videos? 🚗 This is an absolute treat. • I watched the car video first, unashamedly. I'm completely unfamiliar with cars manufactured after 2017. I will forcibly contain my disdain regarding the Aygo X because we can't talk about cars. Although some time ago I asked my AI picture generators to design small cars: https://ibb.co/09vkrCf https://ibb.co/KrDhVKt https://ibb.co/0JbKQ77 • I was briefly worried about your 'On Air' light during the 2nd train game demos. • I enjoyed the train games more than I expected. Are the landscapes always urban? I would prefer scenic vistas, personally. I suppose passengers standing in the middle of nowhere waiting on a train wouldn't make much sense. • You will be a fabulous train operator, I am proud of you. Your passengers will survive. • I think a GTA (GTT) spin-off would be amusing. • Fake people with phones in their faces disturbs me more than it should. Very enjoyable this week; take care. 🤍

I've just watched the car review, and I must say it seems like things are going backwards with cars now. No rear washer jet? Having to accept map Ts and Cs and turn off badly designed safety aids every time you get in? Daft. Also reminds me that despite not needing a Golf/Focus sized car 90% of the time, it would be very hard for me to downsize to a compact or supermini sized car simply because the cabin quality always seems to be dire. It seems that only a few companies will offer you a small car without filling the interior with those cheap and scratchy plastics.

What are you replacing the Aygo with?

I have to say, watching you struggle driving the bullet train game gave me a good laugh !!

I'm sure they could make an English version of this. They'd probably base it on something like the Northern Rail service between Manchester Victoria and York. To move up levels you'd have to chuck off all your passengers at Hebden Bridge or Bradford Interchange. Or simply not start the game and just announce "Due to driver shortage, this service has been cancelled."

Well done. Reminds me of a Lunar Lander type game.

Was just watching an urban transit YouTube channel last night and it got me thinking that I'd like to see Mat's Densho de go (🤔😖) video again and so this morning, through the "Magic Of The Internet" here's a new Japanese train driver game video to check out.

I agree that an English version would sell, maybe there would be an incentive to add a couple of western trains and routes too. The car video was interesting, the steering and CVT seem very similar to the Mazda 2 (a re-badged Yaris) that I had as a courtesy car from Mazda. Very annoying active steering and revving all over the place, especially when combined with the hybrid system the Mazda had. Pop out windows on a 5 door car is something I'm not sure I've ever seen before. I hope the next car is better.

Thank you for a wonderful image: In a highly techno-organized country of Japan, there's a speeding bullet-train taking mobile-phone-obsessed passengers to their various careers... and in the front of the train is this British-bloke, who doesn't understand a word of Japanese, fumbling with the controls and constantly causes "mayhem on the mainline." I'd watch that on BritBox. Happy Holidays. Now, to the extra video...

All I was thinking was "How could I use such a controller as a macro keyboard"...

For the record, I am most certainly here for any video game related content you might want to make. I may not have the patience for train sims, but I like the idea of them. Especially Japanese ones, as they make me nostalgic for all the pleasant train rides I had in rural Japan.

Mat when I was about 13 to 18 I used to go to work with a relative who drove trains in South East England. I was allowed to drive some slam door trains under strict supervision. I had to learn the routes (very difficult). It was before the Cowden disaster (guard was driving). Now I play OpenBVE (you can get it on Windows Mac and Linux.) A link https://openbve-project.net

Interesting! It’s shame it’s so far removed from the previous int in terms of enjoyment, but the Switch version seemed better. Also, this video caused me to rewatch the previous one and alI I can say is this: What model is the CD player you used for the audio disk??!!

I was about to criticise a game like this, but then remembered that I once played a submarine simulator 'game' back in the 1980s. It was on a Compaq suitcase computer with a 10 mb hard drive and a 6 inch screen (work machine) and it took ages because it was sort of real time navigation.

I imagine many westerners will wait for the GTA crossover version.

I just watched the extra video. I did like it. I like a fresh point of view on cars. I do work as an engineer on vehicle development and it all got such a show this review thing. Now, a couple of points. The issue with the roof and vehicle variant is likely to do with weight and emissions. Everyone is doing it. It sound odd but that is the response in a world where no but g broad decisions are made (don't get me started) The door is probably fine but there is a lot of work on that basically doors are weighted, basically tuned. So that's weight and cost and it goes out of the window. The beeping is... Something. You see, in order to keep your eyes in the road, traditional controls do have a tactile feedback. Knobs and switches. On digital buttons... Some went for annoying beeping. No solution for this really. The washer fluid neck, it looks to me it has to do with room for access to the light (from the camera view) It does look they spared on the overall sound thingy. It is a pity because, reviews aside it is a sign of quality. (queues are door panels, door sound and woofer performance) Some vehicles do discriminate on which safety systems will be turned on on next key in, (usually esd is a fixed) Very good point on the space for passengers too

I for one, have thoroughly enjoyed these kinds of videos from you!

Can't wait to see this, I'd love to see more game reviews!

So glad you finally got round to playing the new Switch game! I spent quite a bit of time in Tokyo so Hashirou Yamanote-sen is my favourite entry in the series so far - it's so accurate to real life! Like you mentioned, this is based on the arcade machine, and on that the handle/hand rest on the right of the controller has a button in it, which acts as a dead man's handle. If I remember correctly there's also a pedal you can action instead. The arcade machine also has more routes outside of the Yamamoto Line corridor and Tokyo, which unfortunately haven't made their way to the home version yet - but as you get farther in the Switch version of the game, you will unlock other lines. Really glad you had fun with this version of the game, it sure does seem a lot more accessible than DDG2! As you mentioned, the physics and momentum of a full-length bullet train are bound to be a lot trickier than a commuter train but even then the tutorialising seemed excessive!

As an actual train driver, I can confirm that, outside of emergencies etc, it's considerably easier than these games! Mainly because we don't have speed limits imposed on us with 5 seconds notice

I'm here for content and this fits that bill :)

I love how the graphics in this series never approached past PlayStation 1-2 levels