Filed under: Gadgets, Etc., Toys, Lifestyle
Forget Gran Turismo, Bus Driver is greatest next-gen driving sim
Click above for more screen shots of Bus Driver
When I was in Kindergarten, I rode Bus 11. It was an oil-burning 32-passenger GMC that was ready for retirement by 1982. It was driven by Sarge. I'm not sure why she was called Sarge, but her demeanor definitely lived up to the moniker. Frequent exhortations to"SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP" kept us all in line. Nobody ever laughed when she ground the 2-3 upshift. Think you'd enjoy ruling passengers with an iron fist? You could go get the endorsement on your license and then hit the job market, or if that takes too much effort, just buy Bus Driver, the video game.
Hey, at least it's still a driving game, but it's the staid, responsible version of gaming. Rather than speed around a track or create mayhem, your mission is to follow routes in your school bus, city bus or tour bus while picking up and dropping off fares. What fun, the replays must be enthralling. It could be worse, though – it's still a wheeled conveyance you're controlling rather than some Wiimote-powered silliness. We do wish that Meridian4, the game's publisher, had included the DeLorean bus that never got off the ground.
Gallery: Bus Driver: The Video Game
[Source: Winding Road]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
FSM 9:16AM (3/11/2008)
If they did this game the way Crazy Taxi was done it would be great fun. Driving over lawns and through buildings to get the kids to their destinations.
Reply
Ty 9:25AM (3/11/2008)
This seems like a cheap spinoff of Densha de Go and the Japanese train simulators
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let's_Go_by_Train
Reply
Nellydesign 9:30AM (3/11/2008)
I don't have any bus riding memories:(
Reply
Ben 10:08AM (3/11/2008)
Where are the machine guns?
Reply
Parkerman 10:10AM (3/11/2008)
"I don't want it if it doesn't have damage like forza does!"
Heh, I remember Crazy Taxi, It was pretty fun. Maybe this could be in some weird way too.
Reply
Thirty-Nine 10:27AM (3/11/2008)
My buddy had "Tokyo Bus Guide" for the Sega Dreamcast when we were in college. It was oddly addicting. Granted, it was all in Japanese, so 3/4 of the time we didn't know what the hell we were doing.
Mike 10:25AM (3/11/2008)
Where can I buy this game? My father, sister, and brother-in-law are all bus drivers...I *need* to get them this game. ;)
Reply
DRFS Rich 10:46AM (3/11/2008)
Weak! It's a piss-poor attempt at the marvel that was the greatest video game known to man -- Desert Bus!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_&_Teller's_Smoke_and_Mirrors#Desert_Bus
- R
Reply
WillDaThrill 10:47AM (3/11/2008)
I could tell you why they called her Sarge, but the post would probably get deleted or I get banned!
Reply
SPG 11:32AM (3/11/2008)
I love driving around in the busses in Driv3r.
It takes and makes great damage.
This could be fun as well.
Reply
Robert K. 11:36AM (3/11/2008)
Cool, now I can recreate the movie "Speed"!
Reply
Jeff the Baptist 12:26PM (3/11/2008)
Like Crazy Taxi, you can play this as a minigame already in most of the Grand Theft Auto games.
Reply
Randy 5:36PM (3/11/2008)
Hopefully nobody makes a nude patch for this one!
Reply
Joe 6:02PM (3/11/2008)
You can download a 1 hour free trial here:
http://www.busdrivergame.com/
It's oddly entertaining, and can be tricky. Braking takes some getting used to and turning is a bit slow. Also, seeing where you are going can be a problem. No damage, but you can spin out on snow.
$30 to actually buy it. I was able to beat about about half of it in and hour, its not really worth the money.
Reply