Unbeknownst to many Western gamers, the genre of “work simulation” is actually a legitimate genre. While not amazingly popular, games such as “I am an Air Traffic Controller!” sell. The Densha de Go train conductor series has been on nearly ten different systems. The developers even released a special train-conducting controller for it. Today, I’m going to give you a look at Tokyo Bus Guide for the Japanese Dreamcast. This is a far cry from work-themed games such as Crazy Taxi and 18-Wheeler. Only by obeying traffic laws will the player succeed here.
Players assume the role of a bus driver. The basic goal is to make it through the day’s route without incident. Players will be penalized for breaking traffic laws. If too many are broken, the game will end. Small penalties are incurred for minor offenses, such as forgetting to announce the next stop, not pulling all the way up to the curb at a stop, or by jostling the passengers by braking or accelerating too quickly. More severe penalties can result from driving in two lanes, running a red light, speeding, or forgetting to close the door after a stop. The game ends instantly if there’s a collision, either with another vehicle or a pedestrian.
There are three different areas to drive around in. The first is a mildly crowded city, with some tall buildings and a moderate amount of traffic. Next up is a rural area, with very few stops and hardly a car on the road. There are some tricky mountainous turns, however. The last, and easily the most difficult, is the metropolis. This one looks quite a bit like a clean Chicago or New York, actually. There are at least a dozen pedestrians on screen for most of the route. Traffic will actually jam, on occasion. There are also crazy eight-way intersections, which make this the ultimate test of the virtual bus driver. Each of these routes if very long, taking roughly half an hour to complete. After completing a route, an afternoon version of it will open up. After that, a night version becomes available. These are the same routes, but with different traffic patterns and different stops.
Graphically, Tokyo Bus Guide is very simple. Polygon counts are quite low, but the frame rate is rock solid. Passengers consist of poorly animated 2D sprites, but the bus is actually pretty impressive. Overall, the technically poor graphics do give an adequate sense of driving a bus in Tokyo.
This isn’t an action game, and as such, the music isn’t very intense. There’s one track for each area, but they’re very short. However, they are composed so that the constant looping isn’t so bad. I actually enjoy the music found here and find it quite relaxing.
Despite the fact that there are only three different routes, there’s a fair amount of replay value to be had. After completing a route, the player is ranked and awarded a medal. Try as I might, I can’t seem to get a gold one. It’s a difficult game, and playing through it multiple times is fun. It’s a relaxing game, though, and really can’t be played for more than an hour or so in one sitting. It’s also something that will probably never come to this side of the globe. Still, I highly recommend it to the import-savvy.
Importing - This is fully playable without the Japanese language, however there’s one thing that makes it difficult for Americans to play. In Japan, people drive on the left side of the road. It takes quite a while to get used to driving on the left, and some players may not be able to adapt at all. It definitely takes some patience. Also, this will not play on a standard American Dreamcast without internal modification or a boot disc. For those interested, any online importer should carry it. My personal favorite is NCSX.com.
