Town please, 'mate.'

Whilst doing my usual trawl of the Information Super Highway (copyright 1994) for Dreamcast related guff, I inevitably come across the banal, the bizarre and the downright wierd. And by that, I usually mean anything that is Japan-centric.

Take dating games for example. The Dreamcast has a fuckload of them - but (thankfully) none of them ever came out over here. And I can see why: a UK based dating game? What - bum-fluff moustached 14-year-old lads taking their 'birds' to McDonalds before sharing a bottle of cider on the bus home? Hmmm.

No - forget dating games. I found something slightly more intriguing that I'm sure some of you will already know about, but that the impenetrable wall of ignorance that one has built up around oneself has prevented one from noticing before: Tokyo Bus Guide!

Yes - it's a game about driving a bus...around Tokyo.

How cool is that?! Here's a few pics I stole from several other, better sites:




Who said the Dreamcast doesn't cater for everyone?!

Judging by the reviews I've read (at Gamespot and NTSC-UK) it's not a particularly brilliant game - indeed the visuals look rather basic and boxy, but you are obliged to adhere to the real rules of the road in order to be successful in your quest for high scores. Bus drivers around here could probably learn a thing or two by playing Tokyo Bus Guide too - things like indicating when attempting to turn a corner; using mirrors when pulling out of a lay-by; not crushing cyclists; greeting fare paying customers with anything approaching manners (or just something that isn't a grunt); and actually stopping at bus stops instead of blasting past at Mach 7 whilst flicking a V-sign*.

If you'd like more information about buses or bus stops, please click here - then kindly leave the 'Yard and refrain from returning.

* - Apologies for a blatant over-use of the itallics.

3 comments:

gnome said...

Hilarious. Well, almost...

Definitely funny though.

Where's my DC pr0n?

Animated AF said...

I still need grab a torrent of this one day to try it out. It's like the parallel of Crazy Taxi!

Animated AF said...

Anoter great odd-Japanese game you may want to look into is Bomber Hehe! http://www.ntsc-uk.com/review.php?platform=sdc&game=BomberHehhe