Bus Driver Review

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Bus Driver

Transport Passengers Around a Realistic City in 12 Different Buses!

Avg. Rating: 4.83 / 5

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  • What's Free - Play game for 60 minutes.
  • File Size - 78 MB
  • Play It On - Win XP/Vista

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DFG Exclusive Review Summary

Better than average but has some noticeable flaws.

Pros

  • Realistic bus driving experience.
  • Excellent graphics make it feel like a real city.
  • Getting a high score or perfect run is challenging.

Cons

  • Will only appeal to certain players
  • Score penalties for mistakes make it difficult to achieve good scores.

6.0

Fair

DFG SCORE

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Game Description

Bus Driver Makes Driving Buses Exciting and Fun!

Think being a bus driver is easy or boring? Think again!

The very first game of its kind, Bus Driver places you behind the wheel of a dozen different buses, transporting passengers all over an attractive and realistic city.

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Drive a school bus full of screaming kids, a bus full of tourists on a sight-seeing expedition, even a prison bus full of convicts!

It ain't all glitz and glamor like in the movies, though. You'll need to obey the rules of the road unless you want to be put permanently out of BUSiness!

Bus Driver Delivers Great Depth of Gameplay!

The wheels on the bus go round and round! You've got 12 very detailed buses to drive, all based on real-life models - long-distance luxury cruisers, even London's famous double-decker buses!

Bus Driver includes 30 routes to drive in 5 tiers of difficulty, and the city you operate in is huge - travel through modern, old-town, suburb, airport, and harbor districts while experiencing day/night cycles and realistic weather conditions like snow, ice, and rain.

Extremely Realistic Driving Simulation

Re-learn how to drive! Driving a bus is a lot different than driving a car, and Bus Driver strives to cram as much of that difference as possible into the in-game experience.

At the same time, the game is easy to learn because the controls are so simple. Just like a real bus, your vehicles accelerate slowly and take a long time to stop, so be careful out there!

You'll need to obey traffic signs and stop lights, use your turn signals when merging or switching lanes, heed other traffic, and above all, obey your bus schedule. Keep your passengers happy by being safe and on time!

Everything in Bus Driver is just like it is in the real world.

Challenge Friends and Family to Beat Your Scores!

Bus Driver gives you great replay value, because you can always improve your performance on any mission.

Earn bonus points for keeping passengers happy for a mile, using your turn signals properly, and waiting for green lights.

Lose points for driving erratically, scaring people by braking too fast, or running a red light - hitting stuff with your bus generally isn't a good idea, either.

See if you can complete each route perfectly, with no deductions!

You're Surrounded By a Living World!

Bus Driver really makes you feel like part of a hustling, bustling city with lots of traffic around you at almost any time, and it's all controlled by a smart AI system which interacts with you.

Dealing with other cars, trucks, and buses just adds to the fun and the challenge!

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Try as you might, you won't find a game quite like Bus Driver anywhere. It's very different from other driving games - a simulation in a class all by itself!

If you've ever wanted to drive a bus, Bus Driver is the next best thing. Don't miss the bus on this one - try it out today!

Bus Driver Review

Jim Rosenquist Avatar

Review by Mick

If you enjoy waiting at stop lights and using your turn signal then Bus Driver might be the game for you. In this bus driving simulation game you are the driver of various buses, from a school bus to luxury touring buses. Make sure you look both ways and use a turn signal, each little mistake will cost you.

Keep Your Passengers Happy

Bus Driver is divided into five tiers, each a little harder than the last. Higher tiers add in new challenges like snow on the road or standing passengers. When you have passengers that are standing you must be extra careful not to drive to wild. This game employs all the standard rules of the road. When changing lanes you must use turn signals, stopping at red lights is an absolute must. Even braking too fast causes your passengers to become unhappy.

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The goal is to pick up and drop off all the passengers on your route and stay as close to the schedule as possible. Points are gained for stopping at the right bus stops, loading and unloading passengers and following the rules of the road. You will need to navigate the streets as safely as possible because any error you make will cost you points.

Cool City Environment

The environment is one of the best aspects of this game. The graphics are extremely well done and detailed. The city really feels like a city. Everything down to light poles and signs are included. The traffic makes navigating the streets slightly challenging especially when you are trying to stay on schedule.

Kind of Like Your Driver's License Test

Point deductions are excruciatingly high in this game. Getting a high score is very difficult. An example of this would be turn signals. When you appropriately use your turn signal you gain 10 points, but when you don't you lose 40. This adds a challenging aspect to the game because getting to all the stops is not very hard.

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The biggest flaw for this game is its limited audience. There is no career building aspects, there are no ways to increase the action. Also no free play mode means you are stuck with the given routes that are fairly limited. The only reason you would replay this game is if you wanted to try and top your scores.

Conclusion - About As Interesting As Riding a Bus

Making right turns and braking slowly are about as intense as Bus Driver gets. A limited audience is the biggest thing holding this game back. Well done graphics and attention to detail in all respects are among the good attributes. If you are looking for a well detailed game that makes you follow all the rules of the road to get a good score, Bus Driver is where it's at.

Player Reviews

Gameplay Video

Publisher created video showing different buses on varying routes in the city and countryside.

 Video of game play for Bus Driver

Screenshots

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Bus Driver - Screen 1 Bus Driver - Screen 2

Fast Facts

  1. Bus Driver was originally released on March 22, 2007.
  2. Bus Driver was developed by SCS Software.
  3. The game was initially developed for the PC platform, but a Mac version was later released in 2011.
  4. SCS Software is responsible for making a sizeable number of driving sim series, including 18 Wheels of Steel and Euro Truck Simulator.
  5. Bus Driver is on the top ten list for driving games on CNET and has been downloaded over three hundred thousand times off that site alone.

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