| PS2
Tokyo Bus Guide ~ YTDT |
Scans
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| In
the 1994 movie Speed, tensions ran high and Gigantor, aka
Ortiz (he who had to be admonished to get behind the yellow
line), got a little flustered when told a bomb was aboard the same bus he was riding on.
Sandra Bullock's character Annie had to maintain decorum and
speed lest the vehicle blew up. Tokyo Bus Guide bears some semblance
to the movie, sans the speed, but decorum need apply. You're a bus
driver with all of the attendant responsibilities - namely picking
up passengers, dropping them off, and announcing destinations with the press
of a button. Following the rules of the road are contingent on
your success as an operator and your duties include staying
off curbs, obeying traffic lights, and heeding the mundane
trivialities of accelerating and braking in a smooth fashion
that is both pleasant and non-threatening to your riders.
Abrupt bursts forward and screeching stops may rouse latent
Gigantors from their berths. A versatile camera affords four
views of the bus ride and a trailing view, which follows your
bus from the outside, is the default. Two windshield views and
a distant camera shot are the other options for scoping out
your road moves. Similar in every respect to the Dreamcast
original, the PS2 version of TBG
boasts an extra
game mode which adds a yellow school bus and a red
double-decker to the vehicles you commandeer. Of course, the
original green and white commuter bus found in the DC version
sits in anticipation of your manhandling. Publisher Forty Five
developed TBG with the help of the Tokyo Metropolitan Bus
Service and included actual bus routes in the game. Virtual
bus drivers perform tours of duty ranging from noon to night
and contend with varying traffic conditions as well as
passenger density spikes and troughs throughout the shift.
Taito took care of train fanatics with the Densha! series of
games and Forty Five does their part to sate the curiosity of
bus fans. Yes, bus fans. They're out there and amongst the
general population...
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Tokyo
Bus Guide US$58
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The Dreamcast
version of TBG featured a Traffic Sign Quiz VMU game which
tested gamers on Japanese road signs. This mini-game survives
the transition to PS2 and may be loaded onto a Pocket Station
for portable sign recognition. Everyone knows you can't be a
true bus driver unless you know all traffic signs.
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| Playstation
2 July Peep |
Restock
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Karaoke attacks
once again in Dream Audition 3 from Jaleco, it's most
successful Bemani-esque rhythm game, on July 5. Harvest
Moon 3, Mobile Suit Gundam 0079, and Missing
Blue also ship on July 5. Pachinko Station v2 is
the sole offering for July 12, Growlanser II and Growlanser
II DX Pack ship on July 26 at Y6800 and Y12800
respectively, and Remote Control does the deed on July
28. Of course, Final Fantasy X ships on July 19, in two
versions. Square will apparently ship a Final Fantasy X
Special CD on July 11 at Y500 which may be a playable
sampler disc. Sony's Minna no Golf 3, known as Hot
Shots Golf in the USA, ships on July 26. A full update will be
posted on Monday morning.
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PS2 Para Para
Paradise and the PPP controller are available again today.
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The Wonderswan Color +
FF2 special package will be restocked on May 15.
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Super Street Fighter IIX
for the Dreamcast is expected within 2 weeks at a lower price
of US$49 against the current level of $68.
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E-mail
NCS
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