Desert Busis a horrible , horrible drive game – and it was imply to be . In the game , you ’re task with drive a bus from Tucson to Las Vegas . The trick is , you have to push the bus topology in realtime , at a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour – which means that the tripper take eight hour of continuous gameplay to make out ( and there is no " pause " feature ) . The guidance rack pulls more or less to the right , so you have to sit down there and in reality " take " the whole time . Upon completion of the misstep , you get one spot . One . If you go off the ( almost completely featureless ) route at any power point , you are towed back ( again in realtime ) by a tow caller , as you look out helplessly . It ’s absolutely madden . Oh , and once you fill out the slip you ’re offer the option to motor the bus BACK on the same trip . The only benediction seem to be the lack of traffic and the pine tree air - freshener twirling from the rearview mirror . ( The mirror shows that the bus is completely empty . )
The plot was designed by Penn & Teller as part of their unreleased 1995 Sega CD game large number name " Smoke and Mirrors , " and was a reply to the Clinton governing body ’s declamation of fierce videogames . alternatively of vehemence , " Desert Bus " features dullness . What ’s surprising is that there actually are a few ( very minor ) things that bechance during your eight hours on the road . While I have n’t flirt the eight hours , Andy Baio reportsthat there is a " bug splat " on the windshield at various point , you sometimes run route sign , the lighting changes as day plough to Nox , and , as I mentioned earlier , if you go off the route you ’ll be towed back . If you complete the eight - minute trip , you get a screen showing your total phone number of points ( with seven lead zeroes , thus a single successful trip would show the point counter at 00000001 ) , and a clock showing your total romp time .
Here ’s a video of a fun school term ( I urge you to travel rapidly through parts of it , as there is almost literally nothing to see for large reach of the secret plan … or peradventure you ’ll find the everlasting dullness console ):
If you like " Desert Bus " ( or at least appreciate its ruthlessness ) , you ’ll dig Andy Baio ’s articleMetagames : Games About Games . He categorizes " Desert Bus " under " Abusive Games . " Other category admit " Minimalist Games , " " Game Mechanics Gone Wild , " and " Violent Games . "
