Posted in: Games, PAX East, Video Games | Tagged: Astrogon, Bus Simulator, Bus SImulator 18, StillAlive Studio

Zen and the Art of Bus Simulator at PAX East

Bus Simulator is the console edition of Bus Simulator 18 that includes 8 licensed busses, 5.8 square miles of open world road, multiplayer co-op, and various weather conditions.

The official description reads:

Whether in the industrial or harbour zone, downtown, in the surrounding villages or the business park, in Bus Simulator, you experience up-close the exciting everyday life of a bus driver in a vast and freely drivable urban area. Get behind the wheel of your 8 original licensed city buses from the great brands of Mercedes-Benz, Setra, MAN, and IVECO and transport your passengers safely and punctually to their destinations, either solo in single player mode, or with friends in real-time multiplayer mode.

As a bus driver in the 12 different districts, you'll face the challenges of the traffic in a big city and everything that entails. Don't be deterred by freak weather conditions, potholes, traffic jams, fare evaders, accidents, construction sites, night driving and specific passenger requests. On the contrary, take full control of your bus, earn money, gain a good reputation owing to your safe and punctual driving style and enjoy almost limitless driving pleasure in the authentic urban locations. Use the thousands of miles of virtual roads and streets to gain new districts, new buses and new customisation options.

The game features 8 officially licensed busses from 4 of the leading bus manufacturers, a comprehensive management element and progression system for upgrades, both simplified and "realistic" driver modes, fare dodgers, and realistic traffic simulation.

Bus Simulator also has support for several game driving wheels, so you can get the full simulation experience. The gameplay is relatively simple, though somethings can be a bit tricky to control. There are two different first-person driving modes to allow you to zoom in on the road, check your mirrors, and calculate fares. However, checking your mirrors isn't the smoothest experience, which can make driving a bit tricky.

That said, the simulation is disturbingly relaxing. Even getting stuck in traffic while demoing the game on the busy PAX East show floor was one of the most zen gaming experiences I've ever had. And that's something I never expected from a bus driving sim game.

Bus Simulator is releasing on Xbox One and PS4 later this year. Bus Simulator 18 is available now on Steam.

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