Bus Derby Review

Pirates aren’t much fer drivin’ on roads. Ya see, the open ocean has so much space ta maneuver, and ye can really let yer ship ride and cut across the ocean if it be to your fancy. This be why we delegate the movements of our dry goods to more well equipped organizations, rather than risk our own safety on the road. To be honest; a pirate ain’t too good at ridin’ on the roads because we all be inept at traveling through land. There be just too many rules and regulations to follow!

Couple that with all the papers we have to have just to own one of those ‘cars’ and it makes fer a threatening experience for any pirate to try. O’ course, that be no reason why we don’t play game about drivin’, so here be our Bus Derby review just to show you we actually do find drivin’ entertainin’ on.

The Game

First things first; if you like your driving experience realistic and as close as you can get to the actual thing, you’re not going to like this title. Much like Burnout, and other arcade-y titles, this game doesn’t take driving seriously. If the title Bus Derby didn’t already tip you off, then expect that you’ll be driving around in huge buses rather than sleek and sexy sports cars. The weird thing about the game is that it still tries to be a racing title in that it pits buses against each other on actual racetracks.

This little detail makes the game pretty fun to play, but at the same time, the addition of realism takes away from the Burnout feel of the game. As for the racing element, BD takes a very structured approach to how you drive your cars. While you still race around in massive steel hulks, the driving is very similar to other racing games.

The Gameplay and Look

In the game, you have to take time between each curve so that you don’t spin out of control. Each bus is limited to a certain top speed, but technique can reign supreme in each race if you take the time to drive properly. The hilarious part about this accuracy is that you’re driving buses. Working your way around corners or overtaking your opponents become a lot funnier when you’re driving a 40 footer on a track that was probably designed for racecars. Over time, the other drivers start making mistakes, and that’s when the true fun starts up. Watch as your opponents start t-boning each other, or spin out of control in their bus, then collide with each other along the way.

This title does an admirable job of the 3D animations, and while it doesn’t rival titles like Riptide GP, the game does look pretty. The each bus is well animated and often colorful. The tracks that you race on a re deeply varied, so no two races feel the same. At the same time, the massive collisions you get when you make mistakes are pretty well animated.

The Verdict

Bus Derby is one of those titles you simply have to try because it feels like a totally new game. The whole premise is pretty unique, and while some of the goofs might not be intentional, they make the title so much more fun to play. Pick it up just to mix a little excitement into your library of racers. Bus Derby is cool cool cool!