Bus Simulator Review: Driving the Console Port Off a Cliff

Title: Bus Simulator

Developer: Still Alive Studios

Publisher: Astragon Entertainment

Genre: Simulator

Available On: PS4, Xbox One

Official Site: Bus Simulator Game.com

Release Date: September 17, 2019

Version Tested: Xbox One

Have you ever wanted to have the feeling of driving a bus without having to worry about passing a license test? Have you ever wanted to be the guy who tells an obnoxious rider they need to tone it down?

How about finding a way to follow a tiny GPS dot around town in order to figure out where to go? If you answered yes to all three of those questions, then Bus Simulator is the game for you.

If, however, you’ve ever wanted to have fun playing a video game, you might want to try something else. The title, arriving on consoles for the first time after having a good run on PCs, falls very short of being worth time and effort on the Xbox One and PS4.

Known as Bus Simulator 18 on the computer, the port is a faithful one. It turns out that’s not a good thing. In the end, the fact that this was almost a one-for-one port makes it difficult to operate and less fun than waiting at a bus stop for hours.

Realism Not the Problem

To be clear, simulator games are never going to be for everyone. The best ones allow people who can’t normally do things like a farm, to feel like they’re running a farm.

Bus Simulator has no problem making you feel like you’re driving a bus around a big city. In that regard, it’s similar to something like Car Mechanic Simulator.  The game allows players to carry out menial tasks and try to have fun doing it.

Bus Simulator, unfortunately for people looking for another avenue like Farming Simulator, has a long road ahead before it becomes popular enough to get its own eSports league.

The good news is this game does what the best simulators do. It nails what driving around the city feels like, especially behind the wheel of a big heavy vehicle moving people from point A to point B. In that regard, the developers have put the Unreal Engine to good use. When a bus gets started up and starts driving around town, it really feels as though you’re behind the wheel of a city bus.

On the other hand, this isn’t a game that is going to make people think of Grand Theft Auto 5. When you crash into something, or god forbid, run over a pedestrian, the crash doesn’t feel like a crash.

Bus Simulator just pops up with the money you lose when you crash. Beyond that, it feels a bit like bumper cars.

Graphics Fall Short

While the game does make you feel like you’re behind the wheel, the finer graphics in the game leave quite a bit to be desired. So does interacting with any of them.

The developers have made a big deal out of allowing players to deal with unruly passengers and other issues as they ride along on your route. The problem is that most of the people that are going to be riding look like sketches of a person.

The same goes for when you’re creating yourself in the game. There are several different options for customization, but none of them are all that impressive. That’s a shame, once again considering we’re dealing with the Unreal Engine in Bus Simulator.

On the flip side, driving around town is going to give you the feel of piloting around a town full of cars and buildings. At times, the scenery is breathtaking it’s just a shame the appearance falls short when you take a look at things up close.

UI is the Problem

When it comes to trying to start the bus up, open a door, or check out the GPS, the problems pop up. Bus Simulator does a great job of trying to make it feel as though you’re operating a bus.

That means there’s a button for the turn signal. There’s a button for the windshield wipers. There’s a button for turning on the lights.

When you’re dealing with a mouse and a keyboard, finding each individual place to click isn’t all that hard. When you’re talking about a d-pad, it becomes more complicated.

Add in the fact that the game doesn’t always seem to respond when you do hit the right button and things get dicey quick. In fact, things get annoying rather fast.

Verdict: Those who love simulators are going to find there’s plenty to see and do. Those who love theses kinds of games on PC are going to find it hard to like on consoles. Bus Simulator would have been better served if it had stayed where it knows best. The jump to the Xbox One and PS4 turns out to be one that appeared to only be a setback.