The GHZ Forum

I was wandering aimlessly on YouTube when I stumbled across video clips from a game called "Densha de go!" The basic gist of it is that you drive trains and get scored somehow. Despite the very basic premise of the game, I'm the kind of railfan who had to find out more. According to wikipedia, a version of it may be released in the US on the Wii. My questions, then, are:

1) Has anyone ever heard of this before?
2) If so, what can you tell me?
3) If not, are you interested? At all?

1) No, 2) Nothing, 3) Nada.

Perhaps you could take this opportunity to explain what the fuck it is that's allegedly appealing about train simulation games, let alone trains? What is it you do in these games? Do you get to drive the train or merely dictate where it goes? Can you design your own train? Can you paint it with zebra stripes and fly it to the moon? What's the point?

About as much as flight simulators, I'd assume.

Flight sims suck too, but at least with them you're flying.

Yeah Densha De Go is one of those really geeky railroad games like Railroad Tycoon. AVOID.

I was under the impression that Densha de Go is more arcadey considering it was originally a coin-op. A Ressha de Ikou is the sim series. I can't get past the initial map screen of any of those but I don't think I'd be able to even if it were in English. Have not actually played Densha de Go but it's mid 90's Japanese weird enough for me to try once. Maybe you get to grope schoolgirls!

Green Gibbon! wrote:I was under the impression that Densha de Go is more arcadey considering it was originally a coin-op. A Ressha de Ikou is the sim series. I can't get past the initial map screen of any of those but I don't think I'd be able to even if it were in English. Have not actually played Densha de Go but it's mid 90's Japanese weird enough for me to try once. Maybe you get to grope schoolgirls!

I played one of the Super Famicom games on an emulator. AVOOOOOID...

Was Densha de Go ever released on the Super? To my knowledge the most archaic console port is on the Saturn...

Green Gibbon! wrote:Was Densha de Go ever released on the Super? To my knowledge the most archaic console port is on the Saturn...

Wait, my bad, I was thinking of catch the A-train...Densha De Go is the driving one... my bad. :(

To everyone who wondered about the premise: yeah, you just drive them. I think. Besides, that's already enough for me, I just like trains enough to enjoy that. I can understand why no one else would...

Uh, train driving, huh? Wouldn't you just control the speed and when to brake? Seeing how trains run on, you know, tracks, it doesn't seem like there'd be much steering involved.

But then again, it is Japan, so maybe you have to clear the tracks of suicidal salary men or something so your train doesn't derail.

And grope schoolgirls!

Squirrelknight wrote: But then again, it is Japan, so maybe you have to clear the tracks of suicidal salary men or something so your train doesn't derail.

Actually, the train might transform into a giant dildo or something....damn that would be best Niintendogs expansion cart ever!

Squirrelknight wrote:Uh, train driving, huh? Wouldn't you just control the speed and when to brake? Seeing how trains run on, you know, tracks, it doesn't seem like there'd be much steering involved.

Acceleration and braking are your only mechanical concerns, I'd presume. However, recall that in Japan, train lateness is measured in seconds, so you probably get scored on punctuality. Furthermore, I've seen that in some of the videos, as a train pulls into a station, you get measured on how close (in centimeters) you are to the actual stop line. The main gimmick of the game (to me) is that you get these excellent views of Japan, since all of the backgrounds are exact replicas of the actual landscapes surrounding the train lines.

Really just some fanservice for people like me...or a training program for JR.

jenkins wrote:The main gimmick of the game (to me) is that you get these excellent views of Japan, since all of the backgrounds are exact replicas of the actual landscapes surrounding the train lines.

Have... have you not heard of "photography"?

Maybe it just appeals to the Japanese compulsion to be utterly and completely punctual, or perhaps it is a clever tool of the railway industry to help combat a crippling shortage of train operators. Incidentally, is the series actually still going in Japan?

The series is indeed still going in Japan, with an installment on the Wii approaching. Not sure if it's still in arcades, though.

Del: Photography lacks animation and control. Besides, I already collect it. This is new and amusing to me.