Crazy Bus (also spelled CrazyBus) is a 2004 unlicensed bus simulator video game.[3][4][5] Originally created as a tech demo, it was subsequently put on a ROM cartridge and self-published for the Sega Genesis.[6][7] The game was developed in Venezuela by Tom Scripts.[3]

Crazy Bus
Title screen
Developer(s)Tom Scripts[1]
Publisher(s)Devster Specialties[2]
Platform(s)Sega Genesis
Release2004
Genre(s)Driving simulator
Mode(s)Single player

History

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Crazy Bus was initially uploaded online as a software test program that could be played on the Sega Genesis. It was developed by Venezuelan Tom Scripts (real name Tom Maneiro)[3][8] using Sonic the Hedgehog as a base.[9] After attracting the attention of video game enthusiasts in the United States and elsewhere, a ROM cartridge was created by a third party, complete with cover art and a user manual.[10][11] Neither the game's creator nor Sega were involved in the release of the cartridge.[6][11]

Gameplay

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The gameplay simply consists of driving a bus back and forth to accumulate points, with a highest possible score of 65,535. The game also allows the player to honk the horn.[4][6] Players can choose between five buses from Brazilian, Venezuelan, and Spanish brands,[12] including a yellow school bus.[6]

Reception and legacy

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Crazy Bus has gained notoriety for its bizarre, scrambled music.[12][13][14][15][16][17] The soundtrack has been described by ScreenRant as "one of the most over-the-top and intolerably shrill soundtracks of all time"[4] and by CBR as "chaotic".[18] WatchMojo ranked the title screen music #1 on its list of "Top 10 Most Annoying Songs and Music In Video Games".[7] The soundtrack was featured on the 2022 "Level Up: Gaming Soundtracks" episode of BBC Radio 3's Late Junction music programme.[8]

In 2014, the game was reviewed in episode 124 of the Angry Video Game Nerd series, where it was criticized for poor quality in all areas.[3][19] According to a 2021 report published by the University of Carabobo, while Crazy Bus could not achieve commercial success as a pirated game, the subsequent popularity of Crazy Bus drew attention to other games published in Venezuela.[3]

The game is considered notable as an unusual part of video game history and is often played by YouTubers and Twitch streamers interested in the topic.[20] A mod was created of Sega Genesis Classics that included Crazy Bus.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "CrazyBus". Kotaku. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  2. ^ "CrazyBus (2004)". IGDB.com. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  3. ^ a b c d e Thais Elena Font Acuña, ed. (2021). La propiedad intelectual en la gestión tecnológica. Universidad de Carabobo. pp. 123–124. Se trata de Crazy Bus, un título bootleg realizado por Tom Scripts lanzado para la consola Sega Genesis en el año 2004. En la pantalla de inicio se puede apreciar en inglés, hecho en Venezuela, y utiliza imágenes de buses pertenecientes a empresas en el interior del país ... Este curioso videojuego encontró popularidad gracias a una reseña hecha por James D. Rolfe, también conocido como The Angry Video Game Nerd, en Youtube, el 13 de diciembre del año 2014 ... y cuenta con una dura reseña donde critica Crazy Bus por su pobre producción en todas las áreas. Al tratarse de un videojuego pirata, es indudable que sufrió de un fracaso comercial. No obstante, su popularidad ha llamado la atención sobre la clase de videojuegos que se producen en Venezuela.
  4. ^ a b c Dee, Jake (2021-09-28). "10 Hilariously Horrendous Video Game Soundtracks". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  5. ^ "Top 10 Worst Sega Genesis Games". WatchMojo. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  6. ^ a b c d "『CRAZYBUS』タイトルに嘘偽りなくすべてがクレイジーなバス運転シミュレーションRTA" ["CRAZYBUS" is a bus driving simulation RTA that lives up to its title]. Niconico News (in Japanese). 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  7. ^ a b Maxwell, Owen (2018-04-15). "Top 10 Most Annoying Songs and Music In Video Games". WatchMojo. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  8. ^ a b "Late Junction, Level Up: Gaming Soundtracks". BBC. 2022-07-22. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  9. ^ a b Lada, Jenni (2016-05-09). "CheatCC Rewind: Let's Get Weird with Sega Genesis". Cheat Code Central. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  10. ^ クレイジーバス小図鑑 [CrazyBus Mini-Encyclopedia] (in Japanese). Aruinsha. 2015. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  11. ^ a b CRAZYBUS 私家版による画像変更リファレンス [CrazyBus: A privately edited image reference] (in Japanese). Aruinsha. 2018. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  12. ^ a b Spini, Laura (2015-08-31). "Le canzoni più memorabili della storia dei videogame". VICE (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  13. ^ Knox, Mitch (2014-11-16). "Five Video Game Songs So Terrible That They're Kind Of Great". The Music. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  14. ^ Johnston, Ben (2017-07-09). "15 Games With Soundtracks WORSE Than Nickelback". TheGamer. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  15. ^ Acero, Gustavo (2015-03-02). "Club Chistendo: El Festival de Eurorrisión". HobbyConsolas (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  16. ^ Harris, Iain (2021-07-21). "Musician turns Final Fantasy, Halo, and Mass Effect tunes into Doom Eternal versions". PCGamesN. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  17. ^ "CrazyBus - VGFacts". www.vgfacts.com. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  18. ^ Pantano, Noah (2021-10-07). "Top 10 Games Where The Soundtrack Was Distracting". CBR. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  19. ^ "CrazyBus (Sega Genesis) Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN) Episode 124". Cinemassacre. 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  20. ^ Maria, Alex Santa (2021-06-15). "Worst FMV Game Of All Time Plumbers Don't Wear Ties Coming To PS5". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
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