Crazy Bus

History

Crazy Bus was initially uploaded online as a software test program made for the Sega Genesis. It was developed by Venezuelan Tom Scripts (real name Tom Maneiro). 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. Neither the game's creator nor Sega were involved in the release of the cartridge.

Gameplay

The gameplay both in Version 2.0 and 1.0 simply consists of driving a 2D bus back and forth. Driving the bus forward accumulates points, with a highest possible score of 65,535 points (the maximum value that can be stored in an unsigned 16-bit integer). Driving the bus backwards subtracts points; however, points can roll over to the maximum score of 65,535. The game also allows the player to honk the horn of the bus. Players can choose between the following buses:

• Century 390 (Spanish)
• Jum Bus 360 (Brazilian)
• Encava 6000 (Venezuelan)
• A Generic School Bus
• Paradiso GV1150 (Brazilian)

The game's "soundtrack" music is composed of random tones, generated with a pseudorandom algorithm.

Reception and legacy

Crazy Bus has gained notoriety for its bizarre, scrambled music. The soundtrack has been described by ScreenRant as "one of the most over-the-top and intolerably shrill soundtracks of all time" and by CBR as "chaotic". The soundtrack was featured on the 2022 "Level Up: Gaming Soundtracks" episode of BBC Radio 3's Late Junction music programme.

In 2014, the game was reviewed in episode 124 of the popular web series Angry Video Game Nerd, where all aspects of the game were criticized for poor quality. According to a 2021 report published by the University of Carabobo, while Crazy Bus didn't achieve commercial success as a pirated game, the subsequent popularity of Crazy Bus drew attention to other games published in Venezuela.

The game is considered notable as an unusual part of video game history and is often played by YouTubers and Twitch streamers, who mainly treat it as a strange novelty.

References

References

1. "CrazyBus".
2. (2021). "La propiedad intelectual en la gestión tecnológica". Universidad de Carabobo.
3. (2023-11-10). "『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".
4. (2022-07-22). "Late Junction, Level Up: Gaming Soundtracks".
5. (2015). "クレイジーバス小図鑑". Aruinsha.
6. (2018). "CRAZYBUS 私家版による画像変更リファレンス". Aruinsha.
8. Dee, Jake. (2021-09-28). "10 Hilariously Horrendous Video Game Soundtracks".
9. (1 April 2023). "CrazyBus".
10. Spini, Laura. (2015-08-31). "Le canzoni più memorabili della storia dei videogame".
11. Knox, Mitch. (2014-11-16). "Five Video Game Songs So Terrible That They're Kind Of Great".
12. Johnston, Ben. (2017-07-09). "15 Games With Soundtracks WORSE Than Nickelback".
13. Acero, Gustavo. (2015-03-02). "Club Chistendo: El Festival de Eurorrisión".
14. Harris, Iain. (2021-07-21). "Musician turns Final Fantasy, Halo, and Mass Effect tunes into Doom Eternal versions".
15. "CrazyBus - VGFacts".
16. Pantano, Noah. (2021-10-07). "Top 10 Games Where The Soundtrack Was Distracting".
17. Maria, Alex Santa. (2021-06-15). "Worst FMV Game Of All Time Plumbers Don't Wear Ties Coming To PS5".