Densha de Go!
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Densha de Go! | |
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![]() Logo of Densha de Go!! Hashirou Yamanote Sen | |
Genre(s) | Train simulator |
Developer(s) | Taito, Unbalance (PC only), Ongakukan (in cooperation with Taito), Square Enix, Gree |
Publisher(s) | Taito, Square Enix |
Platform(s) | Arcade, Windows, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, WonderSwan, Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64, Saturn, Dreamcast, Neo Geo Pocket Color, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch, mobile |
First release | Densha de Go! 1996 |
Latest release | Densha de Go!! Hashirou Yamanote Sen[1] 2020 |
Densha de Go! (電車でGO!, "Let's Go by Train!") is a Japanese train simulation game series originally produced by Taito and more recently by Square Enix (who purchased Taito) and Railfan Holdings Co., Ltd. The series started with a 1996 arcade version and was first released in a home version for the PlayStation in 1997. There are also PC versions released by the Japanese publisher Unbalance. All of the games in the series are exclusively available in Japanese.
Gameplay
[edit]Each Densha de Go title contains actual train (or tram) routes based on real services in Japan. For the most part, the user's task is to drive the train and adhere to a very exacting timetable, including stopping at stations to within as little as 30 cm of a prescribed stopping point, ideally within half a second of the scheduled arrival time. While the specifics vary slightly between versions, the user is expected to obey speed limits and other posted signs, sound a warning for work parties along the track, arrive at between-station waypoints on time, and perform similar tasks.
Densha de Go differ from Ongakukan's Train Simulator series primarily in that while the Ongakukan series uses video taken from cameras mounted to the front of real-world trains for its graphics, Densha de Go titles rely upon computer-drawn graphics.
History
[edit]In general, simulation games such as Densha de Go! or Tokimeki Memorial were more popular in Japan than in America which preferred more action orientated video games.[2]
The 2004 title Densha de Go Final! was so named to signal that it was intended to be the last in the series. While still popular in an absolute numbers sense, the series had lost the novelty of its heyday while development costs for individual titles continued to climb due to the detailed virtual worlds that needed to be created.
Taito and Ongakukan subsequently released a few co-produced titles for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, and iOS with the title Railfan. Taito also divided the four routes in Densha de Go! Final into separate titles and released them on the PSP system.
In April 2010, 5 years after Square Enix acquired Taito Corporation as a wholly owned subsidiary, Densha de Go! Special Version -- Revived! Showa Yamanote Line was released for the Nintendo DS on July 22 the same year.[3] This was a departure from the traditional publisher and distributor of Densha de Go, Taito. Densha de Go! Special Version—Revived! Showa Yamanote Line offers a variety of trains to control, from the early Yamanote Line up through the current rolling stock. Exclusive to the Nintendo DS, the controls are completely stylus driven, unlike the variety of custom controls offered in non-handheld versions.
In June 2011 a version of the game also covering the Yamanote line was released for Apple's iOS (only available in the Japanese App Store). There is the option of using a simulated "master controller" on the screen or using touchscreen buttons to move the lever up and down.
Unbalance, who had long supported the franchise by publishing ports of each title to the Windows platform in Japan for over a decade, discontinued the last of its released Densha de Go! titles from retail as of August 2011. The company had been steadily discontinuing titles beginning with the "1480¥ Series", so-called due to their price point and comprised the earliest titles, in late 2010/early 2011 as supplies depleted. Later-released titles in the series—the "1980¥ Series"—were the last to be discontinued as of August 2011. A line of custom USB controllers for the series had been discontinued even earlier and now command a large premium on sites such as Yahoo! Auctions Japan. Support through Windows 7 compatibility guides, FAQs and patches remains available through the Unbalance site, however.
In 2017 Taito, which is now owned by Square Enix, released a new arcade cabinet in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the game series. According to an article from Geek: "The cabinet includes four displays, three of which act as windows showing the track and simulated outside world, whereas the fourth forms the dashboard the player sits at. All the buttons from a real train are present, as are the two physical controls required to make the train move".[4] They also released a new mobile game for Android and iOS in Winter 2016.[5][6][7]
Densha de Go! controllers
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Densya_de_GO%21_controller_type2_JPN.jpg/220px-Densya_de_GO%21_controller_type2_JPN.jpg)
A large number of hardware train controllers were available for a number of platforms (PC, PS, PS2, Saturn, Wii, N64, etc.) for which Densha de Go was available. This included versions that had buttons, levers, and pedals to suggest real-world train controllers, including traditional brake-and-throttle train controllers, "mascon"-type controllers (single lever for throttle and brake), shinkansen controllers, and tram controllers (ostensibly similar to the traditional brake-and-throttle style, but with different styling).
One of the most extravagant controllers for the Densha de Go! series was the Shinkansen Controller, which was released with the Densha de Go! Shinkansen EX game for both the Wii and PS2. The Shinkansen Controller for the PS2 comes with a LED screen display of speed and controls and a foot pedal to blow the horn, whereas the Shinkansen Controller for the Wii lacked these features, replacing the LED screen with a representative sticker. The Wii version of this controller commands much higher prices than the PS2 version only by virtue of relative rarity.
Versions
[edit]Title | Details |
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PlayStation PC Sega Saturn WonderSwan Game Boy Color | Notes:
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PlayStation Nintendo 64 PC Dreamcast Game Boy Color WonderSwan Neo Geo Pocket | Notes:
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Densha de Go! Professional Shiyō
PC | Notes:
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Densha de Go! Nagoya Tetsudō-hen
PC | Notes:
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Kisha De Go!
PC | Notes:
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Densha de Go! 3 Tsūkin-hen
PS2 PC | Notes:
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Densha de Go! Ryojō-hen
PS2 PC | Notes:
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Densha de Go! Shinkansen San'yō Shinkansen-hen
PC Wii | Notes:
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Densha de Go! Professional 2
PC | Notes:
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Train Simulator + Densha de Go! Tōkyō Kyūkō-hen
PSP | Notes:
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Densha de Go! Final
PC PSP (as separate titles for each line) | Notes:
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Densha de Go! Special Version—Revived! Showa Yamanote Line
| Notes:
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Card no Renketsu Densha de Go!
| Notes:
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Densha de Go!!
| Notes:
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Densha de Go! Plug & Play
| Notes:
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Densha de Go!! Kids
| Notes:
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Densha de Go!! Hashirou Yamanote-sen
| Notes:
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Densha de Go! Plug & Play 2 Shinkansen EX
| Notes:
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Parodies
[edit]A doujin manga and game series, Densha de D, is a parody crossover of the series in combination with the auto racing-based franchise Initial D; it is popularly associated with a meme regarding "multi-track drifting".[14][15]
References
[edit]- ^ Romano, Sal (September 9, 2020). "Densha de GO!! Hashirou Yamanote Sen announced for PS4, Switch". Gematsu. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ "Games the World over are not the Same". Kenosha News. 2006-02-17. p. 47. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ "山手線命名100周年記念 電車でGo! 特別編 ~復活!昭和の山手線~ | Square Enix". Archived from the original on 2019-02-21. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
- ^ Humphries, Matthew (February 8, 2016). "Taito has created the ultimate train driving arcade cabinet". Geek.com. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ "新たなAc版「電車でGo!!」が発表に。3画面の大型ディスプレイに映し出される車窓風景で,運転士気分が味わえる。連動スマホアプリも今冬配信". Archived from the original on 2020-07-21. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
- ^ "『電車でGO!!』に鉄道関係者の想いを繋げて…… "『電車でGO!』稼働20周年記念新製品発表会"開催 - ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-08.
- ^ "Japan Still Makes the Best Train Games". 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
- ^ Johnston, Chris (May 18, 1998). "Sony Awards Top PlayStation Games". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 8, 2000.
- ^ Tokyo Yamanote Line - E235系 - Full Loop - Densha de GO!! [PS4] on YouTube
- ^ Tokyo Saikyō Line - E233系 - Ikebukuro to Ōsaki - Densha de GO!! [PS4] on YouTube
- ^ Keihin-Tōhoku Line - E233系 - Shinagawa to Tabata - Densha de GO!! [PS4] on YouTube
- ^ Ueno-Tokyo Line - E233系 - Shinagawa to Ueno - Densha de GO!! [PS4] on YouTube
- ^ Narita Express - E259系 - Ikebukuro to Shinagawa - Densha de GO!! [PS4] on YouTube
- ^ "Here are my highlights from the European Speedrunner Assembly". Destructoid. 5 August 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-04-28. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ "Trolley Problem Memes Present New Dilemma With Multi-Track Drifting". The Daily Dot. 2017-02-13. Archived from the original on 2019-08-13. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
External links
[edit]- Official website for Densha de Go! Special Version -- Revived! Showa Yamanote Line (Nintendo DS) (in Japanese)
- Official website for Densha de Go! (in Japanese)
- Official website for Densha de Go! Android / iOS game (in Japanese)
- Official website of the game series, as provided by Internet Archive (in Japanese)