Bus Simulator 16 is a bus simulator game developed by stillalive studios and published by Astragon Entertainment for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is powered by Unity and was available on 3 March 2016 worldwide. It is the fourth game in the Bus Simulator series. A sequel titled Bus Simulator 18 was released in 2018.

Bus Simulator 16
Cover art of Bus Simulator 16 featuring an articulated MAN Lion's City bus
Developer(s)Stillalive Studios
Publisher(s)Astragon Entertainment
SeriesBus Simulator
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
  • WW: 3 March 2016
Genre(s)Vehicle simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

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An in-game screenshot from the cockpit camera of a MAN Lion's City.

Bus Simulator 16 has licensed the vehicles of MAN.[1] In addition to the buses of the German bus maker, the game features a total of six buses that allow players to drive across five districts.[2] The game also provides a route manager for players to create their own bus lines. A multiplayer mode is available in the game as well.[3]

Development and release

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Bus Simulator 16 was announced July 2015. It is the first game in the series developed by Austrian video game developer stillalive Studios.[4] The game was scheduled to release on 20 January 2016 for Microsoft Windows and macOS,[5] but it was postponed to 3 March 2016 due to technical issues.[6] A bus downloadable content featuring three licensed Mercedes-Benz buses, including an 18-meter long Citaro G articulated bus, were available on 25 January 2017.[7]

Reception

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Bus Simulator 16 received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[8]

Richard Allen of Invision Community rated a seven to the game. He wrote that the handlings of the game were quite similar with the American Truck Simulator of SCS Software, which was published in the same period.[10]

James Graham of Dark Station gave it three stars out of five. He praised the game's interesting ideas, but criticised its tiny in-game map and a lack of in-depth content.[11]

Brash Games only rated the game a poor three points out of ten. The writer commented, "Bus Simulator 16 is a lifeless, soulless lie of a simulator; and I use the term ‘simulator’ in the loosest possible way."[12]

References

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  1. ^ Smith, Graham (13 July 2015). "Bus Simulator 16 Will Let You Manage The Buses". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  2. ^ Walker, John (22 February 2016). "Bus Simulator 16 Launch Trailer Arrives Early, Leaves Without Waiting For You". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  3. ^ Bailey, Dustin (22 February 2016). "Waiting on Bus Simulator 16 in the rain, in the rain". GameWatcher. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  4. ^ Dooley, Kevin (13 July 2015). "Drive a bus and keep your passengers happy in Bus Simulator 16". teamvvv.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  5. ^ Dooley, Kevin (8 January 2016). "Bus Simulator 16 releasing on January 20". teamvvv.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  6. ^ Warr, Philippa (14 January 2016). "Bus Simulator 16 Delayed, Stuck In Traffic". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  7. ^ Bride, Mc (17 January 2017). "Bus Simulator 16: Mercedes Benz Citaro DLC Trailer". sknr.net. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Bus Simulator 16 PC". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  9. ^ Schäfer, Benjamin; Klinge, Heiko (19 March 2016). "Bus-Simulator 16 im Test - Beruflicher Erfolg garantiert!". GameStar (in German). Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  10. ^ Allen, Richard (16 March 2016). "Bus Simulator 16". Invision Community. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  11. ^ Graham, James (14 April 2016). "Bus Simulator 16". darkstation.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  12. ^ "Bus Simulator 16 Review". darkstation.com. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
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