Desert Bus v1.04 - News

In 1995 Penn & Teller produced a video game for the Sega CD called Smoke and Mirrors but the publisher went bankrupt before it could be released. One of the mini-games was called "Desert Bus", which has been faithfully reproduced here for the Wii.

The aim of Desert Bus is to drive from Tucson, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada. The full trip is 360 miles long, which must be completed without stopping. The bus can only reach 45 miles an hour and pulls to the right ever so slightly. The only things you're likely to see while on the road (besides the desert floras) are a few scattered bus stops, which you can stop at and open the door of the bus. Note that you probably won't find anyone waiting (it's the desert after all). Driving off with the door open is not allowed as it would be a safety violation.

If the bus engine overheats due to running off the road or remaining stationary for too long, a tow truck will be dispatched to collect you. When it arrives it will tow you back to the last starting point, and the game ends.

If you do happen to make it all the way to Las Vegas, you get 1 point. Then you get 12 seconds to decide if you want to attempt the return journey back to Tucson. If you don't push 2 within the 12 second countdown the game will end.

If it sounds boring, that's because it is. More background information can be found in this video of Penn & Teller from Comic-Con 2010, including the minor political events that inspired the game (somebody can now tell Penn the iphone app is on the way).