Kotaku: Sega Cd

Desert Bus Rides Again, Already Raking in the Dough

Owen Good — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:00:00 MST

We've had a little bit of game marathon fatigue up here in the Tower, but Desert Bus for Hope, as something of a granddaddy of all of these — not to mention the absolutely absurd and painful game they chose — gets a pass from me.

It began yesterday and, already into its 21st hour as of this posting, Desert Bus for Hope 2: Bus Harder has raised more than $10,000, meaning the drivers are already in for at least four days of torture. Last year's drive raised more than $20,000, so hopes are high this will beat the previous mark. The beneficiary is Child's Play, which buys toys and games for kids in the care of 40 children's hospitals nationwide.

The way it works, donations buy time that the players must spend driving in Desert Bus — the infamous minigame in Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors for Sega CD, which simulates a bus trip from Tucson, Ariz. to Las Vegas, in real time. This sounds like one of those ideas I wish I'd thought of, then would probably regret once I started playing. But still, if they ever put this game on PSN or XBL, I'd be powerless to resist downloading it, even at $10.

The site features a clock and a cam and a running tally of donations, plus a bunch of amusing 'shoops (or LOLBuses, I guess) for every $1,000 they raise.

Desert Bus for Hope [site]

genesis4iphone, Exactly What It Sounds Like

Mike Fahey — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:00:15 MDT

The ZodTTD has already shown us how well the iPhone can do Super Nintendo emulation with snes4iphone, and now they're taking on the other side of that ancient console war with genesis4iphone. Due for a public release sometime later this week, genesis4iphone not only emulates Genesis games, but Sega CD titles as well. Sound is a little iffy at the moment, but the option of landscape or portrait mode is nifty, and the games seem to run quickly despite the choppy audio. While I still haven't hopped on the iPhone bandwagon, projects like this have me looking through my AT&T Wireless upgrade options just a little more wistfully each day.

Video of genesis4iphone (second beta) in action! [ZodTTD Blog]

Desert Bus Charity Drive Tops $12,000

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:40:23 MST

When we first posted about the Desert Bus For Hope drive, in which a few unlucky charitable types would be forced to play through the bore-torture game Desert Bus for days upon end for a good cause, donations were at $2,000. As of this post, the outpouring of money from sadistic do-gooders is over $12,000. And that's Canadian dollars, too! The good kind! Donations don't appear to be slowing down either, so make sure to do your part to keep that bus a-rollin'.

If you haven't cursed the fate of the already long-suffering bus driving team members shackled to their computers, go on and drop 'em a couple bucks in the name of Child's Play. They'll hate you for it!

The Support Has Been Amazing! [Desert Bus For Hope]

Gamers Forced To Play Desert Bus For Charity

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 17:00:00 MST

The gang from LoadingReadyRun are enduring many, many, many hours of "playing" the commercially unreleased Desert Bus, a sadistically monotonous driving game from Penn & Teller's Smoke And Mirrors, all in the name of charity. Originally planned for release on the Sega CD and 3DO, Desert Bus requires eight-full hours of play to complete, with no pausing and absolutely no reward (save for a single point). Masochistic players drive a slightly unbalanced bus in a straight line, from Las Vegas to Tucson, experiencing virtually no changes in the scenery. For eight hours. Then they go back. Another eight hours.

The Desert Bus For Hope web site is taking donations which will increase the number of hours the team is supposed to play, giving all funds to Penny Arcade's Child's Play charity. Feel good by doing a little bit of evil to someone this holiday season. Thanks for bugging us, Dave!

Desert Bus For Hope

Night Trap Remake Comes Just In Time

Michael McWhertor — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 17:06:29 MDT

No one's is going to argue that Night Trap was a good game. Far from it. But it was fun and enjoyable in a "its so bad its good" kind of way. Or a "I like looking at nubile teens in negligee" kind of way. Or maybe a "I am so sick of playing Kriss Kross: Make My Video on my Sega CD" kind of way.

Therefore, I'm not going to actually suggest you spend much time PLAYING this Flash "remake" of the FMV excuse to see Kimberly Drummond bend over for the camera, exposing her bony B-cups. It did, after all, crash my browser.

However, this is a startlingly high production value Flash game...err interactive movie, and seeing a anthropomorphic taco sporting a cleavage creating tube top may just make it worth the 30-second download. Michael McWhertor

Night Trap [Newgrounds]

Penn and Teller Game From Hell

Brian Crecente — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 05:00:05 MST

Screenhead sends word of the never released Penn & Teller game for the Sega CD and 3DO consoles. The game sounds like one big goof on gaming with challenges like driving a bus through the Nevada desert. The drive takes 8 hours of real time through an empty desert in a bus that randomly veers to the right.

Penn-Teller Sega Game [Screenhead]