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is a Japanese
train simulation A train simulator (also railroad simulator or railway simulator) is a computer based simulation of rail transport operations. They are generally large complicated software packages modeling a 3D virtual reality world implemented both as comme ...
game series originally produced by
Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...
and more recently by
Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
(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
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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.


Overview

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, generally speaking along the way, 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 ''Train Simulator'' (''トレインシミュレーター'', ''Torein Shimyurētā'' or abbreviated ''"TS"'') is a Japanese train simulation game series produced by Ongakukan. The game is significant as it was one of the earliest of its kind sin ...
'' 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

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 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
,
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
,
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
, and
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
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 is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
acquired Taito Corporation as a wholly owned subsidiary, ''Densha de Go! Special Version -- Revived! Showa Yamanote Line'' was announced for the Nintendo DS on July 22, 2010. 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 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." They also released a new mobile game for Android and iOS in Winter 2016.


''Densha de Go!'' controllers

A large number of hardware train controllers were available for a number of platforms (PC, PS, PS2, Saturn, Wii, N64, ect.) 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. The Type 2 Controller is compatible with most titles. The Type 2 Controller reportedly works with '' Railfan'' by connecting its USB lead into the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
.


Versions

Other versions: *'' Railfan'' (contains ''Densha de Go!'' mode), for PS3 **Similar to the Tokyu railroad title described above, this is a video-based game that uses the ''Densha de Go'' gameplay user interface. **Chūō Main Line, Keihan Main Line,
Keihan Ōtō Line The is a railway line in Kyoto that was opened on 5 October 1989 by the Keihan Electric Railway. The Ōtō Line re-established a rail connection between the Keihan Main Line and the Eizan Electric Railway, which had been severed when the Kyoto Ci ...
and
Chicago 'L' (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
Brown Line. *
Mobile game A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...
s (i-mode & EZ WEB & Vodafone Live!) **Some lines from above consoles, as well as Hokuriku Main Line, Hakodate Main Line, Keikyū Main Line, Keikyū Airport Line and
Chicago 'L' (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
Brown Line. *
Handheld electronic game Handheld electronic games are very small, portable devices for playing interactive electronic games, often miniaturized versions of video games. The controls, display and speakers are all part of a single unit. Rather than a general-purpose ...
s, some lines from above consoles. Included LCD versions which embodied the spirit of the ''Densha de Go'' series, if nothing else. *
Simple Simple or SIMPLE may refer to: *Simplicity, the state or quality of being simple Arts and entertainment * ''Simple'' (album), by Andy Yorke, 2008, and its title track * "Simple" (Florida Georgia Line song), 2018 * "Simple", a song by Johnn ...
1500 series and Simple 2000 series, some lines from above consoles.


Parodies

A doujin manga and game series, ''Densha de D'', is a parody
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
of the series in combination with the auto racing-based franchise ''
Initial D is a Japanese street racing manga series written and illustrated by Shuichi Shigeno. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from 1995 to 2013, with the chapters collected into 48 ''ta ...
''; it is popularly associated with a
meme A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...
regarding "multi-track drifting".


References


External links


Official website for Densha de Go! Special Version -- Revived! Showa Yamanote Line (Nintendo DS)

Official website for Densha de Go!

Official website for Densha de Go! Android / iOS game


{{DEFAULTSORT:Densha De Go! Video game franchises introduced in 1996 Windows games Train simulation video games Square Enix franchises Taito games Video games set in Japan Railway culture in Japan