"Night Bus" Games

Circa 2010 - 2012, the Hipinion message boards saw a lot of discussion around "Night Bus," which was both an emerging online music scene and a feeling the certain media evoked. There was a lot of talk about whether something was "Night Bus," but not a lot of agreement as to what that really meant. Beyond the main music-centric thread, there were smaller threads on film and other media, including one on "Night Bus Video Games." This list includes most of the games mentioned in the thread. I also included some games that had music that was featured in various Night Bus-themed mixes in the main music thread, along with one or two games I think a pretty night bus.

If you read this list and have NO idea what night bus is... well, you're in the same boat as most people. Best not to think about it too hard.

"Midgar is one of the most Nightbus settings I've ever seen, videogame or not."

"Underneath the Rotting Pizza" was used in the mix 'Night Bus Gets Faded.'
There was some debate as to whether Silent Hill or survival horror in general was "night bus," but the introspective nature of the 2nd game in particular was seen as fitting the bill.
"MUDs at the computer lab"
"I am haunted by nightmares every night."
"also the first metal gear solid is a total night bus experience and it's the reason vagrant story exists as it does. i don't care if anyone disagrees."
Specifically the Opera scene and the World of Ruin.
"metroid is the most night bus game i can think of. youre all alone with no one friendly just strange aliens that wanna kill you. and the music."
"does it get more night bus than super metroid?"
Moonside is especially night bus.
"You got the All-Night Mask!"

"This might be more witch house."
"Inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly" was used in the mix 夜の移動 ドルドゲの夜行バス by Drudge.

"If Ocarina of Time ended on Navi leaving Link out the window of the Temple of Light it'd be night bus but it doesn't so I'm not sure."
Specifically the NES/Nintendo version, "but only with music option C."
"gta3 is more night bus than san andreas, but there are moments in san andreas that definitely qualify."
"Chrono Trigger is night bus as shit: black omen, 12000 bc, end of time, any time you're in the epoch."

"People Who Threw Away the Will to Live" was used in the mix 'Night Bus Gets Faded.'

"Undersea Palace" was used in the mix 'STΛLKER' by Druge.
"maybe the most night bus game for the nintendo ds, but there's some dash of witch house for sure. night house protagonist in a witch house setting."
"Top 5 Night Bus"
"A mix of night bus and witch house."
"you can debate x-com all you want, but you can't deny that terror missions are pretty night bus"
"The definitive 'witch house' title."
"Nightbus Grindhouse"
"this is somewhere between night bus, witch house, chillwave and several other things, but it deserves to be mentioned"
"The RPG part of Ehrgeiz always felt like something weird to me that pretty much fits the Nighbus vibe."

"jesus i forgot about the rpg part of ehrgeiz. i think maybe ehrgeiz was the first and only game to actually not have a single unifying concept. i played the shit out of that game and i have no idea what the hell it 'was.'"
There was some debate regarding Resident Evil and its night bus qualities. Some say it didn't fit, others advocated for them.

"everything is really tense & lonely only broken up from occasional interruptions from your partner. zombies actually feel like threats. it is a well designed moody ass game."

1 Comment


2 years ago

lotta overlap with backloggdcore here


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