#9 Densha de Go!
Densha de Go was a massively popular train simulator franchise that put players in the seats of real-world Japanese train and tram operators. It’s hyper-realistic: the scenery consists of 1:1 replications of train lines around Tokyo, Osaka, and other Japanese cities, and the game challenges players to adhere to incredibly strict train timetables. You’re awarded points for arriving as close to half a second from the scheduled time, and for stopping within 30 centimeters (that’s less than a foot) from the target point at the station.
This wasn’t just a one-off: To date there have been eighteen distinct Densha de Go games, and they’ve appeared on PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PC, WonderSwan, Nintendo 64, GameBoy Color, Sega Saturn and Dreamcast, Neo Geo Pocket Color, PSP, and Nintendo DS. There’s even a version available in the Apple App Store – but only if you live in Japan.
And even though the Densha series has its own line of peripherals, you’ll never see it in Western markets. Despite its rampant success in native Japan, the developers (including Taito, Square Enix, and Ongakukan) don’t see much interest in American or European markets and have gradually been shuttering the series at home. They even named the latest (console) entry in the series Densha de Go FINAL.
