Densha de GO! EX (Ver. 2.2 J) [SDL MAME]

This is the arcade cabinet version of Densha de GO! running on SDL MAME (MAME for macOS), and thanks to emulation, we are able to play the original form of the beloved Japanese train simulator game that kicked off the iconic series. This version particularly is the EX version that added an additional route and was released a few months after the original arcade cabinet in 1997.

Similar to the home console port, it features the Sanin Main Line, Keihin Tohoku Line, Tokaido Main Line, and the Yamanote Line inner circle. To think they managed to port this to the PlayStation 1 (and the SEGA Saturn, if you're counting that EX version) the same year the original cabinet was released, it's amazing! If you're used to playing the PS1 or PC version, you'll notice some differences here. Some ambient noises/sound effects are different (such as the train running along the tracks), along with some gameplay differences that aren't quite seen in other releases, such as a neighboring train honking their horn as they pass you by (seen at 4:11)

As mentioned before, this is running on SDL MAME - I used v.0.261 which is the latest release as of uploading this. My rig is a MacBook Pro with the M3 Max chip -- it's impressive that the game is able to run this well, you need a really good CPU in order to achieve acceptable frame rates - I should note that overclocking was needed in order to improve performance.