I found Eighteen Wheeler:
American Pro Trucker so tedious (a curious thing since it is so incredibly short) that I
had to make up stories in my head about why I was a long haul trucker in order to keep me
interested long enough to play through a level of this monotonous game. There just
wasnt enough happening on the screen to keep my interest piqued. I would fabricate
elaborate tales about the kind of cargo I was hauling, or I would construct a narrative
that centered around my longing for my rarely seen family. Its pretty sad when the
gamer has to make the game interesting with his or her imagination because the designers
couldnt be bothered to do so.When did games get this mundane?
What ever happened to the adventure and intrigue? How did we get from saving the world to
getting our delivery in on time? I worry that our games could become so much like our work
that we have to work at playing them. Reviewing games can really feel like a job
sometimes, but playing this game will feel like a job all of the time. Sure, theres
a little bit of destructive mayhem along the way, but its not enough to really make
it an adventure. Where are all of the "Smokeys" out there to put me in my place?
Wheres the urgency?
The
best way that I can describe this game is to have you think of Crazy Taxi but with an 18
Wheeler and absolutely none of the fun. Its your job to haul cargo from one coast to
another in extremely short little bursts of road. Looking at the description on the back
of the box, I have to admit that I was a little intrigued by the promise of long stretches
of highway, but I soon discovered that video game interstates only come in 3-4 mile
sections.
The
graphics on this game are less that impressive. On the Dreamcast these graphics would have
been disappointing. On the Gamecube, the graphics are nothing short of insulting. The
framerate is acceptable, but the amount of draw in that occurs really goes a long way
towards destroying any illusion of endless vistas.
Gameplay
is incredibly simple. You essentially hit the gas and shift between three gears: low, high
and reverse. One of the most challenging aspects of commanding an eighteen-wheeler is
shifting between all of the gears. Talk to any trucker and you see that good gear shifting
can be an art. I would have liked to see some of that challenge mirrored on the Gamecube.
Granted, this is an arcade port, but they really could have done something to up the
complexity of the game.
The
controls are simplistic and uninvolved: gas, shift, brake, and horn if youre really
bored. You are able to gain a little speed in the game by slipping into the slipstream of
another truck, but aside from that, you hold the pedal to the floor and avoid as many
objects as possible.
Pro Trucker seeks to really ramp up the fun by not only having you haul cargo across
the country, but also by letting you work on parking your big rig. I dont know how
long Ive yearned for a game where I get to park for fun.
The
game is incredibly short and unfulfilling. Playing through this game feels like two bits
well spent--not fifty bucks, or even five bucks for a rental. I had heard that the game
was short, but I wasnt prepared to drive from coast to coast in under ten minutes. I
kid you not; there are four main levels that supposedly take you across the country, which
last less than two minutes a piece. I raced tracks in Mario Kart that were longer.
Ive not actually seen the arcade version of the game, but I hear that its
quite an impressive simulation of the big rig experience. Unfortunately, none of that
experience translates to the Gamecube.
Look,
its a competitive market out there, even on the Gamecube, and theres not a lot
to recommend about American Pro Trucker. Its too short to justify a purchase even if
youre crazy about driving games, and there are more appealing games for
rentThe Simpsons Road Rage and Crazy Taxi offer a similar arcade driving experience
of significantly higher quality, and thats where Id put my money first.