Pros: The graphics, while not that great, highlight the game's best asset.
Cons: Little replay value clogs the engine.
The Bottom Line: 18-Wheeler is a terrible racing game for singles and minglers alike. Most of the features are designed exclusively for one person, and there aren't that many features to begin with.
ChromeKiller's Full Review: 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker for PlayStation 2
Ever since Sega started down their third-party venture into the gaming industry, Acclaim has made a deal with the company to port over a select number of titles that appeared across the company's dying Dreamcast hardware. One of those games was an interesting one involving 18-Wheeler rig racing. With the game already in the Dreamcast and arcade markets, now a port appears on the PlayStation 2 as well. So strap on your belt, check your cargo, and rev up your gears: because PlayStation 2 owners can now become real American truckers in the arcade port of 18-Wheeler: American Pro Trucker!
Amongst four selectable players, and through four selectable player modes, as a trucker it's your job to earn money by toughing it out on busy roads across the United States, from New York to San Francisco. 18-Wheeler gives the player an Arcade mode where you need to beat the clock in time by going up against traffic and even a rival truck that'll stop at nothing to slow you down from completing the race. Icons for gear shifting and turns appear on-screen during this mode, which determines when you need to press the button to shift the gear upward or downward (allowing the truck to speed up downhill, uphill, and along flatland quicker). Sign icons tell you when a turn is up ahead. To beat the rival to the finish, sometimes a different path is a better choice, rather than just tailing him through the whole race. Arcade mode is quite challenging, since you'll need to be fast enough, tough enough, and an overall good driver in order to dodge upcoming cars, trucks, and even buildings that lie in harm's way. Parking mode nudges the player to park any of the trucks in an allotted time frame for each parking job while cooped inside of a giant parking lot. Basically, if you can park your truck in all of the parking sections in the given amount of time, you'll win.
The other two demanding modes include Score Attack, which lets you drive around in three laps amongst four selectable courses. Here you can test yourself to earn money while carrying various cargo, such as logs, cars, or even fuel, and dodging oncoming cars and trucks all the while. The heavier the load, the more money you'll receive. The last mode, Versus, lets you compete with a friend across the highway to find out who is the better trucker in a race to the finish. Even with all of the four primary modes of gameplay, there still isn't enough variety in the game for it to last long enough. This comes as a rather hefty turnoff toward the overall replay value in 18-Wheeler.
Controlling the giant trucks through the assortment of gameplay features is fairly good, since you actually feel like you're behind the wheel of a massive truck. Still, there are problems that remain within the gameplay, mainly because you are slow. The demand from the hectic gameplay always persists with continuous problems. For example, in the Arcade mode, you are challenged to a rival AI. During the race, you're given a time limit, in which you must beat both the clock and the AI together. And on top of that, the gameplay also forces you to switch gears as you would in a real life truck of immense size. Braking and going in reverse are just the other features that your truck can master. If you're unable to reach the checkpoint before time's up or reach the finish before the rival, you'll lose money. Within the races though, there are bonus cars that you can smash into, giving you an extra few seconds on the clock. All together, however, it's much too complicated of a gameplay system for anyone to just pickup and play the game for a first time. This is one of those types of racing titles that require an extensive amount of practice before you can start the main gameplay attraction, with truck controls that manage to be confusing.
However, not all of the trucks in the game are the same. Each of 18-Wheeler's four playable trucks paces slowly in their own right. But, with each vehicle comes a different status that gives the player the knowledge of how and of whom to choose, and to know who is the best pick. The drivers range from some that lack mobility, but are tougher than the rest, and others that have quickness, but are weaker in contrast. Being a weaker truck means that you have less resistance to slamming into objects ahead, for example. Just like there is four playable modes, with four characters only there isn't that many drivers to choose from. This is yet another letdown in the game's main gameplay component.
Viewing 18-Wheeler on-screen, the game comes close to visually matching the arcade original. The trucks themselves and the roads around you aren't what I'd call terrific or above anything else that's pushing the PlayStation 2's graphic abilities. Although, the graphics of the game aren't all that bad, considering that there is a few things that are fairly good. Sometimes the game does reel you in with tiny trinkets, where you'll see a whirlwind rise up from out of nowhere on the road, and pull everything in with it while leaving cars to block your course. Dirt even builds up after being unearthed underneath of your truck's tires. And even when your truck's top half smashes through an enclosed bridge roof, the animation effect of that portion matches up correctly. While these short instances are decent, the graphics of 18-Wheeler aren't astounding enough to title the game a must-have.
Lastly, the sound quality of the game grows redundant quickly. A Texan male voice that appears constantly throughout the game is rather bothersome, which happens whenever you select your truck or you're waiting for the instructions to switch gears during gameplay. The in-game music and sound effects fare better, but again aren't too glamorous. Crashing, moving, and even switching the gears of the truck sound like they should, and are all done well to fit the game sound effects just right. And the music is a rocking, southern beat that repeats itself over and over, and again, isn't too great of a track. Having said this, the music is just right for this type of a trucker-based game.
If you're in the mood for a racing game on the PlayStation 2, American Pro Trucker isn't really the best of racing titles to choose from for a home console. But, if you have played and enjoyed the original in the arcades, and you do own a PlayStation 2, then you might find that owning the title will suit your fancy like it did once before. However, with very little replay value, and with very little initiative play value for even your first trip through experiencing the game, 18-Wheeler: American Pro Trucker is better off as a rental title that should be passed by if you're looking to purchase a game without even glancing back on it once.
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