Reviewed: April 24, 2002
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Acclaim

Developer
SEGA AM2

Released: February 19, 2002
Genre: Racing
Players: 2
ESRB: Everyone

6
5
4
3
4.9

Supported Features

  • Memory Card
  • Vibration
  • Steering Wheel

    		•
    SEGA makes some great arcade games, but as history has proven, a great arcade game doesn’t guarantee a successful home conversion. When 18-Wheeler American Pro Trucker appeared in the arcades a couple of years ago most of its charm was in the presentation. You got to sit in a mock-up of a big rig that featured a bench seat, oversized steering wheel, and an air horn. Much like SEGA’s other famous racing game, Daytona USA, this game featured arcade racing action at blistering speeds with plenty of spectacular collisions.

    For the dedicated arcade truckers who had a pocket full of tokens, you could actually complete this game in under an hour and probably for less than $10. This is where SEGA failed when porting this game to the Nintendo GameCube. Nothing substantial was added to the basic coin-op game leaving you with a $49 game that is almost three years old and can still be won in under an hour with little reason to play it again.

    18-Wheeler American Pro Trucker has been passed around the console scene first appearing on the Dreamcast, then on the PlayStation 2, and now the GameCube. The game looks and plays almost exactly the same on every machine it has appeared on. The GameCube versions offers these features:

    • Race a variety of huge 18-wheelers across the country
    • Exciting arcade mode with twisted mini-games
    • Split-screen two-player mode with four different raceways
    • Five over-the-top drivers and a vicious rival trucker
    • "Down Home" audio, from how-down country music to CB prompts and taunts
    • Multiple camera angles for maximum jack-knife racing action
    • Drive and park the trucks in the Parking Mode
    • Smash opponents off the road or to gain bonus time
    18-Wheeler is not a complicated game by any means. You pick a driver and a truck then you pick your load and drive from one city to the other as you make your way across the USA. You get to choose from various trailers and cargo that have different values that are proportional to the weight of the load. Since a heavier load slows you down it become exceedingly difficult to reach the checkpoints and the finish line within the time limit. The value of your load decreases with each collision during the race reducing your final paycheck when you arrive.

    To make things a bit more competitive you are always racing against another computer-controlled trucker who has no respect for property or personal safety. This maniac will smash through buildings and traffic in an attempt to beat you to the destination point. While beating this trucker isn’t required, you get lots of extra cash if you do.

    You will find the clock to be a more formidable opponent. You are given just a few minutes to race the entire route. This blows any chance of a simulation experience, as you will often drive across a half-dozen states in 120 seconds. The route will often branch out into shortcuts that may or may not work for you depending on your load. If you are carrying a heavy load you won’t want to take the steep grade shortcut through the mountains.

    Along the way you will pass through checkpoints that will add bonus seconds to the ever-ticking clock. More important, and absolutely critical to your success in the later levels are black vans that are scattered about the highways. These vans have a preset value set to them and smashing them will add a few seconds to your clock. Many vans are off the beaten path, so it becomes a challenge to learn which vans to go for. You don’t want to go 5 seconds out of your way for a 3-second bonus.

    Control is pretty good considering most of the charm of this game was derived from playing with a steering wheel. The L/R shifters brake and accelerate while the A button shifts between low and high gears. Shifting is very important, especially when going off-road or up steep hills. If you drop below 48mph you need to kick it into low gear to maintain optimum speed.

    The X button changes between a cab-view or chase view. The interior of the truck is pretty cool with fuzzy dice dangling from the mirror and magazines, maps, and other junk that slides around the dash. The entire cab rocks crazily as you speed across the country. I found the chase view a bit easier to play when weaving in and out of traffic, but some of the larger trailers can totally obscure your view forcing you into the cab.

    SEGA has added a bit of fluff to the basic game with a Parking Mode. This is nothing more than an extended sequence of parking challenges that you will find between the regular missions. It’s fun while it lasts but much like the main game, it’s all over way too fast.

    The first thing 18-Wheeler reminded me of was Daytona USA - both the coin-op and the Dreamcast version. It has that same shimmering graphics style that is almost a trademark of SEGA games. There is a lot of color but not a lot of detail. The models are simplistic and the textures are minimal in quality. With such undemanding graphics it’s no wonder the frame rate on this game is flawlessly fast and smooth.

    Playing in first-person mode is an experience in virtual reality. The motion of the cab along with the independent motion of the swinging and sliding objects within, all combine to create an ultra-realistic driving experience. You might even find yourself bouncing up and down in your chair.

    Given the power of the GameCube it is a shame that this game wasn’t tweaked in any way. It looks just like the PS2 and Dreamcast versions and even the original coin-op. This includes some annoying pop-up of buildings, mountains, and other objects on the horizon. The pop-up is partially concealed with a dithering effect, but it is still very noticeable.

    The sound design hasn’t changed from the original, and while there is a decent selection of redneck truck driving music, it is usually driven into obscurity by the extra loud truck engines, crashes, and the annoying voice of the rival trucker.

    The music and the sounds are digitized and very low quality. While this may be acceptable for CB chatter, the other effects and voices are simply substandard for what the GameCube is capable of. It’s been awhile, but I think the sound is even worse than the original.

    This game is short; perhaps the shortest game I have ever played. My first time through I finished it in about 45 minutes. The Parking challenges took me another 20 minutes then I raced a friend for maybe another 30 minutes. The game has been “parked” on my shelf ever since. Any game that can be fully exploited in 95 minutes is hardly a candidate for a rental – certainly not a purchase.

    The two-player mode adds to the fun and longevity, but not for long and certainly not long enough to change my opinion of the value of this title. The split-screen crunches your view reducing your visibility and seriously hampering your ability to drive the courses. If you want to challenge a friend to a race there are better games out there more suited to racing.

    18-Wheeler American Pro Trucker is a fun game in a mindless sort of way. The gameplay and controls are super-easy, allowing you to dive right in and transport your loads across the country. Unfortunately, the trip across the USA is a short one, divided into a paltry five stages with each stage only taking minutes to complete. If you must play this game then rent it, or better yet, head to the nearest arcade where you can spend a few dollars and enjoy it in all its intended glory with the big wheel, horn, and bench seat.