And the games can get addicting, as one Vice writer found out in 2015 when he tried one as a joke and ended up playing 30 hours straight. Gamers who play truck simulations, or sims, obsess over seemingly mundane details such as choosing a paint color for the cab of their virtual truck or which route to take to make a delivery on time. Some become so adept at playing they apply their skills to landing a real-life trucking job. It’s possible that hardcore players would take exception to using the word “pretend” to describe their pastime.
#BIG RIG DRIVER GAME DRIVERS#
It includes long-haul truckers, retired drivers and people for whom playing a game is the closest they’ll ever come to steering a 40-ton semi on the open road or backing an 80-foot rig into a narrow loading dock. “I really enjoy it because it lets me experience my dream job, and I want to make it more authentic and realistic in whatever way I can,” Carlo wrote in an email interview.Ĭarlo is part of a truck-simulation game enthusiast community that numbers in the hundreds of thousands – if not more – and spans at least three continents. I recommend Big Mutha Truckers for the occasional distraction or one-nighter, but don't expect it to keep you entertained for the long haul.Chris Carlo playing ATS. Now, while I like trucking as much as the next guy, I only have so much stamina for it. But over the course of the story mode's 60 in-game days-whether you're on day five or 55-you're still performing the same basic routine: pick up shipment, drive somewhere, sell shipment, repeat (the aforementioned interesting missions only pop up occasionally). Tired of shipping beer? Run over a few radio-station billboards as a service to an angry listener. A few off-the-wall nondelivery missions (which you can play in another mode) keep things interesting. The trucks are easy to control, and since they're not too expensive to repair, you can have fun and let loose a little by smashing through obstructive traffic. It starts off well enough: Drive a big rig from town to town and try to make a profit by delivering goods while outrunning biker gangs and ol' smokey. What's more, the truck actually feels like a huge piece of machinery for once, able to smash obstaclesĪnd vehicles out of its way with satisfying ease. Not that this is a huge problem: the trucking parts of the game are reasonably fun, as you have to contend with the cops and biker gangs as well as the scenery. so most of the time you're confined to the truck. Special one-off missions also crop up at certain points, and as well as giving you the chance to earn a bit of extra green, these further enable you to drive about in vehicles other than your rig. You even get the chance to do a spot of gambling. You also get more cash for things like smashing up other vehicles, avoiding alien abductions and giving rides to hitchhiking hoboes. Reach your destination quickly and you can earn a bonus. Of course, 'there's more to it than this. Repeat until you've raised enough dollars to bribe each, juror. Mainly, you do this by buying goods from one place, driving to another place where you can get a decent price for said goods, sell them, then buy Some more.
The idea behind the main story mode is that, as one of four drivers, you have to raise the cash to pay off several jurors in your mother's forthcoming trial. Thing is though, if you can't stand that sort of humour then you're probably going to hate this game, because there really isn't much of one there to begin with. However, sometimes it just doesn't - there's only so many times you can laugh at the same old rednecks - stupid, aren't they schtick before it becomes tiresome. Sometimes it works, as with the occasionally chortle-some skits on the GTA-inspired radio stations. Infantile comedy is a major part of Big Mutha Truckers 2.