Trucking seems to be everyone's little secret pleasure. While most scoff the profession for obvious reasons, in reality, who wouldn't want to be a trucker? Life on the open road, nobody to answer to, nice pay, the new lingo ("Can I get a smokey report there corn flakes?"), what is there not to like? Now Sega is giving you the chance to indulge yourself in their latest alternative racing sensation 18 Wheeler: Pro Trucker, without the radical lifestyle change.

The essence of the game is to select a driver (highly stereotyped I might add), your "load-type" and transport your your load from New York City to San Francisco within the time alloted. Bear in mind that the cargo you choose isn't featured for novelty purposes, as the various loads will dramatically affect your trucks handling and speed, with more detrimental loads garnering much more money for your efforts.

It isn't just a race against the clock, zipping from checkpoint to checkpoint, as your rival Lizardtail is always hot on your tail. Whether he's dumping his load in front of you to impede your progress or just plain smashing into you, he'll stop at nothing to destroy you and your cargo. Successfully beating him to the checkpoints nets you extra cash and allows you to compete in minigames, where you can win upgrades for your truck, such as the ever-needed super horn. Aiding you in the race against Lizardtail and the clock is a slipstream feature. Much like drafting in traditional racing games, getting close behind another rig will give you a considerable boost of speed. In addition, bonus cars, which give you extra time when you smash into them, are also mixed in with the regular traffic.

That sums up the arcade mode, but Sega isn't stopping there for 18 Wheelers Dreamcast release. While no "original" mode is present like many of Sega's other arcade translations, Sega is making up for it with plenty of extras. The two-player split screen is intact, but it's based upon the standard racing aspects. The winner is based on points, so while you many have easily won the race, if your buddy demolished more bonus cards and performed better the bragging rights are his. There will also be plenty of minigames, one of which is the Parking Challenge mode, where you must park your rig in various spots among trucking depots. Excel in these and you can unlock new drivers and trucks. Also on the cards is SegaNet support; while the domestic 18 Wheeler will support the Internet ranking mode featured in the Japanese counterpart, it will feature new exclusive modes such as 1-on-1, and the ability to use Lizardtail.

All of this adds up to form one unique, and certainly entertaining experience. Sega has stated that 18 Wheeler is still very much in development, and more options and game modes may still be added; and if Sega's other arcade ports are any indication, there probably will. Look for 18 Wheeler: Pro Trucker in stores February 13th.

It's a known fact that piku really has trucking as a little secret pleasure...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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