18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker (GameCube) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Acclaim Cheltenham's 2002 arcade truck-driving racing game for the Nintendo GameCube, 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker.

Played through the arcade mode on the normal difficulty level as Asphalt Cowboy.

18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker on the GameCube is a thoroughly solid port of an excellent Sega arcade racer. Developed originally by Sega AM2 and ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and the Gamecube (the latter two ported by Acclaim), you play as a trucker in charge of a massive 18-wheeler responsible for hauling cargo from New York to San Francisco over the course of four stages.

There are quite a few things that it throws at you in typical Sega fashion to spice up the action: you can slipstream behind other large vehicles (which effectively provides the equivalent of a turbo boost), take alternate (and far more difficult) routes in search of shortcuts, wipe out specially marked cars to increase your remaining time, and in between stages, you get bonus rounds that can earn you important power-ups for your truck.

These power-ups are essential, as you aren't just racing against the timer. You are given a rival in the form of the ever-looming Lizard Tail. This guy just doesn't give up, and he thinks nothing of running you off the road so that he can deliver his shipment first. He growls at you constantly over the radio and provides a great deal of entertainment, though I wish he would get sucked up in the tornado that touches down in the second race.

The ads are pretty funny in this - I always get a kick out of seeing random things like the Denny's restaurant, signs for Holiday Inn, and the Texaco stations on the roadside. Sega loved those in-game advertisements for awhile - remember Crazy Taxi?

I remember this game not reviewing well when it was released, but I enjoyed it. I had it on the Dreamcast and always thought it was great. Being an arcade game, it doesn't feature a ton of content, but everything that is here is great: I never really thought it needed more. It adheres to an older game design ethos than many of its contemporaries - you play it again and again, improving your times and high scores, and that's the point. It's fun for the sake of being fun, not because it forces you through a half-baked story mode that lasts six hours. If you've played other Dreamcast-era Sega arcade ports, you know the drill, and you probably already know if this will appeal to you or not.

I personally give it two thumbs up. If you require an RPG-like experience in any game you play, you'll be left wanting, but I can pretty much guarantee that any fan of Sega's old arcade games will really enjoy it , especially given the dirt-cheap prices you can find it for.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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