18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker
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| 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker | |
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| Developer(s) | Sega-AM2 |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Release date(s) | 2000 (arcade) 2001 (Dreamcast) 2001 (PS2) 2002 (GameCube) |
| Genre(s) | Racing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Platform(s) | Arcade game Dreamcast PS2 GameCube |
| Input | Steering wheel, button (for horn) |
| Arcade cabinet | Sit-down, upright |
| Arcade system(s) | Sega NAOMI |
| Arcade CPU(s) | Hitachi SH-4 32-bit RISC CPU |
| Arcade sound system(s) | ARM7 Yamaha AICA 45 MHZ |
| Arcade display | Raster, horizontal orientation |
18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker is an arcade racing game in which players drive a tractor-trailer across the country. Ports were released for Dreamcast, GameCube and the PlayStation 2.
An indirect sequel to the game is The King of Route 66.
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[edit] Gameplay
The main purpose is to make it to the finish line with your cargo within a given time. The game gives you a choice of five characters:
- Asphalt Cowboy — He has the best all-around truck, and is perfect for beginners.
- Long Horn — His truck is the slowest of the group, but it's also the toughest, most durable vehicle.
- Stream Line — His truck is the weakest in the group, as it is prone to heavy damage.
- Highway Cat — She has the fastest truck, but also has poor acceleration.
In addition, there is a hidden fifth trucker, Nippon Maru (Nihon Maru in the arcade version), a Japanese trucker who drives a dekotora. Normally available in the arcade version, he can be unlocked in the console versions by completing the cross-country journey with all four regular truckers.
- Nippon Maru — He has a balanced truck but has less traction and slides on turns, as well as having different trailers in arcade mode.
You can also unlock your rival's truck by completing arcade mode with Nippon Maru
- Lizard Tail — He has maximum everything at the start and has the same trailers as the four starters, but your rival is Nippon Maru
There are special vehicles that you can ram into that will add three seconds to your time. They look like purple Chevy Astro Vans. After Stage 1, the game gives the player a choice of trailer. One trailer is harder to haul, but provides a bigger payoff while the other choice is easier to haul but provides a smaller payoff. Money is deducted from the total when the trailer is hit.
[edit] Power-ups and the Lizard Tail
On your cross-country trek, you also have to compete with Lizard Tail, an arrogant trucker who will try to distract you by shouting various insults over his CB radio. If you beat Lizard Tail, you'll go to the bonus stage, in which you'll try to get the following Power-ups:
- Stage 1 — Horn
To get this Power-Up, you have to take a sharp right turn into a green parking space. Start out moving forward, but don't go too fast, especially when going into the turn. Start braking as soon as the view pans up. If you position your truck into the green space (no part of the truck can go outside the designated green line), you win the horn. You'll need this to warn other drivers of your presence as traffic gets more congested in the later stages.
- Stage 2 — Muffler
This Bonus Stage is the same as Stage 1, but with two sharp turns this time, one to the left, and the other to the right. Maneuver carefully through these turns, and be prepared to brake when the green space comes up. The muffler will help you build up your speed even more.
- Stage 3 — Engine
You have to back in a straight line into the green space. Use extreme caution so your truck won't drift too far away from the green space. If you succeed into putting your truck inside the green space, you'll win the engine power-up. This will help you attain your top speed more quickly.
[edit] Stages
- Stage 1, Trailer: Fuel Tanker, New York City to Key West — This is a cruise down Interstate 95.
- Stage 2, Trailer: Car transporter/Log Trailer, St. Petersburg to Dallas — This course starts out on a lightly-traveled boulevard.
- Stage 3, Trailer: Container/Big Rig, Dallas to Las Vegas — The journey continues through the Southwestern desert.
- Stage 4, Trailer: Dump Trailer/Cable Car, Las Vegas to San Francisco — The final segment of the trip starts out at dawn in Vegas.
[edit] Ports
The initial port of the game was released on the Sega Dreamcast. Released by Sega, it is fairly faithful to its arcade counterpart, but the voice actors for the characters were changed and the arcade's cross-country map loading screens were made more simple looking as well. A two-player mode was also made available. The game was released by Acclaim Entertainment (who also released Sega's Ferrari F355 Challenge on the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2) on the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. The GameCube version was released on February 18, 2002.
[edit] References
- System 16: Naomi hardware. Retrieved on 23 May, 2006.
