18 Wheels of Steel American Long Haul review

18 Wheels of Steel American Long Haul is a PC games released back in 2007 and I know it's been that long but I am reviewing this since I have nothing else to review and I am anticipating American Truck Simulator's release. I am hoping for American Truck Simulator to be the best trucking simulator available as the latest trucking simulator to take place in North America is American Long Haul from late 2007.

Long Haul plays like any other trucking simulator and has the same engine as Haulin'. American Long Haul has not only U.S. and Canadian cities but also some in Mexico as well. What I liked about this game was the environments and while not perfect they at least put some effort in making the cities resemble thier real life counterparts. For example, going into Las Vegas you'll see the "Welcome to Las Vegas" signs as well as the Vegas Strip; New York's urban jungle; and a few cities even are covered with snow such as Winnipeg, Calgary, Bismarck, and Great Falls. The gameplay consists of making money by hauling goods from city to city and you can choose from a variety of trucks and trailers. I like the variety of this game. I love how this game has improved in visuals since Pedal to the Metal was released in 2004. If a trailer is damaged, it loses value and you will be paid less than the amount. I like how this game also made good with a higher latitutde of variety in cargo.

I do however feel that somethings in this game are unfair. What sucks is that for minor traffic violations you can be fined over $1,000-$3,000 and what's even worse is that unlike Pedal to the Metal you don't have the option to turn off police enforcement of traffic laws, pushing your patience. In Pedal to the Metal, I had the option to turn off police, giving me absolute freedom to speed as fast as my truck could go and even run red lights and whack AI traffic. In American Long Haul, you aren't afforded that option. Instead, I found myself having to either obey the traffic laws or face 8th amendment violating fines. Did the game developers decide to cut out some great options from Pedal to the Metal while making American Long Haul? While the graphics for American Long Haul are more pleasant and look like a step from PS2 to Xbox 360 graphics, somethings such as traffic cars are kind of stock and lack detail. I also noticed it feels longer to haul cargo than in Pedal to the Metal. Plus, what ever happened to the awesome ranking system?

Overall, 18 Wheels of Steel American Long Haul is a good trucking simulator but feels more like a chore than Pedal to the Metal with the former lacking the same options Pedal to the Metal has.

I give this game a final rating of 7.5/10
+Great Environments
+Fun road-trip travelling
-loss of certain options from Pedal to the Metal
-frivolous police fines