Great simulation, only one of it's genre, and good one at that.
User Rating: 9 | 18 Wheels of Steel: Haulin' PC
The 18 WoS series is probably the only realistic trucking simulation out there, which doesn't give people much choice. However, their only choice is a good one. Haulin' doesn't disappoint. One of its incredible strengths is the sheer size. Major highways of the US are all present, and so is the Trans-Canada (Hwy 1), meaning no less than several thousand miles of open road. The traffic model is great, and the truck handles convincingly, meaning slow accelration, terrible speed, and even worse brakes. One major drawback i found is that the traffic lights are only green for an incredibly short amount of time. If you're half a block away from a green light, chancs are it's not going to stay green and you'd better stop, as you probably won't get past (if you do, it most likely means you're speeding). Yellow lights are shown in the game but if you try to run one, it'll turn red and you'll get slapped with a $1000 fine. The truck you get at the beginning seems incredibly slow, even to trucking standards. On a level stretch of highway with a standard trailer, I can barely get 4000RPM on 5th gear and can't go past 60mph, meaning I have to stick to the right side of the road with 4-way flashers on, to avoid an obstructing traffic fine. Once you get used to these flaws, however, Haulin' is a great trucking experience, one that no fan of the genre should miss.
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