If there is a career out there, there is a very good chance that there is at least one simulator game out to let you try it. Truck and Logistics Simulator is the newest one that allows you to join the trucking industry. Simula Games is offering you the chance to start your own trucking delivery company and become a giant in the industry.
You start out with enough cash to purchase a small car or minivan. With this vehicle you can haul boxes, deliver small construction equipment, and even perform escort missions. Once you have made a few deliveries, you will earn enough to purchase a new vehicle and take on different types of missions. You will load, drive and deliver cargo, day and night. You can even jump into multiplayer to create convoys of trucks.
The game is basically a driving simulation, that allows you to make money delivering cargo. There is very little gameplay beyond that basic premise. You drive to a location where you pick up a contract, at that location you will either load your cargo, or hitch up your trailer. Then you will proceed along the GPS plotted route to your drop off point. Back into the delivery space and you will get paid. Rinse and repeat until you get bored. If you decide to have the computer load your cargo, you miss out on a small loading bonus. Damaging the goods, you are supposed to deliver will only deduct a small amount from your total fee.
The world consists of cities, small towns, countryside and long highways. While there is a large and diverse landscape, the map feels small. This may be in part to the use of switchbacks on every large hill. A series of hairpin turns that meander up a mountain and are difficult to maneuver when you are driving a large truck with an added trailer. The landscape also has a tendency to populate while you drive, leading to a very distracting experience. While the roads, and surrounding land load quickly – grass, bushes, and signs seem to pop up out of nowhere. There are no options to change graphic quality on consoles.
Driving is the core of the game, and even though there are some options for sensitivity and views, the driving controls and the AI are below par. Cars and trucks will spawn and despawn randomly as you drive around. There are almost as many roundabouts as 4-way intersections, and it is not uncommon to find cars stopped in the middle of them. I pulled up to one in a game and there were 8 cars stopped in and around it. Traffic was at a complete stand still, but luckily I was able to plow through everything with my truck will no ill effects on the vehicle. The cargo was damaged, about 10%, but that was an acceptable loss.
While Truck and Logistic Simulator is not the only game in the trucking genre, it is a decent way to enter the field without breaking the bank. It offers multiple vehicles to drive, a variety of environments, and quite a few missions. With a price tag of around $30 you have the opportunity to drive different types of trucks instead of being locked into just big rigs. And if you have friends that play, or want to meet new people, you can venture into the multiplayer mode.
