Recent reviews by Star Lord

Now I can pick weeds without sweating! Take that Dad!

I'm not a big fan of Rogue-type of games but this one is something special. When you die, it feels like it's your fault. And for me, I'm not pissed of where I would be frustrated. For example, if you're in a castle or dungeon and you enter from a single spaced hallway into a room with three baddies, don't think you can take them on rushing in all kamikaze style. Instead, pull them into a chokepoint and take them on one at a time. Seeing a pack of wolves after defeating a tough bandit? Well, maybe you want to backtrack to town to heal, eat and drink. Other games have frustrated me but so far I've had little issues and what I did have, ended up being my fault. In here, you are nothing special, a nobody and you need to earn your keep to be somebody special.

It is EA and there isn't a lot of content yet but for the cost, I think it's well worth it. I am looking forward to playing some more and the Dev has a big update coming out in March.

Very fun platformer. Has RPG like qualities and the roguelike gameplay was something I wasn't sure about first but it works well in this game. Mistakes you make are ones you learn rather quickly and will learn not to make again.

I don't ever think I've written a Steam review but After the amount of fun I've had in the past week, I can say that this is easily in the top 5 games of all time and I've been gaming since the early 80s.

I have both this and the Euro Truck Simulator in my library for awhile but never tried it until I tried ATS last week and boy, is it addictive. There's something calm about driving down the highway, trying to get your cargo to its destination safely, while making wide right/left turns and attempting to back your cargo into tight spaces. Then you want to make more money and buy/upgrade your trucks and garages and before you know it, it's past midnight and you started playing at 7pm.

Then there's the scenery. It's not the most graphically nice game when it comes to things like trees/brush. The first time I saw tumbleweeds blowing across the highway, I thought they were small boulders. But when you take a picture of your rig on a bridge overlooking some river in Oregon or Washington, you appreciate the beauty that these Devs have put into this game. It honestly brings me back to family vacations driving to Ohio or New Mexico when I lived in North Carolina. I'm excited to see where the Devs will go with other states. I hope that they continue to add states and that they finish the US before I kick the bucket because it's exciting to see various landmarks throughout the existing states.

Favorite things:

- The game reminds me of the "civilization just one more turn" phrase. I love long hauls and before you know it, you completed one after a 45-90 minute play session!
- Internet Radio. Devs, THANK YOU! Building that in and allowing customization is one of the coolest features I ever witnessed in a game.
- Lots of customization. I'm not a vehicle mechanic by any means but speccing out your truck and swapping out/adding things in and putting your touch such as paint jobs, colors of hubcaps, mirrors, interior things, etc...is just really cool.
- Vistas. This game is gorgeous looking out over a river or cityscape or even the sun rising in the am. As I said before, it's not perfect but for a game who started in the 80s, it looks a whole lot better than vistas from driving games back then!
- Managing your own truck company. I'm not there yet but I can't wait to send my peons out making money for me.
-Options galore. You have many different settings and options to use to customize your game style.Don't want to have fatigue in the game forcing you to stop at a rest area or motel for sleep? Turn it off. Don't like rain? Shut it off. Want a governor on your truck? Turn it on.

Now, some things that could be better

- Surprised there aren't more pedestrians and cars around the map. For example, Las Vegas. I've been there a few times and I can tell you there are way more people wandering around the strip at night than in this game.
- Being told you need to reroute due to some accident happens more than I think it should. It seems like EVERY long distance trip I take, it ALWAYS happens.
- Speaking of reroute, it would be nice to have more road choices closer to the accident. I get that many heavy semis are forbidden to drive on backroads but you'd think finding a parallel road to the one you were on wouldn't be so far away. However, I do understand that it would take more time for the Devs to add these in. Also, it would be nice to know at which part of the highway you can get back on after the accident causing the reroute. I'd rather get back on the faster interstate than keep driving north on a State Hwy.
- Despite the 70 hours I've been playing, I haven't yet figured out if there's an automatic pass for toll booths or weigh stations so I didn't always have to stop. Chicago has their EZ Pass system where persons who have it can be scanned for the sticker and then not have to stop to pay the toll. I assume something must exist for weigh stations too maybe?
- Probably the biggest confusion point for me is knowing what engine is needed for the load. For example, I took a heavy cargo load from CA to Washington. I was told i would need a truck configured to support that. The information provided by the warning cannot be compared to the job you are taking because said job doesn't offer the requirements needed for what engine type to select. You do get four different types of hauls showing bars from left to right. The further right the bar is, the better it is for that job. The best engine I could get didn't fill the bar up all the way so I was worried I wouldn't complete the job. But I did.
- Where are the cops? Sure you get ticketed for speeding if they catch you, or run red lights, but I got frustrated with a semi slower than me and passed him on a double yellow line with a cop behind me. Easily should have received a ticket. lol
- Finally cruise control. I have the default "C" mapped to engage cruise control and then mapped "X" as resume. If I break for a vehicle or a light and press "X" to resume, it doesn't always resume. I'm not sure why because it doesn't work that way in a car. As long as cruise control is on (and it is), resume should always "resume."

These "things that could be better" points are not "game killers" by any means. I haven't been this sucked into a game since maybe the first Fallout or the demo of the original Diablo way back when. I understand there are map mods too where you can driver through Canada, the rest of the USA and Mexico and I can't wait to try those but first, you have to pry my controller from my cold, dead hands first...just leave my trucker ball cap on.

By far one of the most memorable games I have ever played in my lifetime. Don't let the hours fool you; I played this game and the add on from the disk way back when it was originally released.

I really enjoyed playing coop with friends and advancing through the ages while maintaining your tech and resources was the most fun I ever had. Granted this presents rush scenarios but with multiple maps, play styles and Steam Workshop, this game cannot be beat!

Highly recommended from me!