This review is entirely my own opinion. Game played on i5 9th Gen, GTX 1660Ti, 8GB RAM.
Introduction:
Euro Truck Simulator 2 is an easy recommendation. It is by far the best game at what it does, providing endless hours of content in a believable world, well-designed. Hours feel like minutes and relaxation turns to stress (was I supposed to say that?) as you try to navigate a variety of scenery with a cumbersome load in tow without tipping it over, getting caught by the police or ploughing into traffic. Oncoming traffic.
Positives:
- Excellent gameplay
- Good graphics
- Good sounds
- Good location variety, with more being reworked/added.
- Mod and Workshop support.
- Massive replayability value.
Negatives:
- New achievements added when DLC come out, forcing you to buy all expansions to 100%.
- Graphics are not brilliant all over the world, but they’re working on this.
- No damage models on trucks (they can’t for licencing/legal reasons but still).
Graphics:
It’s a pretty game, that much can’t be denied, but it is in no way next generation. It’s come on a long way since the days the early screenshots and trailers were made, with improvements to textures, lighting and props in the world as time’s gone by. A lot of these improvements are noticeable as you explore the DLC map expansions, but to mitigate the disparity between the newer DLC and the areas in the base game, the developers have worked hard to redesign and modernise the original areas, bringing them closer to the standard of the new DLC.
The trucks all look really good, as do trailers. Realistically designed with high-resolution textures and pleasing effects like shining on the paintwork and windscreens make them believable and authentic. Roads and signs are all pleasing to look at too, and over time variety in different types of roads has led to a nice variety of surfaces to drive on. Surrounding buildings look okay, and vegetation too. None of these are truly stunning but they fit the style of the game’s graphics and make the world feel immersive enough to enjoy.
The only thing that is a disappointment is the complete lack of damage simulation. This is because they use real truck designs and have to adhere to laws which don’t allow them to simulate them in disrepair, which is a shame given how much most of us crash.
Gameplay:
This game is pretty much open world as far as simulators are concerned. As long as you stay on the road, or relatively close to it, you can drive anywhere in most of Europe at this point, though it’ll set you back a bit of money for the luxury. The base game gives you a decent expanse to get started with though.
The point of the game is to earn money as a starting truck driver by taking contracts for various deliveries by in-game companies and driving them from A to B. It couldn’t sound more tedious, but something about this game is inexplicably engrossing. The challenge keeping about 30 tonnes of utter rubbish upright and undamaged as you control this huge conveyance through the busy roads of Europe is addictive.
Driving feels amazing, especially with a wheel or with a controller if you’re poor, like me. Trucks feel heavy and almost groan pulling the load from a standing position (more so up a hill), and when they finally reach speed, momentum pushes them on as you weave in and out of traffic to try and make back the time you lost when you ran into the tollgate that didn’t break.
Trucks handle realistically, with physics simulating them bouncing over lumps in the road. They lean as you make a hard turn, and… sometimes flip. And then so will you. You’ll slam on the brakes when you see a speed camera to avoid a fine, you’ll fly down country roads with harsh turns, and you’ll take the thing off-road – no extreme feels like too much to get that delivery on time.
Eventually, somehow avoiding getting your licence taken off you, you’ll get enough money to buy your own truck, and now you’ll learn to drive more carefully. Repairs are expensive, and you care about this one. You worked for it. And so you slam into the first car you see taking it off the forecourt. Eventually, you might get good enough to buy a garage and get a fleet of trucks going where you hire drivers who are incapable of getting a job if their lives depended on it.
Audio:
Audio in the game is good. Most of the time you will probably play it and listen to podcasts or music in the background so it won’t really stand out to you anyway, but truck sounds are simulated well from gear changes, engines revving, horns, etc. In the cabin, sounds from other vehicles are realistically muffled, and become louder when viewing from outside of the truck. Tyre noises are audible when hitting curbs or going over speed bumps.
Audio is also used to draw your attention to how much of a fool you are in the game. You will hear a heart-breaking noise letting you know authorities have stolen some of your earnings because you put the pedal to the metal in a residential zone, and sirens will go off as police cars remind you of their presence, even if they can’t be bothered to give chase. Lazy.
Conclusion:
This is a relaxing game that you can take your time with, with casual levelling and XP systems to motivate progress which unlock trucks and upgrades. You will have free reign to explore most of Europe, mod the game to your heart’s content, and grow a successful, if hard-earned trucking business. The game is constantly getting support even now, years after launch, and will provide endless hours of fun and frustration to those who dare to play it. 9/10, it’s a brilliant game.
