18 Wheels of Steel

Last updated

18 Wheels of Steel is a series of trucking simulators developed by SCS Software and published by ValuSoft from 2002 to 2011, as a spin-off of Hard Truck , with the first game becoming the third Hard Truck game released.

Contents

Games

Release timeline
2002 Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel
200318 Wheels of Steel: Across America
200418 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal
200518 Wheels of Steel: Convoy
200618 Wheels of Steel: Haulin'
200718 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul
2008
200918 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker
2010
201118 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker 2

Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel[15 Aug 2002]

The first installment in the series, released in 2002. [1]

18 Wheels of Steel: Across America[23 Sep 2003]

This installment is similar to Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel except that the graphics were updated, more trucks and cargo were added, and a new map was created that enables users to travel across the entire continental U.S., through 30 cities. In this version, players can choose from 30 trucks and 40+ trailers. Time is made up of a total of 24 minutes in a day in the clock. This game focuses on the delivery of cargo. Players also go against three AI drivers. Unlike its predecessor, Across America does not feature a sleep timer. There is an improved traffic model as well as airplanes, helicopters, and trains with authentic sounds. [2]

18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal[30 Aug 2004]

In this installment, released in 2004, the user can travel across the entire continental US, and also through northern Mexico and southern Canada, through 30 cities. The sleep timer was brought back in this version. It has an improved traffic model. 18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal requires OpenGL. It also has the fastest map to date besides Haulin' and is the first trucking game to feature more than one country. [3]

18 Wheels of Steel: Convoy[1 Sep 2005]

In this updated installment, the player can travel through the United States, as well as southern Canada, though it differs from Pedal to the Metal in that Mexican cities are not present. The player can travel through 30+ cities and choose from 35+ rigs, 45+ cargoes and 47+ trailers. The player has to use the mouse to look outside of the cab at the mirrors. The graphics are also much improved in this version, and users can see drivers in other vehicles and when the trucks are "lugged" under 1500 RPM, they emit black exhaust much like older non-computerized trucks do. Other graphical features such as dynamic dashboard gauges were replaced with simple inanimate textures, although this and minor bugs were fixed with a patch released by SCS Software in 2008. Players can also buy things to protect themselves. [4]

18 Wheels of Steel: Haulin'[8 Dec 2006]

This installment adds more cities and has more realistic graphics, but Mexico is gone from this installment, as in Convoy. The ability to use custom soundtracks and save games during deliveries was also added. Users can choose from 32 rigs, 45+ cargoes and 47+ trailers in the game, including double trailers. The game does not require a powerful computer to operate properly since it can run on most older PCs. The game's engine, Prism3d, may not respond on older graphic cards resulting in a game crash on the game's start-up. Countries include the United States and Canada. [5]

18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul[3 Dec 2007]

This installment of the game is similar to and has the same gameplay as Haulin' but features newly renamed companies, 2 new trucks, and 3 cities in Mexico added. The previous 9 cities (Chihuahua, Guaymas, Monterrey, etc.) from 18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal have returned but the map for each was slightly updated. [6]

18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker[23 Sep 2009]

Extreme Trucker lets the player deliver cargoes in any of the three main areas of the game: Yungas Road (also known as Road of Death), Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road, and the Australian Outback. This game is quite different from the previous installments as the whole concept was changed. The player can no longer drive around in free roam unless they decide to go around the map during a delivery, but they can only pick a job offer from the selection menu if users have met its requirements of having multiple new trucks and accomplished deliveries.[ citation needed ] The trucks and cars are modeled after real brands, although users can not own any vehicles through the game and are simply truck drivers seeking various jobs. Still, today's low to mediocre range computer will be able to run the game without getting low FPS. The game was mostly poorly received by critics. Game was criticised mostly for change of series concept, but was well received by players and some reviews were positive towards the game and praised the game for its graphics and gameplay. [7]

18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker 2[6 Jan 2011]

Released in 2011, Extreme Trucker 2 is a sequel to 18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker. The game has two additional locations: Montana and Bangladesh, and a few new types of cargo. [8]

Sales

The series sold in excess of 580,000 units by 2003. [9]

Related Research Articles

Hard Truck is a series of trucking simulators and racing video games published in the United States by ValuSoft. The series consists of three main titles and a spin-off.

<i>Big Mutha Truckers</i> 2002 video game

Big Mutha Truckers is an open world racing video game developed by British studio Eutechnyx and released in 2002. Set in fictional Hick County, the game revolves around completing trips between cities, delivering goods, and competing in races while at the helm of a semi truck. The game is available on GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Microsoft Windows. It met with middling critical and commercial reception, due to repetitive gameplay, dated graphics, and lackluster sound. The game uses Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" as its theme song. The game's sequel is Big Mutha Truckers 2. A different game of the same name was developed by Italian company Raylight Studios and released for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS.

<i>Rig n Roll</i> 2009 video game

Rig'n'Roll is an open world truck driving simulation and racing video game released on 27 November 2009 in Russia and during 2010 in the rest of the world. It simulates truck driving and management along with associated business strategic activities, and features North American trucks. The game takes place in California and Nevada, in the year 2014.

<i>Excite Truck</i> Racing video game first published by Nintendo in 2006

Excite Truck is a racing video game developed by Monster Games and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It features malleable environments and tilt-based controls. The game was one of the Wii launch titles in North America. It is the third main game in the Excite series and the first to feature vehicles other than motorbikes.

<i>Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel</i> 2002 video game

Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel is a truck simulation video game developed by SCS Software and published by ValuSoft. It is the first entry in the 18 Wheels of Steel series and also a part of Hard Truck series.

<i>Naruto: Ultimate Ninja</i> Video game franchise

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja, known in Japan as the Naruto: Narutimate Series, is a series of fighting video games, based on the popular manga and anime series Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto. It was developed by CyberConnect2, and published by Bandai and later Bandai Namco Games. The first game was released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2, and was followed by four more titles for the system, as well as five spinoffs for the PlayStation Portable. A follow-up for the PlayStation 3, titled Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, was the first to feature three-dimensional battles, and began the long-running Storm sub-series. While starting out as a series exclusive to the PlayStation family of systems, the series has also been present on Xbox and PC platforms since the release of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 for the Xbox 360 and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst for Windows, respectively. Latest releases were also ported to the Nintendo Switch. The Naruto: Ultimate Ninja series sold over 20 million copies worldwide as of December 2019.

<i>Euro Truck Simulator</i> 2008 vehicle simulation video game made by SCS Software

Euro Truck Simulator is a 2008 truck simulation game developed and published by SCS Software. The game is set in a depiction of Europe, where players drive a variety of semi-trucks and trailers across a depiction of the continent, visiting the continent's cities, picking up and delivering cargo for various companies. More than 300,000 copies of the game have been sold in Europe. It is the first instalment in the Truck Simulator series of games.

<i>RollerCoaster Tycoon World</i> 2016 video game

RollerCoaster Tycoon World is a theme park construction and management simulation video game developed by Nvizzio Creations and published by Atari for Microsoft Windows. It is the fourth major installment in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series. The game was released on 16 November 2016 to largely negative reviews.

<i>Euro Truck Simulator 2</i> 2012 vehicle simulation video game by SCS Software

Euro Truck Simulator 2 is a truck simulator game developed and published by SCS Software for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS and was initially released as open development on 18 October 2012. The game is a direct sequel to the 2008 game Euro Truck Simulator and it is the fourth video game in the Truck Simulator series.

<i>American Truck Simulator</i> 2016 truck simulator game developed by SCS Software

American Truck Simulator is a truck simulator game developed and published by SCS Software. It was announced as being in development in September 2013 and unveiled at the E3 2015. It was released on 2 February 2016 for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS. The game is the parallel sequel to Euro Truck Simulator 2, the spiritual successor of 18 Wheels of Steel, and the fifth installment in the Truck Simulator series. The game is set in a condensed depiction of the United States, featuring American conventional semi-trucks and various locations across the U.S., where players pick up a variety of cargos and deliver them to their destinations.

<i>Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions</i> 2014 video game

Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is a 2014 multidirectional shooter video game developed by Lucid Games and published by Activision under the Sierra Entertainment brand name. The game was released on November 25, 2014 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, day later for Xbox 360 and Xbox One and in the middle of 2015 for iOS and Android. As the sequel to Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is the first game in the series to be released on Sony platforms. It is the sixth installment in the Geometry Wars series and the first one developed after the creator of the series Bizarre Creations was shut down by Activision.

<i>Minecraft: Story Mode</i> 2015 video game

Minecraft: Story Mode is an episodic point-and-click video game developed and published by Telltale Games, based on Mojang Studios' sandbox video game Minecraft. The first five episodes were released between October 2015 through March 2016 and an additional three episodes were released as downloadable content (DLC) in mid-2016. A second season consisting of five episodes was released in 2017.

<i>The Book of Unwritten Tales 2</i> 2015 video game

The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is a comedy point-and-click adventure video game created by the German developer King Art Games. The game, a sequel to The Book of Unwritten Tales, was published by Nordic Games on 20 February 2015 for Linux, Microsoft Windows and OS X. Console ports for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One were released in September 2015. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released exclusively as digital downloads. The Wii U version was released on 7 June 2016 in Europe and North America. A Nintendo Switch version was announced, and released on 5 February 2019.

<i>Eisenhorn: Xenos</i> 2016 science-fiction action video game

Eisenhorn: Xenos is a third-person science-fiction action-adventure game produced and developed by Pixel Hero Games. Set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, it is based on the novel Xenos, the first book of the Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett. It was scheduled for release on May 19, 2016, but was ultimately pushed back to August. It was released on Steam for PC on 10 August 2016.

<i>The Crew 2</i> 2018 racing video game

The Crew 2 is a 2018 online-only racing video game developed by Ubisoft Ivory Tower and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. It is the sequel to 2014's The Crew. It features a persistent open world environment for free-roaming across a scaled-down recreation of the contiguous United States. The game allows players to control a variety of vehicles including cars, motorcycles, boats, and airplanes.

<i>MudRunner</i> 2017 video game

MudRunner is a 2017 off-roading simulation game developed by Saber Interactive and published by Focus Home Interactive. It was released on October 31, 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One and is a spin-off/sequel of the 2014 Windows-exclusive Spintires, which was developed by Oovee Game Studios. Similar to Spintires, MudRunner has the player control off-road vehicles as they traverse locations to complete objectives. The game was released in Japan on Nintendo Switch on June 18, 2020. A sequel to MudRunner was released on April 28, 2020 titled SnowRunner.

<i>Wheels of Aurelia</i> 2016 visual novel by Santa Regione

Wheels of Aurelia is a 2016 visual novel and adventure video game that was developed and published by Italian studio Santa Ragione. It was released worldwide in September 2016 for Linux, Microsoft Windows, and OS X; in October 2016 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; October 2017 on iOS and Android; and November 2017 for the Nintendo Switch. Its story is set in 1978 Italy and tells the story of Lella who drives along the Italian motorway Via Aurelia alongside one or many companions; commenting on issues such as single parenthood, fascism, and the Mafia.

<i>SnowRunner</i> 2020 video game

SnowRunner is a 2020 off-road simulation video game developed by Saber Interactive and published by Focus Home Interactive. Following on from Spintires and the sequel MudRunner, the game was announced as MudRunner 2 in August 2018. Focus Home and Saber Interactive re-revealed the title a year later as SnowRunner. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 28, 2020, which was followed by a port for Nintendo Switch on May 18, 2021. It was released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 31, 2022. SnowRunner has the player control off-road vehicles as they traverse locations to complete objectives. The game features over 60 different vehicles and more than 15 locations. Much of the content is delivered across 4 anniversary year editions as DLC. A spin-off title, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game was released on March 5, 2024.

<i>Scribblenauts Showdown</i> 2018 party game

Scribblenauts Showdown is a party game developed by Shiver Entertainment and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in March 2018. The game is the sixth installment in the Scribblenauts franchise, created by 5th Cell. Showdown sees players playing minigames against other players or CPUs.

References

  1. ↑ "Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "18 Wheels of Steel: Across America Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  3. ↑ "18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "18 Wheels of Steel: Convoy Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  5. ↑ "18 Wheels of Steel: Haulin' Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  6. ↑ "18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker 2 Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "Go From Trucker To Tycoon With 18 Wheels Of Steel: Across America For PC From ValuSoft". valusoft.com. 23 September 2003. Archived from the original on 24 March 2006. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.