Keep on trucking
The original Big Mutha Truckers was a solid if uninspiring spin on the classic racing format as seen in Outrun and Power Drift and made for a reasonable alternative to the 18 Wheels of Steel franchise. This sequel retains most of the original's humor and essential gameplay but doesn't really add anything new to the mix, making it feel a little too stale for its own good. Perhaps the one big change here is the basic storyline and this time around, Ma has been busted for tax evasion so it falls to her cousin, Jacob (the player's character), to step in and save the day. This is achieved by taking part in a number of dubious driving jobs where you can hope to earn the money to keep old Ma out of jail. Although the original game mixed driving with trading quite heavily, in order to give it some more depth by giving you options in how you made your money, here most of the trading has been ditched in favor of a greater emphasis on racing. The environment is now much larger, with lots of shortcuts to discover while driving between towns and there is a greater sense of freedom than previously. For a short while, this might just prove to be a vaguely entertaining experience. It scores a few points for its slightly unusual take on the driving genre and for the humor, but it fluffs it with the missions, which are fairly tedious affairs that don't take too long to get boring. The game also lacks the essential element of excitement that any good driving game needs while the lack of progression from the first title is also disappointing. Worth a look for trucking fans but everyone, keep driving on by.
