Welcome to the new, improved Big Mutha Truckers for PC. The delay in getting the game to GameCube signified a host of additions and improvements to the Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions previously seen. Empire obviously listened closely to the feedback received from Xbox and PS2 gamers, and made a few adjustments here and there. The story, such as it is, remains the same: Ma Jackson, the head ‘Mutha’ of the trucking company, wants to retire from the company. She has four children she can leave ... more >>

Welcome to the new, improved Big Mutha Truckers for PC. The delay in getting the game to GameCube signified a host of additions and improvements to the Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions previously seen. Empire obviously listened closely to the feedback received from Xbox and PS2 gamers, and made a few adjustments here and there. The story, such as it is, remains the same: Ma Jackson, the head ‘Mutha’ of the trucking company, wants to retire from the company. She has four children she can leave the company to, but cannot decide to whom she should give the responsibility. Trial by truck is the only answer, as players select one of the Jackson offspring and take to the road.

So, the story’s the same, but about those tweaks and new features…there’s a lot of ‘em, so strap yourself in and we’ll tell you what they are. Players are now rewarded for pulling crash combos, with more cash being awarded for successfully wiping out multiple vehicles. The more cars the player hits consecutively, the more money they make. If a car passes which is not hit, then the player starts again. New arcade-style voiceovers have been added to the on-road game footage to announce the player's progress. If players hit a six car combo, they’ll hear a disembodied voice tell them they are “a Bad Mother Trucker” and will be rewarded with a bonus car, the destruction of which will repair damage or refuel. This gives players further incentive to pull off combos and rewards them with valuable pick-ups. Previously, players could only refuel or repair their truck while stopping off in one of the cities, but they may now collect power-ups/pick-ups en route.

The Parking Challenge has been improved for the GameCube version, making it easier to perform, with the objectives being more obvious to the player. It is now much more intuitive and is based on getting into the parking space as quickly as possible with the money counting down as time ticks away.

Players are also required to toggle their truck into high gear when accelerating. In the PS2 and Xbox versions, it’s not always plain that you’re required to change gear, so the appropriate message has been modified to make it more obvious.

Just think…all those improvements, plus the core tale of racing against time to deliver your payload while fighting off the unwanted attentions of competing siblings, biker gangs and the highway police… yup, Big Mutha Truckers is the sight and the sound of the GameCube growing up, and we can feel our necks turning red already. << less