Man's love for cars has a long history. If vehicles are an extension to man's power, then trucks are the ultimate manifestation of that.Most young boys have dreams of owning their very first car and driving at high speeds. Driving is one of man's most basic desires, being able to have such raw power under their control is something many yearn for. When I was young, I would always imitate the roar of the engine in my mouth, feeling that I was galloping on the road, using this most primitive way to satisfy my fantasy of driving. However, when we grow up on the road, whether we are riding a bicycle, walking, driving a motorcycle or a car, if we see a semi-trailer approaching you from a long distance, most people have a strong reaction to avoid this behemoth of a vehicle.

Although boys liked to play with truck toys when they were young, the chances that they can actually drive this kind of truck when they get older is extremely rare. With the ever growing development of video games, is there a game which encapsulates this desire and brings to life the power that lies within? The answer is yes!

This is the stand-alone simulation game that I want to recommend to everyone today - Euro Truck Simulator 2.

In this game, you will become a truck driver, and all you have to do is drive a tall European truck to complete transportation missions. You can drive on the highway and on the city roads. You will be guided by the navigation assistant as you explore this wonderful three-dimensional world.

You don't have to get out of the car and walk around, you only need to focus on your truck. It is your most loyal partner, with the completion of various tasks, upgrades, and traveling long distances, you will pour more emotions into it and immerse yourself into this incredible environment.

The gameplay of Euro Truck Simulator 2 is pretty simple, with movement being limited to the WASD keys. As a truck simulation game, the first thing many players would think of is a large number of complicated operations, such as controlling hydraulics, trailers, reversing, upshifting and downshifting, but in fact, once you enter the game, there will be a simple tutorial, which only takes five minutes. You can get started in this game, very quickly. Imagine that you are driving your beloved truck back and forth on the huge European continent. No matter if you are delivering goods or just enjoying the scenery, there is plenty to experience.

As a truck game, especially a game driving on the vast European continent, the driving mechanics of Euro Truck Simulator 2 will make players feel very comfortable. Not only that, but the overall graphical scenery is also very realistic. Whether it is compared with Dirt 3, Need for Speed, or Test Drive Unlimited you can feel that this game is in no way inferior to the AAA driving masterpieces. There are so many scenes to take in, for example,you can see a hot air balloon, lakes, planes, trains and countless other beautiful scenes. The map of Euro Truck Simulator 2, according to the developers, is a 1:20 scale of Europe, which definitely satisfies all your travel desires on the European continent.

In fact, whether you are someone who has never driven a truck or you are a real truck driver, I bet you will be very satisfied with the details of this game. Whether it is simulated hydraulics, refueling your tank, and even the decorations inside the truck, they have reached a very high level of detail. Although the difficulty of getting started in Euro Truck Simulator 2 is extremely low, it still takes some effort if you want to become a proficient driver. In addition to the basic driving controls, the game has a special button for you to start the engine, lift the axle, cruise at a fixed speed, far and near headlights, wipers, horns, and even left and right turn signals.

Don't forget you will be transporting goods across multiple countries. You have to take your trailer into consideration whenever you turn your truck. When you go uphill, you have to consider whether your engine can pull such a heavy cargo and what gear you need to use to go uphill. Even when changing lanes on the highway, you need to take special care to make sure that not only the front of your truck is clear but also the trailer. It's a common mistake to make and if you get it wrong you will suffer the consequences, and so will the driver of the other car you hit.

The game provides you with 9 camera perspectives. In addition to the commonly used first-person perspective, there are also third-person perspectives and other cinematic perspectives giving you many different ways to observe your truck.

Of course, there are also some shortcomings of the game. For example, there is no visual display for the damage of the truck. Even if your truck crashes and cannot be started, the front of your truck looks intact, this can be very frustrating for many players. Also the cities in the game are small and lifeless, almost as if each city is just an extension of the previous one, instead of being it's own city or town. As annoying as it is, I would rather the developers focus their time on what is important instead of wasting money on developing lifelike cities.

It is worth mentioning that, like many games that let players drive, Euro Truck Simulator 2 also includes many songs for players to listen to on the radio. In the game, you can listen to radio stations in various countries, and of course you can also set up your favorite radio stations. Oh and a friendly reminder, although the radio can be relaxing to listen to, you should pay attention when driving! In fact, many unexpected things will happen on the road. You will encounter heavy rain and heavy fog. If you drive at high speed, you will be shocked by the sudden appearance of oncoming cars, or cause a major traffic accident because you didn't slow down in time at an intersection, or you oversteer your truck making it roll over. Euro Truck Simulator 2 will give you a new experience almost every second.

So, what is the main objective of Euro Truck Simulator 2? The main purpose of driving a truck is, of course, delivering goods. You will be paid for each delivery. At the beginning, you can only choose to work for someone else. If you collide while driving, the company will fine you as a penalty for loss of goods. Of course the truck you are driving is owned by the company too so expect another fine on top of that. When you save enough money, you can buy your own truck. There are 7 brands of trucks for you to choose from in Euro Truck Simulator 2. German MAN, Iveco, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Duff, Renault, and of course Scania, the most popular.

If you are eager to buy your own truck and are impatient to earn wages, the game also provides you with a bank loan system. And the pressure to repay the loan is very small, so you won't feel too stressed.

And when your funds have accumulated to a certain level, you can also choose to start your own company. You can buy your own garage on European land, buy a lot of trucks, hire truck drivers, and they will earn you even more money. The drivers you hire when starting your company are a little lacking, but as time goes by, their skills will become more and more adept, and they will soon become increasingly competent at their job.

You as a player will also need to brush up on your skills. There are some small RPG elements. You will get experience, level up, and improve your skills every time you complete a delivery. Each skill has its own benefits. If you play long enough, you can unlock all available skills.

Not only that, the game's mods are more diverse, including the ability to modify the game engine, use new interiors, improve terrain graphical quality, trailer extensions, and many more which are officially supported. The sheer amount of mods is impressive, catching up to the amount made for Skyrim.

In addition, although the severity of the traffic rules in Euro Truck Simulator 2 is not quite up to the level of those in reality, if you enter the tunnel without turning on the headlights, are caught speeding, your driver is fatigued or you run a red light, you will be penalized for it. If you are caught on camera, you will definitely be fined. And it is worth mentioning that the rules of Euro Truck Simulator 2 are based on European traffic rules.

So, make yourself a cup of coffee, turn on the radio and prepare the next shipment, ready for the next adventure. This is a truly immersive truck driving journey.

Euro Truck Simulator