Mama has gotten herself in a fix and been thrown in jail and now its up to you to get her out, but not in some hell raising scheme to blow up the walls and mount a daring escape, but underhand and definitely a lot more subtle. It’s down to you to speak with the jurors who will be making a decision on the case in court and rather than bully them into submission its better for you to use your social skills and bribe the pants off them. Either way, the jurors get something they want and you get big old Mama out of jail. This is premise of Big Mutha Truckers 2: Truck Me Harder.

Gameplay:

Well there are 2 modes of play here which are the main story Trial By Trucking and then Mission mode(you can actually do these missions in the story mode). Firstly your task is to choose from one of 4 characters (truckers) and then your story begins as you escort some escaped convicts out of jail and to the safety of one of the locations on the not so large map (whilst avoiding the police of course).

The main part of the game is simply driving one of these huge rigs laden with cargo from point A to point B whilst avoiding all manner of things like the police, UFO’s, Bikers and other traffic. It seems that the jurors’ loyalty doesn’t come cheap and what starts off as small money begins to get into serious cash as you progress. Now how does one make money I hear you ask? Well the game has a trading system where you buy goods both legal and illegal from one town and then transport them to another town and sell the goods for a healthy profit. You can also pick up bonus cash along the way by beating the clock, picking up hobo passengers and/or smashing other vehicles. The trading is kept very simple in that you are presented with a store complete with its own wacky owner (including a nude naturalist). Once you have engaged in some banter you can then peruse the goods on offer. Next to each good is a rating as to whether the price you are going to pay is good or a rip off. With a simple touch of a button you can view the cost of the item against the sale price in the other locations on the map, so a little bit of maths is required for best results (although a bar graph is there to help those not prepared to do the maths). This process is fairly simple and will mean that profit should pose no problem, I guess the key is to maximise the profit by transporting the goods wisely otherwise it could take you an age to build the necessary funds. What is more you can buy upgrades for you rig at the stores which offer things like nitro’s, paintjobs and more space for goods as well as different containers for carrying different types of goods.

You can also visit the bar in most areas which again has a wacky bar tender (they all have themes). Here when prompted you can undertake other missions for bonus cash and it’s also here that the jurors reside. You can also indulge in some mini game madness to earn more cash such as video poker, snap or blackjack to name a few (each bar has a different game).

The mission mode comprises of various tasks in other vehicles at times and features missions that are also in the story mode. There is a gallery which features some un-lockable pieces of artwork, sounds and movies although gaining all the requirements in mission and story mode might take some time to unlock them all. I guess it gives the game a little more purpose than simply rescuing Mama out of jail.

Graphics:

The graphics are bold and bright but nothing that really pushes the console. In fact the game does look very much like a PS2 title. However, I think with a game like this the onus isn’t really on the graphics as you take control of a big rig and basically hurtle through some not so heavy traffic causing as much mayhem as possible. There are no moments of slowdown and generally the game runs smoothly. The characters are all colourful and distinct which is good as are the themed areas that they reside in. Overall the graphics are functional.

Sound:

The sound is also very bold and distinct with some very tongue in cheek performances from the voice talent. There are enough gags here especially with the talk radio station and adverts. The actual characters themselves all have something to say at every opportunity and will either make you laugh or cry depending.

The in game music is a little lacking and could have had more tunes or even featured custom soundtracks however what is available does seem like your typical “truckers” music if there ever was any. The sound effects are reasonable throughout and generally do a good job of sounding like a big rig charging through the streets.

Longevity:

A tough one, as the story mode will take some patience to beat due to the nature of basically repeating the same thing over and over until you get the right amount of cash to pay whoever. There are four characters each with their own personality and due to the freedom you have on the map you could argue that no 2 games will be the same even though your objectives are. Once beaten I think this is a game that you could have a quick blast on for a quick fix for say an hour but nothing more than that. Sadly there are no 2 player modes or Xbox Live Play which could have proved interesting if handled correctly.

Overall:

Big Mutha Truckers 2 is an interesting and unusual concept that surprisingly works, within the confines of itself. The major problem I have with the title is its size and general lack of ambition. Basically you go from one place to another and repeat which does become boring after extended play. The mini games and dialogue help break this up but still doesn’t detract from the overall lack of things to do here. Other than this there really is nothing wrong with the title as it all seems to work nicely I guess the big question is whether it’s worth spending money on? Well for the budget price it’s released at then I would say maybe as it does offer some fun. Other than that I think the game makes an interesting and hectic weekend’s rental.