For some American or Euro Truck Simulatorettes, as I’ve decided we pretend long-distance haulage fans should call ourselves, news of a new type of vehicle or trailer is reason to celebrate. For me, the most excited I’ve ever been about American Truck Sim patch notes is the declaration that they’ve just made rain better.
Tomorrow, Euro Truck Simulator 2 comes (tragically) the closest it is ever likely to come to Eurovision Truck Simulator – with a wink and a smile, giving up on the idea that ‘Euro’ is any particular barrier to entry. I look forward to the surely forthcoming ETS2: Australia DLC. But for now, we get Beyond The Baltic Sea. Newbie ETS2 nations Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are all EU member states, so fair dinkum there, mate – but not so much Russia, some of the more Westerly reaches of which are now also accessible on 18 wheels.
It’s SCS’s wonderful Truck Simulator series boldly embracing a whole new geopolitical region – and quite likely laying the groundwork for years of ongoing expansion, a la its splendid cousin American Truck Sim, rather than our getting a separate Putin Truck Simulator at some point. Question is, how different does St Petersburg feel from Swansea and Stockholm?
The next bit of DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is due to launch next week, and will expand the already-massive truck ’em up to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, as well western parts of Russia and southern Finland. Another thirteen thousand kilometres of new roads to explore, say developers SCS Software. The day they figure out how to just import Google Maps into the game, I swear we’ll lose a few thousand people to Truck Fever. Until then, Beyond The Baltic Sea looks like the next best thing. It’s out November 29th. Enjoy the folk-metal-infused (yet relaxing) trailer below.
We’ve just passed the half-way point of 2018, so Ian Gatekeeper and all his fabulously wealthy chums over at Valve have revealed which hundred games have sold best on Steam over the past six months. It’s a list dominated by pre-2018 names, to be frank, a great many of which you’ll be expected, but there are a few surprises in there.
2018 releases Jurassic World Evolution, Far Cry 5 Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Warhammer: Vermintide II are wearing some spectacular money-hats, for example, while the relatively lesser-known likes of Raft, Eco and Deep Rock Galactic have made themselves heard above the din of triple-A marketing budgets. (more…)
As SCS Software continue to add to Europe with Euro Truck Simulator 2 (the next expansion focuses on the Baltics), older parts are starting to look a little scrappy. The latest update added more life to its roads but now SCS are thinking bigger. They’re currently working on revamping Germany for a free update overhauling its autobahns, touching up its cities, replanting its forests, and generally making it a nicer place to chill out. This process will take some time but SCS today shared a few peeks at the impressive improvements. They’ll overhaul more countries later too. (more…)
The enduring success of SCS’s Truck Simulator series is no huge surprise, even if its initial ascent to fame was unexpected. The combination of light business management, relaxing, meditative repetition and gorgeously recreated environments make for an ideal chill-out experience for people who haven’t done long, tiresome driving for a job already. Today, both American Truck Sim and Euro Truck Sim 2 get a little bit bigger, as Patch 1.31 arrives for both games, adding new roads and features to both.
17 years a games journalist. I was there for the reveal of Half-Life 2, the comeback(s) of Deus Ex, the splendour of Spelunky, the rise of Plunkbat and that horrifying time that grown men wept when they heard they could hold two guns at once in Halo 2. And yet here I am, very probably more excited than at any other point in my ridiculous career, because I’m looking at screenshots of truckstops in Oregon.
American Truck Simulator, bliss-out game to end all bliss-out games, is gearing up to welcome us to its next state, and its greenest one yet. I am so ready for Oregon. (more…)
Oh no. Somebody sound the journalists discussing journalism klaxon. Rattle it as loudly and furiously as possible, because the RPS podcast, the Electronic Wireless Show, is talking about how being a critic changes the way we play. Don t blame us, blame listener Aleksei, who sent in the theme as a suggestion. But please also forgive Adam, because it s his last showing on the podcast (he s leaving RPS next week) so he deserves a bit of self-indulgence. (more…)
Our Adam once told a story in the RPS treehouse about meeting with folks from Truck Simulator developers SCS Software, who were surprised and somewhat confused by how much we’re into their virtuatrucks in totally non-ironic ways as chillout games. We really are. (Well, when we’re not modding horns into alien wails.) You’ll get to see this encounter happen again live on stage in April at EGX Rezzed, the London games show run by our corporate siblings, as Adam will host an interview with two SCS fellas. (more…)
I, Alice Bee, have returned from a week off and everything has changed. Matt is in the office now, and complained about having to get up at 8.15am. This complaint made me furious and I am telling everyone. My desk has been moved. There is no milk in the fridge. I am confused, and I can’t remember all the HTML codes to write this very post. It’s going to take ages. The new world is terrifying. But we always have the Steam Charts, even when John is away on his> holidays.