Hello gamers! What are you playing lately? Are you a fan of simulator games too? 😃
I know it's been a while since my last game review but I'm back with new forces! Forces that determined me to write quite a direct review which, honestly, I wouldn't mind reaching on developers' list of things to read on the internet even though I'm sure they are completely aware of all these things because there are not few players which are complaining about the same things for almost 10 years now.
Anyway, before we get on that spicy part of my post, I'd like to begin by saying a few things about what's Euro Truck Simulator 2 about, because yes, it's the 2nd game of the series.
Just like most of the games begin, you will start by first creating an account on the World of Trucks website which you will need when login into the game and then you can have some fun while picking your character (because you can't properly customize it but just pick one from a list), as well as the name of your future business.
A business that might take a while until it's properly created but every race taken will return with more or less money earned depending on how fast you delivered the goods, if you got any damage on either the truck or trailer, and how long the delivery lasted.
The more races you take, the more money you will start earning which then you can start using either for yourself to build that dream truck you ever wanted but where (yay!) you can finally customize it. The rest of the money you will earn, you can save for purchasing garages which you can fill with other trucks for your company that you can hire people to drive them and make deliveries with, which of course, will bring you even more money!
You can access the list of garages or trucks owned from the main menu where you can bring adjustments to any of these, such as enlarging the garage because at first, this will only come with 1 free slot for a truck but which can be extended to up to 5 spaces.
You can also fire and hire a new driver with more experience if you are not satisfied with the performance one has, as well as pick any truck from the list to drive it by yourself. You can adjust these aspects pretty easy because there's not much to complain about on this part of the game, being able to also take a loan if you want to speed up the things a bit. There are even some exciting achievements that you can unlock depending on how successful your business will turn out.
If I would write a review for this game a few months ago, then the picture from above would definitely be missing because it's one of the most recent updates which I can't be too excited for because the players of Euro Truck Simulator 2 kept asking for it for years and years until developers really managed to implement it.
I'm talking about the multiplayer part of the game because this used to be a single player game until recently, the players being forced to get on Truckers MP which is basically a prototype of the game that was created by the fans of the series who literally got tired asking for this mode to be added to the game so they simply created it by themselves.
It's the first red flag the developers should get when some players start creating this mode for the rest of the players after many years since they kept asking for the same thing and no one cared about our gaming experience. The developers refused to pay money for this mode because of their greediness which only stopped when there were lots of players preferring the Truckers MP version of the game rather than their stupid invention.
I was also one of these who was playing that version more than the basic game because I love multiplayer games as many others do. What's the point on driving solo on a map when you can have the same experience but being surrounded by a few other thousands of players doing the same thing?
So after 9 years since the game was released, they finally decided to add the multiplayer part to the game entitled as convoy where a player can create a new server on Euro Truck Simulator 2 which it can be left locked or unlocked depending if you want other players to join it or leave it only for these who know the password.
From there, people can take the same job you took so you won't end up getting on separate roads on one point.
If we open up the map, the things are getting one step closer to why I will rate this game pretty low.
I'm saying that because in October, Euro Truck Simulator 2 will celebrate 10 years since it was released but which shows that 10 years weren't enough for the guys working at SCS Software to create the full map of Europe.
If you are thinking that there are lots of details they should pay attention to and that it's a good excuse for taking so long, don't even think about it, because the graphics are looking deplorable and we are far from talking about a proper map of a country where not even all the main cities exist.
I'm not a stranger when it comes to playing simulator and racing games which do work based on a map you have to open from time to time, and a good example to this is The Crew 2 developed by Ubisoft which even though it has its pros and cons, it's literally centuries away of evolution from what Euro Truck Simulator 2 offers to its players.
While TC2 is based on the experience of exploring America but which is very well detailed without seeing the same building appearing on every 50 meters you drive, ETS2 is at the opposite pole with just a few big buildings representing the big cities which are surrounded by the same constructions and trees everywhere.
It's impossible to see the exactly same building in Romania and Estonia (for example) when we all know that they have nothing in common. Not to mention about the trees and bushes which are absolutely the same everywhere. There are maximum 10 samples of these which are just copy-pasted on the whole map that even like this, they still look horrible and completely unreal and pixelated.
You know those results you get on Google when you type in "tree PNG"? Well, this is exactly how the map of Euro Truck Simulator 2 was created. At least in my vision.
Here's another sample of what the "graphics" of ETS2 look like if you check the top part of the image.
Those dotted lines are supposed to be the electric cables that are crossing the street but which for some reason it's impossible to notice them as they should be.
Maybe you think that I'm a little bit too carping but I play this game in 4K with all the settings on ultra and even on a 4K monitor, so high expectations do exist. I just don't understand why would you create a game that has the ultra and 4K settings, along with big scaling, if there's almost no difference between how this looks on 4K vs 1080p...
A similar situation happens with other aspects too and not just with the electric cables, remembering about the birds which literally look like some flying garbage bags until you get right under them and can notice that they are birds. That's caused because of using flat objects instead of 3D ones that could be noticed from any angle. Another example are the people which move exactly the same. I even noticed two boys playing with a ball but which were doing the exactly same moves at the same time. How much the developers think they can lie players with new updates when there is actually nothing changing?
Another minus (from many more) to this game is given by the shadow which even though it's visible from the outside, if you check these from the inside of your truck and look in the mirror, you will notice that there is none! Not even the shadow of the truck you are driving! The shadows simply disappear when checking the mirrors of the vehicle! 😤
Oh, and you can also see what I was talking about with the trees a little bit before by checking the picture from the top!
One more thing that players keep asking for and the developers don't give a damn for, is dynamic weather and seasons which are completely missing. Experiencing rain while driving is the single thing that breaks the boredom you get in the rest of the game because there's nothing else you can see, like autumn, falling leaves, snowing, colourful trees, spring, and so much more.
Things that are not impossible to be added because there is also a mode for these if you download it from the website of the guys who created the multiplayer version, which by the way, they also make the cities and map a lot more detailed than SCS ever did.
It's just passion vs money which shows how easy it is to improve players experience if you really want to, versus those who are only taking advantage of the people who spend money for their game.
If you think what costs so much money, we are talking about the current 79 DLCs that are listed on the Steam market and go up to almost 250€ you need to pay in plus than what you will pay for the main game which is 19,99€.
I have no problem with purchasing DLCs for a game that I enjoy playing unless it's really worth it, but it sort of became a habit to release a game and then be forced to buy some of the DLCs too just to experience the proper game.
And I know that I own most of the DLCs of Euro Truck Simulator 2 but that's because it's one of my top 5 games ever played which comes with hundreds of hours on record hoping for a better version of it every time I open up the game again. I even took a break from playing the game for nearly 2 years with the hope that I will feel the changes brought to it when I start playing it again, but I'm slowly becoming more and more hopeless and that's also the main reason I decided to write this review even though I postponed a lot this moment with the hope that I will have more good parts to write about, rather than bad ones.
Depending on the DLC you purchase, this will add more countries on the map (because yes, not even this one is free to explore), new paints for the trucks when you customize them at the service or the possibility to take heavier and more special goods to deliver other than the basic trailers which are not even presenting real brands because of copyrights. An example is the IKA trailer instead of IKEA. 😬
However, a more recent thing which seems like becoming a habit now is to also release DLCs with the customizable parts of a truck that before it was 100% free.
Another minus goes for the trucks which are mostly these used at the beginnings of 2000's, talking about a very rare moment when you will see a more recent truck being added to the game. There are also lots of complaints on these aspects because if you take damage or have an accident, there won't be any visible damage to your truck, nor dirt if you follow an outdoor road and so on.
The explanation offered by the developers to this one was that the brands of the trucks refused to have it updated in the game because it will make their cars be put in the wrong light with those damages. Yeah, of course, so why this exists in other racing games and the same brands of cars have no problem with it? This makes absolute no sense to me.
Anyway, I think I made this post way too long already and I should stop because if I keep saying the cons of the game then I would easily have a 5x longer post, lol.
Perhaps I am more disappointed by the game because I really invested lots of my free time playing it and just like any game with a large number of players, we all expect to see improvements instead of praying for the same updates for nearly 10 years in a row!
Conclusions 🤔
If you are looking for a game where you can have some chill driving moments while building your own company of trucks and the possibility to explore virtually the world, then the game is definitely worth your time, but do keep in mind that nothing looks as it should be and it's very improper to say that you will explore the capital of Romania for example, when this one wasn't even designed in the game.
On a similar line we can discuss about one of the most successful and played simulator games out there which has a decent concept behind but which is still very far from bringing it to reality and players' expectations.
I don't think there's much left to say about the graphics because I already said a lot about them, but I do think that every game needs evolution with this purpose if you want to keep your base of players even 10 years later.
I think the developers of the game are sitting on a big treasure with this game but if they don't learn how to keep their fan base faster, I expect to see Euro Truck Simulator 2 turning into a big failure soon because there are already lots of better alternatives people can consider to play.
Did you play it? 😁
I'm asking this more as a personal curiosity because I'd like to hear more players feedback about Euro Truck Simulator 2 because it's a little bit weird to have so many complaints and revolted people writing on the developer's forums but still have this game with a 97% positive feedback on the Steam market because don't forget, the change can only come from the developers which won't move any finger until the success of their game is under a red flag.
Again, my "bad part" of review is based only on the graphics part of the game and the things that are missing from it because other than that the whole concept is amazingly done. Even if there could be made some improvements too.
NOTE:
- all the pictures attached are in-game screenshots taken by me (unless if other stated). 📸
- this article is trying to stay away from revealing spoilers. ⚠️
- this is a personal review and should not be taken as a real advice of either playing the game or not because the opinion might be subjective. 🗯
A list with some other games that I wrote a review about and you might like:
- Strange Brigade 💀 - 3/5
- TREE 🌳 - 5/5
- Lost Ember 🐺 - 5/5
- Professional Fishing 🐡 - 4/5
- Food Truck Simulator 🍔 - 2/5
- Don't Starve (Together) 🔥 - 4/5
- Late Shift ⏳ - 4/5
- A Way Out 🔑 - 5/5
- Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021 🛵 - 1/5
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2018 🚗 - 2/5
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice 💊 - 5/5
- Life is Strange 🌪 - 5/5
- Metin 2 ⛏ - 4/5
- Euro Truck Simulator 2 🚚 - 2/5
- Tell Me Why 🏳️🌈 - 5/5
| Game | Euro Truck Simulator 2 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | 18 Oct, 2012 |
| Played On | Steam |
| Price | 19,99€ |
| Genre | Driving, Simulation, Open World |
| Completed | Main + Extras |
| My Rating | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Hours Played | 622 hrs |
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