<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">The supposedly computer-controlled truck you're supposed to be racing against in the game never actually moves. It's right there next to you at the beginning of a race, but it has no purpose in the game. This is to say, actually, that none of the game's races have a purpose because there's no competition and no time limit. You win every single time. So unless you especially like seeing a winning-screen over and over again that reads "You're Winner!", there is absolutely no point in playing Big Rigs.</font>

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2"> The game provides no support for peripheral controllers of any kind, and there isn't even an option to edit the default keyboard controls in any manner. Your truck also handles pretty horribly. There are no physics here. You accelerate much too quickly to even be minutely realistic (especially when going in reverse, which lets you go from around 0 to 60mph in about five seconds, continue accelerating infinitely faster, and stop on a dime the second you let up on the keyboard), you can travel over the most rugged of terrain without any problems (including nearly vertical mountains)</font>

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Of course, the controls would only matter if you actually had to worry about running into things or crashing your truck, which, actually, is a nonissue. You see, you can clip your truck right through every object on a race course in Big Rigs, from the biggest of houses and walls, right down to the smallest of lampposts. Furthermore, bridges evidently don't actually exist, despite the fact that you can see them--driving over any of them results in you sinking right through them.</font>

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Score: 10/10


I'm speechless at this travesty. Gamespot has made some iffy calls before, but the lambasting it gives Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing is completley off the mark. It is clear from the beginning that the reviewer simply did not fathom the complexities and allegory of this game.

First off, he laments about the lack of goals in the game. He whinges on that there is no cargo to haul, no police chases, not much of anything. What he fails to grasp is the message Big Rig sends in the very futility of attempt. What point is there of hauling cargo that will ultimately consumed in robotic fashion by an uncaring populace? Criminals incarcerated during a police chase, despite their victim's blood dripping from their hands and a confession pinned to their jacket, are simply set free via the efforts of slick lawyers and the failings of judicial machinations. What is the point of even trying? comes a plaintive cry from Big Rigs. The answer is apparent. There is no point.

Time to lay down and die. This comment on society is driven home (or in fact, not driven at all) even further by the computer AI. It doesn't even leave the starting gate. Much like the dreams and aspirations we harbour as youth, reving our engines on a starting line where the crack of the pistol never comes. Meanwhile, those of privledge cruise to easy victory, unconcerned over such mundane things as rent or grocery bills or collideable landscapes. The societal implications here in the game are staggering.

Perhaps the most stunning allegory is the limbo a driver finds themselves in if they venture off the beaten track. Here the game seems to provide an escape hatch for those willing to take a risk and explore the more remote possibilities of life. It also serves as a stark reminder of the ultimate destination we all are headed for. All roads lead to pergatory; where you go from there is anyone's guess.

It's been awhile since a game of such staggering implications has come along, so I suppose it's not surprising it might knock mainstream reviewers for a loop. But if you open your minds to the possibilities, all roads lead to nirvana.</font>