requested episode of Innocent Until Proven Guilty! Todays case is one of the most requested
and I can fully understand why. During my research, I saw that this has a
Metacritic score of 8. To put that in perspective, Sonic 06 has
a 46. Sonic 06 is considered to be one of the
worst games ever made, yet IGN, EGM, and 1UP all deemed it to be better than this.
That is justI dont even know what to
say about that. Ive covered some stinkers before, but thisthis
is a whole new level of potential badness. Well, I love a good challenge, so its time
to bring Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing to trial! The infamous Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing
from GameMill Publishing was released on November 20, 2003. If the Wikipedia article is to be believed,
it has a very interesting story.
Big Rigs was apparently developed in the Ukraine
by the California based Stellar Stone to reduce costs. Whether thats true or not, I dont know,
but there are Ukrainian sounding names in the credits section, which lends credibility
to that idea. From what Ive experienced, I can definitely
believe that it was produced by a small crew on a shoe string budget, sincewelltheres
not much to it. The title screen shows that there are only
two main modes: Custom Race and Random Race.
Random Race is self-explanatory in that the
course and vehicle are pre-selected, whereas Custom leaves the selection up to the player. There are four trucks at our disposal, with
such monikers as Thunder and Thunderbull. How creative. The semis can be driven over fiveermake
that four courses, including Devil Passage and Devil Passage 2.
Remember what I said about the trucks? That goes double for the courses. Anyway, with the race created, lets hit
the road and satisfy our need for speed. Here we go! Oh, okaythis is certainly somethingI
dont know what that something is, but it exists and Im playing it. First of all, theres no music, which is
not uncommon for the genre.
Spirit of Speed 1937 also lacked any music
except a menu song. However, Spirit of Speed at least had engine
roars, this has nothing. Its entirely devoid of audio in spite of
Alex Burton receiving a credit for it. My brainit hurtsmust move on.
As far as the visuals go, its a deceptive
mess. Big Rigs is adequate upon initial inspections,
but once we spend more time with it, the glaring issues rear their ugly head. I mean, just look at this. Look at it! Its ridiculous, but also kind of funny.
Still, I feel bad for anyone that spent hard
earned money on this. The presentation is nightmare inducing, but
the controls are fairly average. The vehicle is maneuvered via the arrow keys:
Up accelerates and goes forward, Down or the space key reverse and brake, and Left and
Right go in those respective directions. Finally, C changes the camera angle, which
is completely useless, so dont even bother with it.
The objective of the game is to win the race,
if you can call it that. There is one rival semi, but it never leaves
the starting line, so the competition is non-existent. This is in stark contrast to the back of the
boxs claim that were running away from the law and hauling drugs or other illegal
contents. As should have been obvious long before now,
none of this is in Big Rigs, so this is false advertising at its finest.
In reality, we move forward through checkpoints
until we get to the goal and were rewarded with a trophy, which is accompanied with the
iconic text Youre Winner. That isamazing and I love it so much. After winning the trophy, we go back to the
title screen and try out a different course. If itll let you, that is, because it will
occasionally bug out and announce that were the winner from the start.
During my travels into the void, I noticed
an abandoned helicopter, which I found to be quite fascinating. I started to ponder about why it was there
and I devised the theory that Big Rigs is set in a post-apocalyptic future with our
trucker being the sole remaining occupant. That would explain why the rival remains idlethere
arent any humans left to compete against. Clearly this wasnt Stellar Stones intentions,
but when its examined in that context, it makes it way creepier and cool.
Speaking of cool, I saved the best part for
lastthe reverse speed glitch. Holding the Up arrow and progressing as normal
maxes out around 80mph, but holding Down basically breaks the space time continuum. The vehicle can somehow withstand the force
of several billion miles per hour, jerking about like a ragdoll in the process, yet it
can also stop at the drop of a hat as if nothing had happened. There is a limit, though, and it occurs around
the 50 minute mark.
If its pushed to that point, the semi will
implode, the meter will bust, and well be given the Youre Winner trophy. Its insanity and is proof that Stellar
Stone didnt quality test before shipping their product. Regardless, I cant help but find this to
be amusing. All things considered, its barely a game
and is a rip-off at any cost over $10, but that right therethats gold.
SoBig Rigsthat exists and I honestly
cant comprehend how that is. Nearly every other publisher would have cancelled
or retooled a project such as this, but apparently Stellar Stones work met the quality standards. Its buggy, its unfinished and it has
many traits that make it worthy of its reputation, but is it without redemption? Lets find out in the breakdown! I really dont have to say anything here. Big Rigs is guilty.
You know it. I know it. I thought Spirit of Speed was bad, but this
makes it look like Daytona USA. At least the LJN Dreamcast oddity has the
appearance of being decent.
This, on the other hand, is broken and riddled
with design flaws. Hell, theres a course that is unplayable
and crashes as soon as its chosen. Ill close by repeating what I said at the
beginning: it has a Metacritic score of 8 and Sonic 06 has a 46. That speaks volumes.
I rest my case. I cant deny that this is buggy and unfinished. Thats true, but that doesnt mean its
not fun. There is some enjoyment to be had from this,
especially when keeping my theory in mind while doing so.
Plowing unphased through buildings and obstacles
and reversing into oblivion is hilarious, but the novelty does wear thin quickly. Is Big Rigs good? Far from it, but is it as horrible as its
claimed to be? Sort of, but it does have some entertainment
value. There are definitely worse things to waste
a few minutes on. Plus, it provides a nice self-confidence boost.
I am winner! Thanks, Big Rigs! In the case of Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing,
I rule that the verdict isGuilty! Im sure Ill get comments saying this
was predictable, but there was no other option than guilty. This is barely a game and as much as I get
a kick out of the reverse speed glitch, its a design flaw that shouldnt have seen the
light of day. If this was an unreleased prototype, that
would be excusable, but Big Rigs hit store shelves at retail price and thats almost
criminal to imagine. If you want to try it, do what I did and download
it online for free.
I had no luck finding a cheap copy for sale,
so that is the only reasonable option. Anyway, thats a wrap on this highly anticipated
IUPG episode. Come back next week for the return of the
LJN Defender, but until then, and until the next case, court is now adjourned!.
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