American Truck Simulator Surprises Fans And Releases Early

SCS Software's American Truck Simulator was originally supposed to launch on February 3, but the developers decided that they wanted to speed up the time table. In fact, they released the game a whole 12 hours earlier than what they were scheduled to and gamers are loving every single second of it.

Over on the official SCS Software website they made a blog post describing the logistics behind releasing early and why they would or why they wouldn't. Ultimately they let the game go out early in the digital channels, but if you purchased a physical version of the game, you can still use the key to unlock the game early if you received a copy via e-mail.

The game is currently available on the Steam store right now for only $19.99 and the reviews for American Truck Simulator are extremely positive. Major gaming websites have given the game positive scores and the Metacritic rating is currently sitting at 83 out of 100... but then again the game only has four reviews in.

User reviews are all mostly positive, though. They compliment SCS for having made a graphically appealing game where you drive across American interstates and highways, soaking in a lot of the tourist attractions along the way.

The new delivery feature and the truck handling has also been praised, but the lack of content has come under some critical fire. Unlike Euro Truck Simulator 2, there are only two trucks available right now in American Truck Simulator. This has resulted in gamers having a limited amount of options when it comes to their trucking experience. So for those of you who thought DiRT Rally was short on car options... having only two vehicles is even shorter yet.

Some others complained about the road rules and the similitude to Euro Truck Simulator 2. In regards to the road rules, some users complained that cops are everywhere and are always ready to pounce at a moment's notice and that it's too difficult. Well, there's some tough news for those gamers: cops in America are like that.

Those critical of America's road rules are actually mostly European since that's the majority of SCS Software's fan base. Their titles are extremely popular with German gamers (who love simulation titles like Farming Simulator and Train Simulator according to a Steam Spy report), so adjusting to how the laws and policing works in America has provided some players with a bit of a culture shock compared to their European roots.

Even still, those who have problems with American Truck Simulator are actually in the minority. Only a small percentage of gamers have voiced displeasure with the title and those that have, consistently point to the limited amount of content as their main problem.

However, the developers plan on expanding the content greatly in future updates... some of those updates will even be free. According to some of the user reviews, SCS had trouble attaining the licenses for some American trucks so it may take a while to see them appear in the game.

Nevertheless, if you're looking for a cross-country trucking experience where you deliver goods and take in the sights along the way, you can grab American Truck Simulator from over on the Steam store for only $19.99. And if the game does well enough, maybe we can expect to see it on the Xbox One and PS4 at some point in the near future... maybe?