The King of Route 66 Game Sample - Playstation 2
0If you enjoyed Sega AM2's previous Arcadey trucker attempt, "18 Wheeler American Pro Trucker", then you'll really like "The King of Route 66", the fun little-known Arcade-style "racing" pseudo-sequel originally released in Arcades (later released for PS2) developed by Sega AM2 and published by Sega in 2003. Featuring the same core gameplay as 18W but with more modes, stages, features (minus major parking challenges), and expanded "story", the game is a nice title if you can find it.
Playing as one of the original Asphalt Heroes of the original game, the goal of the main Arcade game is to run the evil trucker group known as "Tornado" (led by the sinister Mr. Crown) off of the once-prosperous roads of Route 66, originally known as the "Truckers Paradise". You'll do various tasks such as reaching designated areas within a given time limit, branching off into different routes (stages) by accepting different jobs, or racing rival truckers from the Tornado gang. The main game alone is longer than the previous 18W game and with a greater variety of locales, but TKoR66 added several extras to give you the most bang for your buck.
For example, "The Queen of Route 66" is a fun sub-game that can last longer than the main game with an alternate plot; you impress various beautiful women across Route 66 by doing a variety of tasks for them. In this mode, you can choose your favorite trucker (changing some events very slightly) and tackle missions as well as upgrade a character's truck with a variety of power-ups and decals in addition to collecting emblems for more secrets. You can also play against a friend, race a rival which allows you to unlock Tornado characters for VS Battles, and play 8 mini-games (which can change what the Queens wear at "TKoR66 Disco" if you're good).
The racing mechanics and controls are mainly the same as before, though the game is a little more forgiving when it comes to collisions and you can now use Nitros which give you a very marginal edge against the CPU when combined with "Nitro Jumps" (special jumps off of ramps with Nitro) and Slip Streams. The graphics are a notable step up from 18W as characters are significantly more detailed and the backdrops and trucks are significantly sharper, though some of the stages are a little boring compared to the original game. The game also (still) possesses the same mostly forgettable soundtrack and over-the-top character voices and audibles, which are great if you like the silliness of old Sega Arcade titles but lame if you don't.
This is a video showing a few things in the game. Enjoy.